Washer spin tube puller

Abstract

A device for pulling the spin tube assembly from a washing machine. The puller device has a fixed arm which bears against the washer cabinet. A rotatable threaded shaft engages a threaded hole in the fixed arm. The shaft carries a moveable member which is removeably attached to the spin tube assembly by means of cables passing around the drive pulley and brake assembly on one end of the spin tube. When the shaft is rotated it moves axially in the threaded hole in the fixed member and causes the moveable member to move with the shaft toward the fixed arm member and pull the spin tube assembly with it out of its assembled position in the washer. The moveable member may have pivoted hook-shaped arms as an alternative to the cables for attachment to the spin tube assembly. One end of the rotatable shaft extends into the hollow spin tube to aid in maintaining axial alignment between the shaft and the spin tube.

Description

PRIOR ART

The closest prior art know to applicant is U.S. Pat. No. 3,007,025 issued to A. J. Holman which shows a spline puller for wash machine agitators.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a device for pulling loose a spin tube assembly which has become frozen in the assembled position in the washing machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device for pulling a spin tube assembly from a washing machine without the need for pounding on the end of the spin tube which may cause the end of the tube to become battered and even more difficult to remove.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a washing machine spin tube puller which is compact, light weight and easy to operate.

These and other objects of the invention will become more fully apparent as the description proceeds in the following specification and the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of spin tube puller of this invention attached to a spin tube assembly;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the spin tube puller shown in FIG. 1 with the spin tube assembly removed;

FIG. 3 shows a spin tube puller similar to the one shown in FIG. 1 in operative position in a washing machine ready to withdraw the spin tube assembly from the machine and with the puller powered by an electric motor driven wrench;

FIG. 4 shows a fragmentary plan view of an alternative device for attaching the spin tube puller to the spin tube assembly;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of an alternative cable fastener for the cable which attaches to the spin tube assembly; and

FIG. 6 is another fragmentary perspective view of another alternative cable fastener.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings the spin tube assembly puller device is indicated as a whole by the numeral 1 and is shown attached to the spin tube assembly 2. FIG. 2 shows the puller device 1 separately when not connected to the spin tube assembly 2. The puller 1 has a rotary bar or shaft 3 which passes through a hole 4 in a fixed cross arm member 5 and through a threaded nut 6 welded to a reinforcing plate 7 attached to the arm 5 by rivets 8 or other suitable means. The shaft 3 could also engage a threaded hole made directly in the cross arm 5 if the arm is sufficiently thick and the material is strong enough to carry the load of the threaded shaft 3 when it is pulling the spin tube assembly from the washer. The cross arm 5 extends transversely across the shaft 3 and when used with a washing machine 9 as indicated in phantom lines in FIG. 3 bears against the bottom of the washer cabinet 10 thereby providing a fixed anchor member for the device when the pull is applied to the spin tube assembly 2 as will be described later.

On the end of the shaft 3 opposite the fixed arm 5 is a moveable arm member 11 having a hole 12 as shown in FIG. 2 through which the shaft 3 passes. A washer 13 retained by a cotter pin 14 prevents the arm 11 from coming off the end of the shaft 3 while permitting the shaft 3 to rotate with respect to the arm 11. The arm 11 has an eye bolt 15 on one end and a similar eye bolt 16 on the opposite end. A cable 15a has one end attached to the bolt 15 and the opposite end attached to a hook 15b. Likewise a cable 16a is attached at one end to the eyebolt 16 and has its opposite end attached to a hook 16b.

The spin tube assembly 2 as shown in FIG. 1 comprises a hollow spin tube 17, which carries on one end thereof, a drive pulley 18, a brake yoke 19, and a brake assembly 20. As shown in FIG. 3 the spin tube 17 is carried in bearings 21 and 22 held in a support tube 23 which is mounted on a base plate 24 beneath the tub 25. One of the major problems encountered in removing the spin tube assembly 2 is that accumulations of rust and dirt build up on the spin tube 17 and make it difficult to pull the tube through the supporting bearings 21 and 22. Pounding on the top of the tube can sometimes batter the tube end to the point that it becomes even more impossible to remove.

The puller is used to eliminate the need for pounding on the tube 17. After the gear casing and drive gear assembly (not shown) is removed from the bottom of the spin tube assembly 2 the end of the shaft 3 is inserted into the hollow spin tube 17 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 until the moveable arm 11 is adjacent to the bottom of the spin tube. Cables 15a and 16a are then wrapped around the spin tube 17 above the brake assembly 20 and hooks 15b and 16b are respectively hooked in eyebolts 15 and 16 as shown. The shaft 3 is then rotated either by the hand wrench 26 in FIGS. 1 and 2 or by an electric motor driven wrench 26a shown in FIG. 3. The direction of rotation is such as to cause the shaft to move in an axial direction by being screwed through the nut 6 on the arm 5 and as the shaft 3 moves it pulls the moveable arm 11 with it. The arm 11 in turn pulls on the cables 15a and 16a which pull the spin tube assembly 17 out of the bearings 21 and 22. In withdrawing the spin tube 17, the moveable arm 11 moves from the position shown in FIG. 3 to a position adjacent the fixed arm 5. It should be mentioned that the end of the shaft 3 which protrudes into the spin tube aids in maintaining proper axial alignment between the shaft 3 and tube 17.

While in the preferred embodiment of the invention as shown, the shaft 3 threadably engages the fixed arm 5 and rotates freely in the hole 12 in the arm 11, it is also possible to reverse the arrangement and have the shaft 3 rotate freely in the arm 5 and threadably engage the arm 11. In such a case the arm 11 would move axially along the shaft 3 when it is rotated instead of moving with the shaft as it does in the shown preferred embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows another alternative method to attach the puller to the spin tube assembly 2 by means of hook shaped arms 27 attached by pivot pins 28 to the arm 11 and held in position on the brake assembly 20 by a hook 29 engaging a pin 30.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment in which a continuous loop of cable 31 is held in an open hook 32 at each end of the arm 11. Each loop 31 is first placed around the spin tube 17 above the brake assembly 20 similar to the manner the cables 15a and 16a are positioned around the tube and then the loops 31 are hooked in the hooks 32.

FIG. 6 shows the use of U-bolts 33 on each end of the arm 11 instead of the eyebolts 15 and 16. The cables 33a are passed around the spin tube 17 in the same manner as the cables 15a and 16a and the hooks 33b are hooked into the U-bolt 33 in the same manner that the hooks 15b and 16b are hooked into eyebolts 15 and 16.

While fastening means such as the use of cables and hook-shaped arms have been shown to illustrate the invention, it will be obvious that various other means can be used to grip the spin tube for withdrawal from the washing machine. Means other than the hand and power wrench shown herein may be used for rotating the shaft 3. For example cranks or other suitable devices may also be used.

Various other modifications may be made to the devices shown herein without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. A device for removing the spin tube assembly from a washing machine comprising:

A. a rotatable bar having a threaded portion thereon;

B. fixed means operatively mounted on the bar adjacent one end thereof to bear against a fixed portion of the washing machine;

C. moveable means operatively mounted on the bar adjacent to the end opposite the fixed means and removeably attachable to the spin tube assembly of the washing machine;

D. a pair of flexible cables, each having a first end attached to the moveable means at a location radially opposite from the attachment location of the other cable, and means for attaching a second end of each cable to the moveable means, whereby each cable engages a radially opposite side of the spin tube assembly from that engaged by the other cable to provide a substantially evenly balanced axial pulling force on radially opposite sides of the spin tube assembly to reduce any tendency of cocking or binding of the spin tube assembly during removal;

E. at least one of said fixed means and movable means threadably engaging the threaded portion of the bar to effect relative movement between that means and the bar and relative movement of the moveable means with respect to the fixed means upon rotation of the bar; and

F. means rotating the bar to cause the moveable means to move toward the fixed means and pull the spin tube assembly from its assembled position in the washing machine.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 including means maintaining axial alignment between the rotatable bar and the spin tube assembly, said means comprising an extension of the rotatable bar which protrudes beyond the moveable means and extends into the hollow spin tube when the device is in use in removing a spin tube assembly.

3. A device for removing the spin tube assembly from a washing machine comprising:

A. a rotatable bar having a threaded portion thereon;

B. fixed means operatively mounted on the bar adjacent one end thereof to bear against a fixed portion of the washing machine;

C. said fixed means threadably engaging the threaded portion of the bar to effect relative axial movement of the bar with respect to the fixed means upon rotation of the bar;

D. moveable means operatively mounted on the bar adjacent to the end opposite to the fixed means and removeably attachable to the spin tube assembly of the washing machine;

E. a pair of flexible cables, each having a first end attached to the moveable means at a location radially opposite from the attachment location of the other cable, and means for attaching a second end of each cable to the moveable means, whereby each cable engages a radially opposite side of the spin tube assembly from that engaged by the other cable to provide a substantially evenly balanced axial pulling force on radially opposite sides of the spin tube assembly to reduce any tendency of cocking or binding of the spin tube assembly during removal;

F. stop means on the rotatable bar to engage the moveable means and cause it to move with the bar when it moves in an axial direction, while permitting the bar to rotate with respect to the moveable means; and

G. means rotating the bar to cause the moveable means to move with the rotatable bar toward the fixed means and pull the spin tube assembly from its assembled position in the washing machine;

H. means maintaining axial alignment between the rotatable bar and the spin tube assembly, said means comprising an extension of the rotatable bar which protrudes into a hollow spin tube of the spin tube assembly to prevent cocking and binding of the assembly during removal from the washing machine.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the means rotating the bar is a hand wrench.

5. A device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the means rotating the bar is a motor driven wrench.

6. A device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the fixed means is an elongated member extending transversely across the rotatable bar and adapted to bear against the cabinet of the washing machine adjacent each end of said elongated member.