CONTAINER-LIFTING SPREADER WITH ABSOLUTE POSITIONING OF TWIST-LOCKS

A container-lifting spreader includes locking pins insertable into seats formed at the corners of a container and upon rotation about their longitudinal axes are brought in locked engagement therewith. The locking pins are in pairs associated with a common drive effecting simultaneous rotation of the pins between locking and unlocking positions. The drive includes a reversible motor and a power transmission that includes two push rods respectively, each of which is hinged at one end to a locking pin, and at the other end to an operating lever included in the power transmission, such that a driven movement of the lever is transferred via the push rods to rotational movements of the pins. The lever acts as a pivoting arm supported on a rotatable shaft, the arm cooperating with fixed stops that mechanically limit the movement of the lever within an angular space determined by the e distance between the stops.