Improvements in or relating to lift trucks

685,139. Lift trucks. AJAX TRUCKS, Ltd. Feb. 6, 1951. [Feb. 16, 1950] No. 3944/50. Class 78 (iii). In a lift truck, the platform 2 is raised on parallel links 4 by a lever 7 which is pivoted to the truck frame at 6, engages the underside of the platform with one end and is operatively engaged at the other end by a cam 14 which is rotatable in both directions by a ratchet gearing driven shaft 12. The lever carries rollers 9, 11, which respectively engage a plate 10 on the platform, and the edge of cam 14. The shaft 12 carries a pair of ratchet wheels 15, 25, the former of which is operatively engaged by a reversible pawl 20 on a pedal lever 16, and the latter co-operating with balls in a housing 26 which, when locked to the frame by a clamp screw 30 during lifting, prevents reverse rotation of shaft 12 when the return stroke of lever 16 is made under the action of a spring 18. When platform 2 is loaded, lowering under the control of a rotary dashpot 32 is effected gravitationally by releasing screw 30, but when the platform is empty pawl 20 is reversed and shaft 12 is positively rotated in the reverse direction through lever 16. This lever may be hand operated or, when the truck is power driven, it may be reciprocated by the truck propulsion unit. The lever 7 may be in two or more parts connected together by cross portions, and its bearings and rollers may extend transversely between the parts as shown in Fig. 2. An adjustable stop 33 secured to shaft 12 co-operates with a fixed abutment 34 which limits movement of the shaft. In modifications described in the Provisional Specification only, the cam 14 may be replaced by toothed wheels, cranks or eccentrics.