US3348812A

US3348812A - Wire stretcher

Info

Publication number: US3348812A
Application number: US566299A
Authority: US
Inventors: Malcolm C Story
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1966-07-19
Filing date: 1966-07-19
Publication date: 1967-10-24
Anticipated expiration: 1984-10-24

Description

Oct. 24, 1967 M. c. STORY WIRE STRETCHER Filed July 19, 1966 INVENTOR MALCOLM 6. STORY BY a W ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,348,812 WIRE STRETCHER Malcolm C. Story, 521 S. Willson Ave., Bozeman, Mont. 59715 Filed July 19, 1966, Ser. No. 566,299 1 Claim. (Cl. 254-161) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A wire stretcher for drawing two free ends of wires together including a frame of channel shape with a Windlass shaft at one end and a flexible cable connected to the shaft with the other end of the flexible cable connected to a comealong for engaging one wire with a crank handle at one end of the Windlass shaft for hand operation thereof and a ratchet at the other end of the shaft and outside of the channel whereby the cable can be connected to one wire while the other wire is adapted to be connected to the end of the web portion of the channel opposite the Windlass end with a serrated cam adapted to engage the other wire so that the ends of two Wires can be drawn together to obtain the desired tension or the handle of the cam may be used to connect the wire stretcher to a post or other permanent structure by means of a separate wire passing through an aperture in the end of the handle for operating the cam.

The present invention relates to a pulling device for stretching a wire or the like in installing and repairing fences, including the conventional barbed wire and relates to a solution for the problem solved by my prior Patent 3,020,021, issued Feb. 6", 1962.

Heretofore, conventional wire stretchers have been excessively large and heavy to have sufficient strength and usefulness in wild country, particularly where the fencing repair equipment had to be carried by hand or on horseback and therefore the prior structures have not been satisfactory.

An object of the present invention is to provide a small, light-weight, pulling device or wire stretcher which can easily be carried in a workmans pocket and manipulated by one person to install and repair fences.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a wire stretching device which can be used to exert a pull between a fixed element and a wire, or between two sections of wire so that the two sections may be connected together.

Other and further objects will be apparent as the description proceeds and upon reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective of the wire stretcher of the present invention in use applying tension to the broken end portions of a wire, showing how such broken end portions can be brought into overlapping relation for twisting together for repairing the broken wire.

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the wire stretcher attached to a fence post by the lever for operating the clamp grip secured to the post by wire and with the come-along-grip at the end of the flexible cable secured to a strand of wire to be attached to the post or to another section of wire.

FIGURE 3 is an end view of the come-along-grip shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 in wire clamping position.

FIGURE 4 is a left side elevation of the device.

FIGURE 5 is an end elevation of the device with the handle and cable broken away, showing the Wind-up reel with the loose wafer washers between which the cable is wound.

Briefly, the present wire stretcher includes a channelshaped frame in which the side flanges provide bearings for a wind-up shaft which is operated by a crank at one 3,348,812 Patented Oct. 24, 1967 end and is prevented from rotation in one direction by a ratchet and pawl with a flexible cord secured to the shaft. A come-along-grip is secured to the free end of the flexible cord and is adapted to grip a strand element such as barb wire while a stud is fixed to the other end of the channel-shaped member with a toothed cam clamp grip including a handle pivotally mounted adjacent the stud with a toothed cam positioned for coopera tion with the stud to effectively clamp a wire whereby when a Wire is clamped by such clamp grip and held in the comealong and the shaft is rotated by the crank handle, a tensile force is applied bringing the wires together so that they may be permanently joined for repairing a broken fence or installing a new fence. The lever of the clamp grip is provided with an aperture whereby the free end of the handle can be secured to a fixed element such as a fence post to take the reaction of the stretched wire secured to the corne-along-grip.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the wire stretcher includes a frame having a top web 10 and side webs 11 and 12, with a shaft 13 rotatably mounted in such flanges 11 and 12. Outwardly of the flanges the shaft 13 has milled square end portions with one end receiving a ratchet 14 which is staked thereto by a rivet-like process in which the squared end is deformed by a chisel-type bit and the other end of shaft 13 is milled square and receives the crank 15 staked by the same process. The ratchet 14 is prevented from reverse rotation by a pawl 16 pivoted to the flange 11 with one end of the pawl serving as a handle so that the operator may selectively cause the other end of the pawl to engage into the ratchet teeth to prevent clockwise rotation as observed in FIG- URES 1 and 4.

The free end of the crank 15 is provided with a lefthand threaded aperture which receives the threaded end of a bolt 17 serving as a handle with a lock-nut 18 adjacent the threaded end of the bolt 17 for eifectively locking the bolt handle to the free end of the crank handle 15. A sleeve such as a piece of rubber tubing 19 is freely rotatable on the shank of the bolt 17 to facilitate the operation thereof. For storage and shipping the bolt handle 17 is readily removable from its outwardly projecting position and may be applied from the inside surface of the crank arm 15 to reduce the overall di mensions for storage and packaging.

A freely rotatable wafer thin washer 20 is applied to each end of the shaft 13 to confine a cable 21 between such washers and prevent rubbing of the cable 21 on the flanges 11 and 12 of the frame.

The cable or cord 21 is a nylon cord of approximately of an inch, sealed at both ends by heat to prevent unraveling, with one end secured by a set screw 22 passing through the .cord adjacent one end of the shaft, as shown in FIGURE 5, with the other end secured by a bowline knot to the eye of a commercially available come-along-grip 23 having a pivoted cam member 24 cooperating with a relatively fixed surface 25 integral with the body of the comealong 23, whereby a section of wire 26 can be effectively held between the jaws formed by cam 24 and fixed surface 25.

A stud 27 including a rivet passing through a washer 28 and a spool-like element 27A is fixed to the top of the frame by riveting with the washer 28 extending outwardly therefrom to receive the wire 29 nested against the web 10, spool-like element 27A and serrated cam 31. The outer surface of washer 28 is removed to reduce the overall width of the device and provide clearance for crank 15. A clamp grip, including a lever handle 30 and a serrated cam portion 31, is pivotally mounted on a stud 32 for movement from the wire-gripping posi tion shown in FIGURE 1 to a position in which the handle 30 extends outwardly beyond the frame. In such extended position handle 30 may be secured by a wire 33 passing through an aperture 34 in the free end of the handle 30 and around a fence post 35 with the ends of wire 33 twisted together securing the device to the post 35 for drawing the Wire 26 held in come-along-grip 23 toward the post 35, as shown in FIGURE 2.

A viewing opening 37 is provided for the operator to make sure that the winding is satisfactory and also provides additional clearance for the flexible cord, thereby permitting the use of a smaller frame for the device so that the frame which is about six inches long can be easily held in one band.

From the above description, the operation is believed to be obvious since one wire 26 is secured to the comealong-grip extending from one end of the device and the other end of the device is secured to the relatively stationary wire 29 by the clamp 31 and stud 27 or secured to the post 35 with the cord 21 extending an appreciable distance from the frame. The operator then grips the

frame

10, 11, 12 with the left hand and the crank handle 19 with the right hand and turns the handle to wind the cable on the shaft 13 until the desired tension is obtained when the pawl 16 is moved to engage the ratchet 14, thereby preventing reverse movement, at which time the workman may release both hands from the device and use both of his hands to manipulate the loose ends of the

wire

26 and 29 to twist them together or to twist them onto a length of wire for bridging a gap, thereby completing the joining of the

wire

26 and 29. Thereafter, a slight turn on the handle 19 will release thepawl 16 and after the tension in cable 21 is relieved the come along 23 and the

lever cam grip

30, 31 are disengaged from the wires and/or post and the device is readily usable for the next repair.

The operator as he winds the cord 21 on the shaft 13 observes through the viewing opening 37 the condition of the cord and by slightmovement of the device by adjustment of the left hand can control the winding to prevent jamming of the cord 21 against theframe.

It will be apparent that changes may be made within the spirit of the invention as defined by the valid scope of the claim.

I claim:

A hand operated light weight wire stretcher of a size for reception in a pocket of an article of clothing and for support by one hand of an operator for pulling at least one wire intermediate its length toward a relatively fixed element comprising a channel shape frame having side flanges adjacent one end thereof and open at said one end for the free passage of a cable, the web of said channel being substantially continuous and substantially free of projections from said one end to closely adjacent the other end, a windup reel shaft rotatably mounted in said flanges closely adjacent said one end, crank means of a length approximately the distance between the axis of said shaft and the other end of said frame to rotate said shaft, means to selectively prevent rotation of said shaft, a flexible cable secured by one of its ends to said shaft adapted to have its free end attached to a wire intermediate the length of the wire, means closely adjacent the other end of said frame for attaching said frame to-a fixed element whereby rotation of said shaft will cause said cable to move said wire toward said fixed element under the desired tension whereby said wire may be fixed to said relatively fixed element, a cornealong secured to the free end of the cable for attachment to.

one of the wires being stretched, the fixed elementbeing the other wire being stretched, and the means for securing said other end of the frame to the other wire is a wire engaging clamp upwardly from the web of the channel with, said stud having a flange spaced from the web and a serrated cam having a handle is pivotally mounted on said web adjacent the other edge of said web so the serrated cam will react against the other wire being stretched to confine the other wire between said web and the flange of said stud when the cam handle lies within the projected outline of the frame to fix the wire stretcher with respect to said other wire, the cam handle being movable from a position overlying the frame to a position extending beyond the said other end of the frame, said cam handle having a recess for attachment to the relatively fixed element when the cam handle extends outwardly from the said other end of said frame.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 484,881 10/1892 Price 254-161 618,187 1/1899 Rhodes 254-161 2,944,788 7/1960 Schaefer 254-161 3,020,021 2/ 1962 Story 254-161 3,141,353 7/1964 Gray 254-161.

EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner. H. C. HORNSBY, Assistant Examiner.

including a wire engaging stud projecting