Apparatus for stabbing and threading a safety valve into a well pipe

Apparatus for use in shutting off upward flow from a pipe extending into a well, said pipe having a threaded upper end, comprising:

• elevator means having hinged segments adapted to be releasably secured to said pipe below said threaded upper end, said elevator means including latch means for closing said segments around said pipe;
• a bracket having a horizontal portion attached to said elevator means and a vertical portion;
• a base plate mounted on said vertical portion and defining a vertical pivot axis that is laterally offset from and parallel to the longitudinal axes of said elevator means and pipe;
• an upstanding frame assembly including a swivel plate pivotally mounted to said base plate, a pair of guide rods and a toothed rack member having their lower ends attached to said swivel plate and their upper ends secured to a top plate;
• carriage means slidably mounted on said frame assembly and including guide tubes mounted on said rods, upper and lower arm means having their outer ends secured to said guide tubes;
• a tubular canister rotatably mounted on the inner ends of said arm means and having a bevel gear thereon, said canister, carriage means and frame assembly being arranged for pivotal movement from a position where longitudinal axis of said canister is aligned with the longitudinal axis of said pipe and a position where said canister and pipe are misaligned;
• normally open safety valve means mounted in said canister and having a threaded lower end adapted to be screwed into the threaded upper end of said pipe;
• and gear drive means cooperable with said rack member and said bevel gear for rotating said canister and safety valve means while lowering the same toward said pipe to automatically make up a threaded connection between the threaded ends of said valve means and pipe, whereupon said valve means can be closed to shut off upward flow through said pipe.