This invention deals generally with applying pulling force as in a nail extractor, and more specifically with a portable spike puller for items such as tent stakes.
Pulling tent stakes out of the ground can be more of a task than most of us realize. This is mostly because, in the world of commerce, tent stakes are not the short, thin rods which are used for camping tents. Instead, when used for large commercial tents such as those rented for parties, large sales events, and other special events, tent stakes are typically one inch diameter rods constructed from the same material as reinforcing rods for concrete and are almost two foot long. Usually a jack hammer is used to pound this type of stake into asphalt paving or hard ground. Such a stake can not be pulled from the ground by hand by merely loosening it with a few blows against its exposed top.
Perhaps the most similar task to pulling such a large tent stake is that of pulling railroad tie spikes. In that situation, although railroad spikes are not as long as large tent stakes, the pulling force required is probably comparable. The major difference between removing spikes from railroad ties and pulling large tent stakes from the ground is, however, the availability of powerful machines at the railroad tracks and the requirement to remove tent stakes in areas which have poor access for large power sources. For instance, typical railroad spike pullers use pneumatic or hydraulic power, which means that a source of such power must be nearby, and hoses must be moved between locations of the spikes to be removed. Such an arrangement is extremely difficult to use at the typical isolated site at which large tents are erected.
The removal of large tent stakes is a task which would be aided considerably by a portable tool with an integrated power source which could be moved and operated by one person.