Question 1

What is a felt puller?

Accepted Answer

A felt puller is a heavy-duty clamping tool used to grip and pull paper machine clothing — press felts, dryer fabrics, and forming fabrics — through the machine during installation. Instead of crews manually dragging heavy fabric across the rolls, pullers clamp onto the edge of the fabric so it can be pulled through with ropes or cables. The IMWX GripLock™ Felt Puller is a heavy-duty steel version built for demanding mill environments.

Question 2

What is the IMWX GripLock™ Felt Puller used for?

Accepted Answer

It is used to install and remove paper machine clothing — press felts, dryer fabrics, and specialty machine clothing. Multiple GripLock pullers clamp evenly across the trailing edge of the fabric, and crews pull from the opposite side of the machine with ropes or cables for a controlled, even feed.

Question 3

How is it different from a regular locking plier or Vise-Grip?

Accepted Answer

It is purpose-built for felt handling. It has high-grip clamping jaws sized to hold fabric, a welded ring so you can attach a rope or pull cable, and heavy-duty steel construction for repeated shutdown use. Standard locking pliers are not designed to grip wide machine clothing or provide a secure rope attachment point.

Question 4

How do you install a press felt with GripLock?

Accepted Answer

1) Position the replacement felt. 2) Clamp multiple GripLock pullers evenly across the trailing edge. 3) Connect pull ropes or cables to each puller's welded ring. 4) Pull evenly from the opposite side of the machine. 5) Remove the pullers once the felt is seated. Pulling evenly from several points helps feed the felt in straight and reduces wrinkles caused by uneven tension.

Question 5

How many felt pullers do I need?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the width of your machine and the weight of the fabric, but crews typically space several pullers evenly across the full width of the trailing edge so the pulling force is distributed and the felt tracks straight. Distributing the load across multiple pullers is what helps prevent the felt from going in crooked or wrinkling. (GripLock is sold with a 50-piece minimum order.)

Question 6

Can I use rope or cable, and what size?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The welded ring accepts rope or pull cable, and GripLock is set up for 1/4" rope or cable. Tie off to each puller's ring so you can pull from a safe distance outside the machine.

Question 7

Is it safer than pulling felt by hand?

Accepted Answer

Yes — that is the main point. Because you attach ropes to the welded rings and pull from the opposite side of the machine, crews can stay off the rolls and away from suspended equipment while the felt feeds through. Manual felt handling is a known injury risk in mills, and pulling from a distance with a locked grip reduces that exposure.

Question 8

How does it help reduce felt-change downtime?

Accepted Answer

A felt change is typically a short shutdown of under 24 hours, and every minute the machine is down costs production. A secure, distributed grip helps the felt feed through faster and straighter, with less rework from wrinkles or a felt that goes in crooked — so the machine gets back to production sooner.

Question 9

Will it damage or mark the felt?

Accepted Answer

GripLock's high-grip clamping jaws are designed to hold the fabric securely while helping reduce felt damage. As with any clamp, you attach it along the trailing edge that feeds into the machine.

Question 10

What machines and fabrics can it be used on?

Accepted Answer

It is used across paper mills, pulp mills, tissue machines, and packaging and specialty paper machines — for press felts, dryer fabrics, forming fabrics, and other paper machine clothing installation and felt replacement.

Question 11

Can it grip wet felts?

Accepted Answer

It is built to maintain a strong, positive grip throughout the pulling process, including on the heavy fabrics handled during a felt change.

Question 12

Is it reusable?

Accepted Answer

Yes. It is heavy-duty steel, built to be reused across many maintenance shutdowns for years of service.

Question 13

How do I order, and what does it cost?

Accepted Answer

GripLock is sold in volume for mill operations, with a minimum order of 50 pieces and tiered pricing. Submit the quote form to generate a Purchase Order, and IMWX will follow up to finalize pricing, freight, and payment.

Question 14

Can I get custom sizes or OEM manufacturing?

Accepted Answer

Yes. IMWX (Industrial Machine Worx) builds custom industrial equipment and can produce custom dimensions or OEM felt pullers. Contact IMWX for custom manufacturing.

Felt Puller — Frequently Asked Questions

The Basics

Installation & Use

Safety & Downtime

Compatibility

Ordering

Ready to speed up your next felt change?