A strap may be removably attachable to a container. The strap may include a retractor having an opening, a retraction spring and a brake. The strap may further include a strip of flexible material attached to the retraction spring and extending through the opening of the retractor. The strap may also include clips attaching the retractor and distal end of the flexible material to the container. The strip of flexible material may move from a fully retracted position, where the distal end of the strip of flexible material is nearest the retractor, relative to the entire length of the strip of flexible material, to an extended position where the distal end of the strip of flexible material is furthest from the retractor. The retraction spring may bias the strip of flexible material into/toward the fully retracted position.

Unit for winding and unwinding cables of a cable-laying apparatus, comprising a reel to support the cables to be wound or unwound, a support frame configured to keep said reel in a raised position with respect to the ground, and a rotation shaft solid with the reel and associated with a corresponding hydraulic drive unit; the unit also comprises at least a dynamic braking device associated with the rotation shaft and configured to allow, according to a first operating mode, the normal rotation of the shaft and therefore of the reel for winding or unwinding the cables, and to exert on the shaft and therefore on the reel, according to another operating mode, a dynamic braking condition that allows the shaft to rotate in a braked configuration for at least a certain period of time and prevents the instantaneous stoppage of the rotation of the reel.

An asymmetric bearing device automatically decreases, without the need for manual adjustment, an amount of friction exerted against rotation of a drum or other mechanism upon reversal of the direction of rotation of the drum.

A tie-down includes a frame, a handle, a reel, a driving detent, a retaining detent and a brake. In a manual mode, the handle is pivoted back and forth on the frame to make the detents alternately engage with two ratcheted wheels of the reel to reel a strap. To switch the tie-down to an automatic mode, the handle is lifted to disengage the detents from the ratcheted wheels to allow a coil spring to rotate the reel to reel the strap. The brake is in contact with the ratcheted wheels to render the reeling at proper speed. The brake is directly movable away from the ratcheted wheels to allow the coil spring to further rotate the reel to completely reel the strap.

A hose reel apparatus has a frame and a drum rotatably attached on the frame for receiving a hose wound thereon. A drive system and brake assembly are attached on the frame operatively engaged with the drum. An indexer is slidably mounted on a guide rail on the frame having a channel for receiving the hose and adjacent clamp arms which are selectively operable to clamp the hose.

A reel auxiliary device includes a shell, a locking mechanism, a decelerating mechanism and a transmission part. A first side of the shell is provided with a first groove, and a second side of the shell is provided with a second groove. The locking mechanism is arranged in the first groove, and is configured to control locking of a reel. The decelerating mechanism is arranged in the second groove. The shell, the locking mechanism, the decelerating mechanism, and the transmission part are connected through a connecting part, and the shell, the locking mechanism, the decelerating mechanism, the transmission part and the connecting part are arranged coaxially. A reel including the auxiliary device is further provided.

A spool apparatus is described to include in one particular example a cable spool with a first cylindrical lip and a second cylindrical lip on an opposite side of the cable spool. A center of the spool includes a clutch bearing in the center of both the first cylindrical lip and the second cylindrical lip that provides a rotational axis for the cable spool to rotate around. The apparatus may also include a feed slot near the first cylindrical lip that provides a passage for cable to pass from the second cylindrical lip to the first cylindrical lip.

A pipe inspection system includes a cable storage drum and a housing configured to removably receive and rotatably support the cable storage drum. A push-cable with a plurality of conductors is stored in the drum. An inspection camera may be attached to a distal end of the push-cable. The drum includes a hollow core outer cone configured to accept an inner core removable module. The removable module may include electrical, mechanical, wireless, satellite, and power/battery interfaces. The module mates with a contact plate sealed inside the inner cone. The inner core components, including the battery module, are stationary relative to the inner core. The inner core is free to rotate bidirectionally inside the outer cone as the camera is being fed into, and out of a pipe or conduit for inspection. Slip-rings are not required to maintain connectivity because the electronics and battery module are stationary relative to each other.

A vehicle-mounted reel utility with a cable dispenser. The cable dispenser has a swivel-aiming feature for figure 8'ing the cable. The cable dispenser is mounted to a swivel mount located at a free end of a positioning arm. The cable dispenser rotates about a pivot end of the positioning arm from a position parallel to a lifting arm to a position perpendicular to the lifting arm, and vice versa. The cable dispenser is also pivotally mounted to the swivel mount, allowing the user to swivel the cable dispenser about a horizontal arc while maintaining the cable dispenser in a central lateral position relative to a reel or a vehicle during the swivel movement. A hydraulic circuit controls the cable dispenser and an actuator that controls movement of a brake wheel from a contact to non-contact position, to coordinate the stopping of the reel and cable dispensing by the cable dispenser.

A spool apparatus is described to include in one particular example a cable spool with a first cylindrical lip and a second cylindrical lip on an opposite side of the cable spool. A center of the spool includes a clutch bearing in the center of both the first cylindrical lip and the second cylindrical lip that provides a rotational axis for the cable spool to rotate around. The apparatus may also include a feed slot near the first cylindrical lip that provides a passage for cable to pass from the second cylindrical lip to the first cylindrical lip.