Sewer cleaning machine

1. A drain cleaning machine ( 10 ) comprising:

a) a supporting frame ( 11 ),

b) an electric motor ( 12 ) affixed to said supporting frame, said motor including a projecting drive shaft from which power may be extracted,

c) a cable containing enclosure ( 14 ), supported upon said supporting frame ( 11 ), for rotation about an axis of rotation, said enclosure ( 14 ) having axially spaced front and rear portions, said front portion having an opening therethrough,

d) a drain cleaning cable ( 38 ) coiled within said enclosure ( 14 ) about said axis of rotation, said cable ( 38 ) including an operating end ( 48 ) for extending through said opening and into a drain to be cleaned,

e) a pair of axially opposed support wheels ( 25 A, 25 B) rotatingly attached to the rear portion of said supporting frame, said wheels comprising:

1) a wheel hub ( 56 ),

2) a tire mounting rim ( 32 ) circumscribing said wheel hub,

3) a wheel disc ( 34 ) extending radially from said wheel hub to the inside surface of said tire mounting rim ( 32 ),

4) a solid elastomeric tire ( 40 ) circumscribing and affixed to said tire mounting rim ( 32 ), said tire ( 40 ) comprising an elastomeric material having a specific Shore Durometer hardness between 70 and 80,

f) a support pedestal ( 42 ) affixed to the forward portion of said support frame ( 11 ), and

g) an elastomeric ( 44 ) shoe affixed to the bottom of said pedestal ( 42 ) for contact with a supporting surface, wherein said shoe ( 44 ) comprises a substantially flat, rectangular bottom surface sized and shaped to engage an underlying surface, said shoe ( 44 ) comprising an elastomeric material having a specific Shore Durometer hardness between 70 and 80.

2. The drain cleaning machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said wheel disc ( 34 ), said tire mounting rim ( 32 ), and said wheel hub ( 35 ) are one piece cast aluminum.

3. The drain cleaning machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the Shore Durometer Hardness of said tire and shoe is 75.

4. In a drain cleaning machine ( 10 ) having a supporting frame ( 11 ), a cable containing enclosure ( 14 ), supported upon said frame, for rotation about an axis of rotation, a drain cleaning cable ( 38 ) coiled within said enclosure about said axis of rotation, the improvement comprising:

a) a pair of axially opposed support wheels ( 25 A, 25 B) rotatingly attached to the rear portion of said supporting frame, said wheels comprising:

1) a wheel hub ( 56 ),

2) a tire mounting rim ( 52 ) circumscribing said wheel hub,

3) a wheel disc ( 55 ) extending radially from said wheel hub to the inside surface of said tire mounting rim,

b) a solid elastomeric tire ( 50 ) affixed to said tire mounting rim, said tire comprising an elastomeric compound having a specific Shore Durometer Hardness of between 70 and 80, wherein said tire comprises a first thickness,

c) a pedestal ( 42 ) affixed to the forward portion of said support frame ( 11 ), and

d) a solid elastomeric shoe ( 44 ) affixed to the bottom of said pedestal ( 42 ) for contact with a supporting surface, wherein said shoe comprises a substantially flat, rectangular bottom surface sized and shaped to engage an underlying surface, said shoe comprising an elastomeric compound having a Shore Durometer Hardness of between 70 and 80, wherein said shoe comprises a second thickness, wherein the first thickness of said tire is less than the second thickness of said shoe.

5. The drain cleaning machine as claimed in claim 4 wherein said wheel disc ( 55 ), said tire mounting rim ( 52 ), and said wheel hub ( 56 ) are one piece cast aluminum.

6. The drain cleaning machine as claimed in claim 4 wherein the Shore Durometer Hardness of said tire and shoe is 75.

7. A drain cleaning machine comprising:

a) a supporting frame,

b) an electric motor affixed to said supporting frame, said motor including a projecting drive shaft from which power may be extracted,

c) a cable containing enclosure, supported upon said supporting frame, for rotation about an axis of rotation, said enclosure having axially spaced front and rear portions, said front portion having an opening therethrough,

d) a drain cleaning cable coiled within said enclosure about said axis of rotation, said cable including an operating end for extending through said opening and into a drain to be cleaned,

e) a pair of axially opposed support wheels rotatingly attached to the rear portion of said supporting frame, said wheels comprising:

1) a wheel hub,

2) a tire mounting rim circumscribing said wheel hub,

3) a wheel disc extending radially from said wheel hub to the inside surface of said tire mounting rim,

4) a solid elastomeric tire, having a thickness of about one half inch, circumscribing and affixed to said tire mounting rim, wherein said tire comprises a substantially rectangular cross-section, said tire comprising a neoprene rubber compound having a Shore Durometer hardness between 70 and 80,

f) a support pedestal affixed to the forward portion of said support frame, and

g) an elastomeric shoe, having a thickness of about one inch, affixed to the bottom of said pedestal for contact with a supporting surface, wherein said shoe comprises a substantially flat, rectangular bottom surface sized and shaped to engage an underlying surface, said shoe comprising a neoprene rubber compound having a Shore Durometer hardness between 70 and 80.

8. The drain cleaning machine as claimed in claim 7 wherein said wheel disc, said tire mounting rim, and said wheel hub are one piece cast aluminum.

9. The drain cleaning machine as claimed in claim 7 wherein the Shore Durometer Hardness of said tire and shoe is 75.