A drive train is provided for hoisting gears, and in particular for hazardous transports. The drive train includes a drive motor (1), a cable drum (6) connected thereto, a reduction transmission (5) arranged between the drive motor (1) and the cable drum (6), a service brake (4) provided between the drive motor (1) and the reduction transmission (5) and a safety brake (7). To prevent damage to the reduction transmission (5) in the event of an emergency stop braking an automatic overrun disconnect means can be provided between the drive motor (1) and the service brake (4). The overrun disconnect means is preferably in the form of a freewheel (2).

A rope brake is provided for controlled lowering of a branch or limb cut from a tree by a person holding one end of the rope. The rope brake includes a drum mounted to a back plate. The back plate is mounted to the tree. The rope for lowering the branch or limb is threaded through guides on the drum and wrapped around the drum one, two or three times. One end of the rope is tied to the branch to be cut and the other end is held by the operator. When the branch is cut from the tree, the tension on the rope supplied by the operator controls the friction between the rope and the drum, such that the branch can be safely lowered in a controlled manner.

A self-locking apparatus for a gear set permits forward-driving an input in clockwise or counterclockwise directions and substantially prevents an output from being driven in either or both of those directions. The device includes a gear set with planet gears arranged within a planet carrier within a fixed ring gear. Each of the planet gears is engaged with the planet carrier via a differentiating connector retained in an elongated slot in the planet carrier where it moves to the clockwise position when being forward driven in the clockwise direction and, when the planet carrier is back driven in the clockwise direction, the connector moves to the counter-clockwise position in the slot. This arrangement allows the gear set to be forward driven but not back driven. This differentiated action can engage/disengage with any form of unidirectional engage/disengage mechanism. The apparatus is useful in industrial applications requiring self-locking gear sets.

A winch includes a motor having a motor housing including a motor case and an integrated first drum support attached to the motor case for closing an end of the motor case. A gear reduction unit is drivingly attached to the motor and has a gear housing including a gear case and second drum support attached to the gear case. A tie plate is connected to the first and second drum supports. A control unit is removably mounted to the tie plate. A rotatable drum is supported by the first and second drum supports.

A winch includes a motor having a motor housing including a motor case and an integrated first drum support attached to the motor case for closing an end of the motor case. A gear reduction unit is drivingly attached to the motor and has a gear housing including a gear case and second drum support attached to the gear case. A tie plate is connected to the first and second drum supports. A control unit is removably mounted to the tie plate. A rotatable drum is supported by the first and second drum supports.

The present invention provides methods and mechanisms to selectively fix or free a planetary carrier of a epicyclic gearbox, thereby allowing dual modal operation of the gearbox and facilitating selective operation of a device, such as a winch, having capacity to safely and efficiently operate in a high load heavy lifting utility mode and a low load light lifting personnel mode.

The present invention provides methods and mechanisms to selectively fix or free a planetary carrier of a epicyclic gearbox, thereby allowing dual modal operation of the gearbox and facilitating selective operation of a device, such as a winch, having capacity to safely and efficiently operate in a high load heavy lifting utility mode and a low load light lifting personnel mode.

A grapple mounted rope controller and rope anchor rigging device includes a cylindrical barrel friction surface mounted to a jaw of a grapple to control a rope used in an arborist's rigging procedure. A rope attached to a load is wrapped around the rope controller to control the raising and lowering of loads. The device also includes a cylindrical barrel friction surface mounted to a fork of a grapple that has a cleat permanently affixed to hold fast a load-bearing rope for a time. The rigging tool utilizes the mobility and mass of a skid steer to provide a flexible location for rigging and a fixed mass with which to support rigging of heavy objects such as tree limbs, trunks and other weights.

A grapple mounted rope controller and rope anchor rigging device includes a cylindrical barrel friction surface mounted to a jaw of a grapple to control a rope used in an arborist's rigging procedure. A rope attached to a load is wrapped around the rope controller to control the raising and lowering of loads. The device also includes a cylindrical barrel friction surface mounted to a fork of a grapple that has a cleat permanently affixed to hold fast a load-bearing rope for a time. The rigging tool utilizes the mobility and mass of a skid steer to provide a flexible location for rigging and a fixed mass with which to support rigging of heavy objects such as tree limbs, trunks and other weights.

A modular reel drive assembly comprises two reel drive tower modules (12, 14), a reel hub adapter (54) and a reel hub adapter support module (22, 24). The hub adapter support module (22, 24) comprises at least one support pin which is configured to be movable between a storage position in which the at least one support pin is not aligned with at least one aperture (38, 39, 40, 41) on the hub adapter support module (22, 24) and an operational position in which the support pin is aligned with at least one aperture (38, 39, 40, 41) on the hub adapter support module (22, 24).