Rotational drive apparatus for screw pilings
A rotational drive apparatus for screw pilings is described. The apparatus comprises a housing having a cylindrical pipe coupling adapted to receive a shaft of a screw piling therethrough. A detachable connecting element secures the coupling to the shaft at different positions along the shaft. A rotational drive is provided within the housing for imparting rotation to the coupling. An elongated rod is secured to the housing and is held by a user person whereby to immobilize the housing wherein to permit the rotational drive to transmit a drive force to the coupling to rotate the shaft of a screw piling.
1. A hand-operable rotational drive apparatus for imparting rotation to a shaft of a single screw piling, said apparatus comprising a housing having a cylindrical pipe coupling adapted to receive said shaft of said screw piling therethrough, said shaft being provided with two or more spaced apart pairs of diametrically aligned holes, said cylindrical pipe coupling being a cylindrical sleeve coupling provided with diametrically aligned slots, a removable connector constituted by a lock pin extending across said diametrically aligned slots in said pipe coupling and a pair of said diametrically aligned holes in said shaft for securing said pipe coupling to said shaft at different positions along said shaft, a rotational drive within said housing for imparting rotation to said coupling when driven by a drive motor immovably secured to said housing, an elongated rod having an attaching end secured directly to said housing with said rod oriented transversely of said shaft, said elongated rod having an opposed end to be grasped by a first user person remotely of said housing to arrest said housing during operation of said rotational drive by said drive motor whereby to permit said rotational drive to transmit a rotational drive force to said coupling to impart said rotation to said shaft, and said drive motor being a hydraulic drive motor, a pair of hydraulic hoses connected to said hydraulic drive motor at one end, said hydraulic hoses being connected at an opposed end to a remote hydraulic pump, and operable valve means to operate said drive motor and control the direction of rotation of said drive motor; said attaching end of said elongated rod having a connecting fork securable to a rod connector, secured to said housing, by a detachable connecting pin and wherein said connecting pin has a longitudinal axis which extends transversely to a longitudinal axis of said shaft.
2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said connecting fork is detachably connected to said housing.
3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said rotational drive comprises a driven ring gear secured about a rotational guide sleeve adapted to receive said shaft of said screw piling in close sliding fit therethrough, a drive ring gear secured to a drive shaft of said drive motor, and coupling means interconnecting said drive shaft to said driven ring gear to impact a rotational drive to said rotational guide sleeve, said cylindrical pipe coupling being removably secured to said rotational guide sleeve.
4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said coupling means is an endless chain interconnecting said drive ring gear to said driven ring gear.
5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said remote hydraulic pump is part of a transportable gas operated hydraulic unit.
6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said valve means is connected to a control cable having a remote switch means for operating said valve means.
7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said rod connector is a transportable handle secured to said housing for ease of transport thereof.
8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said screw piling is an earth screw piling having said shaft with a drive helix at a lower end thereof.