This invention relates to the field of fence wire pullers, for barb or nonbarb wire.
The process of setting a several strand wire fence is a tedious and labor intensive process that involves a series of posts, typically t-posts, to which the wire (s) will be secured upon tightening. The last two of these line posts in each pulling procedure is referred to as the brace post and the end post. After setting the t-posts, the end post, and the brace post, the barb wire(s) is dispensed, laid along the ground next to the posts. The task of pulling the wire to the proper tension and securing the wire end to the post needs to be performed. Typically this process requires pulling the wire from the end post. Normally a rope puller or fence wire puller is affixed to the end post at or near the height that the wire is to be tied. These are manually pulled and work mostly for short distances of wire. All are attached to the end post. After the wire is tensioned, it must be tied to the end post which is difficult with the pulling device in the way. The puller must be attached to the end post at the proper wire height and to the wire to be pulled and then winched manually. The wire then needs to be tied off on the end post near where the puller is attached, sometimes unsafe.
The process is currently slow, cumbersome and sometimes awkward, as well as unsafe.
Often the wires are pulled at different tensions, thus the various wires on a fence containing four or five wires has fence wire that is at different tensions.
Its also cumbersome to reset the puller height each time for the next wire height.
What is needed is an electric winch assembly that is attachable to a loader that overcomes these problems.
The invention is a winch assembly attachable to a loader or other mobile means with attachment means for moving the assembly. It has a walk through frame to allow one to walk back and forth on both sides of the apparatus during winching.
It also allows for pulling the wire from a few feet in front of the end post without having the puller attached to the end post interfering with tying off the fence wire.
It also allows for pulling at different heights and doing so quickly and easily lowering the winch to a desired height for pulling that matches the level of the wire placement on the post.
It also allows for a consistent tension for pulling the wire.
It also has means for pulling at different angles, in this case rotation means.
It has electric powering means to operate by remote control.
It has means for quickly disconnecting and connecting to the next lower wire by providing slack automatically on positioning the puller horizontally.
It is attachable quickly to standard tractors, skid loaders or other mobile attachment means.
It allows short or long length pulls, and thus as show is much faster when pulling multiple wires over long distances.
It allows the operation to be done in a safer manner as well, including allowing the wire to be tied off to the end post without interference of the puller at the tie off point.
It is thus not only safer, it does the job much more easily, in an organized and consistent method, saving as much as half the time to install a barbed wire fence as with other pullers.
Remote control means allows for controlling the pulling without having to be next to the winch, to allow the operator to check or guide wire during the pull, or better view the safe pull of the entire wire from some vantage point, or to assist as needed during the pulling.
It is thus more universal and flexible in use, allowing for use at different heights, locations and distances, yet still provides more uniformity.
While some may have used winches, none are shown in a manner to achieve the objectives herein.
It is thus an object of the invention to provide a means for quickly, easily, uniformly pulling fence wires taut for securing to fence posts, at desired levels, at essentially uniform tensions, and in a manner that is safe and allows for the operator to maneuver himself and the wire easily and efficiently.
Other features and objectives will be apparent from the disclosure herein.
The invention is a wire pulling wincher apparatus attachable to a tractor or other mobile transport device capable of receiving attachments, having a pass through frame attachable to the mobile device, a vertical support member on the frame for supporting a first winch with cable for attaching to a fence wire to be pulled, a second winch for raising and lowering a slide block assembly through which the cable is guided to allow pulling the cable at different vertical heights, a winch limit switch for sensing a tension limit in the cable and able to stop the winch at the desired tension, and remote control means for operating the first winch.
The invention is shown in
These parts described create a rigid frame 1 capable of supporting the vertical support bar 20 and its structure and other elements including winch or other pulling means, that in the preferred mode is pivotally situated between the top frame member 3 base frame member 11 at lower pivot pin 8 and upper pivot point 10. The vertical support bar 20 has key elements attached to it, including at least a manual or electric wire pulling means that allows for various vertical levels for pulling the wire. In the preferred mode, this is accomplished via a wire pulling winch 30 working in combination with a vertical adjustment winch 40 and with means for limiting the pulling when a desired tension is achieved. These tension limiting means are shown as 12 in
Pivot means is achieved at the bottom as shown having lower rigid bracket 26 that is attached to the vertical support bar, pivoting on lower pivot pin 8 that is attached to the base frame 11, which is this mode has pin 8 extending through a hole in the lower bracket. Pivot means at the top is achieved with a rotation sprocket and plate assembly pivot about pivot point 10, shown in more detail in
Vertical support bar 20 has attached to it on one side slide sleeve means for allowing vertical positioning of the pulling cable loop 2. In the preferred mode it is comprised of the slide sleeve assembly 12 that functions to provide the vertical position of the wire loop 2 via a separate positioning cable 70 that is connected at one end to the slide sleeve assembly, and the opposite end to the winch 40 that raises and lowers the slide sleeve assembly 12 as desired. The tensioning cable 25 is threaded over pulley means in the slide sleeve assembly and directed downward to the lower sheave (pulley) means 27 in the lower bracket (shown in more detail in
Tension limiting means 12 provides for limiting the tension of the wire inasmuch as winches can pull at tensions much greater than that needed. This also provides a means for uniform tension to the various fence wires, as well as a safety feature. In this mode, such means are provided in the following manner. Tensioning winch 30 is attached, either removably or permanently, to plate 23, which plate is slidably connected to slide plate 23. Plate 23 works in conjunction with spring means and electrical switch means so as to turn off the power to the winch when the winch is pulled down during tensioning. This is shown in more detail in
Wires 16a from the battery 6 are fed to the control box 18. Power from the control box also feeds the winches 30 and 40, and their respective switches, i.e. the control switch 38 for the height winch 40 and the remote control relay switch 39 for the tension winch 40.
The tensioning limiting means has limit switch 33 affixed to bracket 35 such that switch arm 33b is springloaded and normally up, and when normally up, it is electrically closed to allow power to the winch 30 via a power relay. When pulled down sufficiently, the arm 33b then disconnects the power. This will occur when the winch, attached to winch mounting plate 32 slides down winch slide plate 33 as the tension on the winch increases during pulling. The counter tension is provided via the limit tension spring 34a held in place by elongated bolt 34b that extends through the spring, though the bracket 35 and attached to the plate 22. This is shown as connected to the plate via nut means welded to the plate, with the bolt screwed into the nut. Other modes are envisioned to limit the tension to a maximum and adjustable setting as desired, including hinged means instead of slidable means.
The lower assembly is shown in
The slide plate assembly 12 is shown in
In use, shown in
To tension the next lower wire on the fence post, one first lowers the slide assembly by activating wire height winch 40 to lower the assembly 12. This automatically releases the tension on the cable 25 to allow disconnecting the clamp, so that the clamp can now be attached to the next lower wire 90b.
It can now be seen with use how the invention also reduces the tendency of imparting fence twisting tie offs as often occurs using typical fence pullers attached to the end post and tied off at 91a while the puller is attached (
Thus, what is shown is a wire pulling wincher apparatus for fence wire tensioning for use with loaders and the like that meets the objectives. Other objectives and features are apparent in this specification and to those skilled in the art.
This app is a divisional of parent U.S. Ser. No. 16/685,915 filed Nov. 15, 2019, which parent app claims the benefit and filing date of U.S. provisional application 62/787,074 filed Dec. 21, 2018, and this app claims the benefit of said filing dates
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 16685915 | Nov 2019 | US |
Child | 17031291 | US |