Patent ID: 7419137

Claim:
A cable laying vehicle for feeding cable on and off of a rotatable reel as the vehicle travels along the ground, comprising: a driver's cab; a tray behind the driver's cab; a module removably mounted on the tray; a cable return guide arranged to guide the cable over the cab; wherein the module comprises: a mounting assembly for a rotatable shaft; a rotatable reel offset from the rotatable shaft; a rolling ring drive mounted on the rotatable shaft for reciprocation along the length of the shaft; a switch on the rolling ring drive set to reverse the direction of travel of the rolling ring drive along the rotatable shaft when it reaches a stop provided proximate each end of the rotatable shaft; primary guide means mounted on the rolling ring drive arranged to direct cable passing through the cable return guide onto the rotatable reel; a stabilizer assembly for preventing the rolling ring drive from rotating with the rotatable shaft; and a pitch control for setting the length of travel of the rolling ring drive along the rotatable shaft per rotation of the shaft.