single arm 20 to a position shown in phantom lines 82 the rod 74 pushes the arm 20 away from the arm 26 to the farthest position possible a ram retainer 44 is positioned in the ram holder 40 such as shown in fig1 and 2 with a knob 46 extending in the recess 42 a hydraulic ram 60 is then positioned within the ram holder 40 and secured in place by the ram retainer 44 a hose 84 schematically shown in fig1 is then connected to the connector 62 and to a hydraulic power source 90 to supply the ram 60 with hydraulic power a ram rod 86 that is telescopically engaged within the ram body 60 extends from the ram 60 to a position shown in phantom lines 61 and moves into a contact with a contact surface 25 of the contact member 22 the arms 20 and 26 are then pushed apart at the lower ends thereof as a result a tightening action is transferred to the chain 12 that cuts into the tubular object and fractures it along the cutting line the contact member 22 being pivotally connected to the arm 20 easily adjusts its angular position to make a better contact with the ram rod 86 the hydraulic pipe cutter of the present invention can be used for cutting various diameter pipes the pipes may be cast iron clay or terra cotta or any other fracturable material typical diameters encountered are 2 34 to 6 34 service weight cast iron pipe 4 34 extra.