Improvements in Road Wagons and similar Vehicles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 7th May, 1895-Accepted, 13th July, 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Road Wagons and similar Vehicles.
I, ANDREW WILLIAM JACKSON BEST, of Arcadia, in the County of De Soto,
and State of Florida, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertamed in and by the following statement.-
My invention relates to road wagons and similar vehicles, and particularly to
vehicles adapted to be propelled by motors employing steam, electricity or gas
power, and the objects in view are to provide a simple, inexpensive and efficient
construction of running gear whereby the vehicle may be readily operated without
Jarring or straming the structure, and whereby the same may be guided with
facility by a ider stationed upon a platform supported by a real truck of the
vehicle.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following
description and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the
appended claims.
In the diawings :-
-
Fig. 118 a perspective view of a vehicle constructed in accordance with my
invention.
Fig. 2 18 a bottom plan view of the same.
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the clutch devices for engagement with a diving
or traction wheel.
Fig 5 is a detail view of the hood, the shoe operating therein, and the connected
portions of the hounds.
Fig. 6 is a detail view showing the inner end of the hub of one of the driving
wheels to show the clutch face carried thereby.
Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figues of
the drawings.
1 designates a horizontal framework comprising a central reach 2, which is
pivotally connected at its front end to the center of the front axle 3 and is rigidly
attached at its rear and to a cross-bar 4 and rearwardly divergent side braces 5
attached at their front ends to the reach adjacent to its front extremity and attached
at their real ends to the parallel side bars 6 of the rear truck. These side bars 6
are connected near then front ends by the above-described transverse bar 4 and at
their rear ends by a transverse bar 7.
In bearings 8 formed in said parallel side bars is the rear axle 9, having an
intermediate angular portion 10, reduced rounded portions 11 mounted in said
bearings, similar angular portions 12 which are disposed beyond the sides
of the framework, and terminal rounded portions 13 upon which are mounted
the driving or traction wheels 14. These driving or traction wheels are
loosely mounted for independent rotation upon said rounded terminal portions
of the ear axle, and their hubs are provided with clutch faces 15 for
engagement with complementary faces of the clutch members 16, which are
slidably mounted upon the adjacent angular portions of the axle. Theso clutch
members 16 are peripherally grooved, as shown at 17, for engagement by the
yokes 18 of the pivotal levers 19, which are connected, respectively, to hand
levers 20 mounted, in a platform 21, which is supported by the rear truck. By
means of these levers either of the clutches may be thrown into or out of engage-
ment with its respective wheel. Fixed to the cential or intermediate angular

page_text: portion of the axle is a gear 22, which meshes with a suitable gear 23, supported
by the framework and adapted to be operated by a motor not shown, of any suitable
or preferred construction.
The front axle 3, is preferably constructed of a plurality of pieces or parts
united so as to break joint aud form a rigid construction and above the same and
bearing thereon is a bolster-block 24, wlioh is adapted to support the front end of
a vehicle body, not shown. Attached to this front axle are the hounds 25 having
the central, longitudinally-disposed bar 26, the parallel side bais 27, and the
inclined braces 28, which converge toward their tent ends and are secured to the
rear extremity of the central bar 26. Secured to the rear ends of said central and
side bars 26 and 27 is a transverse connecting bar 29. The central bar 26 19
extended in rear of the connecting bar 20 and 18 reduced to form a pintle 30 upon
which is loosely swiveled a shoe 31, said shoe having a straight front side and a
segmental rear side which is mounted sludably in a similarly shaped hood 32 secured
in a transverse position to the upper surface of the main framework. The shoe 18
provided upon its front side with buffers or pillow-blocks 33 adapted to bear against
the rear ends of the side bars 27 which extend slightly in rear of the rear side of
the connecting bai 29 The central portion of the shoe bears against a shoulder 34
at the junction of the reduced portion or pintle 30 with the main or body portion
of the bar 26, and as the mounting of this shoe upon said pintle is loose, and as the
shoe is capable of a slight vibration or rocking movement on the pintle as a center,
it will be seen that either one, but not both, of the buffers or pillow-blooks may be
brought into contact with the en ends of the push-bars 27 according to the
position of the front axle with relation to the main portion of the framework of
the vehicle.
A steeg bar 35 is centrally pivoted to the underside of the reach, between the
same and a bracket 36 which is attached to said reach, and the oxtremities of this
steering-bar are connected by means of links 37 with the front axle upon opposite
sides of its central or pivotal point, and one arm of the said steering bar is connected
by means of a rod 38 with the lower end of a steering-lever 39 fulcrumed upon the
main framework below tlle above-described platform said level extending up
through a slot 40 in the platform within reach of an operator stationed adjacent to
the hand-levers by which the clutches are manipulated
From the above description it will be seen that the forward impulse imparted by
the motor and acting through the driving or traction wheels is conveyed to the
main frame of the vehicle, and thence through the hood 32 and loose or swiveled
shoe 31 to the push-bars which are carried by the Hounds attached to the font
axle, and as these pushers are arranged at their ends in contact with the front axle
upon opposite sides of its center, and as the shoe shifts according to the position of
the front axle to bear against the rear end of the push-bar which is attached to the
rearmost end or portion of sand front axle, the propulsion of the machine does not
interfere with the accurate operation of the steering mechanism. Therefore the
vehicle may be readily stected from the rear platform, as above indicated, without
difficulty and without danger of slipping or losing ground in turning corners.
In rounding curves with a vehicle of the class described, in which the power is
applied from the rear or by pushing the front or steering axle there is a tendency
to resist the forward' muveinent of the wheel on the inside of the curve, both from
the fact that the tuner wheel carries the major portion of the weight and is that
wheel toward which the turn is made. Therefore, if motion is communicated, to
the front axle through a bugle central push-bar difficulty would be experienced in.
properly steering or directing the movement of the vehicle. To obviate this
difficulty I employ the side push-bars 27'which are not brought into use except
when the vehicle is rounding a curvo. When tlie vellicle 18 turned to the right,
thus throwing tlie night-hand steering wheel in rear of the left-hand wheel;.the
right-hand push-bar which bears against the axle to the right of its center. 18:
brought into use, thus transferring the forward pressure to a point nearer the wheal
which offers the greater resistance.

page_text: By the above arrangement of parts the forward motion of the vehicle is
communicated to the steering axle solely by means of the hood 32 and shoo 31 and
the swinging frame 25 which carries said shoe, and by the pivotal arrangement of
the shoe the point of application of the forward pressure is transferred from the
center to either side of the center of the front or steering axle, to suit the position
of such steering axle, or the direction of movement of the vehicle.
It will be understood that in practice various changes in the form, proportion and
the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the
principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.
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
1. In a vehicle of the class described, the combination with a main framework,
rear traction wheels, a front axle pivotally connected to the framework, and means
for turning said front axle to guide the vehicle, of push-bars attached at their front
ends to the front axle upon opposite sides of its center, a hood rigidly attached to
the main framework and a shoe loosely swiveled at its center to the front hounds
operating in said hood and adapted to bear at either end against the rear extremity
of said push-bars, substantially as specified.
2. In a vehicle of the class described, the combination with a framework, rear
driving or traction wheels, a front axle pivotally connected to the framework,
means for turning said front axle to guide the vehicle, and hounds extending from
the front axle and provided with a central longitudinally-disposed bar, of push-bars
arranged upon opposite sides of said central bar and bearing at their front ends
against the front axle, a hood fixed to said framework, and a shoc swiveled upon
the rear extremity of said central bar and provided at its extremities with buffer
or pillow-blocks to bear against the rear extremities of the push-bars, substantially
as described.
3. In a vehicle of the class described, the combination of a supporting framework
having a central longitudinal reach, parallel side bars connected by cross-bars 4
aud 7, said reach being attached at its rear end to the cross-bar 4, rearwardly-
divergent braces attached at their front ends to the reach and at their rear
ends to the side bars of the framework, a seginental hood attached to the
upper side of the reach, a front axle pivotally connected to the front end of the
reach and carrying steering-wheels, push-bars attached at the front ends to
the front axle at opposite sides of its pivot point, a central bar 26 airauged
between and parallel with said push-bars and terminating at its rear end in a
reduced pintle, a shoe swiveled upon said pintle and adapted to bear at either end
against the rear extromities of said push-bars, said shoe being provided with a rear
segmental side to fit and operate in the segmental hood, a steering bar pivotally
connected to the reach and loosely connected at its extremities by interposed links
with the front axle, a steering-lever operatively connected with said steering-bar,
a rear driving axle loosely mounted in the framework, means for communicating
motion to said rear axle, driving or traction wheels loosely mounted upon said rear
axle, and clutch devices for securing the driving or traction wheels to the axle,
substantially as described.
Dated the 7th day of May 1805
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.