Cable pulling device

A device for paying-out and taking-up cable comprising in combination:

• a pair of bull wheels adapted to receive cable and pay cable out including a plurality of wraps of cable looped in a figure eight configuration over both bull wheels so as to gain mechanical advantage thereby,
• storage means associated with said bull wheels,
• means for winding cable onto said storage means,
• and means for synchronizing rotation rate between said bull and said storage means so that cable wrapped on said storage means is put on and taken off in a uniform manner,
• each of said bull wheels is formed from a winch core having tapped holes on end walls of said core, a removeable sleeve for each core having grooves on an outer face thereof corresponding to the diameter of the cable, and flange walls on said end walls, bolted thereto constraining said sleeves,
• a hydraulic circuit having a first branch and a second branch;
• remote control means for operatively conditioning said first branch and said second branch of said hydraulic circuit, wherein said first branch of said hydraulic circuit operates to condition said pair of bull wheels in synchrony and includes means for converting motion of said pair of bull wheels from a first speed to a second speed and further includes a branch flow divider to effect reorientation of hydraulic fluid flowing therethrough from series relationshp to a parallel relationship;
• wherein said second branch of said hydraulic circuit is provided with means for driving said storage means in operative association with said pair of bull wheels;
• and further comprising means for altering the rate of rotation of said storage means and including a damping valve in said second branch so that pay-out or take-up of cable on said storage means reflects change in cable build-up of said storage means.

In a winch the combination including an instrumentality for paying-in and taking-out cable under tension at all times,

• a hydraulic circuit associated therewith,
• a first branch of said hydraulic circuit operating to condition a pair of bull wheels in synchrony including means for converting motion of said two bull wheels from a first speed to a second speed including a branch flow divider to effect reorientation of hydraulic fluid flowing therethrough from a series relationship to a parallel relationship,
• a second branch of said hydraulic circuit provided with means for driving a storage means in operative association with said bull wheels,
• means for altering the rate of rotation of said storage means including a damping valve in said storage means second branch so that pay-out or take-up of cable on said storage means will reflect change in cable build-up of said storage means,
• remote control means for operatively conditioning said storage means hydraulic circuit and said bull wheel hydraulic circuit, and
• said bull wheels are each formed from a winch core, tapped holes on end walls of said core, a removeable sleeve for each core having grooves on an outer face thereof corresponding to diameter of cable, and flange walls on said end walls, bolted thereto constraining said sleeve.

A device for paying-out and taking-up cable, comprising in combination:

• a pair of bull wheels, each of substantially cylindrical configuration and having a plurality of circular grooves circumscribing an outer cylindrical surface thereof, with each said groove spaced from an adjacent groove along the length of said cylindrical surface, the depth of each said groove corresponding substantially to the diameter of the cable,
• said pair of bull wheels receiving a plurality of cable wraps looped over all said grooves of both bull wheels in a figure eight configuration for mechanical advantage,
• means for driving said bull wheels to pay-out and take-up the cable,
• means for storing the cable in communication with said bull wheels, said means for storing the cable including a storage reel and a sheave which oscillates along the length of said reel, feeding cable evenly thereon,
• an oval chain fixed to a support plate, said support plate being resiliently suspended to allow motion of said chain between one of two horizontal elevations;
• and
• means for causing said sheave to travel along said chain, causing said sheave to oscillate.

An apparatus for winding cable on a storage reel comprising, in combination:

• a sheave;
• means for causing said sheave to move along said storage reel in an oscillatory pendulum type motion so as to uniformly distribute cable along the length of said storage reel, said sheave being provided with means to synchronize the oscillatory motion with the rotation rate of said storage reel;
• a constraint operatively conditioning said sheave to assure that only one wrap of cable is placed on said storage reel except at end portions thereof when said sheave changes direction where two wraps are placed thereon, said constraint including a chain welded to a support plate having a central guide bar and said chain being disposed in an oval manner about said guide bar;
• and
• a sprocket attached to a sheave support oriented to engage said chain on an inner path thereof whereby when said sprocket engages arcuate sections of said chain on an inner portion thereof two wraps of cable will be placed on each end of said storage reel, said support plate being resiliently carried from a support frame and constrained by brackets so as to allow vertical motion thereof in response to said sprocket engaging arcuate sections of said chain and the oval chain including first and second horizontally extending linear portions and arcuate end portions.