Patent ID: 6997028

Claim:
A crimping tool for fastening a female connector to the bare end of an insulated conductor, comprising: (a) a housing ( 1 ) containing a chamber defined between a pair of side walls, a first one of said side walls containing a first opening through which the conductor bare end is introduced into said chamber; (b) crimping means ranged in said chamber for fastening a female connector to the conductor bare end, including: (1) a cylindrical crimping drum ( 8 ) ranged in said chamber for rotation about a given axis parallel with said first wall opening, said crimping drum having at one end an axial bearing shaft ( 10 ) that extends through a second wall opening ( 30 ) contained in the opposite second side wall of said housing, the peripheral surface of said drum being adjacent said wall opening and supporting thereon a plurality of circumferentially spaced dies of different types or sizes, said crimping drum being rotatable about said bearing shaft between a plurality of crimping positions in which said dies are arranged opposite said wall opening, respectively; (2) a movable crimping member (M) arranged in said chamber adjacent said first wall opening for cooperation with a given die in the crimping position adjacent said first wall opening, thereby to crimp and fasten a connector supported by said die onto said bare conductor; and (3) handle means ( 2 , 3 ) supported by said housing for operating said crimping member between crimping and withdrawn positions relative to said given die; (c) a die selection wheel ( 4 ) non-rotatably connected with said bearing shaft on the opposite side of said second wall from said crimping drum; and (d) first retaining means ( 15 , 17 ) releasably connecting said die selection wheel against angular rotation relative to said housing, thereby to maintain said crimping drum in said given crimping position, said first retaining means including a plurality of radially-outwardly-extending circumferentially-spaced retaining lugs ( 17 ) carried by said die selection wheel for engagement with corresponding retaining lugs ( 15 ) on said housing.