The present invention relates to a working implement or tool of the kind comprising a long or relatively long shaft which has an upper handgrip mounted thereon, a load-supporting lower part or tool, and an auxiliary handgrip part which is mounted on the shaft for movement in the longitudinal direction thereof, said auxiliary handgrip part including a pair of arms which diverge in ά direction from first ends which lie close together or in contact with one another, to second ends which are spaced relatively widely apart and which are provided with collars directed in mutually the same plane and intended to embrace the shaft, and which implement further comprises means for locking the auxiliary hand¬ grip part in a desired position along the shaft.

Implements provided with auxiliary, work-facilitating handgrips are known to the art.

The prime purpose of the present invention is to provide a friction lock arrangement by means of which the auxil¬ iary handgrip can be moved continuously, i.e. smoothly, to desired positions in relation to the shaft and locked in said positions.

This object is achieved with an implement of the kind defined in the preamble of the following claim 1 and having the characterizing features set forth in the characterizing clause of said claim.

An implement which includes these features will function in the mannner intended, namely in a manner which will enable the auxiliary handgrip to be swung around the shaft at the same time as the shaft, and therewith the aforesaid tool in the form of a spade-blade, fork-head

or some like tool, can be rotated axially relative to the auxiliary handgrip.

The depending claims define advantgeous developments of the inventive concept defined in claim 1.

An exemplifying embodiment of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accom¬ panying drawing, in which

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved working implement or tool according to the invention; and

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line II-II in Figure 1.

The drawing illustrates an implement which includes, in a known manner, an upper first stirrup-shaped handgrip 10 which comprises an essentially U-shaped part 11 and a tubular horizontal part 12 the ends of which are joined to a respective end of the horizontal part 12 and which is preferably mounted for rotation on one or two pins 13. The handgrip 10 is fixed, either detachably or permanently to an elongated shaft 14, which may have the form of a hollow tube along the whole or a part of its length. Mounted telescopically on the end of the shaft remote from the handgrip 10 is a part 14 which forms an extension of the shaft. In the case of the illustrated embodiment, the shaft-extension 14'is telescopically moveable within the shaft 14 and can be locked in any desired position within said shaft with the aid of known means, in other words there are no clearly defined positions in which the shaft extension must be brought for locking purposes. The locking means, not shown in detail, may comprise a known friction locking sleeve, a pin which passes through the shaft 14 and the shaft-

extension 14', or some corresponding device. Attached to the free end of the shaft-extension 14' is a load-support device or tool 15, such as a spade-blade, a pitch-fork, a snow-shovel, or a fork-head for example.

The upper horizontal part of the blade, etc, 15 is conveniently provided with or formed integrally with a hollow sleeve 16 having conically configured walls. The diameter of the sleeve 16 is larger than the diameter of the shaft-extension 14', so as to enable the spade- blade, or like tool 15 to be attached to the shaft- extension 14'and there friction-locked.

The improved inventive implement is also provided with an auxiliary handgrip generally shown at 19.

The auxiliary handgrip 19 has a stirrup-lik part which comprises a U-shaped part 20, the free ends of which are joined to a tubular part 21 mounted for rotation on one or two horizontal pins 22, similar to the first men¬ tioned handgrip 10.

The auxiliary handgrip 19 is rigidly configured and in addition to the stirrup-like part 20, 21 further in- eludes a first angled arm 23, one end of which is at¬ tached to the underside of the U-shaped part 20 and the other end of which carries a collar 24, and a second angled arm 25, which is preferably welded firmly to one end of the first arm 23. The arms are preferably at- tached in the vicinity of the undersurface of the U- shaped part 20 so as to define therebetween an angle , which may be between 60-100°, prefarably between 83- 88°. he other end of the second angled arm 25 is also fitted with a collar 26, similar to the first arm 23.The collars 24 and 26 of respective first and second arms

23,25 extend in mutually the same vertical plane and the

inner diameters of said collars are slightly larger than the outer diameter of the shaft 14.

The auxiliary handgrip 19 is fitted to the shaft 14 with the aid of the collars 24,26 and can be displaced along the length of said shaft.

The collar-carrying ends of the angled arms are spaced apart at a given distance a and mounted between the mutually ends of the two collars is a sleeve arrangement comprising a first sleeve 27 provided with an internal screw thread, and a second sleeve, the end of which facing the first sleeve 27 has a screw-threaded part which is intended to coact with the internal screw thread of the first sleeve 27, and therewith enable the the sleeves 27,28 to be twisted by rotation about their longitudinal axes.

When the screw joint thus formed is used to bring the mutually facing ends of the two sleeves 27,28 into abutment with one another, the total length or axial extension of the two sleeves will be smaller than the fixed distance a between the collars 24,26 of the auxil¬ iary handgrip 19, wheras when the screw joint is used to move the two sleeves 27,28 apart to the maximum extent possible without actually divorcing the sleeves, the axial extension of the two sleeves will be far greater than said fixed distance a___

As shown in the drawing, the sleeves 27, 28 are fitted onto the main shaft 14, optionally with a relatively close fit, and can be displaced along the shaft.

In one position of the sleeves 27,28, for instance when the sleeves are in tight abutment with one another, the auxiliary handgrip 19 can be moved selectively up and

down the shaft 14 while entraining the sleeves 27,28 at the same* time. The auxiliary handgrip 19 can therefore be moved smoothly and continuously to any any position along the shaft, commensurate with the height of the person using the implement.

The aforedescribed arrangement also enables the auxilia¬ ry handgrip 19 to be moved smoothly and continuously to any desired position along and on the shaft 14 and to be locked in this position and against rotation of the handgrip relative to said shaft, by moving the sleeves 24,27 apart, e.g. by twisting the sleeve 28 in the direction of the arrow A and bringing the ends of the sleeves into contact with the inwardly facing ends of the collars 24,26. The force of this abutment urges the internal surfaces of the collars 24,26 into frictional locking engagement with the shaft 14. By selection of the backed-off (unscrewed) position of the sleeves 27,28, it is possible to obtain the desirable function whereby while work is being carried out, the auxiliary handgrip 19 will be held locked against axial movement along the shaft 14 but be free to rotate relative to the shaft.

Work involving, for instance, moving hay or straw from one place to another, is effected by picking-up a load of hay on the tool 15 of the implement, in this case a hay-fork, lifting the load, and depositing the load, by simply twisting the shaft 14 and therewith also the tool and the load supported thereby. By appropriately setting the auxiliary handgrip 19 positionally in relation to the handgrip 10, the load can be gathered, lifted and deposited in the aforesaid manner, without the workman needing to bend his or her back to any appreciable extent.

The inventive implement is particularly intended for use when moving hay, straw/ mucking-out stables, cow-sheds and like work. The implement can be used with equal advantage, however, to shovel snow, i.e. when the tool 15 fitted to the shaft 14, 14' has the form of a shovel. The implement .can thus be fitted with any known kind of tool 15 and the tool can be changed to suit the nature of the work involved.

Because the shaft 14 is telescopic, the main part of the shaft can be made shorter than what is normal, thereby enabling the implement to be used by very short people and by very tall people, while ensuring that the person using the implement has the correct body-attitude from an ergonometric aspect, irrespective of his or her height, the moveability of the auxiliary handgrip 19 being a prerequisite in this regard, of course.