Reach truck having a counterweight

Abstract

A reach truck comprises two wheel arms each coupled to a load wheel, a thrust mast positioned between the wheel arms, a drive unit comprising a steerable drive wheel, and a counterweight comprised of cast iron and positioned in a front region of the reach truck. The counterweight comprises at least one of: (a) a step positioned on a front side of the reach truck at a mid-height of the counterweight and comprising a horizontal tread having a front edge; (b) two fastening apparatuses positioned on opposite sides of an underside of the counterweight, wherein a supporting element is fastened to each of the two fastening apparatuses; and (c) a splashguard positioned on an underside of the counterweight, wherein the splashguard surrounds the steerable drive wheel forming a ring and positioned away from a lateral edge of the counterweight.

Claims

1. A reach truck comprising: two wheel arms each coupled to a load wheel; a thrust mast positioned between the wheel arms and moveable in a longitudinal direction relative to the two wheel arms; a drive unit comprising a steerable drive wheel; and a counterweight comprised of cast iron and positioned in a front region of the reach truck, wherein the counterweight comprises, two fastening apparatuses formed on opposite sides of an underside of the counterweight, a supporting element fastened to each of the two fastening apparatuses, wherein the supporting elements are adapted to support themselves on a ground at a specific inclination of the reach truck in order to prevent the reach truck from tipping over, and a base frame comprising a welded assembly that includes, the two wheel arms, and a horizontally arranged bottom plate, wherein the counterweight is connected to the welded assembly and the horizontally arranged bottom plate of the welded assembly is positioned at least partially below the counterweight.

2. The reach truck according to claim 1, further comprising a driver cab comprising a supporting structure, wherein the counterweight comprises a fastening means configured to fasten to the supporting structure.

3. The reach truck according to claim 1, wherein the counterweight forms a front end of the reach truck.

4. The reach truck according to claim 3, wherein the counterweight extends over a width of the reach truck.

5. The reach truck according to claim 1, wherein the counterweight forms a contour of a front side of the reach truck at a height of a tread and a front edge of the tread follows the contour.

6. The reach truck according to claim 5, wherein the tread is delimited laterally and backwards by a substantially vertically arranged surface of the counterweight.

7. The reach truck according to claim 6, wherein the tread measured in a longitudinal direction of the reach truck has a variable depth having a maximum value in a middle portion of the front edge and decreasing more quickly towards a side of the reach truck on which a driver seat is positioned than in an opposite direction.

8. The reach truck according to claim 1, wherein the counterweight further comprises a skirt positioned on at least one of a lateral edge and a front edge of the counterweight, and wherein the skirt and splashguard extend downwards from a lower, substantially planar surface of the counterweight.

9. The reach truck according to claim 8, wherein the splashguard and the skirt extend downwards to a bottom plate.

10. The reach truck according to claim 9, wherein the splashguard comprises a forward-facing opening which is sealed by a drive wheel cover that is fastened to the counterweight.

11. The reach truck according to claim 10, wherein the drive wheel cover is comprised of cast iron.

12. The reach truck according to claim 1, wherein a mid-height is 15 cm to 35 cm above a surface on which the reach truck is situated.

13. The reach truck according to claim 1, wherein the counterweight comprises a step positioned on a front side of the reach truck at a mid-height of the counterweight and comprising a horizontal tread having a front edge.

14. The reach truck according to claim 1, wherein the counterweight further comprises a splashguard positioned on an underside of the counterweight, wherein the splashguard surrounds the steerable drive wheel forming a ring and positioned away from a lateral edge of the counterweight, wherein the splashguard extends downwards from a lower, substantially planar surface of the counterweight.

15. The reach truck according to claim 1, wherein the bottom plate is comprised of steel.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to one exemplary embodiment which is represented in figures, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates a front a perspective view of an embodiment of a reach truck;

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded view of an embodiment of a base frame of the reach truck from FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 illustrates a front perspective view of an embodiment of a counterweight of the reach truck from FIG. 1 having some vehicle components fastened thereto;

(5) FIG. 4 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the counterweight from FIG. 3; and

(6) FIG. 5 illustrates a top perspective view of the counterweight from FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(7) The reach truck from FIG. 1 has two wheel arms 10, at the rear ends of each of which a load wheel 12 is arranged. A counterweight 14, which substantially extends over the entire width of the vehicle and forms a front end of the reach truck, is located in a front region of the vehicle, at the front end of the wheel arms 10. It consists of cast iron, in particular spheroidal graphite cast iron, that is to say cast iron with spheroidal graphite, which is particularly easy to work.

(8) A thrust mast 16, which is displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, is arranged between the two wheel arms 10. A load-carrying means having two load forks 18 is fastened to the thrust mast 16.

(9) The reach truck is electrically driven and has a drive unit having a steerable drive wheel 20. On the underside of the reach truck, a baseplate 22 made of steel is visible, which is arranged below the counterweight 14. Two supporting elements 24 arranged on both sides of the counterweight 14 on the underside thereof project downwards beyond the baseplate 22.

(10) A driver's cab 26 having a driver's canopy 28 and a driver's seat 30 arranged transversely to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle on a right side of the driver's cab 26 are located above the counterweight 14. At the front end of the vehicle, a step 32 configured in the counterweight 14 can be seen. Likewise, a drive wheel cover 34, which is arranged centrally on the front side of the vehicle, is easily visible, said drive wheel cover like the counterweight 14 being made of cast iron.

(11) The construction of a base frame 36 of the reach truck, said base frame enclosing the counterweight 14, is represented in FIG. 2. The two wheel arms 10 which each have a receptacle for a load wheel 12 can be seen there. The wheel arms 10 are part of a welded assembly 38 which, beyond the wheel arms 10, comprises a crossmember 40 and the horizontally arranged bottom plate 22. The crossmember 40 is a vertically arranged steel plate. A guide rail 42 for the thrust mast 16 is shown on each of the inner sides of the wheel arms 10.

(12) The counterweight 14 and the welded assembly 38 are screwed to one another, and indeed by means of four vertically arranged screwed connections 44 between the bottom plate 22 and the counterweight 14 as well as two horizontally arranged screwed connections 46 between the crossmember 40 and the counterweight 14. On two opposite sides of the counterweight 14 and on the underside thereof, there are located two fastening apparatuses 48 which project downwards beyond the bottom plate 22, which are each configured to fasten one of the supporting elements 24.

(13) This is clearly visible in FIG. 3, in which the two supporting elements 24 are mounted on the counterweight 14. Likewise, it can be seen there that the counterweight 14 has on the underside a skirt 50 which reaches far downwards, which is located circumferentially at the lateral edges and at the front edge of the counterweight 14. In the center of the front edge, it has an opening 52, at the lateral edges of which it merges with a splashguard 54 (see FIG. 4). This opening 52 is sealed by the drive wheel cover 34.

(14) Furthermore, it can be inferred from FIG. 3 that the counterweight 14 serves as a support for further vehicle components. These include a hydraulic tank 56, a hydraulic motor 58, a drive motor 60, a steering motor 62 and an electronic control system 64. All of these components are firmly connected to the counterweight 14 with the aid of special fastening apparatus configured on the counterweight 14, generally in the form of threaded bores. The drive motor 60 and the steering motor 62 are mounted on a drive unit baseplate 74 which is screwed to the counterweight 14.

(15) The dashed line represented in FIG. 3 illustrates a contour 66 of the front side of the vehicle at the height of the step 32. This contour 66 is formed by the counterweight 14. A front edge 68 of the step 32 follows this contour 66. A depth 70 of the tread, which is drawn into the tread of the step 32 as a double arrow and measured in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, has a maximum value approximately at the position of the double arrow, i.e. in a middle portion of the front edge 68. The depth 70 decreases, moving from this middle portion in the direction of the driver's seat 30, which is arranged approximately above the hydraulic tank 56, more quickly than in the opposite direction. The tread is accordingly approximately trapezoidal, wherein the front edge 68 of the step 32 forms the base of the trapezium and the angle between the front edge 68 and the right limb 72 of the trapezium pointing towards the driver's seat is smaller than the angle between the front edge 68 and the left limb of the trapezium, which is further away from the driver's seat. The step 32 is delimited backwards and on both sides by a substantially vertically arranged, curved surface 76 which is formed by the counterweight 14.

(16) Moreover, two fastening bores 94 arranged in the tread can be seen in FIG. 3. These are intended for a screwed fastening of a slip-resistant plastic insert having ribs, which is not shown.

(17) FIG. 4 shows the counterweight 14 in a view obliquely from behind/below. In this view, it can be seen that the counterweight 14 is delimited at its rear end by a substantially planar, vertically arranged rear surface 78 which is screwed to the crossmember 40 of the base frame 36. On the underside, the counterweight 14 has a substantially planar, lower surface 80 which is arranged at a somewhat lower height than the tread. The splashguard 54, which surrounds the drive wheel 20 in the form of a ring, extends downwards from this lower surface 80. In addition, the skirt 50 likewise extends downwards from the lower surface 80. The skirt 50 and splashguard 54 end at the bottom plate 22 (FIG. 2). The two sides of the skirt 50 and the splashguard 54 merge with one another on the two sides of the opening 52 in the skirt 50.

(18) The fastening of the drive wheel cover 34 (FIG. 3) to the counterweight 14 has a screwed connection which is not shown. One of two webs 96 located on both sides of the opening 52, configured on the counterweight 14, arranged behind the drive wheel cover 34 can be better seen. These webs 96 each form a stable contact surface for the drive wheel cover 34.

(19) In order to screw the counterweight 14 to the bottom plate 22, four threaded bores 82 are provided in the counterweight 14. The two fastening apparatuses 48 for the supporting elements 24 can also be easily seen. These are located on both sides of the counterweight 14 and each have a vertically arranged fastening base, which is rectangular in cross section, onto which a supporting element 24 having a corresponding receptacle is positively positioned.

(20) Further functional elements of the reach truck can be arranged in the installation space arranged below the lower surface 80, which is delimited forwardly by the skirt 50, towards the sides, by the lateral edges of the skirt 50 as well as by the inner sides adjacent thereto of the wheel arms 10 as well as by the splashguard 54 and downwards by the bottom plate 22. To this end, FIG. 4 shows a fastening surface 84 having four fastening bores for fastening a push cylinder (not shown) for the thrust mast 16 (FIG. 1).

(21) FIG. 5 shows that the counterweight 14 above the lower surface 80 has a large-for-mat through-opening 86 which receives the drive unit having a part of the drive motor 60 (FIG. 3) or respectively of an adjoining transmission, together with the drive wheel support. On both sides of the through-opening 86 there is a plurality of fastening bores arranged in two rows for fastening the drive unit baseplate 74.

(22) In addition, the counterweight 14 has two fastening bases 88 arranged on both sides close to its front end, to which fastening bases a supporting structure of the driver's cab 26 is fastened. These fastening bases 88 are configured as cylindrical threaded domes having a central threaded bore. Three further fastening bases 90 are provided for fastening the hydraulic motor 58.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(23) 10 Wheel arms 12 Load wheel 14 Counterweight 16 Thrust mast 18 Load fork 20 Drive wheel 22 Bottom plate 24 Supporting element 26 Driver's cab 28 Driver's canopy 30 Driver's seat 32 Step 34 Drive wheel cover 36 Base frame 38 Welded assembly 40 Crossmember 42 Guide rail 44 Vertical screw connection 46 Horizontal screw connection 48 Fastening apparatus 50 Skirt 52 Opening 54 Splashguard 56 Hydraulic tank 58 Hydraulic motor 60 Drive motor 62 Steering motor 64 Electronic control system 66 Contour of front side 68 Front edge 70 Depth 72 Limb 74 Drive unit baseplate 76 Vertical surface 78 Rear surface 80 Lower surface 82 Threaded bore 84 Fastening surface 86 Opening 88 Fastening base 90 Fastening base 94 Fastening bore 96 Web