AN DIPROVED BREAK AND SUPPORT FOR ROAD VEHICLES, MORE ESPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SUCH AS HAVE ONLY TWO WHEELS to be as follows:-
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
We HENRY GRIST and MATHEW STEELE both of Horsham in the County of
Sussex Engineers do hereby declare the nature of our invention for "AN DIPROVED
BREAK AND SUPPORT FOR ROAD VEHICLES, MORE ESPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SUCH
AS HAVE ONLY TWO WHEELS to be as follows:-
"
The object of our invention is to provide an improved break or skid applicable
more particularly to two wheeled, and also to other vehicles, which as well as
checking the motion of the vehicle will relieve the back of the horse or horses from
the weight of the vehicle when descending steep hills, and will at the same time
allow freedom of action to the springs of the vehicle to which it may be attached
and by which the wear of the tyres consequent on the use of breaks of the usual
construction will be avoided.
According to our invention we employ one or more breaks or skids to press on
the surface of the road attached to the vehicle and controlled by a series of parts
hereinafter described, in such manner that it or they can either be elevated, so as
to be safely out of the way under the vehicle, or can be brought down and pressed
on the road so as to check or stop the forward motion of the vehicle and afford
support to the horse by taking part of the weight off his back.
We employ a frame or arm preferably of steel or iron, securely fixed to the axle,
and projecting forward towards the front of the vehicle; this frame carries one or
more stems actuated and controlled by a crank and connecting rod and may be shod
at the end with iron or steel shoe or shoes which I make of peculiar shape or revolving
or otherwise For light vehicles we make the stem with one or more leaves of
spring steel, or we employ a spiral spring on the connecting rod to give elasticity,
or we make the top frame to act as a spring; we prefer to work the crank with a
worm and cogwheel, but in some cases we make use of a lever and catch, or
a treadle movement for the foot according to the construction and weight of the
vehicle.
nated this nighth day of March 1884
NEWNHAM BROWNE,
Agent for the Petitioner,

page_text: We HENRY GRIST, and MATTHEW STEELE, both of Horsham, in the County of
Sussex, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of our Invention for "An
IMPROVED BREAK AND SUPPORT FOR ROAD VEHICLES, MORE ESPECIALLY ADAPTED
FOR SUCH AS HAVE ONLY TWO WHEELS" and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The object of our Invention is to provide an Improved Break or skid applicable
more particularly to two wheeled, and also to other vehicles which as well as
checking the motion of the vehicle will relieve the back of the horse or horses from
the weight of the vehicle when descending steep hills, and will at the same time
allow freedom of action to the springs of the vehicle to which it may be attached,
and by which the wear of the tyres consequent on the use of breaks of the usual
construction will be avoided.
According to our invention we employ one or more breaks or skids to press on
the surface of the road attached to the vehicle and controlled by a series of parts
hereinafter described in such manner that it or they can either be elevated, so as
to be safely out of the way under the Vehicle, or be brought down and pressed on
the road so as to check or stop the forward motion of the Vehicle and afford
support to the Horse by taking part of the weight off his back.
We employ a frame or arm preferably of steel or iron securely fixed to the axle
and projecting forward towards the front of the Vehicle; this frame carries one or
more stems actuated and controlled by a crank and connecting rod and which stem
or stems may be shod at the end with an iron or steel shoe which I make of
peculiar shape-We employ a spiral spring on the connecting rod to give
elasticity We work the Crank arm with a worm and cog wheel or in some cases
we make use of a lever and catch, according to the construction and weight of the
Vehicle, In order that our Invention may be fully understood we shall now refer
to the sheets of drawings annexed to this our Specification and indicate the
respective parts by the letters of reference marked thereon. Fig. 1. is a side
elevation of a dog cart to which our invention is attached-Fig. 2 is a front
elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the shoe or skid with its
attachment to the lever M-Fig. 4 is a plan of the shoe; Fig. 5 is a view of the
under sido of the same and Fig. 6 is a transverse section of it through the
line y. Fig. 7 is side elevation of a modified form of the apparatus in which
the screw apparatus is replaced by a lever-A is the axle tree of the cart; B and C
aro arms rigidly fixed to the axle tree; D is a spindle keyed at one end in the
toothed quadrant E, and at the other to the arm F. G is. a handle by which the
break is applied; H is a connecting rod terminating in the universal joint 1, by
which the motion of the handle is transmitted to the endless Screw J;-K is a
horizontal bar connected to F by a pin f working in the slot g and by the spiral
spring L one end of which is hooked on the pin f and the other end to the pin or
stud forming part of the bar K. The other end of the bar K is jointed to the
upper end of the lever M which is attached by the fulcrum pin m to the fixed
arm C. The other arm of the lever M. carries at its lower end a skid or shoe V
which is bolted to it as shown in Fig. 3.
Figs. 4 and 5 represent respectively the upper and under side of the shoe and
Fig. 6 a section through the line x y.
The action is as follows. When the handle G is turned the endless screw J is
revolved and the cogged quadrant E depressed on its axle D which is thereby

page_text: turned and which carries with it the arm F which is thereby moved back wards
carrying with it the connecting rod K and the upper end of the lever M thereby
bringing the lower arm of the lever M forwards and downwards thereby pressing
the shoe or skid on the surface of the road in which position it is shown in Figs. 1
and 2.
Fig. 7 represents a modification of the same apparatus in which the screw
apparatus is replaced by a lever and may be constructed to either carry one or two
skids or shoes one on one side only or, two, one on each side of the vehicle. A is
the axle tree of the cart C is one of two arms rigidly attached to the axle tree A;
D is a spindle keyed to the lever P, or when constructed with one skid, instead of
a spindle D may be a fixed stud, on which the parts inove and in that case the
lever P will have a long boss on which the arm Q will be fixed-R is a connecting
rod jointed at one end to the arm Q and at the other end to the upper arm of the
lever M which works on the fulcrum pin m attached to the bar C. The lower end
of the other arm of M carries the skid or shoe.
The spring arrangement shown at N is similar to that shown at L (Fig 1.)
S is a notched plate which is made to move within certain limits so as to
accommodate the movement of the body of the cart on the springs by being
attached to the cart by a pin at one end and by two spiral springs at the other
end. The shoe or skid may be made of wrought iron or steel but I prefer to make
it of chilled cast iron.
It will be observed that in these breaks the apparatus is attached to the axle tree
of the vehicle so as not to interfere with the free action of the springs on which
the body of the vehicle rests, and that the break or skid is applied to the road at a
point in advance of the wheel base and exercises a lifting power on the fore part
of the vehicle and relieves the horse of a considerable portion of the weight which
would otherwise fall on its back when descending a hill.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
1. Constructing attaching and actuating breaks for common road vehicles
substantially in the manner and for the purposes described and set forth.
2. Constructing the shoes for such brakes substantially as described and set forth.
Dated this Eighth day of December 1884.