US834599A - Wire-stretcher. - Google Patents

Description

No. 834,599. PATBNTED 00130, 190e.

` A. J. WILSON.

WIRE STRETCHER. APPLIGATION FILED AUG. a. 190e.

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UNITED ,sTATEs PATENT OEEIOE.

' WIRE-STRETC'HER.

vSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application led August 8, 1906. Serial No. 329,661. y

To a/ZZ whom t may concern.'

, Be it known that I, ANOIL J. WILSON, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Dexter, inthe county of Jefferson and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire-Stretchers, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in wire-stretchers designed for use in connection with the building of wirefences; and the invention relates particularly to a device to be used in stretching the heavy woven wire emable width or length used in the construction of fences may be evenly and tightly stretched and held under tension until 1t has been securely fastened to the posts.

An important feature of the device consists in providing a strong frame which is easily portable and which is iitted with a number of novel and strong wire clamping and stretching parts which are capable of being adjusted and set for repeated operations without losing any of the tensionA or requiring any change in the position of the main device.

Other features and parts of the invention will -be readily understood from the detail description which follows, as well as from the accompanying drawings, which form a p art of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved wire-stretcher. Fig. 2 is a front end elevation of the same. stretcher. Fig. 4 is a vertical section substantially on the line c c of Fig. 1, showing the wire-clamping parts. Fig. 5 is a view of a section of wire fence, showing the manner of applying the stretcher to the wire and fence. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the yoke which forms the connection between the operating-lever and the clamping members. Fig. 7 is a detail of the forked follower. Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail of one of the pawls.

Similar numerals of reference are assigned to corresponding parts throughout the several view In the drawings, 2 represents the fourvsided or open frame of my improved wirestretcher, which may be made of either wood Fig. 3 is a plan view of the bottom rails 3 and 4, upon the upper sides or edges of which are formed or disposed toothed portions or racks 5 and the end stiles or portions 6 and 7. The teeth 5 may be formed with the rails 3 and 4 or may be made in the form of racks, either of wood or metal, and then secured to the rails. members, between which the wire to be stretched is secured, consist of a follower or part 9, which is formed with av fork at each end, and a clamping-bar 10, which is detachably secured to the follower by means of the bolts 11 and the hand-nuts 12` The follower 9 when in working position is disposed vertically between the rails 3 and 4, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, and is held in such position by means of the forks at each end, which straddle the horizontal rails 3 and 4 of the frame, the latter serving as guides during the lateral travel or play of the clamping members when the device is being operated.

13 represents a yoke or forked connectingrod, the inner end of which is pivoted or hinged to the center of the follower or clamping member by means of the eyebolt 14,- which passes through the follower, and the strap or loop 15, which is secured to the closed end of the yoke. The bolt 14 is held rigidly in place by a nut 16. The yoke 13 is disposed in such manner that the arms pass on each side of the end part 7 of the frame, and the operating-lever 18 is also disposed between the arms of the yoke andbythat means is kept in line with the frame and clamping parts. The operating-.lever is pivoted or hinged at 19 to the center ofthe curved end 7 of the frame I have shown a common hinge for the said connection between the lever 18 and the frame but any other suitable form of connecting means may be employed instead of the hinge. The operating-lever is held in place between the arms of yoke 13 by means of a pin 20, which passes through the lever and both arms of the yoke, In order to afford some range of adjustment for these parts, a series of holes 21 are bored at close intervals through the arms of the yoke.

To attach the wire to the stretcher, the clamping-b ar 10 is detached by iirst removing the nuts 12, (the bolts 11 being rigidly set in the follower 9.) The wire is then spread over the side of the follower and the projecting bolt ends, after which the clamping-bar 10 is replaced fand'nuts 12 put back in place and tightenedjup ;,Thejtightening of the nuts 12 Patented oct. so, 190e. y

The clamping IOO IOS

forces the bar 10 firmly against the wire and the latter against the outside ofthe follower, thereby pinching and holding the wire with a firm grasp.

To begin the operation of stretching, the frame of the stretcher is placed on the ground with the end 6 against one of the posts to which it is intended to secure the wire. The follower is set near the forwarder left end of the frame, Aand the op erating-lever is lifted up to the position shown in Figs. l and 5. When the wire has been securely clamped between the arts9 and 1'0, the operator takes hold of the andle of lever 18 and pulls it downwardly. This action, by reason of the connection between said lever and the follower or' clamping member, draws the latter backward tothe right, thereby stretching the wire, which had previously been secured to one or more posts in the fence, tothe left.

Frequently during the construction of fencesit is found that a single operation of the lever andv stretching parts does not reduce the'slack in the wire, and repeated operations are lnecessary tio effect the tension rcquired. In such cases in order to retain the tension-produced by the firstoperation of lever 118, Awhich has drawn the clamping parts some distance to the right, a series of pawls or dogs 22 have been provided and disposed between the forked ends of the follower 9 in line withand above the racks or toothed parts 5. The said pawls are placed in such position, therefore, that they will gravitate into=the notches or teeth of the racks 5 as the clamping parts are drawn backward in the act of stretching the wire, and as the teeth are preferably short-about an inch in length-every slight movement of the follower toward the right is retained by the pawls, so that when' it is desired to stretch thewire farther than a single operation or movement of the operating-lever will carry the saine the pawls-holdA the parts in the last position until' the operator removes pin 20, lifts lever 18 upwardv again to Jrst position,

and thenA inserts the pin in a new hole in the l yoke 1'3. By this means the device is made ready to; be operated a second time and an additional stretching'ofl thewire effected. If necessary, this `last-named action may be repeated several times until the wire will stretch nomore or until the clamping parts have ytraveled backward the full length of the frame.

To release theV pawls for the purpose of moving the clamping members forward, a small lever or handle 23 is formed on the back of eachl pawl and projects beyond the side of the follower a suflicient distance to permit of being operated by hand.

In constructing wire fences where my device h'as been employed for stretching the wire I have found it necessary to provide a strong guy or support in order to hold the first or starting" post and prevent it from .yielding to the great strain which my stretcher is capable of exerting during the stretching of the wire. For that purpose I attach a wire 25 to the top of the hrst or corner post 26 and secure the other end to a small log or like part 27, which I embed in the earth the depth of a foot or two, as shown in Fig. 5. Under this arrangement if the log 27 is properly placed in the earth it will hold. post 26 rigidly in vertical position during the subsequent stretching of the wire. In practice the woven wire 24 is first securely nailed or stapled to post 26, and then the builder will take the stretcherahead several rods and apply it to the farther side of a post, as 29, attach the wire to the device by means ofthe clamping parts, as described, and then proceed to stretch the wire and secure it to the intervening posts. When he has finished constructing a section of the fence-forinstance, along one side of a lot or field-a guywire and log will be attached to the last post, but disposed in the opposite direction from the one shown and described herein.

It is obvious that many of the details and parts-of the device may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I therefore do not restrict myself to the precise construction and arrangement shown and described herein.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a wire-stretcher, comprising a frame, racks formed on the up er edge of the top and bottom rails of said frame, a follower having a fork at each end disposed between said rails, a pawl disposed in each of said forks adapted to engage the teeth of said racks, a clamping-bar detachably securedI to said follower adapted to grip and hold a web of fence-wire, a yoke pivotally connected to said follower, and an operating-lever hinged to said frame and adjustably connected to said yoke.

2. In a wire-stretcher, comprising an open frame having racks disposed upon the horizontal rails thereof, wire-clamping members disposed within said frame adapted to travel between and to be guided by said rails, an operating-lever pivotally attached to one end of said frame, means for connecting said lever with said clamping members, and means for holding said clamping members from movement in one direction.

3. In a wire-stretcher, comprising a foursided frame, toothed portions arranged on the top and bottom railsvof said frame, a twoforked follower vertically disposed between said rails, means for clamping the web of fence-wire to said follower, a yoke connected to said follower, a lever fulcrumed to said frame and having an adjustable connection with said yoke adapted to effect the move- IIO ment of said follower in the forward or backward direction within said frame, and a series of pawls to coperate with said toothed portions for the purpose of preventing the movementof said follower in the forward direction by the tension of the wire.

4. In a wire-stretcher, comprising an open frame, a forked follower, a series of racks arranged on said frame, pawls ycarried by said follower adapted to engage the teeth of said racks, an operating-lever, a yoked connecting-rod, a detachable clamping-bar7 and a series of bolts and nuts for holding said clamping-bar in operative position.

5. The combination with a fence-post having a web of woven fence-wire fastened thereto and a guy-wire connecting said post with a log embedded in the earth7 of awire-stretcher, comprising an open frame, a follower vertically mounted between the rails of said frame, means for clamping the free end of said woven wire to said follower7 a lever connected to said frame and also with said foliower adapted when operated against the tension of said guy-wire to effect the stretchlng of said woven wire, and means for holding the tension of said woven wire independent of said operating-lever.

In testimony whereof I aHiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANCIL J.. WILSON. Witnesses:

HARRY DE WALLACE, EDGAR V'. BLooDoUGH.

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