IMPROVEMENTS IN HAND TRUCKS
Year: 1886

page_text: I, RICHARD JAMES SAXTON, of the City of Brooklyn, State of New York, United
States of America, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN HAND TRUCKS and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My invention relates to trucks adapted to the conveying. of fragile articles from
place to place in factories or warehouses, and especially bottles and glassware; and
also a method of constructing the base frame and running gear which may also be
applied to other descriptions of hand trucks.
In the accompanying drawings illustrative of my invention:
Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing truck as it appears when ready for moving.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the upper section or storey thrown back to
give access to the lower storey.
Fig. 3 is an end elevation showing arrangement of the caster wheel
section, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged section of the slides.
partly in
As will be seen from the drawings the body of my improved truck is composed
of two parts or storeys A and B, one above the other, each of which is adapted to
receive one or two tiers or layers of the articles to be carried, so that a large load
can be carried without liability of breakage from a quantity of fragile articles
being piled one upon another. These sections are constructed as follows: Around
three sides of the lower section A, and projecting above its upper edge, is a frame
of iron, a; the ends of this frame project beyond the end of the section A and in
each lateral arm of the frame is cut a longitudinal slot b, extending from a point at
about the center of the side of A almost to the end of the projecting arm. On the
sides of the section B,. corresponding to slotted arms on A, and near its lower edge,
are secured bars of angle iron C, at the middle of which are fixed studs or
trunnions & which project through and engage with the slots b in the frame a.
This arrangement of the trunnions in connection with the frame a is clearly shown
in Fig. 4 of the drawings. Two or more small anti-friction rollers ii are fixed
upon the frame a, at its upper edge upon each side of the truck, and upon them
rests the horizontal member of the angle iron bar, C, the rollers thus carrying the
weight of the section B, and rendering it much easier to handle.
The operation of my truck is as follows. Supposing both sections of the truck
to be filled with goods, and that it is desired to unload it, the upper section B is
first emptied, then it is pushed forward, sliding upon the rollers i i, and the
trunnions d, until the trunnions reach the ends of the slots in the projecting arms
of the frame, a, the section B is then tilted up, revolving upon the trunnions d,
into the position shown in Fig. 2. The ends of the frame a project beyond the

page_text: end of the section A sufficiently to carry B clear of it when turning. This leaves
the lower section A entirely open for unloading. In loading the truck the above
operation is simply reversed. To secure the section B against displacement while
the truck is being pushed about, a latch or bolt e, is placed upon the rear end of B,
as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, which engages with the lower section A. It is
obvious that the mechanical details of the method of attaching the trunnions may
be varied from that shown in the drawings but these changes would not alter the
principle or operation of my truck. It is also obvious that the system may be
applied to trucks with more than two storeys or sections.
Any suitable running gear may be used with the above described body, but the
arrangement composing the second portion of my invention is the one I prefer,
and it is fully illustrated in the drawings.
A rectangular frame g, is formed of a single bar of angle iron, the ends being
welded together, of a size suitable to receive the body. At one end of this frame
are placed two wheels which are connected with the frame by a suitable bolster.
At the other end of the truck I place a single caster or swivel wheel arranged as
follows. An iron bracket, h, is securely connected to the frame g, and supports
the lower portion of the spindle J of the caster wheel, K. This spindle J has a
shoulder at its lower end which bears against the lower side of the bracket hand
receives a portion of the vertical thrust of the truck, and at its upper end it is
stepped into the frames g, as shown at n, in Fig. 3. This arrangement gives two
bearings for the spindle in both the vertical and horizontal directions, which allow
it to revolve freely, and forms a very strong and simple support for the caster
wheel. A pin through, the spindle prevents it from dropping out of place.
The objection heretofore to the use of three wheeled trucks has been that the
caster wheel was so liable to be broken off, but in the above arrangement both of
the bearings or supports of the wheel. are component parts of the main frame of
the truck.
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. A two storey truck the lower storey of which is provided with a slotted slide
along the upper edge of two of its opposite sides, and the upper section connected
therewith by trunnions or studs upon its corresponding sides.
2. In a truck having two or more sections or storeys the lower section A and
slotted arms a, in combination with the section B, and trunnions d, all arranged
substantially as described.
3. In a truck having two or more storeys or sections the lower section A, slotted
arms a, upper section B and trunnions or studs d, in combination with the angle
bars C and rollers i, substantially as described.
4. In a truck having two or more storeys or sections, the combination of the
sections of the body A and B, arranged as described, with the frame g, bracket h
and caster wheel k.
5. In a three wheel truck the combination of an angle iron frame g, and the
bracket h with a caster wheel k whose spindle has bearings both perpendicularly
and horizontal in both the main frame and the bracket has described.
Dated this 21st day of September 1886
HERBERT J. ALLISON,
Agent for the Applicant.