Wire tractor

Abstract

The invention, in a preferred embodiment, is an apparatus for pulling wire and other objects between two vertical supports, such as telephone poles, connected by a cable strung above the ground. It is particularly suited for making lashers easier to use in rough terrain. The device consists of a carrier having four sides, a base, and an adjustable split top having an upper surface and a lower surface. Contained in and on the carrier is a pair of gear driven looped roller chains horizontally mounted on opposite sides of the split top. These roller chains have mounted about their outside surfaces cable-gripping clips. A pressure-regulating bar is positioned within the inside vertical surfaces of the opposed looped roller chains. Also present is a drive for adjusting the split top so that the opposed looped roller chains engage the strung cable. Within the carrier is mounted a motorized drive train for turning the opposed looped roller chains in opposite directions at a constant speed. To propel the carrier, there is a pair of vertical trolley wheels positioned above the opposed looped roller chains for moving the carrier along the string cable. A single motor drives the two looped roller chains by means of gear-connected shafts. In a preferred embodiment, the motor is a battery-driven DC motor.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.