Patent ID: 6668684
Filing Date: 2003-12-30
Classification: E21B

Abstract:
A tong for use in wellbore operations, the tong comprising:a housing with a hollow interior; a gear secured to the housing, the gear having a toothed portion for mating with teeth of a drive shaft of a driving motor; a gear flange mounted on top of the gear so that rotation of the gear does not rotate the gear flange; one or more bearings disposed between the gear flange and the gear for dissipating stress when the gear and the gear flange are moved axially relative to each other; and a plurality of spaced-apart jaw assemblies within the housing's hollow interior, each jaw assembly having a jaw for selectively engaging a portion of a tubular to be gripped and rotated by the tong, wherein each jaw assembly and the one or more bearings are configured for resisting both axial and radial loading.