AN IMPROVED STARTING GEAR FOR TRAMCARS OR OTHER VEHICLES
Year: 1885

page_text: I, EDUARD SCHULTZE, of Wilhelmshaven, in the German Empire, Manufacturer
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "AN IMPROVED STARTING GEAR
FOR TRAMCARS OR OTHER VEHICLES," and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The new starting gear hereinafter described is constructed so that the horse acts
first on the circumference of the wheel by means of a lever connection adapted for
that purpose, and that it only commences to draw the carriage in the usual manner
after the latter has been set in motion by the indirect starting gear.
By this indirect method, one is enabled at the beginning to convert a long travel
of the horse into a short travel of the car, that is to say, to distribute over a longer
period the work necessary for starting the car.
In the accompanying drawings Fig I is a cross section and Fig II a side elevation
of a carriage embodying my invention. Fig III is a cross section and Fig IV a
side elevation of another carriage provided with my starting gear. Figs V and VI
are details. The starting gear comprises a boss or sleeve i, which in the case of
adjustable stationary axles is keyed on the axle, while in the case of revolving axles
it may be fixed to the body of the axle bearing. The grooves I, l formed equally in
the top and in the bottoin of the boss, in combination with the guide-pins k, k
fixed to the lever h, serve to automatically control the position of the said lever,
and therefore the operation of the latter. The lever h may be turned on the boss i
and is connected with it by means of its two guide pins k, k which serve to hold
and guide the lever. A counterweight g is employed to turn the lever back into
its original position.
Two hooks or pawls m fastened to the counterweight y are adapted to engage
with the toothed rim n of the hind wheel.
The discs or grooved pulleys e and f Figs I and II
mounted loose on the vertical pivot of the axle (in
pivoted axle). Strings a, b and c connect the lever
through the attachment d with the horse.
are made of one piece and
the case of carriages with
with the discs e and f, and
The ends of the strings a are connected with the collar or harness of the horse
by means of hooks.
The appliance represented by Figs I and II operates as follows:
When the horse commences to pull, the starting cord a (which is about 40 centi-
meters shorter than the Larness rope), and consequently also the attachment d, are

page_text: drawn forward; this traction causes the string 6 to be unwound from the pulley e
and the string c to be wound upon the pulley f, in consequence of which the lever h
describes a quarter of a revolution until it reaches the horizontal position. By means
of the guide-pins k, k running in the grooves 1, 1 the lever h is caused to approach
the wheel, simultaneously with the turning of the lever, so that the pawls m, m
engage into the toothed rim n of the hind wheel and produce a quarter turn of the
wheel and consequently a forward-motion of the whole vehicle. At the same time
the lever his automatically set out of action by the helical shape of the grooves l, l.
It is only now, that the ordinary harness ropes or draw-gear come into play
(because they are about 40 centimeters longer than the string a), in consequence of
which the extremity of the lever p actuated by the spring o falls into a recess of the
disc f so as to stop the latter and to retain the lever in its horizontal (and dis-
connected) position, until the driver releases the disc f by pressing with the foot on
the pedal g of the lever p. At this mouent the lever h is drawn back into its
vertical position by its counterweight g. During this return motion, the guide
pins k, k, and consequently the lever h, is compelled to follow the outer half or curve
of the groove l, l, to prevent the lever from touching the wheel.
The lever inay, of course, be one-armed or double-armed, simple or in duplicate
(one on each side); instead of a ratchet wheel or toothed ring, other coupling
devices may be employed to connect the lever with the circumference of the wheel,
and the coupling mechanism may be placed under the carriage instead of at the
side.
The combined direct and indirect traction gear may also be arranged as
represented by Figs III, IV and VI, by dispensing with intermediate pulleys or
winding drums.
In this modified form the lever h¹ serves to set in motion the weight g by coming
in contact with the pin b of the latter. The weight g carries the controlling pins k
and the driving pin or pawl m. The lever h¹ is situated underneath the carriage.
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. The combination of the direct draw-gear with a single or double-armed
lever adapted to act on a carriage wheel in such a manner that at the starting of
the carriage the draw gear first turns the wheel by means of the said lever, and
subsequently draws the carriage forward in the usual way, in order to facilitate
the starting of the carriage by temporarily increasing the leverage of the tractive
force.
2. The combination of the temporary traction gear a, b with the subsequently
acting traction gear d, adapted to operate in such a manner, that the traction
gear a b begins to act alone and subsequently allows and induces the direct traction
by means of the traction gear d, substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated this 10th day of January 1885