Improvements in Apparatus for Unhitching Horses and other Draught Animals from and Arresting the Movement of Waggons and other Vehicles.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Jan., 1888
Specification Accepted, 2nd Mar., 1888
Improvements in Apparatus for Unhitching Horses and other
Draught Animals from and Arresting the Movement of
Waggons and other Vehicles.
I FERDINAND RIEGER, of Esslingen, Kingdom of Wurttemberg and Empire of
Germany do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This invention relates to an improved apparatus by means of which teams can be
unhitched at once, and its object is to prevent disasters such as are now often caused
by run-away teams. The said improved apparatus is constructed so that by means of
one single motion of the hand the driver of the waggon can unhitch the running
horses at any moment and at the same time stop the vehicle by brakes brought into
action by the same motion.
In the accompanying drawings
Figures 1 to 4 inclusive show the apparatus adapted to a freight waggon.
Figures 5 and 6 to a light coach and
Figures 7 and 8 illustrate a modification of my invention.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the front carriage or frame of the waggon is
provided with a hand-lever a which is in operative connection with an axle or shaft b
suitably journalled on the waggon and carrying the trace hooks c for the links of the
trace chains or traces c¹ of the team.
By oscillating the said shaft b for about 90 degrees the trace hooks c will be turned
in a backward direction through slots 2 provided in the bar a', and thus be discon-
nected from the traces c¹ (see Figure 4) the said traces being retained upon the bar a¹
while the hooks e pass through the said slots in the same.
The shaft is provided, at or near its centre with a hook d, Figures 1 and 3, con-
nected with the bolt e on the front part of the pole x by means of trace chain and
bar d'. The bolt e is carried by a bar farranged within an elongated hollow space in
the forward end of the pole x and pressed forward permanently by a spiral spring g,

page_text: an open space being formed between the forward end of the pole x and the
angular piece / fixed uponn i, the said bar f being pushed through the said link and a
the front end of the said pole for the insertion of the last
link of the breeching
hole in the said angular piece h. Turning or oscillating as described the shaft and
the hook d fixed thereon will, therefore, cause the said chain and bar d¹ to retract the
bolt e with its connected bar fand the latter will slide backwards into the hollow space
of the pole and out of the angular piece and the link of the breeching chain i so
that the said chain will be free to drop.
Thus it will be seen that by means of a single movement of the hand the runaway
team will be disconnected entirely from the waggon and can take nothing along except
the harness, whilst the pole and swingle tree bar which if likewise carried along by
the fleeing team would still more increase the fury of the latter, are left behind in
connection with the waggon.
But together with the said contrivance for unhitching the team provision has been
made for applying brakes to the wheels of the moving waggon so as to stop the latter
instantaneously the moment that the team has been disconnected from the vehicle.
The device designed for the latter purpose consists essentially of a pair of
brake-blocks arranged at both sides of the waggon, each brake block k
being fastened to the end of a chain the other end of which is attached to
the swingle tree bar whilst a link of about the middle portion of the said chain
suspended loosely on a pin n fixed in the shaft b. The latter being partly rotated as
set forth, will cause the chain to drop off from the pin n if turned from a nearly
horizontal into a more or less vertical position, and the brake-block k by reason of its
gravity will fall down before the wheel and arrest the motion of the latter, a suitable
guide, m being provided to bring the said block into the proper position in front of the
wheel.
is
As stated the braking operation takes place simultaneously with the operation of
unbitching and both operations are effected by means of a quarter rotation of the
shaft which- instead of being arranged near the middle of the said shaft, may be
applied near one end thereof.
Figures 5 and 6 illustrate the invention in connection with a light coach.
Figures 7 and 8 illustrate a modification of the improved apparatus for unhitching
horses or other draught-animals from waggons or other vehicles, the shaft b oscillating
for about 90 degress in a vertical plane, being in this modified arrangement replaced
by a disc B oscillated for about 90 degrees in a horizontal plane by means of a vertical
shaft G provided with a suitable handle (not shown) to be turned by the driver.
Pivoted to the upper surface of the said dise B at points opposite to each other are the
bars C and D arranged so as to slide upon the swingle tree bar under the pressure of
the spiral springs E and carrying the fixed angular bolts or bars C¹ C¹ and D' D¹
which are adapted to pass sideways through the slotted angular pieces C³ and D2 and
through the links of the trace chains placed between the said pieces 02 and D2.
The shaft G passes through the disc B and carries below the latter another fixed disc G
having the hook H to which is connected the link of the chain and bar retracting the
said bolt e to release the said breeching chain i before described and shown in
Figures 1, 2, 5 and 6 of the drawings. The drawings show this modified form of the
apparatus in its unhitching position, the said discs B and C having been turned for a
quarter of a revolution against the tension of the springs E which upon releasing the
shaft G₁ will automatically turn back the said discs in the direction of the arrows and
return the parts into their closed or normal position again.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is ;-
First. In an apparatus for mechanically unhitching horses and other draught-
animals from waggons or other vehicles, the oscillating shaft b, having the hooks
C in
combination with the hand lever a and the slotted swingle tree bar a¹, substantially as
and for the purpose specified.

page_text: Second. The combination, with the oscillating shaft b and the lever a, of the hook d
and the slotted swingle tree bar a¹, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Third. The combination, with the oscillating shaft b and lever a, of the hook d,
slotted swingle tree bar a', drawing rod d¹, bolt e, spring g and sliding bar f arranged
substantially as and for the purposes specified.
Fourth. The combination, with the oscillating shaft b and hand lever a, of the pins n,
the chain 1, brake block k and the slotted swingle tree bar a³, substantially as and for
the purpose specified.
Fifth. The combination, with the oscillating shaft 6 and hand lever a, of the
pins n, the chain / brake block k, the hooks c and the slotted swingle tree bar a',
substantially as and for the purposes specified.
Sixth. The combination, with the oscillating shaft b and hand lever a, of the pins n,
the chain 1, brake block k, the books c, the hook d and the slotted swingle tree bar a¹
substantially as and for the purposes specified.
Seventh. The combination, with the oscillating shaft b and the hand lever a, of the
pins n, the chain l, brake block k, the hooks c, the hook d, the slotted swingle tree
bar a', the drawing rod d¹, the bolt e, the spring g and the sliding bar f arranged and
operating substantially as and for the purposes specified.
Eighth. The combination, with the oscillating shaft b and the hand lever a, of the
pins n, the chain l, brake block k, guide m and slotted swingle tree bar a³, substantially
as and for the purpose specified.
Ninth. The combination, with the oscillating disc B and the shaft G₁, of the sliding
bars Cand D, actuating springs E, angular bolts C¹ and D¹ and angular pieces (2 and D²,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Tenth. The combination, with the oscillating discs B and G and the shaft G¹, of the
sliding bars CD, springs E, angular bolts CD¹, angular pieces C2 D2, hook H,
drawing rod d¹, bolt e, spring g and sliding bar f, substantially as and for the purposes
specified.