Stellar develop ‘Flip Sheave’ for confined spaces

Stellar Industries’ design for the new Flip Sheave allows the operator to simply pull a pin to change sheave’s configuration from its standard load control horse head setup to a low-profile position for use when working under a vehicle’s hood or inside a cab.

When in its standard configuration the crane is able to operate using a two-part line, with the cables and wire rope positioned to avoid rubbing against the boom as it lifts at high boom angles.

With the sheave in its low-profile configuration, the crane can operate in single part line configuration and make use of the extra space left by the reconfigured sheave to handle the load in height-restricted areas.

Stellar Industries’ product manager for bodies and cranes, Tim Davison, said: “When customers need to reach inside the cab of a piece of equipment or other restricted areas, they need a low profile horse head for maximum lifting height, and the new Stellar Flip Sheave will provide such access in a quick and efficient manner.”

Each device also features a bar style anti two-block activation system to ensure the crane operates using the correct load block activation orientation in both standard and low profile modes.

Davison added: “We’re known as a company who listens to its customer’s demands and creatively meets their needs while leading the industry in innovative and useful features. That is what has driven this new Flip Sheave design, and what has propelled Stellar into a market leading crane manufacturer.”

The Flip Sheave will now be fitted as standard to all heavy-duty mechanics boom trucks manufactured by the firm, from the 3.75USt model 7621 to the 7USt model 14528.

Visitors to the 2011 International Conference on Urban and Environmental Engineering (ICUEE) in Louisville, Kentucky from the 4th to the 6th October can get a first look at the Flip Sheave at Booth N1012.