Underground cable laying apparatus

Abstract

Presented is an underground cable laying apparatus that leaves virtually no visible scar in the turf under which cable, wire, line, hose, etc. is laid. The apparatus utilizes a pair of angularly displaced turf slicing wheels to slice and separate the turf forming a slit into which cable may be laid. A cable guide tube and roller properly place the cable within the slit. A pair of turf closure wheels close the slit in close proximity to the release point of the cable to ensure proper placement of the cable. The slit in the turf is gently and completely closed over the cable, leaving virtually no visible scar within the turf to upset the aesthetic beauty of a lawn. Further, the configuration and rolling action of the turf slicing wheels ensures that other underground cables will not be damaged if inadvertently encountered.

1 . An underground cable laying apparatus, comprising: 
 a mounting yoke;    a pair of angularly displaced turf slicing wheels rotatably coupled to the mounting yoke, the turf slicing wheels defining a forward contact area therebetween; and    a cable guide tube positioned aft of the forward contact area of the turf slicing wheels, the cable guide tube having a cable inlet and a cable outlet.    
   
   
       2 . The underground cable laying apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein, each of the angularly displaced turf slicing wheels defines a radius and an outer periphery thereof, and is mounted for rotation about a respective turf slicing wheel axis directed such that, when viewed from either side of the apparatus, the outer peripheries of the turf slicing wheels are substantially superimposed upon one another vertically and horizontally, with the peripheries coming together at a point of contact in the forward contact zone and disposed substantially horizontally forward of the axes of the turf slicing wheels.  
   
   
       3 . The underground cable laying apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein, the point of contact is angularly positioned within a range of zero to 20 degrees down from a horizontal extension of the axes.  
   
   
       4 . The underground cable laying apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein, the point of contact is vertically positioned substantially horizontally level with the axes, and substantially at ground level when the apparatus is slicing the turf, such that substantially the entire radius of the turf slicing wheels is disposed below ground level in operation.  
   
   
       5 . The underground cable laying apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein, the pair of turf slicing wheels are angularly displaced relative to one another along a vertical axis of the mounting yoke in such a manner that the forward contact area is disposed substantially below the point of contact, and outer peripheries of the turf slicing wheels diverge below the forward contact area, in such a manner that the slit in the turf has a defined horizontally extending bottom width thereof, rather than being substantially V-shaped and terminating in a vertex of the V-shape at the bottom of the slit.  
   
   
       6 . The underground cable laying apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the pair of turf slicing wheels are angularly displaced relative to one another along both a horizontal and a vertical axis of the mounting yoke.  
   
   
       7 . The underground cable laying apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a turf closure housing pivotally coupled relative to the mounting yoke; and    a pair of angularly positioned turf closing wheels rotatably coupled to the turf closure housing.    
   
   
       8 . The underground cable laying apparatus of  claim 7 , further comprising a pair of closure assembly mounting arms fixably coupled to the mounting yoke, and wherein the turf closure housing is pivotally coupled to the closure assembly mounting arms.  
   
   
       9 . The underground cable laying apparatus of  claim 7 , further comprising, a turf follower spring coupled between the mounting yoke and the turf closure housing.  
   
   
       10 . The underground cable laying apparatus of  claim 9 , further comprising, a spring tension nut positioned to vary a bias force supplied by the turf follower spring.  
   
   
       11 . The underground cable laying apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising, a feed tube support extension member coupled to the cable guide tube in proximity to the cable outlet.  
   
   
       12 . The underground cable laying apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising, a cable guide coupled to the cable feed tube and displaced from the cable inlet to aid in guiding cable into the cable inlet.  
   
   
       13 . The underground cable laying apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein, the cable guide tube is curved from the cable inlet to the cable outlet.  
   
   
       14 . The underground cable laying apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein, the outlet of the cable guide tube is oriented to discharge the cable substantially horizontally.  
   
   
       15 . The underground cable laying apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the mounting yoke includes at least one mounting receptacle.  
   
   
       16 . An apparatus for laying cable under turf without leaving a visibly obvious scar in the turf, comprising: 
 a mounting yoke having at least one mounting receptacle defined therein;    a pair of turf slicing wheels rotatably mounted on the mounting yoke, the turf slicing wheels being positioned in a diverging relationship to one another such that a slit is opened in the turf when the pair of turf slicing wheels is pulled therethrough; and    a cable feed tube positioned between the pair of turf slicing wheels and terminating in a cable outlet positioned to guide the cable into the slit opened by the pair of turf slicing wheels.    
   
   
       17 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , further comprising a turf closure assembly operably coupled to the mounting yoke and positioned relative to the pair of turf slicing wheels to close the slit in the turf opened thereby anterior of the cable outlet.  
   
   
       18 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the turf closure assembly comprises a pair of turf closing wheels angularly positioned relative to one another and laterally displaced from one another a distance greater than a lateral spacing at a trailing edge of the pair of turf slicing wheels.  
   
   
       19 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , further comprising a cable feed guide mechanism positioned anterior and vertically downward of the cable outlet relative to a surface of the turf to position the cable within the slit in the turf and to protect an outer surface of the cable from scraping.  
   
   
       20 . A method of laying cable under a lawn, comprising the steps of: 
 lowering a pair of turf slicing wheels into the lawn;    moving the pair of turf slicing wheels through the lawn to open a slit therein;    guiding cable into the slit in the lawn; and    closing the slit after the cable has been positioned therein.    
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the step of moving the pair of turf slicing wheels through the lawn comprises the step of moving the pair of turf slicing wheels through the lawn such that the pair of turf slicing wheels rotate.  
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising the step of watering the lawn prior to the steps of lowering, moving, guiding, and closing.