US2650777A - Wire unwinding spool and supporting structure - Google Patents

Description

G. W. ROBBINS WIRE UNWINDING SPOOL AND SUPPORTING STRUCTURE Filed June 15, 1951 Sept 1,, 1953 AN NW NW MNR dr ld lm k l NL M mw l a tented Sept. 1, 1953 WIRE UNWINDIN G SPOOL AND SUPPORTING STRUCTURE George W. Robbins, Arlington, Ind. Application June 15, 1951, Serial No. 231,722

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a wire supporting truck and a spool for mounting a roll of wire to facilitate the unwinding of the wire from the roll to prevent slack occurring in the wire which tends to produce twists causing the wire to break when subsequently stretched.

More particularly, an aim of the present invention is to provide a wheeled truck on which a roll of wire may be detachably mounted after application to a spool which is detachably supported on the truck to provide a structure which will afford frictional resistance to unwinding of the Wire from the roll thereby preventing the wire from lying upon the ground when the end of the Wire is anchored and the wire is being unwound, in constructing a fence.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device which may be readily used with the rolls of wire of different lengths for maintaining a desired pressure on the ends of the roll to resist unwinding of the wire from the spool and wherein rotation of the spool with the roll of wire is likewise resisted so that an initial tensioning or stretching of the wire may be accomplished as a part of the unwinding operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus which may be readily attached to and drawn by a truck or other suitable draft vehicle for accomplishing the unwindin operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device which is particularly adapted for unwinding barbed wire and which will minimize the risk of injury to the hands when the wire is pulled from the spool or reel due to the fact that the resistance afforded to the unwinding of the wire will prevent slack forming therein.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in section, of the invention;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view thereof taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a plan view of one element of the device.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the wire supporting and unwinding device in its entirety is designated generally 5 and includes an axle, designated generally 6, formed of end sections including a long section I and a shorter section 8. A pair of wheels 9 is journaled' on the ends of the axle 6, adjacent the remote ends of the sections 1 and 8, the device being supported as a mobile structure by the wheels 9 which are re- 2 tained on the remote ends of the axle sections 1 and 8 .by removable cotter pins [0.

A tongue, designated generally comprises a pair of corresponding rods I2 each having an end connected to a ring I3. The rods l2 divergefrom the ring l3 and are provided with right-- angularly turned threaded opposite ends I 4 which. extend downwardly through diametrical openings- 5 in the axle e which are formed in the axle sec-- tions 7 and 3 inwardly of and adjacent the inner ends of the hubs of the wheels 9, so that the rod. ends function with the cotter pins Ill to retain. the wheels 9 properly positioned on the axle 6.. A nut l6 threadedly engages the terminal of each rod end M to retain it in engagement with itsv axle opening l5.

A disk l?! is rigidly secured to the axle section 1 intermediate of the ends thereof. The axle section i is provided with an opposite threaded end l8 which is threaded into an internally threaded sleeve l9 which is secured to project from the other, inner end the axle section 8. A disk '20 is slidably mounted on the axle section 1, between the disk ll and its threaded end [8 and said disk 21] is provided with an elongated sleeve 2! which is secured to and projects from the outer side thereof, away from the disk H. The sleeve 2| has longitudinally extending elongated slots 22 which are oppositely disposed and which slidably engage portions of a bolt which extends diametrically through the axle section I and which forms a part of a removable nut and bolt fastening 23 which allows the disk 29 and sleeve 2| to slide longitudinally on the axle section l but prevents them from turning relatively thereto.

An expansion coiled spring 24 is mounted on the axle section l between the sleeves I9 and 2| and urges the disk 20 toward disk H. A spacing collar 25 is shown disposed between the spring 24 and sleeve 2| to increase the tension on said spring. Collar 25 may be omitted where the additional tension of the spring is not necessary or a collar of a different length as indicated at 23a in Figure 4 may be employed in lieu of the collar 25.

The device 5 also includes a demountable spool, designated generally 25, formed of corresponding end sections 2? each including a disk 23, of a larger diameter than the disks I! and 24'], and a sleeve 29 which extends from the inner side of the central portion of the disk 28. The sleeves 29 extend through the disks 28 and have bores which are sized to slidably engage the axle section '5. Each sleeve 29 is provided with a plurality, preferably three ribs 30 which are equally spaced circumferentially of the sleeve and which extend from end-to-end thereof and to beyond the end of the sleeve, disposed remote to the disk 28, so that the unsupported inner ends 3| with the ribs 30' of each sleeve 29 overlie the other 3 sleeve 29 and the ribs 30 of the two sleeves are arranged in inter-engaging or meshed relationship. The unsupported rib ends 3! are beveled or their outer sides adjacent their terminals as seen in Figure 1, to facilitate threading the sleeve 29 into the bore 32 of a roll of wire 33.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that by removing the nut IS, the rod end [4 which engages the axle section 8 may be disengaged therefrom and said axle section may then be revolved relatively to its wheel 9 for unscrewin the sleeve 19 from the axle portion I8. The spring 24 and collar 25 may then be removed from the axle section I, after removal of the nut and bolt fastening 23, and the disk 20 and its sleeve 2! may then be removed from the axle section I. The spool sections 2'! may then be removed from the axle section I and separated to position the roll of wire 33 therebetween. The inner or free ends of the sleeves 29 are inserted into the two ends of the wire roll 33 with the beveled rib ends 3i entering the bore 32 of the roll in advance of said sleeves to prevent the sleeves from becoming fouled on parts of the wire forniing the bore 32, due to the bevel of the rib ends 3 E. The rib ends 3| are positioned in intermeshing relation, as seen in Figure 1, to permit only a slight rotation of either spool section 21 relatively to the other. The spool 26, carrying the roll 33, is then reapplied over the axle portion 58 and positioned with one of its disks 28 against the disk H the parts 20 and 2!, the fastening 23 and parts 25 and 24 are then applied, as seen in Figure 1, after which the sleeve 19 is screwed onto the portion I8 to adjustably tension the spring 24 to cause the disk 20 to frictionally engage the other disk 28 with a desired pressure to resist rotation of the spool 26 on the axle section 1. The aforementioned rod end I4 is then reconnected to the axle section 8. An end 34 of the wire roll may be pulled for unwinding the wire from the spool 28 or said end 34 may be secured to a fence post, not shown, and the truck may then be pulled manually or by coupling the tongue ring l3 to a draft vehicle, not shown, so that as the truck is pulled the spool 'will turn between the disks [1 and 20 to allow unwinding of the wire and its rotational speed will be effectively resisted by the spring tension on the disk 20 for causing the disks 28 to be friction'ally engaged by the disks l1 and 20 so that no slack will occur in the wire. If desired, this frictional resistance to unwinding may be increased sufficiently to accomplish an initia1 stretching of the wire from its anchored end as it is unwound.

The roll of Wire 33 has been shown as barbed wire as the invention is particularly adapted for such material, although it may be used with other types of wire or other flexible elements capable of being wound and unwound and rolls of which are capable of being mounted on the spool 26.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of'the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device of the character described comprising an axle formed of end sections, wheels journaled on and supporting said axle adjacent its terminals, means for forming a detachable and an adjustable connection between adjacent end portions of the axle sections, a first disk fixed to one of the axlesections, a second disk slidably and detachably mounted on said one axle section between the first disk and the connecting of the axle sections, means non-rotatably connecting the said second disk to the first mentioned axle section, spring means disposed On the first ihhti'd'ned axle section between said connecting means of the axle sections and Sa d second disk and yieldably urging the second disk toward thefirst disk, a spool demountably supported on the first mentioned axle section between said disks having end portions frictionally engaged by the disks for resisting rotation of the spool aboutthe axle, said spool being adapted to support a roll of wound material to be unwoiiiid from the spool by rotation of the spool relatively to the axle and to said disks.

2. YA device as in claim 1, said spool being formed of corresponding end sections slidably mounted on the axle anddisplaceable toward and away from one another for accommodating rolls of wound material of different lengths and being urged by said spring means and second disk toward one another and into frictional engagement with the wound roll.

3; A device as in claim 2, said spool sections each including a spool disk and a sleeve extendinwardly therefrom, relatively to the spool, and which is turnably and slidabl disposed on the axle, said spool sleeves being normally disposed in spaced apart end-to-end relationship.

4. A device as in claim 3; each of said spool sleeves having a plurality of longitudinally extending ribs projecting beyond the end thereof disposed remote to its spool disk, the projecting ends of theribs of each sleeve normally overlying a portion .of the other sleeve, the overlying, projecting ends of the ribs being disposed in intermeshed relationship for-keying the spool sections to one another.

5. A device as in claim 4,- the projecting ends of said ribs being beveled On their Outer sides toward their tcrminalsto facilitate sliding movement of the spool sections toward one another through the roll of wire.

6. A device asinclaim 1, said means for detachably and adjustably connecting the axle Sections including a threaded portion formed O the inner end of the first mentioned axle sec-- tion and an internally threaded collar fixed to and projecting from the inner end of the other axle section and threadedly engaging said threadedaxlesection end and forming an abutment for one end ofsaid spring means, said collar being adjustable onthe threadedaxle section end for varying the tension of said spring means. v

'7. A device as in claim 1, a tongue having corresponding portions connected to the two axle sections inwardly of and adjacent said wheels, said tongue portions preventing rotation of the axle and rotationof the axle sections relatively to one another when engaged therewith and being detachably connectedto the axle Sections.

GEORGE w. ROBBINS.

References Cited in the file of this patent entree" STATES" PATENTS Number Name Date 261,658 Bolir'r July 25, 1882 284,109 Waring Aug. 28, 1883 1,510,190 Williams Jan. 19, 1926 2,171,436 yacht Oct. 24, 1939 2,550,556 Haloski Apr. 24, 1951 2,563,377 Schmidt Aug. 7, 1951

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