Device and method for trenchless replacement of underground pipe

A device for the trenchless replacement of in-situ pipe, comprising:

• a mole;
• a length of cable, said cable being engagable to said mole;
• a cable pulling device being releasably engagable to said cable;
• a cable pulling device mounting frame being releasably engagable to said cable pulling device;
• wherein said mole includes a nose portion being engagable to said cable, a tapered body portion and a replacement pipe engagement portion, said mole further including at least one blade, said tapered body portion acting to initially contact, fracture and expand said pipe for the replacement thereof with a length of replacement pipe, and said blade acting to cut pipe engagement devices encountered by said mole after said pipe has been expanded by said tapered body portion.

A device for the trenchless replacement of in-situ pipe, comprising:

• a mole;
• a length of cable, said cable being engagable to said mole;
• a cable pulling device;
• a cable pulling device mounting frame being releasably engagable to said cable pulling device
• wherein said cable pulling device mounting frame includes an annulus member including a cable passage bore formed therethrough and a cable insertion slot formed through portions of said annulus member for the sideways insertion of said cable within said cable passage bore of said annulus member and
• wherein said annulus member includes a cable pulling device engagement portion for releasably engaging a portion of said cable pulling device.

A device for the trenchless replacement of in-situ pipe, comprising:

• a mole;
• a length of cable, said cable being engagable to said mole;
• a cable pulling device including a cable engagement mechanism and a cable pulling device engagement means functioning to provide a mounting structure for said cable pulling device;
• said cable pulling device engagement means further including a reaction plate having an enlarged surface for disbursing a reaction force against a cable pulling force generated by said cable pulling device;
• a cable pulling frame, said cable pulling frame being mountable to said reaction plate and said cable pulling device being mountable to said cable pulling frame;
• and
• wherein said cable engagement mechanism includes at least one pair of cable engaging collets that function to engage said cable on a said pulling stroke and to release said cable on a said recovery stroke, and at least one further pair of collets that function to engage said cable on said recovery stroke and to release said cable on said pulling stroke, and wherein said cable pulling device is formed with a slotted cable insertion structure for the sideways insertion of said cable within said cable pulling device.

A method for the trenchless replacement of in-situ pipe, comprising the steps of:

• exposing a first end of said pipe;
• exposing a second end of said pipe;
• disposing a pulling cable through said pipe between said first end and said second end;
• engaging a mole to said cable at said first end;
• engaging a cable pulling device to said cable at said second end, and
• installing a reaction plate at said second end,
• pulling said mole through said pipe utilizing said cable pulling device;
• and
• including the further steps of engaging said cable with a first pair of collets on a cable pulling stroke of said cable pulling device, and engaging said cable with a second pair of collets on a recovery stroke of said cable pulling device.