Stripper Assembly

A stripper assembly comprising:

• a feed wheel having a first radius and mounted on a first shaft for rotation in a clockwise (CW) direction and in a counter-clockwise (CCW) direction about a longitudinal axis of said first shaft;
• a stripping tire having a second radius and mounted on a second shaft for rotation in the CW direction and in the CCW direction about a longitudinal axis of said second shaft, wherein said feed wheel and said stripping tire contact one another to define a nip through which papers are directed, and wherein said longitudinal axis of said first shaft and said longitudinal axis of said second shaft are a first distance apart along a first axis that is normal to both of said longitudinal axis of said first shaft and said longitudinal axis of said second shaft;
• a drag clutch interposed between said stripping tire and said second shaft, said drag clutch including a radially-outer portion and a radially-inner portion, said drag clutch configured such that said radially-outer portion and said radially-inner portion are fixed together up to a predetermined level of torque and further configured such that said radially-outer portion and said radially-inner portion are rotationally moveable relative to one another in response to torque greater that the predetermined level of torque;
• and
• first and second stripping elements engaged with said second shaft and positioned on opposite sides of said nip, each of said first and second stripping elements being circular and defining respective third and fourth radii, each of said first and second stripping elements configured and positioned to engage papers passing through said nip, and wherein said drag clutch is not interposed between either of said first and second stripping elements and said second shaft.