Crab pot line hauler
AssigneeMarine Construction & Design Co.
InventorRobert A. Svendsen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The improved crab pot line hauler's drive motor, sheave and associated line guide means having a common support are mounted as a composite unit on pivotal support bearings that permit the unit to revolve freely about a fixed bearing axis in addressing itself to the incoming line being hauled and that restrain the unit against other bodily motion. Placement of the center of mass of the hauler unit at or closely adjacent to such pivot bearing axis assures its relatively steady orientation in operative relation to the incoming line with minimal line deflection force acting on it to do this. Polar moment of inertia about such bearing axis being also made relatively small by such mounting system, quickness of response of the unit to changing line approach direction is also achieved, a major advantage in stormy weather.
Claims23
A line hauler for hauling crab pots and the like on a fishing vessel, comprising a sheave assembly that includes a power-driven V-grooved hauler sheave and associated sheave drive motor and line guide means mounted together as a unit in cooperable relationship on a common support permitting driven rotation of said sheave by said motor about a sheave axis, a structural base adapted for mounting said common support with the sheave assembly in operative position on a fishing vessel, said base having pivot bearing means fixed thereon and mounting said support to permit said sheave assembly to pivot freely about a fixed pivot axis extending transverse to the sheave axis while restraining the support against other bodily motion relative to said base, said pivot axis being angled to the vertical, and the sheave assembly being formed with its center of mass offset downwardly from said pivot axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.