US2765991A - Wire winding attachment for tractors - Google Patents

Description

ct. 9, 1956 P, FREY ET AL 2,765,991

WIRE WINDING ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS Filed July 1, 1955 2 Sheets$heet 1 IN VEN TORS Jmmm S. FQEY 57/ BY L wmmmz P. FmEY vflmklm AT To 2N EYS L. P. FREY EI'AL WIRE WINDING ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS Filed July 1, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS Jummm $.Fmav &' mwmEMcE R FREY 2,7 65,991 WIRE WINDING ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS Lawrence P. Frey, Highland, and Julian S. Frey, Pocahontas, Ill.

Application July 1, 1955, Serial No. 519,432 6 Claims. (Cl. 24290) This invention relates to tractor attachments, and more particularly to a wire winding attachment connectable to a power take-off shaft of a conventional tractor.

Wire windin attachments for tractors are not new per se, but heretofore, have in general been quite bulky, being often belt driven or otherwise expensively and complexly designed.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a generally improved wire winding attachment, that will be simple in construction, thus permitting it to be constructed at a very low cost as compared to similar devices previously marketed. As more specific objects of the invention, it is proposed to provide an attachment as stated which can be swiftly connected directly to the power take-off shaft, and will include means normally effecting a direct drive between the shaft of the winder and the power take-off shaft, but which will be adapted to permit slippage of the winding drum should forces acting on the drum tending to hold the same against rotation increase above a predetermined value.

Another object is to provide a device as stated which will permit the winding of long lengths of wire in a very short time.

A further object is to provide a device as stated charac terized by its ease of attachment to or detachment from the power take-off shaft, and further characterized by its adaptability for separation of the component parts of the winder, for replacement or repair of any of the components.

Another object is to provide a device as stated which is particularly well adapted to wind smooth electric fence wire, but which will be so designed as, with necessary modifications in the size of certain components thereof, to wind other types of wire, such as barbed wire.

Other objects willappear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawings in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of the wire winding attachment formed according to the present invention, as it appears when attached to a tractor, the tractor being shown fragmentarily and in section;

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a still further enlarged, exploded perspective view of the attachment per se;

Figure a is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified construction;

Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Figure 4'; and

Figure 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Figure 5.

on line 2 2 of The reference numeral 19 generally designates a con ventional tractor, while at in Figures 1-3, a winding to the present invention.

The tractor includes the usual power take-off shaft, indicated at 14, this being a spline shaft, while the winding attachment includes, at its inner end, a relatively short sleeve 16 having an end to end axial bore 18 formed with 12 there has been designated, attachment formed according rates Patent spline teeth 18' meshing with those of the power take-off shaft. The teeth of the bore 18 would of course be standard per se, to match those of the standard power take-off shaft, and to connect the winding attachment to the power take-off shaft for operation thereby, it is merely necessary that the sleeve 16 be slipped onto the power take-off shaft from the right in Figure 2, to its Figure 1 or Figure 2 position. Thereafter, a set screw 20, threaded radially, inwardly of the wall of the sleeve, is engaged against the take-off shaft to secure the sleeve firmly to the power take-off for rotation conjointly therewith.

Designated at 22 is a circular, flat end wall of the sleeve, and as shown in Figure 2, one end of the sleeve projects beyond the outer end of the power take-oft shaft, this being the end to which the end wall 22 is secured. End wall 22 has a marginal series of smooth-walled openings, receiving connecting bolts 24 threadable into a corresponding series of threaded recesses 26 formed in the outer end of the sleeve about the axial bore thereof. The bolts have heads bearing against the outer surface of the end wall, so as to effect a fixed connection of the end wall to the sleeve.

An elongated shaft 28 is provided in the attachment, the sleeve 22 being formed with a center opening receiving the inner end of the shaft 23, the shaft being welded to the sleeve after being inserted in said center opening as shown in Figure 2.

Fitted onto the shaft 28 is a washer 30 (Figure 3), and after said washer has been slipped onto the shaft 28, a larger diameter washer 32 is placed upon the shaft, said washer 32 engaging against the washer 30 and the washer 3t} engaging against end wall 22 in the operative relationship of the components of the device, as shown in Figure 2.

After the washer 32 has been placed on shaft 28, a compression spring 34 is fitted onto the shaft 28, abutting at one end against the washer 32. Thereafter, a winding drum 3-1: is slipped onto the shaft 28, said winding drum having a tubular, open-ended core, rotatable upon and slidable in an axial direction in respect to the shaft 28.

Spring 34 abuts at the end thereof remote from washer 32 against the adjacent head of the drum, and abutting against the other head of the drum is a second compression spring 38, the other end of which abuts'against a washer ill against which bears a nut 42 engaged with threads 44 formed uponthe outer end of the shaft 28.

The nut 42 with its associated washerdtl, and the spacer collar 30 and washer 32, cooperate to define spacedabutments upon the shaft 28, with the abutment consti-,

tuted by the nut and the washer 40 being adjustable longitudinally of the shaft. As a result, the springs 34, 38 can both be placed under selected, adjusted tension, and constitute a driving connection betweenthe shaft'28 and the drum which driving connection is, in effect, of the slip clutch type. a

In use of the device, the sleeve 16, preassembled with the end wall and the drum, springs, and-the described abutments, is slipped onto the power take-off shaft whenever it is desired to wind a length ofwire W. The set screw 2%) is then tightened, and the device is ready for use. With the tractor standing still, the power take-off shaft is rotated, and the wire will be wound smoothly upon the drum. The device illustrated is particularly designed for the winding of electric fence wire, but the device can be made larger to accommodate barbed wire, without change in the basic construction illustrated and described.

Should the drag upon the drum increase above a predetermined value, tending to hold the drum against rotation relative to the shaft 28 to such an extent as to overcome the frictional engagement between the springs and' the drum heads, the shaft 28 will continue to rotate, with! out rotating the drum, so that there will be no possibility of damage of any of the component parts of the device,

or of placing too great a load upon the power take-off shaft. As soon as said forces decrease below said value, the drum and shaft will again be rotated conjointly. Should it be desired to make adjustments such that the value of said forces tending to cause relative rotation between the shaft and drum is lowered or increased, said adjustments can be swiftly made by threading of the nut 42 toward or away from the drum, as the case may be, to place the springs under greater or lower tension, Whichever is desired.

In Figures 4-6, there is shown a modified construction, with the modification being confined to the sleeve and end wall. In this form of the invention, the power take-off shaft has been designated at 46, and the sleeve 48 is formed at one end with a circumferential series of longitudinally extending slots 50 opening upon the tractoradjacent extremity of the sleeve. Slidably fitted onto the slotted end of the sleeve is a collar 54, having a circumferential series of radially extending, threaded openings receiving clamping screws 56. The provision of the slots 50 define, between adjacent slots, longitudinal spring tongues on the sleeve, and when the sleeve is fitted onto the power take-off shaft, one threads the screws 56 inwardly, to force said tongues radially, inwardly into frictional engagement with the power take-off shaft. To complete the driving connection between the sleeve and power take-off shaft, there is provided a set screw 52 threadable through the wall of sleeve 48 directly against the power take-off shaft.

The end of the sleeve projecting outwardly from the power take-off shaft is formed open, and engaged in this end of the sleeve is an end wall 58, which is welded to the sleeve to close the sleeve at its projecting end. A shaft 60, corresponding to the shaft 28, is integral or otherwise made rigid with the end wall 58 centrally thereof, and the spring 34 is abutted at its opposite ends against the end wall 58 and the adjacent drum head, so that in this form of the invention, the end wall itself constitutes the inner abutment of the device.

As to the remaining parts of the device, these are formed similarly to the corresponding parts of the first form of the invention.

The construction illustrated and described (reference here being had to both forms) is particularly adapted for winding a substantial length of wire in a minimum amount of time, and it is believed to be an important characteristic of the inventon that the construction is exceedingly simple, being devoid of special belt drives or other complex linkage heretofore used in devices of this type. Still further, the several components of the device can be readily disassembled, for replacement or repair of any part, it being merely necessary to remove the nut 42, after which the drum, washers, and springs can be readily slipped off the shaft 28 or 60 as the case may be. Still further, the device preassembled, can be swiftly attached to the power take-off shaft, and can be detached from said shaft with equal facility.

In use of the device, one operates the power take-off shaft with the tractor standing still, as previously mentioned, the free end of the wire coming toward the tractor. It is desirable in the circumstances that an object be placed on the free end of the wire, so that it remains in view, and a burlap sack or similar object can be used for this purpose. This places a slight drag upon the wire, and is desirable to prevent overrunning of the wire during the winding operation, thus insuring the wire being tightly coiled about the core of the drum as the drum rotates.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above since it may be utilized for any urpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A wire winder for attachment to a power take-off shaft of a tractor, comprising: a sleeve proportioned to receive said shaft; means to engage the sleeve with the shaft for rotation therewith; a shaft rigid with and projecting from the sleeve; a winding drum rotatably mounted on the second shaft; and a driving connection between the second shaft and drum, arranged to normally effect conjoint rotation of the drum and second shaft and adapted to disengage the second shaft and drum from a drivingdriven relationship responsive to the increase of forces acting on the drum tending to hold the same against rotation, above a predetermined value.

2. A wire winder for attachment to a power take-off shaft of a tractor, comprising: a sleeve open at one end to receive said shaft and adapted for being fixedly secured to the shaft for rotation therewith; an elongated shaft concentric with and projecting from the sleeve, the secondnamed shaft being fixedly secured to the sleeve for rotation therewith about an axis common to that about which the power take-off shaft rotates; a winding drum rotatably mounted upon the second shaft intermediate the opposite ends thereof; means at opposite sides of the winding drum upon the second-named shaft defining collar like abutments on the second-named shaft; and a pair of springs on the second-named shaft and held under compression between the opposite ends of the Winding drum and said abutrnents, for effecting a driving connection between the second-named shaft and drum adapted for effecting conjoint rotation of the drum and the second named shaft under normal conditions, said springs being tensioned to effect disengagement of the second-named shaft and drum from a driving-driven relationship responsive to the increase of forces acting on the drum tending to hold the same against rotation with the second named shaft, above a predetermined value.

3. A wire winder for attachment to a power take-off shaft of a tractor, comprising: a sleeve open at one end to receive said shaft and adapted for being fixedly secured to the shaft for rotation therewith; an elongated shaft concentric with and projecting from the sleeve, the second-named shaft being fixedly secured to the sleeve for rotation therewith about an axis common to that about which the power take-off shaft rotates; a winding drum rotatably mounted upon the second shaft intermediate the opposite ends thereof; means at opposite sides of the winding drum upon the second-named shaft defining collar-like abutments on the second-named shaft; and a pair of springs on the second-named shaft and held under compression between the opposite ends of the winding drum and said abutments, for effecting a driving connection between the second-named shaft and drum adapted for effecting conjoint rotation of the drum and the secondnamed shaft under normal conditions, said springs being tensioned to effect disengagement of the second-named shaft and drum from a driving-driven relationship responsive to the increase of forces acting on the drum tending to hold the same against rotation with the secondnamed shaft, above a predetermined value, at least one of said abutments being mounted for adjustment longitudinally of the second-named shaft, to place said springs under a selected, adjusted tension.

4. A wire winder for attachment to a power take-off shaft of a tractor, comprising: a sleeve proportioned to receive said shaft and adapted for rotation with the shaft, said sleeve at one end projecting beyond the shaft and including at said one end an end wall; an elongated shaft coaxial with the power take-off shaft and fixedly secured to said end wall, the second-named shaft projecting outwardly from the end wall; a winding drum including a tubular core receiving the second-named shaft, said core being slidable and rotatable relative to the second-named shaft; abutments spaced longitudinally of the second named shaft and extending circumferentially thereof at opposite ends of the drum, one of said abutments being mounted for adjustment upon the second-named shaft in a direction axially of the second-named shaft; and compression springs on said second-named shaft and abutting at their opposite ends against the respective abutments and the ends of the drum, so as to effect, under normal conditions, conjoint rotation of the drum and the second-named shaft, said springs being adapted to permit rotation of the second-named shaft relative to the drum responsive to the increase, above a predetermined value, of forces acting on the drum tending to hold the same against rotation with the second-named shaft.

5. A wire winder for attachment to a power takeoff shaft of a tractor, comprising: a sleeve proportioned to receive said shaft and adapted for rotation with the shaft, said sleeve at one end projecting beyond the shaft and including at said one end an end wall; an elongated shaft coaxial with the power take-off shaft and fixedly secured to said end wall, the second-named shaft projecting outwardly from the end wall; a winding drum including a tubular core receiving the second-named shaft, said core being slidable and rotatable relative to the second-named shaft; abutments spaced longitudinally of the secondnamed shaft and extending circumferentially thereof at opposite ends of the drum, one of said abutments being mounted for adjustment upon the second-named shaft in a direction axially of the second-named shaft; and compression springs on said second-named shaft and abutting at their opposite ends against the respective abutments and the ends of the drum, so as to effect, under normal conditions, conjoint rotation of the drum and the second named-shaft, said springs being adapted to permit rotation of the second-named shaft relative to the drum responsive to the increase, above a predetermined value, of forces acting on the drum tending to hold the same against rotation with the second named shaft, said adjustable abutment being formed as a nut, the secondnamed shaft having threads at that end thereof remote from the sleeve, said threads engaging the nut for effecting said longitudinal adjustment of the nut responsive to rotation of the same upon the second-named shaft.

6. A wire winder for attachment to a power take-off shaft of a tractor, comprising: a sleeve proportioned to receive said shaft and adapted to be connected to said shaft for rotation therewith, the sleeve projecting at one end beyond the power take-off shaft and including at said end thereof a marginal series of threaded recesses; a disc-like end wall engaged against said projecting end of said sleeve; bolts threaded into said recesses of the sleeve through the end wall, to fixedly and detachably connect the end wall to the sleeve; an elongated shaft fixedly secured to the end wall cent-rally thereof and extending outwardly in coaxial alignment with power takeoff shaft; a drum mounted upon the second-named shaft for rotation and for slidable movement longitudinally of the second-named shaft; a pair of abutments mounted upon the second-named shaft at opposite ends of the drum, one of said abutments being adjustable longitudinally of the second-named shaft; and compression springs on said second-named shaft and engaged between the respective abutments and the adjacent ends of the drum, to normally effect conjoint rotation of the drum and the second-named shaft, said springs being adapted to disengage the second shaft and drum from a drivingdriven relationship responsive to the increase of forces above a predetermined value, acting on the drum tending to hold the same against rotation with the secondnamed shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,205,803 Skjonhaug Nov. 21, 1916 1,976,314 White Oct. 9, 1934 2,704,191 Schley et al Mar. 15, 1955

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