Tong assembly

Claim 1

A TONG ASSEMBLY, COMPRISING: A BASE MEMBER; A PAIR OF TONG ARMS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE BASE MEMBER ADJACENT ONE END THEREOF IN OPPOSED SPACED RELATIONSHIP FOR RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN AN OPEN POSITION AND A CLOSED POSITION; AN HYDRAULIC ACTUATING CYLINDER CONTAINING A PISTON ROD POSITIONED ABOVE SAID BASE MEMBER AND BETWEEN SAID TONG ARMS; AN UPSTANDING HEAD RETAINER MEMBER MOUNTED ON THE BASE MEMBER BETWEEN THE TONG ARMS AND CONTAINING A SOCKET-LIKE PORTION FOR RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING ONE END OF SAID HYDRAULIC CYLINDER; AN UPSTANDING REAR RETAINER MEMBER MOUNTED ON THE BASE MEMBER IN OPPOSED RELATIONSHIP WITH THE HEAD RETAINER MEMBER AND CONTAINING A KEYHOLE TYPE APERTURE WITH AN UPPER PORTION AND A LOWER PORTION, THE UPPER PORTION OF THE APERTURE RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING THE OTHER END OF THE HYDRAULIC CYLINDER; A CONNECTING ROD HAVING ONE END CONNECTED TO THE PISTON ROD AND THE OTHER END THEREOF EXTENDING THROUGH THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID APERTURE TO A POSITION BENEATH THE HYDRAULIC CYLINDER; AND MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID OTHER END OF THE CONNECTING ROD AND THE TONG ARMS FOR MOVING THE LATTER BETWEEN THE OPEN POSITION AND THE CLOSED POSITION UPON ACTUATION OF THE HYDRAULIC CYLINDER.