Pin hub for wire reel

Apparatus for winding wire segments onto wire reels, comprising the combination of:

• a plurality of wire reels;
• each said reel having opposite flanges;
• said flanges having connected together center portions, axially spaced apart radially outer portions, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings extending through said outer portions and one of said flanges including mounting portions;
• a drive mechanism;
• and
• a hub member mounted on said drive mechanism to be rotated thereby about a drive axis;
• said hub member having a forward portion with engagement portions configured to engage said mounting portions to mount one of said reels to said forward portion, and a plurality of pin members with end portions that are extendible and retractable relative to said forward portion between a retracted position in which said pin members are positioned axially rearwardly of a forward surface of said forward portion to permit mounting of said reel onto said forward portion by engagement of said mounting portions by said engagement portions and removal of said reel with a wire segment wound thereon from said forward portion by disengagement of said mounting portions and said engagement portions, and an extended position in which said end portions project forwardly from said forward portion to extend through said openings in said flanges of said reel and define a winding space between said outer portions of said flanges.