US2709966A - Ski tow - Google Patents

Description

`Ixune 7, 1955 EQR. BoYNToN Er AL SKI TOW 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Jan. 2o, 195ol OMNII. Il

June 7, 1955 E. R. BoYNToN l-:T-Al. 2,709,966

sx1 Tow Filed Jan. 20, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 7, 1955 E. R. BoYNToN Er Al. 2,709,966

sx1 Tow Filed Jan. 2o, 195o l Y '5 sheets-sheet s IN V EN T0125, j fra/ff 77. z@ 22.94

wIlL/w77 T dar El M'EL;

June 7, 1955 E. R. BoYNToN ET AL 2,709,966

SKI TOW Filed Jan. 2o, 1'950 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 E 1 M m w? 5 l. y

June 7, 1955 EQR. BoYN'roN E-r/AL 2,709,956

sx1 T ow v Filed Jan. 20, 1950 l5 Sheets-Sheet 5 M y El-Q45 United States Patent O SKI TW Erwin R. Boynton, Schenectady, and William T. Rauch, Voorheesville, N. Y., assignors to Ski Land Equipment gompany, East Eeme, N. Y., a corporation of New ork Application January 20, 1950, Serial No. 139,546

33 Claims. (Cl. 11M-173) The present invention relates to an improved ski tow. It is an object of the invention to provide an irnproved ski tow in which the main rope may be supported at a plurality of points along the course that skiers are to be moved by the tow, and in which the leads by which the skiers are pulled are detachably connected to the main rope and movable past the points at which the main rope is supported, while they are connected to the latter.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved ski tow of the above mentioned type including improved means for automatically detaching the leads from the main rope.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved lead for a ski tow of the above mentioned type p which includes a lead connector readily attachable to and detachable from the main rope. l It is also an object of the invention to provide such a lead connector which effectively grips the rope to prevent slipping of the connector along the rope when a load is applied to the lead, and which, when there is no load on the lead grips the rope sufliciently to cause the lead to be carried with the rope but which at the same time permits the rope to rotate about its longitudinal axis in the manner common in such driven ropes. Another object of the invention is to provide a lead of the above mentioned type including a lead connector attachable to and detachable from the main rope and an arm pivotally connected to the lead connector so that any pull applied to the free end of the arm by a skier, either at right angles to the main rope, back along the rope, or at any angle in between, will result in a gripping of the rope by the lead connector.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an improved hangar for use in a ski tow of the above .men-

tioned type adapted to support the rope and permit lead connectors to be carried through the hangar by the rope. Y

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved hangar for a ski tow of the above mentioned type, the use of which permits the course of the main rope to be changed at the hangar, in a vertical plane.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an improvedski tow Vhangar which permits the course of the main rope to be changed in an inclined plane, thereby permitting the main rope to turn through a horizontal angle as well as through a vertical angle.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for taking up the slack that normally develops in the main rope of a ski tow during use thereof, when the main rope is of a manila hemp type construction.

A further object of the invention is to provide irnproved means for maintaining the desired tension in the main rope of a ski tow.

It is also an important object of the present invention to provide an improved ski tow which is relatively inexpensive to install and which is particularly adapted 2,709,956 Patented June 7, 1955 ice for use on irregular terrain requiring the course of the tow to be changed through both vertical and horizontal angles.

Other and more detailed objects of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following specification, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a broken and somewhat diagrammatic elevational view of a ski tow embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a broken enlarged elevational view of a portion of the structure illustrated in Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view partially in section taken from the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a greatly enlarged broken elevational View of` that portion of the structure of Figure 1 indicated by the circle 4;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the structure illustrated in Figure 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional View of the structure illustrated in Figure 4, taken substantially along the line 6-6 thereof;

Fig. 7 is a greatly enlarged elevational view of that portion of the structure of Figure 1 indicated by the circle 7;

Fig 8 is a greatly enlarged elevational view of that portion of the structure of Figure 1 indicated by the circle 8;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the structure illustrated in Figure 8;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged elevational view of a portion of the structure illustrated in Figure l, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow 10 therein;

Fig. 1l is an enlarged plan View of a portion of the structure illustrated in Figure l, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow 11 therein;

Fig. 12 is a broken and greatly enlarged elevational View of that portion of the structure illustrated in Figure 1, indicated by the circle 12;

Fig. 13 is a broken plan view of the structure illustrated in Figure 12, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow 13-13 therein;

Fig. 14 is a broken sectional view of the structure illustrated in Figure 5, taken substantially along the line 14--14 thereof and showing in full lines, a lead connector of the construction illustrated in Figures 12 and 13 passing through the hangar illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 6, with the lead connector in the loaded position, and showing in broken lines, the position of the lead connector of an empty lead as it engages the hangar guide arm; Y

Fig. 15 is a greatly enlarged broken sectional view of the structure illustrated in Figure 2, taken substantially along the line 15-15 thereof;

Fig. 16 is a broken elevational view of the structure illustrated in Figure l5, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow 16 therein;

Fig. 17 is a broken bottom view of the structure illustrated in Figure 15, looking Vinthe direction indicated by the arrow 17 therein;

Fig. 18 is a somewhat diagrammatic perspective view illustrating the course of the rope through the drive mechanism illustrated in Figures 1 and 2; and

Fig. 19 is a perspective View of the structure illustrated in Figure l, looking in the direction indicated by the l arrow 19 therein.

It will be readily appreciated from a complete understanding of the present invention that the improvements thereof may be readily embodied in ski tows of widely differing-types and sizes and adapted for use on slopes of greatly differing contours. In an illustrative, but not in a limiting sense, the present invention is herein illusaroused trated and described as embodied in a tow extending over a lower hat section, a steeply inclined intermediate section and a generally at upper section (see Fig. 1) and in which the tow turns through a horizontal angle (see Fig. 9).

Referring to the drawings, the ski tow illustrated and described herein generally comprises a continuous closed main rope 2t) supported at a plurality of stations 22, 24, 26, 23, 30, 32, 34 and 56 on hangars, as hereinafter described. The rope 2G is driven by a drive and take-up mechanism generally indicated at 3S and carries leads 40 detachably secured thereto by connectors adapted to be carried through the hangars by the rope 20. The rope 2i) passes through a tower 42 in which the leads 40 are attached to the outgoing course of the rope and are automatically removed from the return course of the rope 20 by a take-off mechanism generally indicated at 44.

In the embodiment illustrated, the main rope 20 is of conventional construction of a manila hemp material and of a size sufficient to safely withstand the loads to be imposed thereon. The use of a rope 20 of this construction is very important in the provision of a ski tow which is relatively inexpensive to install and it is an important feature of the present invention that it makes possible The hangar 46 comprises a frame 50 which is in the form of an inverted J, as best illustrated in Fig. 6 and is of channel shaped cross section. An upper wheel 52 is rotatably mounted on an upper shaft 54 supported at its opposite ends in shaft collars 56 welded to the frame 50 and fixed against axial movement by set screws 58 carried in the collars 56. At its lower end the frame 50 has an oppositely facing channel section 60 welded with its flanges abutting the flanges of the frame 50. The web portions of the frame 56 and the channel section 60 carry spaced aligned shaft collars 62 welded thereto which provide a cantilever support for a lower shaft 64 held against axial movement by a set screw 66 in the outer shaft collar 62. A second wheel 68 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 66 and disposed in the plane of the wheel 52.

The radially outer peripheral portions of the wheels 52 and 68 are formed of an annularly shaped suitably resilient material such as rubber 70 and have annular mating grooves 72 formed in the radially outer surfaces thereof adapted to co-operate to receive said rope 2t) therein and provide a limited lateral support therefor. The wheels 52 and 68 and the frame Sil are so proportioned that the wheels 52 and 68 are substantially tangent, as best illustrated lin Figures 4 and 6.

As is readily seen in Figure 5, the rope 20 turns through a horizontal angle as it passes through the hangar 46. To prevent the tension in the rope 20 from causing it to be pulled laterally from the grooves 72, because of this horizontal angle through which the rope turns, lateral support for the rope 2t) is provided by a second pair of wheels 74 and 76, which are rotatably mounted on parallel shafts 78 and 80 xedly supported in bars 82 and 84 carried by the frame 50. The shafts 7 8 and 8i) are spaced on opposite sides of the plane of the parallel shafts 54 and 64 and the wheels 74 and 76 are so proportioned that when the rope 2G is tangent to these wheels `and received in the grooves S6 in the outer surfaces thereof, it is properly aligned in the grooves 70 of the wheels S2 and 68. Lateral support for the hangar frame 50 is provided by a brace 87 abutting the bars 82 and 84 intermediate the wheels 74 and 76 and fixed at its other end to the station 22 in any suitable manner (not shown).

A small plate SS is secured to the unsupported end of the shaft 64 and carries a guide arm 90 which extends generally parallel to the rope 20. The left hand end of the guide arm as viewed in Figure 4, is at the side of the hangar 46 at which the rope 20 moves toward the hangar, and is curved under the rope as indicated at 92 and twisted as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 so that the lower edge of the arm 46 is closer to the frame Si) than the upper edge. The opposite end of the guide arm 99, at the side of the hangar at which the rope leaves the hangar, is curved toward the rope 2t) to a lesser extent, as indicated at 94. The functioning of the guide arm will be described at a later point in the specification.

The outgoing course of the rope 20 is supported at station 24 by the hangar 96 illustrated in Figure 7. This hangar 96 is in all respects identical with the above described hangar 46 illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 6 with the exception that it does not include the wheels 74 and 76 or the bars S2 and 84 and shafts 78 and 80 upon which they are carried. Also, since there is no lateral load on the hangar 96, no brace corresponding to the brace 87 is required. Hangars of this construction are used at all points on both the outgoing and return courses of the rope where there is no lateral load on the hangar. ln the ski tow illustrated in Figure l, hangars 96 of the construction illustrated in Figure 7 are used to support the outgoing course of the rope at stations 24, 26, 28, 30 and 32 and to support the return course of the rope at stations 22 to 34 inclusive. lt will be appreciated, of course, that the hangars 96 are adapted to provide a force acting either upwardly or downwardly on the rope 20 as required to maintain it in the proper position.

At station 34 the rope 2i) turns through a horizontal angle which is best seen in Figure 9 and also turns through a vertical angle as illustrated in Figure 8. Also, leads 40 on the outgoing course of the rope 20 at station 34 are normally fully loaded. This load on the leads 49 may cause some vertical movement of the rope 20. To take care of these conditions, a hangar 98 is provided at station 34 which differs from the above described hangar 46 illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 6, in that the wheels 74 and 76 are replaced by cylindrical rollers 109 and 102 having substantial axial extents and adapted to provide lateral support for the rope 20 throughout the limits of its vertical movement.

The hangar at station 34 for the return course of the rope 2i) is illustrated in Figure 19. As stated above, one of the hangars 96 is used. T o avoid lateral loading of the `hangar 6, it is supported on the station 34, as illustrated in Figure 19, by a brace N4 so that the wheels of the hangar are disposed in the plane defined by the rope 20 as it enters and leaves the hangar. A guide bar m6 is connected intermediate its ends to the hangark plate 8S on the end of the lower shaft 64 and has its opposite ends supported on the station 34 by braces w8 and 1li).

At the end station 36, the rope 2t) passes around a large wheel 112 supported on the station 36 for rotation about a vertical axis. A generally semcircular guard M4 having outwardly turned ends U6, is supported on the station 36 in coaxial relation with the wheel H2 and spaced below and radially outwardly thereof. The guard H4 functions as hereinafter described to prevent excessive swinging of the leads 49 as they travel around the wheel 112.

Referring to Figures l2, 13 and 14, the leads 4t) include a lead connector body 116 spaced laterally of the rope 20 and having spaced parallel fingers M8 and l2tl'fwhicl1 project laterally from the body 116 and have oppositely facing arcuately shaped end portions l2?, and A24 adapted to engage the rope 2i? at its upper and lower sides respectively, at points spaced axially therealong. A guard is connected at one end to the finger 113 adjacent the rope engaging portion 122 and extends across the top of, and is secured to, the linger l2@ adjacent the rope engaging portion 124 thereof. This guard prevents lthe rope 2@ from moving out of the portions 22 and 24 and along the fingers toward the connector body H6.

The leads 4t) also include a lead connector arm pivotally connected to the body M6 by a pin 126' for pivotal movement about an axis parallel to the fingers 118 and 120 and spaced therefrom in the direction of the movement of the rope and spaced from the plane defined by the fingers so that any load applied to the free end of the arm by a skier grasping the lead 40, will tend to turn the body 116 to effect a gripping of the rope 20 by the fingers 118 and 120. The spacing of the lingers 118 and 120 is such that when the body 116 is turned in the opposite direction, or in a counterclockwise direction from the position illustrated in Figure 12, the fingers 118 and 120 are moved clear of the rope 20. When the body 116 is in this position relative to the rope 20, the lead may be freely moved transversely of the rope to remove it from the rope.

The arm 126 is so curved that its free end is substantially in a plane perpendicular to the fingers 118 and 120 and including the axis of the rope. it will be appreciated that by virtue of this construction, a load such as that normally applied to the free end of the arm 126 by a skier grasping the lead 40, will result in pivoting the connector body 116 about the rope 20 to the position illustrated in full lines in Figure 14, in which the fingers 118 and 120 are disposed horizontally.

A lead rope 129 is connected to the free end of the arm 126 and carries a handle 130 adapted to be readily grasped by a skier to be moved up the tow. Suitable resilient means, such for example as the rubber 132, may be provided for greatly shortening the over-all length of the lead when it is unloaded.

The leads 4t) are also provided with resilient means for urging the arm 126 toward the full line position illustrated in Figure l2, with the result that when there is no load on the lead, it assumes this full line position which slightly increases the grip of the rope by the lingers 118 and 120. In the construction illustrated, this resilient means is the rubber 134, one end of which is anchored under the linger 118 and the other end of which is secured to an eye 136 fixed in the arm 126. When the lead 40 is loaded, the arm 126 assumes the position illustrated in broken lines in Figure l2 and the lead rope 129 is extended as there indicated.

The connector body 116 also carries means co-operable with the earlier mentioned automatic take-off mechanism 44 mounted in the tower 42. This means comprises a ball 138 fixed on the upper end of a rod 140 secured to the leading edge of the connector body 116, or right hand edge thereof as viewed in Figure l2. The rod 140 extends forwardly, or to the right as there viewed, and upwardly, at an angle of approximately The take-oil mechanism 44 comprises a tube 142 rigidly supported within the tower 42 in spaced relation to a side wall thereof, on a pair of brackets 144 and 146. The tube 142 is of an internal diameter adapted to slidably receive the ball 138 and extends generally along and in spaced relation above the rope 20. The left hand end, as viewed in Figure 16, opens toward the balls 138 mounted on the lead connector bodies V116 and is disposed in their path of movement as they are carried t hrough the tower 42` on the return course of the rope 20. The left hand end of the tube 142 is outwardly flared as indicated at 148 to facilitate movement of the balls 138 into the tube 142 and the latter has a slot 150 (see Fig. 17) extending along its underside through which the rod 140 extends when the ball 138 is disposed with the tube 142. rIlhe rope 20 is supported directly below lthe flared end 148 of the tube 142 on a pulley wheel 152 similar in construction to the wheels S2 and 68 and rotatably mounted on a horizontal shaft 154 supported on the tower 42 by a bracket 155. A horizontally extending guide strap 156 is secured to the outer end of the shaft 154 and is curved under the rope 20 at the side of the Wheel toward which the leads are carried as they move along on the rope 213. The guide strap 156 engages ,the arm 126 of each lead 40 and pivots the connector b ody 116 about the rope 20 to a position in which the fingers 118 and 120 extend substantially horizontally and the ball 138 is disposed to enter the flared end 148 of the take-off tube 142. Beyond the wheel 152 the rope 20 slopes downwardly, as shown in Figure 16, and the tube 142 turns upwardly away from the rope 20. As the ball 138 moves along the tube 142, it will thus be seen that it lifts the leading edge of the connector and turns the connector body 116 in a counterclockwise direction which, as described above, disengages the fingers 118 and 120 from the rope 20. Beyond the point at which the lingers are disengaged and the connector is supported in the tube 142 on the ball 138, the tube 142 turns laterally away from the rope and downwardly so that continued movement of the ball along the tube results in the connector moving away from the rope and sliding down out the right end of the take-off tube 142, as viewed in Figure 16. The momentum of the lead 40, as it moves along with the rope, is such that it carries the ball 138 through the tube 142 even though the fingers 118 and 120 become disengaged soon after the ball 138 enters the tube 142. As a safety precaution, a safety switch (not shown) may be disposed so as to be opened to stop the drive mechanism 38, by any lead which may get past the take-off mechanism.

Referring now to Figures l, 2, 3 and 18, the drive and take-up mechanism 38 is disposed behind the tower 42 or to the lift thereof as seen in these figures. The rope 20 is driven by a multiple groove wheel 160 mounted on a main frame 161 and driven by an engine 162 also mounted on the frame 161. An idler wheel 164 is disposed adjacent the drive wheel and the rope 20 passes over the wheels 160 and 164 as shown to provide an effective driving engagement of the drive wheel 160 with the rope. The axis of the wheel 164 is slightly inclined relative to the axis of the wheel 160 so that as the rope comes from one of the grooves of the wheel 160 and passes around the wheel 164, it is aligned with the adjacent one of the grooves on the wheel 160.

The return line of the rope 20 runs from the wheel 152 in the tower 42 to an idler wheel 166 rotatably supported on a station 168 adjacent the tower from which it runs directly to the idler wheel 164. An auxiliary frame 170 is pivotally mounted on the main frame 161 and is moved relative thereto by a conventional hydraulic cylinder and pump assembly (not shown), the pump of which is driven by the engine 162. From the driving Wheel 168, after making two and one-half turns about the wheels 160 and 164, the outgoing rope runs to a take-up wheel 172 rotatably mounted on the auxiliary frame 170 from which it is trained over a second take-up wheel 174 rotatably mounted on the station 168. From the wheel 174 the rope passes again around the wheel 172 and back over the wheel 174 from which it runs down around a wheel 176 rotatably mounted on a floating Weight 178 from which it runs up over an idler wheel 180 rotatably supported on the :station 168 and thence around another idler wheel 182 rotatably supported on the tower 4 2. From the wheel 182 the rope runs through the tower 42, where the leads 40 are manually connected to the rope, and out to the hangar 46 at the station 22.

In the above described construction, the magnitude of the floating weight 178 may be adjusted to provide and maintain the desired tension in the rope 20. The gradual elongation of the rope 20, which takesplace during the-- use of the rope 2t), results in the weight 178 floating at When the cumulation 'ofa lower and lower elevation. this elongation becomes too great, it is offset by pivoting the auxiliary frame 170 to a position such as that illustrated in broken lines in Figure 2 and this elongation is taken up between the slack take-up wheels 172 and 174. 1t will be appreciated that the slack take-up and tension control may also be effected without the use of the floating weight 178 by automatically maintaining a desired hydraulic pressure in the cylinder controlling the pivotal position of the auxiliary frame 170, by suitable conveni tional means which may include a reliet` valve or pressure responsive switch (not shown).

The operation of the above described ski tow is generally as follows. The engine 162 is started and the rope is driven in the direction indicated by the arrows in the drawings, through the driving mechanism 38. The leads are connected to the rope 2G in the tower 42 by turning the lead connector body 116 counterclockwise from the position illustrated in Figure 12, through an angle of approximately spaced vertically above the finger 120. The connector is then moved toward the rope 2t) until the guard bar 125 engages the rope. ln lthis position the finger portion 122 is disposed above the rope and the iinger portion 1245 is disposed below the rope. A pull on the arm 126 will now cause the connector body 116 to turn to the position shown in Figure l2 in which the rope 20 is gripped by the lingers 118 and 12), and the lead 4) is then carried from the tower on the outgoing course of the rope. As

the lead 40 approaches the hangar 46 at station 22, if it z" is unloaded, i. e., the handle 130 thereof has not been grasped by a skier, it will be supported in approximately the position illustrated in broken lines in Figure 14. The arm then engages the guide arm El() on the hangar 46 and causes the connector body 116 to pivot about the rope 20 to approximately the position illustrated in full lines in Figure 14. The fingers 118 and 12h are then disposed horizontally and may pass between the adjacent surfaces of the Wheels 52 and 6d by virtue of the resilient tires 70 on these wheels. tioned that when empty leads 4t) are carried along the outgoing course of the rope 20, in the position illustrated in Figure 12, the handle is at an elevation at which it may be readily grasped by a skier. The pull of the tow on the skier gradually increases as the angle between :i

the lead rope 129 and the main rope 2i? decreases, until it is sulicient to move the skier along at the speed of the rope 20. As indicated above, the construction of the lead connector is such that the loaded leads automaticallyI assume the proper position, illustrated in full lines in s.

Figure 14, for passage through the hangars.

The skier will be pulled along the course of the tow so long as he or she continues to grasp the handle 13). When the end of the tow is reached, the skier releases the handle 13u and the lead di) travels around the wheel 1i?.` the arm 126 riding against the guard 114 to prevent excessive swinging of the lead 4h, and back along the return course of the rope 21E. ln passing the station 34 on the return course oli` the rope 2Q, the arm 126 of the lead connector engages the guide bar 106 and as it moves f therealong it pivots the connector body 1.16 upwardly to a position in which the fingers X18 and 1.2i! are substan tially parallel to the shafts 54 and 64 of the hanger 94, so that the lead connector, as it passes between wheels 52 and 68, is in the same position relative to that hangar, which is supported in an inclined position by the brace 104, as it is relative to the other hangars when passing through them.

As the lead 4? moves into the tower 42 on the return course of the rope 20, the arm 1.26 of the connector engages the guide strap 156 and pivots the empty connector body 116 into proper position so that the ball SS carried thereby moves into the flared end lll-S of the take-off tube 142. As described above, the momentum of' the lead itl carries the ball 13S through the tube 142 and automatically removes the lead 4i) from the rope 2%.

It will now he appreciated that the improvements of the present invention make possible the installation of a long tow over irregular terrain, including both vertical and horizontal changes in the course of the tow, and at a relatively small expense. They also provide a tow in which the skier never comes in direct Contact with the main tow rope and in which the lead by which he is pulled is detachably connected to the main rope. As an example of what can be done in a tow embodying the in which the finger 11S is The leads ttl are so propor- E present invention, the inventors have constructed and are operating a tow giving a ride of about one quarter of a mile in length and lifting the skiers about 300 feet.

While only one specilic embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail herein, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that numerous modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A ski tow comprising a continuous main rope, a plurality of hangar elements for supporting said rope at spaced intervals along its course and each including a pair of pulley wheels mounted for rotation about spaced parallel axes and substantially in rolling contact with each other, said wheels having outer annular rubber portions having mating rope receiving grooves and providing lateral support for said rope, means for driving said rope, a plurality of leads including connector elements spaced laterally ot said rope and including spaced tingers disposed at right angles to said rope and operable to engage said rope at opposite sides therof at points spaced therealong, said lingers being movable with said rope between said pulley wheels while operatively engaging said rope, and said leads including portions adapted to be engaged by a skier to be moved up the tow.

2. A lead connector for a ski tow having a main rope supported at a plurality oi points along the course that skiers are to be moved by the tow, said connector comprising a body, a pair of spaced ngers on said body adapted to engage said rope at opposite sides thereof, and an arm connected to said body for pivotal movement about an axis so spaced from said fingers that a load applied to the free end of said arm produces a couple urging said lingers in a direction to grip said rope.

3. A lead connector as defined in claim 2, wherein said fingers and said axis are all substantially parallel.

4. A lead connector as defined in claim 2, wherein said lingers are substantially parallel to each other and perpendicular to said rope.

5. A lead connector as dened in claim 2, wherein said ngers are substantially parallel to each other and perpendicular to said rope and said axis is parallel to said fingers.

6. A lead connector as dened in claim 2, wherein said fingers are substantially parallel to each other and perpendicular to said rope and said axis is parallel to said fingers, and wherein one of said ngcrs is disposed to engage the upper side of said rope and said axis is spaced from said one of said ingers in a direction opposite Vfrom the other of said fingers.

7. A lead connector as defined in claim 2, wherein said ngers are substantially parallel to each other and perpendicular to said rope and said axis is parallel to said lingers and wherein one of said fingers is disposed to engage the upper side ot said rope and said axis is spaced from said one ot said. ngers in a direction opposite from the other of said lingers and is spaced downwardly from the plane of said fingers.

8. A lead connector as deiined in claim 2, wherein said fingers are substantially parallel to each other and perpendicular to said rope and said axis is parallel to said fingers and wherein one of said lingers is disposed to engage the upper side of said rope and said axis is spaced from said one of said fingers in a direction opposite from the other of said fingers and including a resilient element urging said arm to pivot upwardly in a direction away from said lingers.

9. A lead connector as defined in claim 2, wherein said lingers are disposed in the same plane and said arm is curved with its free end disposed substantially in a plane perpendicular to said plane of the ngers and through the portion of the lingers adapted to engage the rope.

10. A lead connector as defined in claim 2, wherein said arm is curved toward the portion of said lingers adapted to engage said rope so that for any given position of pivotal movement of said arm about said axis, the free end of said arm will reach its low point, during pivotal movement of said connector about said rope, when said fingers are disposed substantially horizontally.

11. A lead connector as defined in claim 2, wherein the spacing between said fingers is such that in one rotative position of said connector, the connector may be moved toward said rope into, or away from said rope out of, a position in which said fingers overlie opposite sides of said rope.

12. A lead connector as defined in claim 2, wherein said fingers have oppositely facing arcuately shaped portions adapted to engage said rope and a stop mounted on said fingers for preventing movement of said rope relative to said fingers from said rope engaging portions thereof in a direction toward said connector.

13. A hanger for a ski tow having a main rope supported at a plurality of points along the course that the skiers are to be moved by the tow, said hanger comprising a supporting bracket open at one side, a pair ot` roller elements mounted for rotation in a common plane about spaced parallel axes and substantially in rolling engagement with each other, the peripheral portions of the rollers being formed of resilient material and having annular mating rope receiving grooves adapted to receive said main rope, said rolling engagement of said rollers being exposed at said open one side of said bracket.

14. A hanger as defined in claim 13, and including a guide supported on said bracket at said one side thereof and below the level of said rolling engagement of said roller elements, said guide extending generally at right angles to the plane of said axes and having one end portion deformed toward said common plane of said rolling elements.

15. A hanger as defined in claim 13, and including a second pair of rollers mounted for rotation about spaced parallel axes disposed parallel to and on opposite sides of the plane of said first named parallel axes and perpendicular to said first named axes, said second pair of `rollers being disposed at the elevation of said rolling engagement of said first named rollers and with their peripheries tangent to said common plane,

16. A hanger as defined in claim 13, and including a second pair of rollers mounted on said bracket and disposed to support a rope received in said mating grooves and prevent lateral movement of said rope in one direction.

17. A hanger as defined in claim 13, and including a second pair of rollers mounted on said bracket and disposed to support a rope received in said mating grooves and prevent lateral movement of said rope in one direction, each of said second pair of rollers having its outer surface formed to define an annular rope receiving groove.

18. A hanger as defined in claim 13, and including a second pair of rollers mounted on said bracket and disposed to support a rope received in said mating grooves and prevent lateral movement of said rope in one direction, each of said second pair of rollers having a cylindrical rope engaging outer surface having a substantial axial extent to provide lateral support for the rope throughout the limits of its movement axially of said second pair of rollers.

19. A hanger for a ski tow having a main rope supported at a plurality of points along the course that the skiers are to be moved by the tow, said hanger comprising an inverted U-shaped bracket, a fixed shaft supported at its opposite ends on said bracket, a wheel rotatably mounted on said shaft, a fixed cantilever shaft supported on said bracket in spaced parallel relation to said first named shaft, a second wheel rotatably mounted on said cantilever shaft and disposed in the plane of said first named wheel, said wheels having resilient `annular peripheral portions having mating annular grooves formed therein adapted to receive said rope.

20. A hanger for a ski tow having a main rope supported at a plurality of points along the course that the skiers are to be moved by the tow, said hanger comprising an inverted U-shaped bracket, a fixed shaft supported at its opposite ends on said bracket, a wheel rotatably mounted on said shaft, a fixed cantilever shaft supported on said bracket in spaced parallel relation to said first named shaft, a second wheel rotatably mounted on said cantilever shaft and disposed in the plane of said first named wheel, said wheels having resilient annular peripheral portions having mating annular grooves formed therein adapted to receive said rope and a guide arm fixed on the outer end of said cantilever shaft and extending generally perpendicular to the plane of said shafts with an end portion curved toward the plane of said wheels to extend under a rope supported in said hanger and disposed in said mating grooves.

21. A ski tow comprising a continuous main rope, means for supporting said rope at a plurality of points spaced along its course, means for driving said rope, a plurality of leads detachably connected to said main rope for movement therewith past said points, said leads hat ing portions adapted to be engaged by a skier to be moved up the tow, said means for supporting said rope includr ing a plurality of hangar elements each having a pair of roller elements mounted for rotation about spaced parallel axes and substantially in rolling engagement with each other, the peripheral portions of the rollers being formed of resilient material and having mating rope receiving grooves, and said leads including fingers extending generally at right angles to said rope and adapted to extend parallel to the axes of said rollers and movable between said rollers While engaging said rope.

22. A ski tow comprising a continuous main rope, means for supporting said rope at a plurality of points spaced along its course, means for driving said rope, a plurality of leads detachably connected to said main rope for movement therewith past said points, said leads having portions adapted to be engaged by a skier to be moved up the tow, said means for supporting said rope including a plurality of hangar elements each having a pair of roller elements mounted for rotation about spaced parallel axes and substantially in rolling engagement with each other, the peripheral portions of the rollers being formed of resilient material andhaving mating rope receiving grooves, said leads including fingers extending generally at right angles to said rope and adapted to extend parallel to the axes of said rollers and movable between said rollers while engaging said rope, and means on each of said hangar elements engageable with said leads to dispose the latter with said fingers extending substantially parallel with the axes of rotation of said rollers.

23. A ski tow comprising a continuous main rope, means for supporting said rope at a plurality of points spaced along its course, means for driving said rope, a plurality of leads detachably connected to said main rope for movement therewith past said points, said leads having portions adapted to be engaged by a skier to be moved up the tow, said means for supporting said rope including a plurality of pulley wheels spaced along the rope and said leads including fingers extending at right angles to and engaging said rope and adapted to extend substantially parallel to the axis of each of said rollers and movable with said rope past said rollers while engaging said rope.

24. A ski tow comprising a continuous main rope, means for supporting said rope at a plurality of points spaced along its course, means for driving said rope, a plurality of leads detachably connected to said main rope for movement therewith past said points, said leads having portions adapted to be engaged by a skier to be moved up the tow, each of said leads including a connector element having spaced fingers adapted to engage said rope at opposite sides thereof at spaced points therealong and an arm connected to said element for pivotal movement l l about an axis so spaced from said rope and said ngers that a load applied to the free end of said arm produces a couple at the engagement between said fingers and said rope effecting a gripping of the latter by the former.

25. A ski tow comprising a continuous main rope, means for supporting said rope at a plurality of points spaced along its course, means for driving said rope, a plurality of leads detachably connected to said main rope for movement therewith past said points, said leads 'naving portions adapted to be engaged by a skier to be moved up the tow, each of said leads including a connector element having a finger extending substantially at right angles to said rope and overlying and engaging the upper side of said rope, a second finger parallel to said finger spaced along said rope from said finger in the direction opposite the direction of movement of said rope and nnderlying and engaging the underside of said rope, and an arm connected to said element for pivotal movement about an axis spaced from said first named finger in the opposite direction.

26. A ski tow comprising a continuous main rope, means for supporting said rope at a plurality of points spaced along its course, means for driving said rope, a plurality of leads detachably connected to said main rope for movement therewith past said points, said leads having portions adapted to be engaged by a skier to be moved up the tow, each of said leads including a connector element having a finger extending substantially at right angles to said rope and overlying and engaging the upper side of said rope, a second finger parallel to said 7 finger spaced along said rope from said nger in the direction opposite the direction of movement of said rope and underlying and engaging the underside of said rope, and an arm connected to said element for pivotal movement about an axis spaced from said first named finger 5' in the opposite direction and spaced below the axis of said rope so that a load applied to the free end of said arm parallel to said rope will produce a couple at the engagement between said fingers and said rope to effect a gripping of the latter by the former.

27. A ski tow comprising a continuous main rope, means for supporting said rope at a plurality of points spaced along its course, means for driving said rope, a plurality of leads detachably connected to said main rope for movement therewith past said points, said leads having portions adapted to be engaged by a skier to be moved up the tow, cach of said leads including a connector element having spaced fingers movable to be disposed at opposite sides of the rope and operable upon rotation of the connector element in one direction to grip the rope to prevent movement of the connector longitudinally of the rope, and an arm having one end pivotally connected to the connector element and effective when a load is applied to said element through said arm to urge said connector element to turn in said one direction to effect a gripping of said rope by said fingers.

28. A tow comprising a continuous main rope, means for Supporting said rope at a plurality of points spaced along its course7 means for driving said rope, a plurality of leads detachably connected to said main rope for movement therewith past said points, said leads having portions adapted to be engaged by a skier to be moved up the tow, each of said leads including a connector element having spaced fingers adapted to engage said rope at opposite sides thereof and rotatable between a first position in which said connector element is movable laterally relative to said rope for attaching the lead to and removing it from the rope, and a second position in which said eng e said rope tending to kink the iatter and preventing slipping of the connector element iongitudinaily of the rope, and an arm pivotally connected to said connector' element for urging it toward said second position.

29. A ski tow comprising a continuous main rope,

`leans for supporting said rope at a plurality of points sil spaced along its course, means for driving said rope, a plurality of leads detachably connected to said main rope for movement therewith past said points, said leads having portions adapted to be engaged by a skier to be moved up the tow, each of said leads including a connector element having spaced fingers adapted to engage said rope at opposite sides thereof and rotatable between a rst position in which said connector element is movable laterally relative to said rope for attaching the lead to and removing it from the rope, and a second position in which said fingers engage said rope tending to kinkthe latter and preventing slipping of the connector element longitudinally of the rope, and an arm pivotally connected to said connector element for urging it toward said second position, and including means for automatically rotating said connector elements to said first position and moving them laterally away from said rope to detach said leads from said rope.

30. A ski tow comprising a continuous main rope, means for supporting said rope at a plurality of points spaced along its course, means for driving said rope, a plurality of leads detachably connected to said main rope for movement therewith past said points, said leads having portions adapted to be engaged by a skier to be moved up the tow, each of said leads including a connector element having spaced fingers adapted to engage said rope at opposite sides thereof and rotatable between a first position in which said connector element is movable laterally relative to said rope for attaching the lead to and removing it from the rope, and a second position in which said fingers engage said rope tending to kink the latter and preventing slipping of the connector element longitudinaliy of the rope, and an arm pivotally coniected to said connector element for urging it toward said second position, and including means for automatically rotating said connector elements to said first position and moving them laterally away from said rope to detach said leads from said rope, said last named means comprising means defining a guide passage and a guide follower carried by said connector element movable along said passage, said passage including a portion coopcrable with said guide follower upon movement of the latter therealong to pivot said connector element to said first position, and a second portion co-operable with said guide follower upon movement of the latter therealong to move the connector element laterally away from said rope.

3l. A ski tow comprising a continuous main rope, means for supporting said rope at a plurality of points spaced along its course, means for driving said rope, a plurality of leads detachably connected to said main rope for movement therewith past said points, said leads having portions adapted to be engaged by a skier to be moved up the tow, each of said leads including a connector element having spaced fingers adapted to engage said rope at opposite sides thereof and rotatable between a first position in which said connector element is movable laterally relative to said rope for attaching the lead to and removing it from the rope, and a second position in which said fingers engage said rope tending to kink the latter and preventing slipping of the connector ele-l ment longitudinally of the rope, and an arm pivotally connected to said connector element for urging it toward said second position, and including means disposed along the return course of the rope adjacent said means for driving the rope for automatically removing said leads from said rope and comprising a ball mounted on a rod secured to said connector element and disposed above said fingers and spaced along said connector element in the direction of movement of said rope from said lingers, and a tube of an internal diameter to freely receive said ball and having a slot at its bottom through which said rod may pass freely, said tube having a first portion extending along said rope in position to receive said ball in the open end thereof as said connector element is carried along said rope and curving upwardly away from the rope for co-operating with said ball to rotate said connector element to said first position, and said tube having a second portion curving laterally away from said rope for co-operating with said ball to move said con` nector element laterally away from the rope to detach it therefrom. 4

32. A ski tow comprising a continuous main rope, means for engaging and supporting said rope at a plurality of points spaced along its course, means for driving said rope, a plurality of leads detachably connected to said main rope for movement therewith past said points, each of said leads including a portion adapted upon movement of the lead past one of said points to move between said means and a portion of the rope engaged thereby, each of said leads also being movable relative to said rope between a first position in which it firmly grips said rope for movement therewith and a second position in which it is disengaged from said rope, said leads having portions adapted to be engaged by a skier to be moved up the tow.

33. A ski tow comprising a continuous main rope, means for supporting said rope at a plurality of points spaced along its course, means for driving said rope, a plurality of leads detachably connected to said main rope for movement therewith past said points, each of said leads being movable relative to said rope between a first References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 888,439 Hibbard May 19, 1908 1,728,611 Jennings Sept. 17 1929 1,945,754 Peebles Feb. 6, 1934 2,087,232 Constam July 20, 1937 2,116,226 Vogel May 3, 1938 2,230,024 Bonquet Ian. 28, 1941 2,285,636 Wallace June 9, 1942 2,340,868 Dye Feb. 8, 1944 2,458,786 Lagergren Jan. 11, 1949 2,548,800 Judson Apr. 10, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 413,107 France May 19, 1910

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