Wire roller

A wire roller includes a wire receiving spool rotatably supported on a frame adapted for support on a vehicle. The power means for rotating the spool includes an electric motor supported on the frame and coacting drive means on the motor and spool for rotating the spool in response to operation of the electric motor. The frame may be supported on a vehicle by a clamp assembly including a pair of coacting clamp jaws which are pivotally connected together by an adjustable connection for accommodating bumpers of various dimensions. A torque applicator is operatively associated with one clamp jaw for pivotally moving said clamp jaws into clamping engagement on a vehicle bumper.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is directed generally to wire rollers and more 
particularly to a wire roller which does not require a vehicle equipped 
with a power take-off for its operation and which includes means for 
supporting the wire roller on a vehicle bumper. Thus a new and improved 
vehicle bumper clamp is disclosed. 
Wire rollers are commonly used by farmers for laying out fence wire for a 
new fence and/or taking up wire removed from an existing fence. Such wire 
rollers have commonly been designed for connection to the power take-off 
of an agricultural tractor. The power take-off serves both to partially 
support the wire roller on the tractor and to provide the drive power for 
rotating the wire spool for rolling up and unrolling wire. Accordingly, 
the use of wire rollers has generally been limited by the availability of 
an agricultural tractor equipped with a power take-off. There is a need 
therefore for a wire roller which does not require a power take-off for 
its support and operation and which is readily adapted for use on most 
automotive vehicles. 
Accordingly, a primary object of the invention is to provide an improved 
wire roller. 
Another object is to provide a wire roller equipped with an electrically 
powered drive system for the wire spool. 
Another object is to provide a wire roller equipped with means for mounting 
it on the bumpers of most automotive vehicles. 
Another object is to provide a wire roller which may be quickly and easily 
mounted onto and electrically connected to an automotive vehicle for 
supporting and rotating the wire receiving spool. 
Another object is to provide an improved wire roller which is simple in 
construction and efficient in operation. 
Finally, another object is to provide a new and improved vehicle bumper 
clamp. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The wire roller of the present invention includes a frame adapted for 
support on a vehicle, a wire receiving spool rotatably supported on the 
frame and an electric motor carried on the frame adjacent the spool for 
rotating the same. A coacting drive mechanism on the motor output shaft 
and spool is operative to rotate the spool in response to operation of the 
electric motor. The drive mechanism may include a drive wheel mounted on 
the motor output shaft for frictionally engaging a drive collar on the 
wire spool to rotate the same. 
The wire roller is supported on a vehicle bumper by a clamp assembly 
including a pair of coacting clamp jaws which each include an outwardly 
extended foot portion. The clamp jaws are pivotally connected together 
with the foot portions extending outwardly in spaced apart relation for 
receiving a vehicle bumper between them. Finally, a torque applicator 
associated with one jaw is operative to pivot the clamp jaws relative to 
one another thereby to urge the foot portions toward one another in 
clamping engagement on a vehicle bumper. The pivotal connection between 
clamp jaws may be adjustable to various positions for accommodating 
bumpers of various dimensions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The wire roller 10 of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 mounted on 
the bumper 12 of an automotive vehicle 14. The bumper includes a top wall 
16, rear wall 18, bottom wall 20 and upper and lower front edges 22 and 24 
respectively. 
Wire roller 10 generally includes a large wire receiving spool 26 rotatably 
supported on a frame 28 which is shown as an elongated shaft. Shaft 28 is, 
in turn, supported on the vehicle 14 by a bumper clamp 30. 
Bumper clamp 30 is seen in FIG. 4 as including a pair of coacting clamp 
jaws 32 and 34 which are pivotally connected together by a pin 36. In FIG. 
1, it is seen that clamp jaw 32 consists of a rectangular frame including 
a pair of upstanding spaced apart leg members 38 which are interconnected 
at the top and bottom and which include a pair of forwardly extended and 
spaced apart foot portions 40 which are adapted to overlie the bumper top 
wall 16 when leg members 38 are engaged against the bumper rear wall 18. A 
depending flange 42 on the free end of foot portion 40 is engageable with 
the upper front edge 22 of the bumper to secure the wire roller in place 
until the lower clamp jaw 34 is applied and furthermore to prevent the 
direct rearward withdrawal of the clamp 30 from the bumper 12. The frame 
shaft 28 is secured to the upper clamp jaw 32 such as by the weldment 
indicated at 44. In addition, a generally horizontal rearwardly and 
outwardly inclined bracket 46 (FIG. 2) secures the shaft 28 relative to 
the outermost foot portion 40 and an upwardly and outwardly inclined 
bracket 48 (FIG. 3) which is welded to the bottom of upper clamp jaw 32 at 
50, vertically supports the medial portion of shaft 28. 
The lower clamp jaw 34 is an inverted U-shaped structure including a pair 
of generally upstanding leg members 52 interconnected at their upper ends 
and including a pair of forwardly extended foot portions 54 at their lower 
ends. The foot portions 54 may likewise be provided with upstanding 
flanges 56 on the forward ends thereof for engaging the bumper lower front 
edge 24 as indicated in FIG. 4. 
To pivotally connect the upper and lower clamp jaws 32 and 34, the leg 
members 38 of upper clamp jaw 32 are each provided with a plurality of 
vertically spaced apart holes 58. The leg members 52 of lower clamp jaw 34 
are likewise each provided with a hole 60 adapted for registration with a 
selected one of the holes 58 in the adjacent upper clamp jaw 32. The bent 
end pivot pin 36 is then inserted into the registered holes and secured 
therein by a nut 62. 
To tighten the clamp 30 onto the bumper 12, the upper end of each leg 
member 52 on the lower clamp jaw 34 threadably carries a generally 
forwardly extended screw 64 at a position for engagement with a rear edge 
66 of the upper clamp jaw leg members 38. Accordingly, as screws 64 are 
rotated in a clockwise direction by handles 68, the lower clamp jaw 34 is 
pivoted counterclockwise about pivot pin 36 forcing the foot portion 54 
thereof upwardly in clamping engagement against the bottom wall 20 of 
bumper 12. 
To disengage the bumper clamp 30 from bumper 12, it is only necessary to 
rotate the screws 64 counterclockwise to enable a clockwise pivotal 
movement of lower clamp jaw 34 as seen in FIG. 4 to pivotally move the 
foot portions 54 away from the bumper. The wire roller 10 can then simply 
be lifted to disengage the flanges 42 from the upper front edge 22 of the 
bumper. Thus, once the screws 64 are rotated to disengage the lower clamp 
jaw 34 from the bumper, the wire roller 10 may be quickly and easily 
lifted from the bumper thereby freeing the vehicle 14 for other purposes. 
In order to rotate the wire spool 26 on the frame shaft 28, there is 
provided an electric motor 70 having an output shaft 72 which carries a 
drive wheel 74 as seen in FIGS. 5-7. Drive wheel 74 is adapted to 
frictionally engage the inner peripheral surface of a collecting drive 
collar 76 which is mounted on the spool 26 concentrically therewith. 
Electric motor 70 is indirectly pivotally supported on frame shaft 28 for 
movement between the working or engaged position of FIG. 7 and the 
non-working or disengaged position of FIG. 6. Specifically, the embodiment 
shown in the drawings provides a support arm 78 which is secured at its 
upper end to the frame shaft 28 by a collar 80 and set screw 82. A similar 
collar 84 at the lower end of support arm 78 secures one end of a shaft 
86, the other end of which is fixed relative to bracket 48 such as by 
weldment 88. The electric motor 70 is bolted to a mounting flange 90 that 
is connected by plate 92 to a pivotal sleeve 94 on the motor support shaft 
86. A lever 96 is also fixed to sleeve 94 and extends radially therefrom 
in a direction opposite from plate 92. 
The weight of electric motor 70 therefore naturally tends to pivot the 
motor support arm 78 to the position of FIG. 7 so that the drive wheel 74 
engages drive collar 76. In addition, a tension spring 98 which is 
connected at one end to the frame shaft 28 is disengageably connected at 
its other end to the free end of lever 96 to further bias drive wheel 74 
into frictional engagement with the drive collar 76. 
Disengagement of drive wheel 74 from drive collar 76 is easily accomplished 
by simply disengaging spring 98 from lever 96 and supporting the electric 
motor from the frame shaft 28 by a chain 100 at a sufficient elevation 
that the drive wheel 74 is supported in clearance relation from the drive 
collar 76. 
Whereas the invention has been described in connection with the preferred 
embodiment shown in the drawings, it is understood that many 
modifications, substitutions and alterations may be made without departing 
from the broad scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. 
For example, the drive connection between the electric motor and wire 
spool could alternately be provided as a chain or belt drive arrangement 
although the natural slippage afforded by the coacting drive wheel and 
drive collar should then be compensated for by a spring clutch or the 
like. 
The wire roller of the present invention is thus readily adapted for use 
with almost any tool or four-wheel drive automotive vehicle having a 
bumper or similar structure onto which the wire roller may be clamped. No 
power take-off is necessary since the electric motor 70 may be provided as 
a 12-volt DC motor for accepting electrical power directly from the 
alternator or rechargeable battery of the vehicle on which the wire roller 
is mounted. The bumper clamp assembly of the present invention could 
alternately be used to support a trailer hitch for pulling another vehicle 
or trailer. The adjustability of the bumper clamp afforded by both the 
pivotal connection and screw fasteners makes it universally adaptable for 
securement to any automotive bumper. 
Thus there has been shown and described an improved wire roller which 
accomplishes at least all of the stated objects.