Snubber spool with detachable base plates

1. A snubber spool with detachable base plates, comprising:

a base flange affixed to an outer sidewall of the snubber spool, the base flange supporting a plurality of spaced-apart load pins that are secured to the base flange and extend above a top surface of the base flange;

at least two base plates respectively having inner ends with a plurality of through bores respectively located to respectively receive one of the load pins when the inner ends of the at least two base plates are placed on the top surface of the base flange;

at least two tie plates respectively having a plurality of bores respectively located to respectively receive one of the top ends of the respective load pins when the at least two tie plates are placed on the inner ends of the at least two base plates; and

a load nut having a box thread that engages a pin thread on the outer sidewall of the snubber spool above the base flange;

whereby the base plates are mounted over the load pins in a first orientation, the tie plates are mounted over the load pins in a second orientation different from the first orientation, and the load nut is tightened over the tie plates to lock the base plates to the snubber spool.

2. The snubber spool as claimed in claim 1 wherein a bottom surface of the load nut comprises a tie plate cavity with a load nut ramp along an outer periphery of the tie plate cavity.

3. The snubber spool as claimed in claim 2 wherein a top surface of the respective tie plates comprises a tie plate ridge that is received in the tie plate cavity, and a tie plate ramp along an outer periphery of the tie plate ridge.

4. The snubber spool as claimed in claim 3 wherein the load nut ramp contacts the tie plate ramp to urge the tie plates towards the outer sidewall of the snubber spool when the load nut is tightened down over the tie plates.

5. The snubber spool as claimed in claim 1 wherein the load pins are equally spaced-apart around a periphery of the snubber spool to permit the base plates to be mounted to the snubber spool in any axial orientation.

6. The snubber spool as claimed in claim 1 wherein the tie plates are semicircular.

7. The snubber spool as claimed in claim 1 wherein the bores in the tie plates are through bores.

8. The snubber spool as claimed in claim 1 wherein the load nut is a hammer nut.

9. The snubber spool as claimed in claim 1 wherein the base plates respectively comprise a through bore in their outer end to permit a superstructure to be detachably connected to the snubber spool.

10. The snubber spool as claimed in claim 1 wherein the load pins have pin threaded ends that engage box threaded bores in the base flange.

11. A snubber spool with detachable base plates, comprising:

a base flange on an outer sidewall of the snubber spool, the base flange supporting a plurality of spaced-apart load pins that extend above a top surface of the base flange parallel to the outer sidewall;

at least two base plates respectively having inner ends shaped to collectively surround the outer sidewall of the snubber spool, the inner ends including a plurality of bores respectively located to respectively receive one of the load pins;

at least two tie plates respectively having inner ends shaped to collectively surround the outer sidewall of the snubber spool, the tie plates including a plurality of bores respectively located to respectively receive a top end of one of the load pins; and

a load nut having a box thread that engages a pin thread on the outer sidewall of the snubber spool above the base flange;

whereby the at least two base plates are mounted over the load pins in a first orientation, the at least two tie plates are mounted over the load pins in a second orientation different from the first orientation, and the load nut is tightened over the at least two tie plates to lock the at least two base plates to the snubber spool.

12. The snubber spool as claimed in claim 11 wherein a bottom surface of the load nut comprises a tie plate cavity with a load nut ramp disposed along an outer periphery of the tie plate cavity, a top surface of the respective tie plates comprise a tie plate ridge with a tie plate ramp disposed along an outer periphery the tie plate ridge, and the tie plate cavity receives the tie plate ridge and the load nut ramp contacts the tie plate ramp to urge the at least two tie plates towards the outer sidewall of the snubber spool when the load nut is tightened down over the tie plates.

13. The snubber spool as claimed in claim 11 wherein the load pins are equally spaced-apart around a periphery of the snubber spool to permit the at least two base plates to be mounted to the snubber spool in any radial orientation with respect to the snubber spool.

14. The snubber spool as claimed in claim 11 wherein the at least two tie plates are semicircular.

15. The snubber spool as claimed in claim 11 wherein the bores in the at least two tie plates are through bores.

16. The snubber spool as claimed in claim 11 wherein the load nut is a hammer nut.

17. The snubber spool as claimed in claim 11 wherein the at least two base plates respectively comprise a through bore in their outer end in which a quick-connect anchor pin is secured.

18. Detachable base plates for a snubber spool having a base flange on an outer sidewall of the snubber spool with a plurality of load pins retained by a base flange and a load nut having a box thread that engages a pin thread on the outer sidewall of the snubber spool above the base flange, the detachable base plates comprising:

at least two base plates respectively having inner ends with a plurality of through bores respectively located to collectively receive a respective one of the plurality of load pins; and

at least two tie plates respectively having a plurality of bores respectively located to respectively receive one of the load pins;

whereby the at least two base plates are mounted over the load pins, the tie plates are mounted over the load pins so that joints between the at least two tie plates do not coincide with joints between the at least two base plates, and the load nut is tightened over the tie plates to lock the base plates to the load flange of the snubber spool.

19. The detachable base plates as claimed in claim 18 wherein a top surface of each of the at least two tie plates respectively comprises a tie plate ridge with a peripheral tie plate ramp, and a load nut ramp along a peripheral edge of a tie plate cavity in a bottom surface of the load nut engages the tie plate ramp when the load nut is tightened over the at least two tie plates to urge the respective tie plates towards the outer sidewall of the snubber spool when the load nut is tightened over the at least two tie plates.

20. The detachable base plates as claimed in claim 18 wherein the at least two base plates are substantially rectangular and the at least two tie plates are substantially semicircular.