Year: 1886

page_text: I, ALEXANDER HENRY REED, of Suffolk House, Laurence Pountney Hill, Cannon
Street, in the county of Middlesex, Engineer, 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 certain improvements in trucks as fully pointed out in the
following specification and claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in
which
Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section in the plane x, x, fig. 2.
Fig. 2 is an inverted plan.
Fig. 3 is a modification of the mechanism for actuating the clamping levers.
Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are details which will be referred to as the description progresses.
Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.
In the drawing the letter A designates the platform of a truck which is provided
with arms B B and supported on wheels C C in such a manner that by means of the
arms, the frame can be brought in an horizontal or in an inclined position. If the
truck is intended for a hand truck, the arms B B form the handles, but if the truck is
intended to be drawn by a horse or other animal, the arms B B form the thills, and in
order to be able to operate the truck with the greatest possible convenience, such thills
will be made in two sections connected by hinge joint t, and provided with a locking
device u as shown in fig. 7. By means of such locking device the thills can be kept
rigid, but if the locking device is released, the outer sections of the thills can be turned
down as shown in fig. 1 while the frame or platform A is inclined.
On the frame A are secured the clamping levers D D. Said levers swing on screw
studs aa which are adjustable in slois a a and they extend beyond the inner end of
the frame and are provided with clamping jaws or grips bb. These grips may be

page_text: made in the form of a single spur (see fig. 5) or they may consist of india rubber
pads (see fig. 6), or they may be made with two or more spurs each end secured to
the clamping levers in such a manner that they can be rotated (see fig. 4). The inner
ends of the clamping levers are bent as shown in figs. 2, 4, 5 and 6 so that when a
large box is to be taken up which requires that the inner ends of the clamping levers
shall be spread wide open, the bodies of these levers will not prevent the grips from
taking hold of the box.
On the inner ends of the arms B B are firmly secured brackets RR which carry
the axles of the wheels C C, and which are connected by a crossbar S. This crossbar
is situated somewhat in advance of, but below the inner edge of the platform or
frame A.
g.
On
The outer ends of the clamping levers D D connect with a suitable mechanism for
actuating the same. In the example shown in figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, this
mechanism consists of two toothed links or bars EE which are connected to the
clamping levers by pivots ce extending through curved slots d d in the platform or
frame A. Said links or bars engage teeth on a rotating disk or wheel F from oppo-
site sides being held in gear with said cog wheels by studs e e. On the cog wheel is
formed an outwardly projecting flange which prevents the bars from dropping out of
gear with said cogwheel. The toothed disk or wheel turns freely on the stud
said disk or wheel is firmly secured a lever G, and by turning this lover in the
direction of arrow 1 (fig. 2) the inner ends of the clamping levers are caused to close
up whereas by turning the lever G in the direction opposite to said arrow the
clamping levers are caused to open. A spring H may be hitched to the disk or
wheel and to the frame A which has a tendency to close up the clamping levers.
Instead of this mechanism however a great variety of devices can be used as will
readily suggest themselves to a skilled mechanic, such for instance as that shown in
fig. 3, where the clamping levers D D are connected to a rotary toothless disk F1 by
rods EE pivoted to said disk on opposite sides of its axis.
With the mechanism for actuating the clamping levers is combined a locking
mechanism for retaining the clamping levers in their closed position. In the example
shown in the drawing, this locking mechanism consists of a dog I which is firmly
secured to the cogwheel F and which engages a ratchet segment J. By forcing the
outer end of the lever G slightly upward, the dog I is thrown out of gear with the
ratchet segment, so that the clamping levers can be thrown open but when the
clamping levers have been made to close upon a barrel or other article, the dog I is
thrown in gear with the ratchet segment by the inherent gravity of the lever G and
the clamping levers are locked in their closed position.
If the grips take hold of the barrel or other article above its centre of gravity,
and said article is raised from the ground by depressing the arms B B, the crossbar S
forms a stop which prevents the lower end of the barrel or other article from wringing
inward beneath the platform or frame A; but if the grips take hold of the barrel or
other article below its centre of gravity, the inner edge of the platform or frame A
forms the stop which prevents the barrel or other article from tipping over.
By adjusting the pivots a a of the clamping levers in the slots a¹ a¹ the clamping
ends of said levers can be adjusted to articles of different size.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:
1. The combination with the truck frame and with the wheels supporting the same,
of clamping levers such as D D connected to said frame by pivots substantially as
shown and described.
2. The combination with a wheeled truck frame of the pivoted clamping levers, the
centrally pivoted rotary disk or wheel having an attached lever and links or bars
pivoted at one end to the clamping levers, and at the other end to portions engaging
the rotary disk or wheel, substantially as described.
3. The combination with the wheeled truck frame having at each side a transverse

page_text: slot a of the clamping levers D D having pivots a adjustable towards and from each
other in the said transverse slots and means for actuating the levers on said adjustable
pivots, substantially as described.
4. The combination with the wheeled truck frame having at each side a transverse
slot of the clamping levers D D having pivots a adjustable towards and from each
other in said transverse slots, a rotary disk or wheel pivoted to the truck frame, and
having an attached lever and links or bars pivoted at one end to the clamping levers,
and at their other end portions engaging said rotary disk or wheel substantially as
described.
5. The combination with a wheeled truck frame having an attached segmental
rack J, of the clamping levers pivoted to the truck frame, the rotary disk or wheel
pivoted to the truck frame and provided with the attached dog I and operating lever G,
and the links or bars pivoted at one end to the clamping levers and at their other end
portions engaging the rotary disk or wheel substantially as and for the purpose
described.
6. The combination with the truck frame and the wheels supporting the same, of the
clamping levers D D, the rack bars E E, the cogwheels F and means for turning the
cogwheel, substantially as described.
7. The combination with the truck frame and the wheels supporting the same, of the
clamping levers D D, the rack bars E E, the cogwheel F, the lever G, the dog I, and
the ratched segment J, substantially as described.
8. The combination with the truck frame and the wheels supporting the same, of
the clamping levers D D, the rack bars E E, the cogwheel F, the levers G, and the
spring H, substantially as described.