Abstract
A lifting and gripping device including a solid, non-tubular construction, a beveled or wavy washer and rotating head to retard rotation under a design movement force, an automatic release safety lift latch to lock and unlock the gripping arms in the open and closed positions, two receiving slots for the forks of a fork lift, and a forklift safety chain to prevent the device from slipping off the forklift forks. The beveled or wavy washer of the rotating head is designed to prevent unnecessary rotation of the lifted object upon movement of said object by the forklift. The two receiving forklift fork receiving slots are designed to accommodate the forks of a forklift which upon lifting of the fork, actuates the lifting and gripping arms to close around the base of the object to be lifted. The safety latch is actuated by the forklift operator to initiate the gripping upon lifting. Once the lifted object is placed, the gripping arms open to release pressure on the object and simultaneously actuate the locking mechanism such that if the device is then lifted again, the gripping arms will not close unless and until the safety lock is re-engaged.