Snubbing apparatus for use with a portable drilling mast

Claim 1

SNUBBING APPARATUS FOR USE WITH A MAST BASE HAVING FRONT AND REAR ENDS, A RECLINING MAST EXTENDING FORWARD AWAY FROM THE BASE AND HAVING FRONT FEET HINGED TO THE BASE, THE RECLINING MAST HAVING AN OPEN LOWER SIDE, A CROWN BLOCK MOUNTED ON THE HEAD OF THE RECLINING MAST, A FIXED MEMBER ADJACENT THE CROWN BLOCK AND INDEPENDENT OF THE MAST, A TRAVELLING BLOCK INSIDE THE MAST NEAR SAID BASE, DRAWWORKS ON THE BASE, A LINE CONNECTING THE TRAVELLING BLOCK WITH THE CROWN BLOCK AND THE DRAWWORKS, A SLINGLINE DETACHABLY CONNECTED TO THE TRAVELLING BLOCK AND EXTENDING REARWARDLY OUT OF THE MAST, AND MEANS ON THE BASE BEHIND THE MAST CONNECTED WITH THE SLINGLINE SO THAT WHEN THE DRAWWORKS IS OPERATED TO PULL THE TRAVELLING BLOCK TOWARD THE CROWN BLOCK THE MAST WILL BE SWUNG UP PAST ITS BALANCE POINT TOWARD UPRIGHT POSITION; SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A TRACK INSIDE THE MAST EXTENDING LENGTHWISE THEREOF, MEANS CONNECTING THE TRAVELLING BLOCK WITH THE TRACK, A SNUB LINE HAVING ONE AND DETACHABLY CONNECTED TO THE TRAVELLING BLOCK, STATIONARY ANCHOR MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID FIXED MEMBER, AND MEANS CONNECTING THE OPPOSITE END OF THE SNUB LINE TO SAID ANCHOR MEANS, THE SNUB LINE BEING SHORT ENOUGH TO BECOME TAUT AS SOON AS THE MAST SWINGS REARWARDLY PAST ITS BALANCE POINT SO THAT LOWERING OF THE TRAVELLING BLOCK IN THE MAST THEN WILL CONTROL SWINGING OF THE MAST THE REST OF THE WAY TO UPRIGHT POSITION.