Implements or apparatus for applying pushing or pulling force – Method or apparatus for placement of conductive wire – Tractor for pulling wire
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-26
2001-03-13
Scherbel, David A. (Department: 3723)
Implements or apparatus for applying pushing or pulling force
Method or apparatus for placement of conductive wire
Tractor for pulling wire
C254S134500, C254S13430R, C104S112000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06199829
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a motorized device for stringing wire.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a motorized wire tractor for stringing wire and cable, as well as pulling lashers and the like, in addition moving other objects which utilize a cable strung above ground.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
It is common practice to anchor phone lines, power lines, and cables from stranded support cables strung above the ground between power poles. In the case of phone lines and optical cables, where there a number of such lines suspended or to be suspended from a support cable, it is a common practice to bind these bundles of wires together using a device known as a lasher. These hand-pulled devices ride on the support wire. The lasher contains a magazine consisting of a spool of wire. As the lasher is pulled along, it winds wire from the spool around the wire to be bundled and “lashes” one or more cables to the support cable. Illustrative of such lashers is the APOLLO LASHER sold by General Machine Products and described on its Web site at www.generaltools.com. The material contained in this Web site is incorporated by reference.
In high wire construction which is performed by phone, electric utilities, and cable companies, it is not uncommon to pull or string wire over difficult terrain, such as through thick trees, over bodies of water, between high hills and mountains, and other similar areas. When such difficult areas are encountered, the manual pulling of wires and cables or lashing operations are difficult and are time-consuming and require additional manpower. If it were possible to perform these operations using a motorized self-contained wire tractor or puller, it would be of tremendous value to the electrical transmission industries, telecommunications companies, and other similar entities that must install wires under such conditions.
While there have been attempts to provide mechanical devices to pull wire over adverse terrain, these devices have not been entirely successful or well received. It would be an advancement in the art if it were possible to have a device that would pull wire, lashers, and other wire-binding devices, as well as move loads of heavy equipment and other objects. Thus, while the invention is referred to as a “wire tractor” it is to be understood that it is particularly adapted to pull lashers, wire, cable, and move other objects over a cable strung between two above-ground points, hence the term “wire tractor” is intended to cover these other applications of the apparatus described hereafter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an apparatus for pulling wire and other objects between two vertical supports connected by a cable strung above the ground. It is particularly suited to pulling lashers over rough terrain using a small crew and a self-propelled device to pull a lasher along the cable. The invention in its broadest aspects comprises a carrier having four sides, a base, and an adjustable split top having an upper surface and a lower surface. There are a pair of driven looped belts horizontally mounted on opposite sides of the split top, running parallel to the split top, having outside cable-gripping surfaces. The looped belts are preferably a pair of gear-driven looped roller chains. The invention will be described hereafter with respect to this preferred embodiment.
The looped roller chains have mounted about their outside surfaces cable-gripping clips. These clips are C-shaped and are sized to frictionally engage the cable. There is also a pressure-regulating bar positioned within the inside surfaces of the opposed looped roller chains. When optical cable is being lashed, it is beneficial if the looped roller chains are covered with a belted loop, having treads which act as clips for engaging the cable.
Within the carrier is a drive for adjusting the split top so that the opposed looped roller chains engage the strung cable. Further, there is a carrier-mounted motorized drive train for turning the opposed looped roller chains in opposite directions at a constant speed. Finally, in the broadest aspect of the invention, there is a pair of vertical trolley wheels positioned above the opposed looped roller chains for supporting the carrier along the strung cable.
Other features of the invention include the looped roller chains being driven by a single motor. The drive train is a gearbox that rotates two spur gear connected shafts that turn adjacent drive gears on either side of the split top in opposite directions. In one embodiment, one of the spur gear connected shafts is an adjustable shaft and only the non-drive gear of the split top is adjustable. The adjustable shaft in another preferred embodiment contains one, and preferably two, universal joints.
The drive for adjusting the split top is a rotatable horizontally mounted shaft on the carrier having a threaded end which engages a thread-receiving mounting, located on the bottom of the adjustable side of the split top. There is a U-shaped frame mounted to the rear of the bottom of the adjustable side of the split top, with the base of the “U” being connected to at least one, and preferably two, vertically mounted ball joints. The vertically mounted ball joints connected to the base of the “U” provide an arcuate path to the adjustable side of the split top when it is moving to engage the cable.
A single motor is a DC motor, which is mounted on the bottom of the carrier and is actuated with electronic controllers, which are either hard wired or radio controlled for reversing shaft rotation and providing an on and off function. The DC motor is desirably battery-powered. The battery is mounted in a housing attached to the earlier. The battery housing has a pair of cable-engaging top mounted vertical trolley wheels. In yet another desirable embodiment, the lower surface of the carrier contains an end-mounted eyelet.
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Adams Douglas N.
Brown Jim R.
Munson Elwin C.
Van Way Leslie D.
Premo John G.
Scherbel David A.
Shanley Daniel
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