GARNZUFUEHRUNGSVORRICHTUNG FUER TEXTILMASCHINEN, INSBESONDERE FUER EINE TUFTINGMASCHINE

A yarn feed roller assembly for a tufting machine has a number of sets of rollers about which yarn is adapted to be wound and fed to the needles of the tufting machine. A number of drive shafts each carrying a number of clutches and a like number of feed gears are each driven at a different rotational speed. Each clutch has a first part fixed for rotation with the shaft and a second part rotatably fastened to the corresponding feed gear and axially moveable relative to that feed gear. The feed gear is rotatably mounted on each drive shaft and upon actuation of a particular clutch the feed gear associated therewith is drivingly connected to the shaft for rotation therewith. Respective feed gears of the corresponding shafts are in meshing relationship with one another with a corresponding gear on a respective set of yarn feed rollers so that upon coupling of a particular feed gear to its shaft the yarn feed roller set associated therewith is driven at a speed related to that shaft. Each shaft is formed from a number of assembled shaft sections coupled end to end and readily disassembled therefrom so that upon failure of a particular clutch removal of a shaft section with that clutch thereon can be made without disturbing the yarn on the corresponding feed roller set.