Patent ID: 7137284

Claim:
An apparatus for automatically shearing and bending a chain link, the chain link including a selected thickness, the apparatus comprising: a housing; a first shearing member mounted to the housing; a second shearing member, the second shearing member pivotally mounted to the housing for movement substantially parallel to the shearing plane, the second shearing member arranged with the first shearing member for relative shearing action between the first and second shearing members; and an electro-hydraulic actuator system cooperating with the second shearing member, the actuator system selectively operable to move automatically the second shearing member relative to the first shearing member to shear the chain link and to bend the chain link to define an opening in the chain link greater than the thickness of the chain link, the actuator system including a hydraulic cylinder, a pump, a motor, and a reservoir, the hydraulic cylinder, the pump, the motor, and the reservoir disposed within the housing, the hydraulic cylinder mounted to the second shearing member for movement thereof, the pump fluidly connected to the hydraulic cylinder for driving the hydraulic cylinder, the motor operatively connected to the pump for selectively driving the pump, the hydraulic cylinder having a base and a driving rod with a distal end, the base pivotally mounted to the housing, the distal end of the rod mounted to the second shearing member for moving the second shearing member, the reservoir having a quantity of hydraulic fluid, the pump fluidly connected to the reservoir and to the hydraulic cylinder for drawing the hydraulic fluid from the reservoir and pumping the hydraulic fluid under pressure to the hydraulic cylinder, the hydraulic cylinder fluidly connected to the reservoir to thereby fluidly connect the reservoir, the pump, and the hydraulic cylinder in a closed loop circuit.