GB2299067A - Wire dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

A fencing wire dispenser comprises a stand 1 having a base 2 and an upright 3 and an adjustable holder 4 for a fencing wire reel rotatably mounted, in use, on a pivot pin 10 projecting substantially perpendicularly from the upright 3. The holder comprises a socket 16 mounted on the pin 10 and a slidably adjustable reel retainer 6. The reel holder may include a backplate 43 engageable by a cranked winding handle 45. Ground spikes may be provided below the base 2. The dispenser is more compact and stable than existing designs and is adaptable to different shapes of reel and types of fencing wire.

Description

WIRE DISPENSER Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fencing wire dispenser.

Background to the Present Invention Dispensers for high tension fencing wire, generally comprise a single stake that is pressed into the ground and which supports part way up its height the reel of fencing wire, holding the reel substantially horizontally or at least parallel to the ground.

These dispensing devices are, however, not adapted to handle widely varying dimensions of reel, they are generally relatively unstable and they cannot enable multiple reels to be dispensed in close proximity to each other for formation of a multi-strand fence with any degree of ease.

Furthermore, the conventional dispensers are unsuitable for mounting in tandem on the rear of a truck or trailer when erecting the fencing.

It is a general objective of the present invention to provide a fencing wire dispenser that is relatively compact and versatile, suited for a wide range of differing dimensions of fencing wire reel and type of fencing wire.

Summarv of the Invention According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a fencing wire dispenser which comprises: a stand having a base and an upright; and an adjustable holder for a fencing wire reel, mounted or adapted to be (preferably demountably) pivotally mounted to the stand upright on a pivot bar projecting substantially perpendicularly from the stand, in use.

Preferably the base of the stand has a plurality of projections which serve to penetrate the ground to stabilise the stand, in use.

Preferably the projections are demountably fitted to the base.

Preferably the reel holder comprises an axle having retaining means at each opposing end thereof at least one of which is longitudinally slidable along the axle and may be removed to enable a fencing wire reel to be mounted upon the axle and may then be slid toward the other retaining means to engage and hold the reel in place.

Preferably one or both of the retaining means has at least one protrusion thereon which projects into the reel to restrain the reel from rotating about the axle.

In an alternative embodiment the wire reel holder may suitably comprise two or more arms radiating from a means for pivotally mounting the holder to the stand and which each have retaining means thereon longitudinally slidable along the arms to enable mounting of the reel and to hold the reel.

Brief Description of the Drawings Two preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention from above; Figure 2 is a perspective view from above of a reel holding member of the Figure 1 embodiment dispenser; Figure 3 is an orthogonal view of the reel holding member of Figure 2; Figure 4 is an orthogonal end elevation view of the reel holding member of Figures 2 and 3; Figure 5 is a perspective view from above of the stand portion of the fencing wire dispenser;; Figure 6 is a series of views showing, clockwise from top left, a side elevation view of the central part of the stand portion of Figure 5, a front elevation of said part, a side elevation view of a spring steel washer and a front elevation view thereof, a side elevation view of a substantially conventional wing nut and a side elevation view of a castellated nut; Figure 7 is a plan view of a second embodiment of fencing wire reel holder mountable to the pivot bar of the reel dispenser stand portion; Figure 8 is a view of a sliding retainer member for the wire reel holder of the second embodiment; Figure 9 is a perspective view illustrating a set of four of the sliding retainer members of Figure 8 mounted to the four arms of the second embodiment of reel holder and holding a wire reel in place; and Figure 10 is a plan view of a variant of the central portion of the second embodiment of fencing wire reel holder adapted to enable the arms of that embodiment to be demountably fitted thereto.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments Referring to Figures 1 to 5, the first embodiment of fencing wire dispenser is best suited for dispensing fencing barbed wire.

The dispenser comprises a stand 1 having a substantially square or rectangular base frame 2 and an inverted U-shaped or rectangular upright frame 3 extending upwardly from the base frame 2, in use. Although not readily visible from the illustrations, the base frame 2 has a set of prongs projecting downwardly from each corner thereof into the ground to stabilise the stand 1. These prongs may suitably be formed of the same metal as the construction of the rest of the stand, suitably being rust proof and robust, and welded to the base frame 2. The prongs are suitably present in a number greater than two and preferably at least three or four, each at a respective corner of the base frame which is suitably triangular or preferably rectangular.

In a particularly preferred arrangement, the prongs are not welded to the base frame 2 but provided with a screw thread that fit into corresponding threaded sockets in the base frame 2 to enable the prongs to be mounted to the base frame 2 or demounted at will. This is of particular value when using the dispenser mounted in the rear of a truck rather than planted in the ground. Indeed, the sockets or other sockets may be provided for bolting of the stand to the rear of a truck.

As will be seen from the representations, the base 2 of the stand is substantially smaller in cross-section than the upright frame 3.

Part way up the upright frame 3 there is provided a broadly rectangular mounting plate 9 which extends between the upright arms of the upright frame 3 and has projecting substantially centrally therefrom and perpendicularly to the upright frame 3 a circular cylindrical pivot bar 10.

Referring to Figure 2 and Figure 3, there is shown a fencing wire reel holder 4 which pivotally mounts to the pivot bar 10 by sliding longitudinally thereonto.

The reel holder 4 essentially comprises an elongate bar 5 having at at least one end a substantially tubular (sleeve-shaped) socket portion 16 that pivotally mounts over the pivot pin 10.

In the illustrated embodiments in Figures 2 and 3 the end of the reel holder 4 that mounts to the stand 1 has a substantially flat plate 12 having a "U"shaped frame 13 projecting perpendicularly therefrom and framing the tubular socket 16 and from which project a pair of lugs 14 which penetrate the reel of barbed wire that is fitted thereto in use. It is the lugs 14 and complementary lugs 8 provided on an opposing retaining member 15 that hold the reel of barbed wire in place on the reel holder 4 when the reel is unwound by rotation of the reel holder 4 about the axis of the pivot pin 10.

The retaining member 15 broadly comprises a transverse bar 6 having a central aperture extending transversely therethrough to enable the transverse bar 6 to be slidingly mounted transversely to the bar 5 of the wire reel holder 4. An adjustable screw 7 is provided to enable the transverse bar 6 to be tightened in place at a suitable point along the length of the primary bar, or axle, 5 that corresponds to the width dimension of the reel of fencing wire.

A threaded bolt similar to bolt 32 is engaged in the threaded aperture 30 in a tubular socket 16 of the holder 4, projecting therethrough into mating engagement with a circumferential annular groove 20 provided on the pivot pin 10 such that the bolt 32 is trapped against movement longitudinally of the pivot pin 10.

Referring to Figure 6, rather than using a threaded bolt to engage with a circumferential annular groove 20 on the pivot bar 10, the free end of the pivot bar 10 is suitably threaded 40 to receive a wing nut 41 that is secured against backing off by provision of an aperture 42 through the wing nut and corresponding one or more apertures 43 suitably at measured distances along the threaded portion 40 of the pivot bar 10 and into which a split pin or other locking pin may be inserted.

Suitably the nut 41 may be a castellated nut 41', the furrows of which replace or supplement the need for apertures 42 through the wall of the nut and which have the benefit of providing greater ease of alignment with the corresponding aperture (s) 43 provided on the pivot bar 10.

To provide for efficient damping/breaking of the revolution of the reel holder 4 about the pivot bar 10, rather than using flat steel washers it is preferable to use spring steel washers 44 at either end of the tubular socket 16. This prevents uncontrolled acceleration of unwinding of the reel. The provision of a choice of apertures 43 on the pivot bar 10 enables the extent of damping to be selectably adjusted.

Turning now to the second embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 7 to 10, this is adapted for dispensing non-barbed wire, e.g high tensile wire.

The stand of this second embodiment is common with that of the first embodiment. The features which differ constitute the construction of the reel holder which mounts to the pivot bar 10 of the stand 1.

In the second embodiment the reel holder comprises a tubular socket portion 17 projecting from a backing plate 23 and adapted to pivotally mount the pivot bar 10 the stand. This backing plate 23 has a square socket 22 welded to one end thereof into which a crank handle 45 may be fitted for cranking the reel holder around when dispensing or rewinding the fencing wire.

Extending radially in four perpendicularly opposed directions from the tubular socket portion 17 are four arms 18 of the fencing wire holder. A respective retaining member (Figure 8) 20 is longitudinally slidably mountable to each of the arms 18. Each retaining member has a collar portion 35 having an "L"-shaped arm 19 projecting therefrom which, when the retaining member is mounted to a respective arm 18 form a channel against the arm 18 within which the fencing wire may sit. The position of the retaining member along the respective arm 18 is adjusted to suit the diameter of the reel of fencing wire and is locked at the corresponding position by a threaded bolt 34 that screws into a corresponding aperture 33 in the collar portion 35 of the retaining means.

Finally, referring to Figure 10, the reel holder may be collapsable by demountably slotting independent arms 18 into sockets 46 on the back plate 23 rather than welding the arms 18 in place.

Claims (13)

1. A fencing wire dispenser which comprises: a stand having a base and an upright; and an adjustable holder for a fencing wire reel, which holder is pivotally mounted, in use, to a pivot bar projecting substantially perpendicularly from the upright.

2. A fencing wire dispenser as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the adjustable fencing wire reel holder is demountable from the upright.

3. A fencing wire dispenser as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the adjustable fencing wire reel holder has a sleeve shaped socket that fits over the pivot bar and is secured in place to the pivot bar by a nut threaded to the end of the pivot bar.

4. A fencing wire dispenser as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the nut is provided with a lateral aperture and a corresponding aperture is provided in the pivot bar to enable a locking pin to be inserted into the nut and bar to prevent the nut from backing off the pivot bar.

5. A fencing wire dispenser as claimed in any preceding Claim wherein the mounting of the adjustable holder to the pivot bar includes one or more spring steel washers to provide a braking or damping mechanism

6. A fencing wire dispenser as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the base of the stand has a plurality of projections which serve to penetrate the ground to stabilise the stand, in use.

7. A fencing wire dispenser as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the projections are demountably fitted to the base.

8. A fencing wire dispenser as claimed in a preceding Claim, wherein the adjustable holder for a fencing wire reel comprises an axle having retaining means at each opposing end thereof at least one of which is longitudinally slidable along the axle and may be removed to enable the fencing wire reel to be mounted upon the axle and may then be slid towards the other retaining means to engage and hold the reel in place.

9. A fencing wire dispenser as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the retaining means has at least one protrusion thereon which projects into the reel to restrain the wheel from rotating about the axle.

10. A fencing wire dispenser as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the reel holder comprises two or more arms radiating from a means for pivotally mounting the holder to the stand and which each have retaining means thereon longitudinally slidable along the arms to enable mounting of the reel and to hold the reel.

11. A fencing wire dispenser as claimed in Claim 10, wherein the means of pivotally mounting the holder to the stand is a sleeve-shaped socket.

12. A fencing wire dispenser as claimed in Claim 10 and 11, wherein the arms are demountable from their radiating configuration around the means for pivotally mounting the holder to the stand.

13. A fencing wire dispenser substantially as hereinbefore described with respect to any suitable combination of the accompanying drawings.