DRIVE ATTACHMENT FOR A RATCHET-TYPE LOAD BINDER TO ENABLE SELECTIVE DRIVING THEREOF WITH A HANDHELD POWER TOOL

An attachment for a ratchet-type load binder comprises a mounting frame arranged for mounting to the load binder at a location registered with a ratchet mechanism thereof, a slot defined by the mounting frame and arranged to extend angularly of the axis of the ratchet gear so as to be adapted to receive a handle of the ratchet mechanism in rotary movement relative to a body of the load binder, and a transmission member having a shaft extending along an axis of rotation of the transmission member and transmission elements carried on the shaft and projecting outwardly therefrom for meshing with the teeth of the ratchet gear. It is one aspect of the invention that the transmission member is movable from a drive position in which the transmission member meshes with the ratchet gear to an idle position in which the ratchet gear can rotate freely of the transmission member, so that conventional operation of the ratchet mechanism with the handle is still available without removing the attachment. It is another aspect of the invention that the mounting frame has a pair of separable portions so that the attachment can be mounted to an existing load binder by connection of the separable portions to one another when respectively located on the body of the load binder.