An apparatus for installing a pipeline slipliner, by pushing rather than drawing the slipliner into the host pipe. The gripper assembly is mounted on the boom of an earthworking machine or other vehicle, such as a track excavator. The gripper assembly includes gripper tracks that engage the exterior of the slipliner and advance it in a linear fashion. The gripper assembly is lowered on a boom into a excavation so as to level with the opening of the host pipe. The gripper assembly is then operated to advance the slipliner into the host pipe, with the slipliner being feed down to the gripper assembly on the surface of the excavation. The gripper assembly resiliently compresses the slipliner to establish a grip that enables it to push the slipliner great distances into the host pipe.