Abstract: An apparatus for pushing tubular members along a tunnel, the apparatus comprising a frame shaped to receive a tubular member therein and having an open end shaped to receive the tubular member therethrough, and a pushing element mounted on and displaceable along the frame for engaging a tubular member within the frame and pushing the tubular member along the frame and through the open end. The apparatus further includes a drive motor mounted on the pushing element and engaging the frame, the drive motor displacing the pushing element along the frame relative to the open end.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 19, 1999
Date of Patent:
March 27, 2001
Assignee:
McNally Tunneling Corporation
Inventors:
Lawrence M. Lenahan, Bernam G. Fraley, Mark R. Kaletta, David E. Koehmstedt, Jr.