GB1564758A

GB1564758A - Wire strainers and tools for use therewith

Info

Publication number: GB1564758A
Application number: GB1496177A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1978-04-25
Filing date: 1978-04-25
Publication date: 1980-04-16

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO WIRE STRAINERS AND TOOLS FOR USE THEREWITH (71) I, TREVOR RUSSELL FAIRBAIRN of 62 Normans Road, Christchurch, New Zealand, a New Zealand citizen and British subject, do hereby declare the invention for which I pray that a Patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly decribed in and by the following statement:- The present invention relates generally to wire straining. In particular, the present invention relates to a wire strainer, to the combination of the wire strainer and a tool for use with the wire strainer, and to means for tensioning fence wires.

Existing forms of wire strainers generally serve the purpose both of tensioning a wire of a fence and of connecting the wire to an end post of the fence or to another wire of the fence, in the latter case usually adjacent to an end post. Thus in a wire fence such strainers may be located at some distance from the point where slackness of the wire is the most evident, and it may be difficult to restore fully the tension unless a strainer is inserted at that point, which then necessitates cutting the wire.

To overcome this problem, strainers have been proposed that may be applied to the wire at any desired location thereon without cutting the wire, such strainers usually providing a reel or the like about which the wire to be strained may be wound, the wire being engaged in a slot formed in the reel. Difficulties may be met with in applying a strainer of this kind to a length of fencing wire, as the winding of the wire generates progressively stronger forces tending to cause counter-rotation of the strainer, and, in some circumstances, to cause rotation of the strainer about the axis of the wire. It is also necessary to lock securely the strained wire against unwinding, and these factors influence the construction of the strainers to the extent that they are frequently unwieldly and/or relatively expensive to manufacture.In addition, such strainers often promote the fracture of wire, particularly high tensile wire, under the stress of acute bending during winding.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a wire strainer comprising a circular plate part provided with two parts, for engaging wire, extending medially from one face thereof, the wire engaging parts having a wire receiving space or slot therebetween and opposed lateral projections one extending laterally from each engaging part away from the space or slot and in spaced relationship from the plate part surface from which the engaging parts extend so that on axial rotation of the strainer wire can be wound about the engaging parts and between the plate part and the lateral projections, the plate part being provided with a plurality of apertures near the periphery thereof, any one of which is capable of receiving a wire engaging and retaining member to lock the strained wire on the strainer against disengagement and unwinding, and being further provided with at least one aperture for detachably receiving a complementary projection of a wire engaging and strainer rotating tool.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided the combination of a wire strainer according to the first aspect and a tool for use with the wire strainer, the tool comprising a first part adapted for detachable engagement with the wire to be strained and having a portion with ratchet means connected to a rotation member for the strainer in a manner permitting axial rotation of the strainer in one direction whilst preventing counter-rotation of such strainer m the opposite direction, and a second part positioned adjacent to and cooperable with the first part and being also connected to the rotation member for effecting axial rotation of the strainer in the one direction, the rotation member being pro vided with a portion adapted to be detachably received in at least one aperture of the wire strainer.

Advantageously, there is provided means for tensioning fence wires comprising the combination of a wire strainer for engagement with a wire to be strained and a tool which is complementary to and detachably engageable with the wire strainer, the wire strainer consisting of a circular plate part provided with two parts, for engaging wire, extending medially from one face thereof, the wire engaging part having a wire receiving space or slot therebetween and opposed lateral projections one extending laterally from each engaging part away from the space or slot and in spaced relationship from the plate part surface from which the engaging parts extend so that on axial rotation of the strainer wire may be wound about the engaging parts and between the plate part and the lateral projections, the plate part being provided with a plurality of apertures near the periphery thereof any one of which is capable of receiving a wire engaging and retaining member to lock the strained wire on the strainer against disengagement and unwinding, and being further provided with at least one aperture for detachably receiving a complementary projection of the wire engaging and strainer rotating tool, the tool comprising a first part adapted for detachable engagement with the wire to be strained and having a portion with ratchet means for engagement with a rotation member for the strainer in a manner permitting axial rotation of the strainer in one direction whilst preventing counter-rotation of such strainer in the opposite direction, and a second part positioned adjacent to and co-operable with the first part and being engaged or engageable with the strainer for effecting axial rotation of the strainer in the one direction.

A preferred embodiment of the first aspect provided a wire strainer for fencing wires that can be applied to a wire at any desired location thereon without cutting the wire, and which has a simple construction and consequent economy in manufacture. Such a wire strainer can reduce the likelihood of breakage of the wire during straining, and has inbuilt means to assist in preventing the wire from slipping off the strainer in use.

The tool can be used to facilitate operation of the strainer, or alternatively to enable holding of the strainer, during straining of the wire.

For a better understanding of the present invention and to show how the same may be put into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows an elevational view of one preferred embodiment of a strainer in accordance with the present invention, Figure 2 shows a side view of the strainer, viewed in the direction of arrows II-II, of Figure 1, Figure 3 shows an elevational view of one preferred form of tool for use with the strainer of Figures 1 and 2, Figure 4 shows a side view of the tool shown in Figure 3, and Figure 5 shows a perspective view, part broken, showing the application of the tool of Figures 3 and 4 to the strainer of Figures 1 and 2 when engaged with and straining a wire.

Referring to the drawings there is shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5 a wire strainer 1, having a flat circular plate part 2 and the two parts 3 for engaging wire. The wire engaging parts 3 can be formed separately and subsequently secured, such as by welding, to one face of the plate part 2 and medially thereof but preferably the plate part 2 and the engaging parts 3, including their lateral extensions 3a and a strengthening bridging portion 3b between the two engaging parts 3 adjacent the plate part 2, are formed integrally, such as by casting or moulding, from such as an aluminium alloy or a suitable strong rigid plastics material.The two engaging parts 3 are in spaced relationship so as to provide a slot or space 4 therebetween opening to the free ends of the engaging parts 3 whereby a wire 5 may be located between the engaging parts 3 on fitting the strainer 1 to a wire 5 requiring to be tightened. Each engaging part 3 has a lateral projection 3a at its outer or free end.

The two lateral projections 3a extend away from each other and away from the space or slot 4 in spaced relationship from the plate surface from which the engaging parts 3 extend so that, as can be seen from Figure 5, the wire 5 engaged between the engaging parts 3 may wind thereabout and between the lateral projections 3.a and the plate part 2 on axial rotation of the strainer 1, the two engaging parts 3 being positioned one either side of the axis and the slot or space 4 intersecting the axis.

Referring to Figures 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings there is shown a tool comprising a first part 6 including an elongate bar member 7, and a second part 13. The bar member 7 is arranged so as to lie, in use, adjacent and generally along the length of the wire 5 to be strained and has a ratchet means 8 at one end for engagement directly or indirectly with the wire strainer 1 to permit rotation of such strainer 1 in one direction and prevent counter rotation in the opposite direction. The opposite or free end portion of the bar member 7 is provided with a lateral projection or foot part 7a having a generally L or J shaped slot 9 therein opening to one side so that the wire 5 being strained is locatable in such slot 9 to hold the tool first part 6 against movement relative to the wire 5 being strained.

The ratchet means 8 of the tool first part 6 may include a toothed wheel 10 rotatably loacted between two cheek plate end portions 11, with spring biassed pawl means (not shown) located in a conventional manner between the cheek plates 11 for engagement with the teeth of the toothed wheel 10 and in a manner permitting rotational movement of the wheel 10 in one direction only. The toothed wheel 10 is provided with such as a hexagonal or square bore lou through which a shaft 12 of complementary cross-section passes, the shaft 12 extending, in use, co-axially of the strainer 1 and arranged so that its rotation can effect axial rotation of the strainer 1.The tool second part 13 is in the form of a ratchet lever arrangement having a ratchet means 14 substantially similar to the ratchet means of the tool first part 6 and similarly engaged or engageable with the shaft 12 at an end portion remote, in use, from the strainer but operable in the reverse manner so as to lock when the tool second part 13 is moved about the wire strainer 1 and shaft 12 axis relative to the tool first part 6 and in a plane parallel and adjacent thereto in effecting rotation of the shaft 12 and thus the wire strainer 1, in the the said one direction permitted by the tool first part 6. The second tool part ratchet means 14 also permits free counter movement of the second tool part.

It is envisaged that the shaft 12 can be fixedly secured to and extend co-axially from the strainer plate part 2 on the side remote from the wire engaging parts 3, but preferably there is a rotation member 15 which may be permanently or detachably engaged with the tool and which is detachably engageable with the wire strainer 1. The rotation member 15 may comprise a circular plate or disc portion 16 (which can be the same diameter as or of smaller diameter than the plate part 2) to which the shaft 12 is rigidly secured so as to extend coaxially therefrom for engagement with or by the tool first and second parts 6 and 13. On the side of the plate portion 16 remote from the shaft 12 there are a plurality for example 4, of spaced projections 17 which are detachably locatable in correspondingly positioned apertures 18 provided in the strainer plate part 2.The apertures 18 in the strainer plate part 2 may be in the form of slots with two opposed apertures 1 Sa of pear shaped or keyhole formation and two opposed projections on the rotation member plate portion 16 may have reduced diameter medial portions with enlarged diameter head or free end portions 17sir, the enlarged head portions 17sir being arranged to pass through the larger parts of the pear or keyhole shaped slots 1 8a but not through the narrow parts so that partial rotation of the rotation member 15 relative to the strainer 1 will effect partial locking.Further locking of the rotation member 15 relative to the strainer 1 can be effected by the provision of an adjustable screw 19, or spring biassed peg, on the rotation member plate portion 16 which is locatable in a further aligned aperture 20 in the wire strainer plate part 2. In an alternative arrangement one or more biasing means, for example in the form of a spring or rubber washer, can be positioned on the plate 16 so as to be biased against the strainer plate 2 when they are together and provide a locking effect similar to that envisaged by the adjustable screw 19 arrangement. In this case the apertures 20 need not be provided.

Thus, as shown in Figure 5 the wire strainer 1 can be fitted to the wire 5 requiring to be tightened or strained, the rotation member 15 fitted to the wire strainer 1 as afore-indicated and the first tool part 6 engaged with the rotation member 15, unless already permanently engaged, with its free end portion 7a engaged on the wire 5.

The second tool part 13 is then operated in co-operation with the first tool part 6 to effect rotation of the rotation member 15 and thus the strainer 1 in tightening and straining the wire 5. The strained wire 5 may then be secured relative to the wire strainer 1 such as by means of staple members 21 passed over the wire 5 and through appropriate aligned pairs of a plurality of concentric apertures 22 near the periphery of the strainer plate part 2, the staple members 21 being secured such as by twisting or bending on the side of the strainer 1 remote from the wire 5; and the first and second tool parts and the rotation member can then be removed leaving the wire strainer 1 in position. It will be appreciated that fastening means other than staples can be utilised to secure the wire to the wire strainer after straining.

The keyhole apertures 1 8a can, as illustrated in full in Figure 1, be on the same pitch circle as the apertures 22 in the strainer plate part 2 for staples 21 or other wire fastening members, or the apertures 1 8a can be inset, as shown in broken outline, and may be on the same pitch circle diameter as the slots 18 and apertures 20 with the mating projections 17 and screw or peg 19 on the rotation member plate portion 16 correspondingly positioned, thus to permit the provision of additional apertures 22 in the peripheral edge portion and facilitate fine adjustment of the wire tension - an increasingly important factor as the wire approaches its maximum allowable tension.

Also, the slots 18 illustrated as being plain oval slots can be of the same keyhole shape as slots 1 8a if preferred.

The strainer 1 as described is easily fitted at any intermediate position along an unbroken length of a wire, but a modification of the invention may include the provision of at least one but preferably two apertures 23 in the strengthened bridging portion 3b so as to be capable of receiving the free end parts of two wires 5, and thus the strainer 1 may be utilised to join two new lengths of wire or join two ends of a broken wire.

In another modification of the invention a simple tool construction (not illustrated) may include a bi-furcated or generally Yshaped member (instead of the tool plate or disc portion 16) arranged for disposition generally normal to the strainer plate 2, and the free end portions of such Y-shaped member can be provided with or formed as the spaced projections 17 or 17a for engagement with the strainer plate apertures 18 or 18a, the base or leg of the Y-shape being engaged with or by the tool lever part (with or without a ratchet mounting).

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A wire strainer comprising a circular plate part provided with two parts, for engaging wire, extending medially from one face thereof, the wire engaging parts having a wire receiving space or slot therebetween and opposed lateral projections one extending laterally from each engaging part away from the space or slot and in spaced relationship from the plate part surface from which the engaging parts extend so that on axial rotation of the strainer wire can be wound about the engaging parts and between the plate part and the lateral projections, the plate part being provided with a plurality of apertures near the periphery thereof, any one of which is capable of receiving a wire engaging and retaining member to lock the strained wire on the strainer against disengagement and unwinding, and being further provided with at least one aperture for detachably receiving a complementary projection of a wire engaging and strainer rotating tool.

2. A wire strainer according to Claim 1, wherein the wire engaging parts have a common bridging portion at the base of the space or slot and wherein the bridging portion is provided with a single aperture capable of receiving the free end portions of two lengths of wire.

3. A wire strainer according to Claim 1, wherein the wire engaging parts have a common bridging portion at the base of the space or slot and wherein the bridging portion is provided with two apertures each of which is capable of receiving a free end portion of a length of wire.

4. The combination of a wire strainer according to any one of the preceding claims and a tool for use with the wire strainer, the tool comprising a first part adapted for detachable engagement with the wire to be strained and having a portion with ratchet means connected to a rotation member for the strainer in a manner permitting axial rotation of the strainer in one direction whilst preventing counter-rotation of such strainer m the opposite direction, and a second part positioned adjacent to and co-operable with the first part and being also connected to the rotation member for effecting axial rotation of the strainer in the one direction, the rotation member being provided with a portion adapted to be detachably received in at least one aperture of the wire strainer.

5. The combination according to Claim 4, wherein the first part of the tool includes an elongate bar member arranged to lie, in use, adjacent and generally along the length of a wire to be strained and having the ratchet means at one end thereof and a foot part with a wire engaging slot at the other end thereof.

6. The combination according to Claim 4 or 5, wherein the rotation member of the tool comprises a circular plate portion to which a shaft is rigidly secured so as to extend co-axially therefrom and be engaged with the ratchet means of the first tool part, the plate portion having a plurality of spaced projections which are detachably locatable in correspondingly positioned apertures in the strainer plate part.

7. The combination according to Claim 6, wherein the tool second part includes a ratchet means engaged with the shaft at the side of the tool first part remote from the strainer plate part, the ratchet means of the second tool part locking, in use, with movement of the second tool part in the one direction to rotate the rotation member and permitting free counter movement of the second tool part.

8. Means for tensioning fence wires comprising the combination of a wire strainer for engagement with a wire to be strained and a tool which is complementary to and detachably engageable with the wire strainer, the wire strainer consisting of a circular plate part provided with two parts, for engaging wire extending medially from one face thereof, the wire engaging part having a wire receiving space or slot therebetween and opposed lateral projections one extending laterally from each engaging part away from the space or slot and in spaced relationship from the plate part surface from which the engaging parts extend so that on axial rotation of the strainer wire may be wound about the engaging parts and between the plate part and the lateral projections, the plate part being provided with a plurality of apertures near the periphery thereof any one of which is capable of receiving a wire engaging and retaining member to lock the strained wire on the strainer against disen

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. The strainer 1 as described is easily fitted at any intermediate position along an unbroken length of a wire, but a modification of the invention may include the provision of at least one but preferably two apertures 23 in the strengthened bridging portion 3b so as to be capable of receiving the free end parts of two wires 5, and thus the strainer 1 may be utilised to join two new lengths of wire or join two ends of a broken wire. In another modification of the invention a simple tool construction (not illustrated) may include a bi-furcated or generally Yshaped member (instead of the tool plate or disc portion 16) arranged for disposition generally normal to the strainer plate 2, and the free end portions of such Y-shaped member can be provided with or formed as the spaced projections 17 or 17a for engagement with the strainer plate apertures 18 or 18a, the base or leg of the Y-shape being engaged with or by the tool lever part (with or without a ratchet mounting). WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A wire strainer comprising a circular plate part provided with two parts, for engaging wire, extending medially from one face thereof, the wire engaging parts having a wire receiving space or slot therebetween and opposed lateral projections one extending laterally from each engaging part away from the space or slot and in spaced relationship from the plate part surface from which the engaging parts extend so that on axial rotation of the strainer wire can be wound about the engaging parts and between the plate part and the lateral projections, the plate part being provided with a plurality of apertures near the periphery thereof, any one of which is capable of receiving a wire engaging and retaining member to lock the strained wire on the strainer against disengagement and unwinding, and being further provided with at least one aperture for detachably receiving a complementary projection of a wire engaging and strainer rotating tool.

gagement and unwinding, and being further provided with at least one aperture for detachably receiving a complementary projection of the wire engaging and strainer rotating tool, the tool comprising a first part adapted for detachable engagement with the wire to be strained and having a portion with ratchet means for engagement with a rotation member for the strainer in a manner permitting axial rotation of the strainer in one direction whilst preventing counterrotation of such strainer in the opposite direction, and a second part positioned adjacent to and co-operable with the first part and being engaged or engageable with the strainer for effecting axial rotation of the strainer in the one direction.

9. A wire strainer, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, Figures 1, 2 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.

10. The combination of a wire strainer and tool for use with the wire strainer, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.