Locking puller device

An improved locking puller device of the type in which a plurality of arm-like jaws, each of which has an outer surface with rails extending laterally from and longitudinally along outer edges of said outer surface and is tapered forwardly and downwardly relative to the movement of a cam ring which surrounds said arm-like jaws, are movable toward each other and are lockable about an object as said cam ring is moved forwardly and cams said jaws inwardly, in which a threaded rod is movable forwardly to engage a shaft to urge rearward movement of said jaws relative to the shaft to remove the object from the shaft, in which said cam ring has a plurality of lugs extending radially inwardly so that said rails are slidably positioned between a portion of said cam ring and said lugs, in which a plurality of braces each of which has one end attached to said cam ring and the other end extending rearwardly and attached to a ring, and in which said arm-like jaws automatically spread as said cam ring is moved rearwardly causing said lug means to engage an inner surface of said rails, wherein the improvement comprises:

• a collar having a flange-less, disk-like body, said collar having a plurality of axial slots extending therein, said slots substantially equally spaced about said collar, said arm-like jaws rearwardly and pivotally mounted in said slots, said collar further having a plurality of passages extending through its wall, each said passage intersecting one said slot for receiving a pin to mount one said arm-like jaw in said slot, said collar having a substantially circular, ridge-like receiving member which is symmetrical about the axis of said collar and which is dimensionally smaller than said collar and which integrally projects rearwardly from said collar, to support and add locking strength to said arm-like jaws and to reduce stress on said collar, caused from locking said arm-like jaws about and pulling the object,
• a sleeve threaded into and separatable from said receiving member of said collar, to provide more leverage when said arm-like jaws are locked about the object, to lessen fatigue at the joint of said collar and said sleeve, and to allow separable replacement of said sleeve from said collar,
• a T-handle threaded on said sleeve for tool-less manual forward and rearward movement of said ring and said cam ring.