Apparatus for cleaning drain troughs

An apparatus for removing debris from a straight, horizontally disposed eaves drain trough, said apparatus comprising:

• a) elongated handle means having a top end and a bottom end adapted to be held by an operator,
• b) a support arm having a lower extremity that removably engages the top end of said handle means, a middle portion of substantially U-shaped configuration located above and offset from said lower extremity, and a downwardly directed upper extremity disposed at an elevation within said middle portion, said upper and lower extremities and middle portion lying in the same vertical plane,
• c) a gripping mechanism comprising:
• 1) a control tube vertically elongated between a lower extremity and an open upper extremity that removably receives and engages the upper extremity of said support arm,
• 2) a lower gripping member horizontally elongated between a leading extremity and trailing extremity and further bounded by upper and lower surfaces, said lower gripping member being fixedly attached to the lower extremity of said control tube in orthogonal relationship to the plane of said support arm,
• 3) an upper gripping member horizontally elongated between a leading extremity and a trailing extremity that hingedly engages the trailing extremity of said lower gripping member, and further bounded by upper and lower surfaces, said upper gripping member having a slotted aperture that is penetrated by said control tube, and tether-securing means associated with its upper surface adjacent its leading extremity, and
• 4) restoring means for urging said upper gripping member downwardly into contact with said lower gripping member,
• d) a control tether extending from a proximal extremity secured by said tether-securing means to a free distal extremity disposed adjacent the bottom end of said handle means, and
• e) guide means associated with said support arm that permit sliding passage of said control tether.