On Tue, 09 Oct 2012 15:02:02 -0400, Joe AutoDrill
wrote:

On 10/9/2012 2:42 PM, Ignoramus22161 wrote:
I am thinking of making a set up to drop a heavy weight (old forklift
counterweight) onto objects, such as truck cabs and file cabinets, to
flatten them in preparation for scrapping. That way they will take
less room in the scrap gondola.

To drop that counterweight, it would need to be lifted with a
forklift, and then some sort of a release-under-tension would release
the object and it would fall.

I have compressed air nearby if I wanted to make that mechanism
pneumatic.

Any suggestion for something that could release an appx. 2-3 ton
weight?

i


Maybe replace the forklift's cylinder with a cylinder that has very
large ports on the "exhaust side" and install a solenoid or air powered
"dump valve" to bypass the regular return track of the air/fluid?
Tilt fork forklift. Just tip the forks to dump the weight. Or a
hydraulic cyl to pull the pin out of a clevis on the cable holding the
weight.