Manufacturers of high quality standard towing heads
Based in Frome, Brewis Engineering are well-known manufacturers of Standard Towing Heads.
Also known as an Expanding Towing Head or Duct Puller, the Standard Towing Head is a simple device that attaches to the end of a piece of plastic pipe to allow it to be pulled. It is designed for use with polyethylene pipes of wall thickness between *SDR11 & SDR17.6. Other materials and wall thicknesses can also be accommodated.
Standard Towing Heads are operated by simply inserting into the pipe and turning the eyebolt. The turning action draws a cone into four toothed segments which are forced into the wall of the pipe. The harder the eye is pulled the harder the pipe is gripped. The grip is so good that it is possible to stretch the pipe!
Features of the Brewis standard towing head
- High tensile drop forged steel eyebolts - our eyebolts are forged in a single piece to give them incredible strength compared to 'off the shelf' versions
- Proven tooth profile for high gripping power
- Huge range of sizes from 20mm to 355mm (see Large Towing Heads for 400mm+)
- 1" to 12" IPS, JIS etc.
- All popular sizes available from stock
- Accommodates SDR*11 to 17.6, other sizes can be made on request
* Standard diameter to wall thickness ratio - The 'SDR' number is a ratio between the diameter and wall thickness. e.g., If you have a 250mm pipe which is SDR 17.6 then the wall thickness is 250/17.6 = 14.2mm. So the bore of the pipe is 250- 14.2mm -14.2mm= 221.6mm.
The outside diameter is usually controlled closely, it's the inside diameter that normally fluctuates within a manufacturing tolerance.
The history of the standard towing head
The Standard Towing Head was invented by Rod Brewis on 27th September 1984 as a result of a conversation about a contractor who had been seen trying to dead insert 63mm PE pipe into an old cast iron main.
Disillusioned with the timber hitch in the winch cable on his JCB slipping off the PE halfway through his pull, he resorted to using a length of fencing wire slipped through the flow holes of a live head, knotted and attached to the winch hook. Although the live head was held in the PE only by the friction and wedging action of expanded O-rings, there was sufficient grip to pull in fifty metres or more of pipe. "What they need is something like a live head but with much more grip" was the simple statement which resulted in the product which has become an icon in the no-dig industry.
The use of O-rings to retain the grippers, the tooth profile, the configuration and manner of operation, and even its name have all been adopted as the industry standard. Its design is such that it will grip a range of wall thicknesses (normally SDR11 to SDR17.6 in Europe) but it is neither pressure tight nor mud tight. Available in sizes up to a 630mm in diameter, the Brewis Standard Towing Head has been the workhorse of the industry since its invention.
Our standard towing heads are the best in the industry
We work with companies based in the UK and across the world.
To order your Towing Heads or for any questions, send us an email today.
