Quick disconnect system for construction equipment with rotatable upper works

DETAILED DESCRIPTION A quick disconnect system for a piece of construction equipment with an upper works rotatably supported on a lower works has been invented which overcomes the deficiencies noted above and has other advantages.
The assembly is primarily for use with conventional swing bearings having an inner race and an outer race.
The apparatus includes an adapter plate secured to either of the inner or outer race, the other race being secured to either the upper works or the lower works.
The apparatus also includes means for releasably connecting the adapter plate to the other of the upper works or lower works.
In a preferred embodiment, a crane upper works sits on the adapter plate and is releasably connected to the adapter plate by links pinned at their upper end to the body of the upper works.
A jacking bolt at the lower end of the link bears against the underside of the adaptor plate.
The bearing outer race is secured to the bottom surface of the adapter plate.
The bearing inner race is secured to the crane lower works, as in a conventional crane.
When the crane is to be separated, the jacking bolt is loosened to allow the links to swing free of the adaptor plate.
The upper works is then easily separated from the lower works.
The adapter plate and bearing stay attached to the lower works.
All of the bolts used to hold the bearing races are left intact and thus do not need to be retorqued when the crane is reassembled.
The invention has the advantage that it can use conventional bearings While there is an additional expense in providing the adapter plate and links, this is less expensive than many of the prior art special bearing designs.
Further, with the preferred embodiment, the upper works carries no additional weight when the crane parts are separated.
In fact, it may be possible to build the base of the upper works of lighter weight material when it is used with the adapter plate, reducing the weight of the heaviest piece of a disassembled crane.
These and other advantages of the invention, as well as the invention itself, will best be understood by reference to the attached drawings, a brief description of which follows