IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR LOADING WAGGONS WITH HAY, STRAW, AND OTHER LIKE PRODUCTS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Draughtsman, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR LOADING
WAGGONS WITH HAY, STRAW, AND OTHER LIKE PRODUCTS."-A communication
from abroad by William Hervey Elliot, of the City of New York, in
the United States of America.
Sealed the 8th May 1866, and dated the 2nd March 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 2nd March 1866.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
LOADING WAGGONS WITH HAY, STRAW, AND OTHER LIKE PRODUCTS," to be as
follows:-
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the operation of loading
waggons with hay, straw, and other like products, and to secure the same
in position. The apparatus consists of a light open frame, denominated a
rack, which is mounted upon the running gear of a waggon, and consti-
tutes the waggon body and a wide platform for receiving and supporting

page_text: either hay or straw At or near the middle of the length of this rack are
transverse beams, which are suitably framed into the longitudinal beams of
the rack, and upon these beams a hollow crane post is rigidly secured in
an upright position. The crane post extends up a considerable distance,
so that when the rack is loaded the upper end of this post shall project a
short distance above the top of the load. This post carries at its upper
end a circular plate or flange, the circumference of which is concentric to
the axis of the post, and in its circumference are a number of radial
notches arranged diametrically opposite each other. The head of the crane
arm is constructed with a cylindrical stem or axis projecting from it and
entering the upper end of the post, The enlarged head of the crane arm
is supported upon the upper end of the post and allowed to turn freely
about its axis. Three rods constitute the arm of the crane, and these rods
are secured at their outer ends to a block of metal, and at their inner ends
to the crane head. There is a central sliding rod between the two rods of
the crane arm, and carrying a latch secured to it near the circumference
of the flange, which latch is guided between jaws or in a slot formed in
the head. One end of the rod passes freely through the crane head, and
is acted upon by a coiled spring enclosed within a recess in the head. This
spring tends to draw the rod towards the head, and when the rod is
released at its outer end the spring will draw the latch up against the
periphery of the flange on the post and lock the swinging arm. The
outer end of the rod passes loosely through the short arm of a cranked
lever mounted in the block at the end of the swinging arm, and is fitted
with a head which bears against the arm of the crank lever. This lever is
acted upon by another spring which bears against its short arm, and through
the rod compresses the coiled spring before menționed. A fork is suspended
by a rope from the long arm of the crank lever to receive the hay or straw,
the weight of which compresses the crank lever spring and allows the
coiled spring to draw forward the latch and lock it into a notch of the
flange. The fork is constructed with, say, four or five tines. The fork is
fitted with an eye piece to receive the end of the pendent rope. The
mode of loading the rack with hay is as follows:-The waggon having
this rack and crane upon it is drawn up to a haystack or pile of hay, and
the fork is seized by a person and plunged into the stack. When loaded
the weight of the load will release the sliding rod and its latch, and the
fork with its load of hay is now swung round with the crane arm over the
waggon or rack to a certain point, when the latch will spring into a notch
in the flange, and thus lock the crane arm to the post.
The load can now

page_text: be discharged from the fork upon the waggon, after which the crank lever
spring will draw the latch out of its notch and release the crane arm again,
so that it can be swung round and the fork brought back to the haystack.
If desirable the upper end of the swing rope to which the fork is attached
may be attached to a drum or windlass, so that this fork with its load can
be elevated by winding up the rope. Instead of having the swing rope so
that it can be wound upon a drum as above stated, the fork and its load
may be elevated by providing for elevating the crane arm, either by
swinging its outer end upward or by moving this arm up and down bodily.
For securing the load of hay upon the rack a sliding ring is applied to the
crane post, and to this slide three or more ropes are attached at regular
distances apart, which ropes are of sufficient length to pass over the load
upon the rack, and to be attached to the longitudinal and cross bars of
the rack. When the rack is loaded, the ring or slide is drawn up, and the
ropes drawn down tightly over the load and fastened to the rack, thus
compressing and confining the load in place upon the rack. When the
waggon rack is loaded the crane arm can be removed from the crane post
so as to be out of the way.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent
:Office on the 1st September 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
'unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special licence that I, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR LOADING WAGGONS WITH

page_text: HAY, STRAW, AND OTHER LIKE PRODUCTS," being a communication from abroad;
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
I
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the operation of loading
waggons with hay, straw, and other like products, and to secure the same
in position. The waggons adapted for transporting such products as hay
and straw are according to this Invention provided with a crane post
having a swinging arm, from which arm a fork is suspended by a rope.
The swinging arm of the crane is provided with a locking device which is
so constructed that it will lock the arm of the crane to its post in certain
positions of this arm while the fork is loaded, and when the load is dis-
charged will unlock the said arm and allow it to swing freely, so that the
fork can be drawn back to a position for receiving upon it another load.
There is also applied to the crane post a sliding plate, ring, or other suitable
clamp, in conjunction with guy ropes which are attached to the clamp and
also to the rack or waggon body for the purpose of compressing and con-
fining the load upon the waggon.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of
the rack of a hay waggon provided with a crane, having a fork suspended
from the outer end of its swinging arm according to this Invention; Fig. 2
is an elevation of one end of a rack having a crane mounted upon it;
Fig. 3 is a top view of the crane arm and the notched plate on the upper
'end of the crane post; Fig. 4 is a vertical central section through the crane
arm and through the upper end of the crane post, showing the construc
tion of the locking device; Fig. 5 is a top view of the fork, which wher
in use is suspended from the short lever at the outer end of the crane arm
Fig. 6 is a side view of the fork. Similar letters of reference indicate
corresponding parts in the several Figures.
A represents a light open frame which may be denominated a rack; it is

page_text: mounted upon the running gear of a waggon and constitutes the waggon
body and a wide platform for receiving and supporting either hay or straw.
At or near the middle of the length of this rack A are transverse
beams a, a, which are suitably framed into the longitudinal beams running
through the centre of the rack, and upon these beams a, a, a hollow crane
post B is rigidly secured in an upright position. The crane post extends
up a considerable distance, so that when the rack is loaded the upper end
of this post shall project a short distance above the top of the load. This
post carries at its upper end a circular plate or flange 6, and in its circum!
ference a number of radial notches c, c, c, c, are cut, the same being
arranged in pairs, as shewn in Fig. 3, arranged diametrically. The post B
may be made hollow through the whole or a portion only of its length.
The head C of the crane arm D is constructed with a cylindrical stem or
axle C', which projects down from it and enters the upper end of the
post B, as shown in Fig. 4. The enlarged head C of the crane arm is
supported upon the upper end of the post B and allowed to turn freely
about its axis. Three rods d, d, d¹, constitute the arm of the crane, and these
rods are secured at their outer ends to a block of metal e, and at their
inner ends to the crane head C, as shown in Figures 1, 3, and 4. There
is a central sliding rod g between the two rods d, d, of the crane arm.
This rod has a latch g¹ secured to it near the circumference of the flange b,
which latch is guided between jaws or in a slot formed in the head C.
One end of the rod g passes freely through the crane head C, and is acted
upon by a coiled spring enclosed within a recess in the head, as shown in
Fig. 4. This spring h serves to draw the rod g towards the head C when
the rod g is released at its outer end, and bring the latch g¹ up against the
periphery of the flange b on the post B and thereby lock the swinging
arm D. This will take place when the arm D is swung round so as to
The outer end of the rod g
bring the latch opposite one of the notches c.
passes loosely through the short arm of a cranked lever J mounted in a block
at the end of the swinging arm, and has a head formed on it, which head is
held against the pendent arm of the crank lever J by the spring hat the
The crank lever J is pivotted in a vertical
opposite end of the rod g.
plane in a slot formed in the block e, and this lever is acted upon by
another spring k, which presses its short arm outward to the position shewn
in Figures 1, 2, and 4, and through the rod compresses the spring / when
there is no load upon the fork G. The fork G is suspended by a rope R
from the long arm of the crank lever J. When loaded with hay or straw
the weight compresses the crank lever spring k and allows the coiled
:

page_text: .
spring to draw forward the latch g₁ against the flange b and into one or
the other of the notches in this flange. The fork which it is preferred to
use is constructed with. four or five tines j,j, some of which project up-
ward and outward from the fork handle, and some project downward and
outward from the handle, as shown in Figures 1, 2, 5, and 6. Such a fork
is better adapted for retaining a load of hay upon it than the common pitch
fork, the common pitch fork will however be found to answer a very good
purpose. The fork. G has an eye piece 7 applied to its handle near the end
from which the tines project, and to this eye piece the lower end of the
swing rope R is attached, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The mode of
loading the rack A with hay is as follows:-The waggon having this rack
and crane upon it is drawn up to a haystack or pile of hay, and the fork G
is.seized by a person and plunged into the stack. When loaded the weight
of the load will release the rod g and its latch g, the fork with its load of
hay is now swung round with the crane arm over the waggon or rack A to
a certain point, when the latch g¹ will spring into a notch c in the flange b
and thus lock the crane arm to the post B. The load can now be dis
charged from the fork upon the waggon, after which the spring & will draw
the latch g¹ out of its notch and release the crane arm again so
that it can
be swung round and the fork G brought back to the haystack.
fork G. is not loaded the crane arm can be. swung entirely round, but when
this fork is loaded the crane arm can only be swung one quarter of a circle
either toward the rear or toward the front of the waggon rack. If
desirable the upper end of the swing rope R to which the fork is attached
may be attached to a.drum or windlass, so that this fork with its load can be
elevated by winding up the rope. Instead of having the swing rope R so
that it can be wound upon a drum, as above stated, the fork and its load
may be elevated by providing for elevating the crane arm either by
swinging its outer end upward or by moving this arm up and down bodily.
Fig. 1 illustrates a mode of securing the load of hay upon the rack A.
This mode consists in having a sliding ring or a sliding plate of any suit-
able form applied to the crane post B, as shewn at r. To this slide three
or more ropes s, s, s¹, are attached at regular distances apart, which ropes
are of sufficient length to pass over the load upon the rack and to be
attached to the longitudinal and cross bars of the rack. When the rack is
loaded the ring or slide r is drawn up and the ropes drawn down tightly
over the load and fastened to the rack, thus compressing and confining the
.load in place upon the rack. When. the waggon rack is loaded the crane
arm can be removed from the crane post so as to be out of the way.
When the

page_text: Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improved
Apparatus for Loading Waggons with Hay, Straw, and other like
Products," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I
wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent, I claim,-
First, the adaptation to waggon bodies or racks of a crane constructed
and operating in conjunction with a hay fork, as above described.
And, secondly, the application of a slide and bracing ropes to the
crane post and waggon body or rack, substantially as and for the purpose
described,
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the 29th day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)