Improvements in or appertaining to Farm Wagons or similar Vehicles.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Jan., 1891-Accepted, 28th Mar., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or appertaining to Farm Wagons or similar
Vehicles.
A communication from abroad by HANS JAMES GOULDBERG, of Cambridge, County
of Isanti, State of Minnesota, United States of America, Merchant.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:―
This invention relates to improvements in the running gear of ordinary farm
wagons and similar vehicles, its object being to provide a gear which shall combine,
with great strength and durability, comparatively light weight, simplicity of con-
struction and low cost; and consists in employing almost exclusively in its
construction I, T and similar types of bar steel to secure the greatest strength
with the least weight; in forming the axles of two steel bars in elliptical form; in
connecting the axles together by means of a tubular, telescoping reach; and in
removably securing, in the ends of the axles, reversible spindles, upon which the
wheels are fitted and turned in the ordinary manner.
This invention further consists in the construction and combination hereinafter
described and particularly pointed out in the claims.
:-
In the accompanying drawings forming part of this Specification:
Figure 1 is a plan view of the running gear, showing the arrangement and
connections of the various parts;
Figure 2 is a front end elevation of the same;
Figure 3 is a side elevation of the same;
Figures 4 and 5 are respectively a detail plan view and side elevation of the
connection between the reach and forward axle ;
Figures 6, 7 and 8 are respectively detail plan, side and end elevations of the
end of an axle ;
and
Figures 9 and 10 are respectively side and end views of the reversible spindle,
Figures 11 and 12 are sectional details of the reach.
In the drawings: :-
A, represents the forward axle and B the rear axle, both similarly formed
and made up of the upper and lower members 2 and 3 of T steel bars, elliptically
curved and rigidly secured together at the ends by means of the blocks 4
welded between. These blocks 4 are bored out in line with the axis of the
axle, to receive one end of the double spindle or axle arm 5, a cross bar or
standard 6 being secured between the members 2 and 3 of the axle, and provided
with a central screw threaded opening in line with the openings through the
block 4, and into which is screwed the inner end of the spindle 5, a lock nut 7
being preferably screwed upon the inwardly projecting threaded end of the
spindle, and bearing against the cross bar 6 to firmly secure the spindle in the
axle, the collar 8 of the spindle bearing against the outer face of the block 4.
The outwardly projecting end of the spindle enters the hub box of the wheel,
and is secured therein in the ordinary manner. Secured upon the top of the
forward axle A is the head block 9 formed also of T steel and preferably
secured to the bar 2 by means of straps 10 riveted or bolted to both the bar
and head block. Supported upon the head block is the bolster 11, formed of
I steel with each end cut tapering on the under side, as shown.

page_text: At each end of the bolster is arranged the standard 12 formed of T steel
and provided with suitable braces 13. These standards 12 serve to hold the
wagon body in place upon the bolsters or retain, in proper position any load
which may be placed upon the bolsters without a wagon body, as in the ordinary
construction of wagon.
The king bolt 14 is secured to the bolster and axle by means of the loops 15,
riveted to the respective parts and serving as bearing boxes for the bolt. The
lower member, 16, of the fifth wheel is formed of T steel, the ends of which are
carried forward between the upper and lower members of the axle, to which they
are rigidly secured. Through the ends of the bar 16 is passed the bolt 17, which
serves as a pivotal support for the wagon pole in the ordinary manner, suitable
braces 18 connecting the ends of the bar with the ends of the axles. The upper
member, 19, of the fifth wheel may be made of flat bar steel or any other preferred
form and connected by the bars 20 with the head block 9, over which they are
passed and rigidly secured to the ends of the lower member 16 in front of the axle.
The bolster 21 of the hind axle B is formed of T steel, rigidly secured to the
upper member of the axle by means of the straps or bars 22, riveted thereto. The
reach braces 23 and 24 are rigidly secured respectively to the upper and lower
members of the axle, with their forward ends riveted together on each side of
the reach.
This reach is preferably constructed of steel pipe, one member 25 of which is
pivotally connected to the forward axle by means of the loop or eye 26, through
which the king bolt passes, and which is pivotally secured between the straps 35
rigidly secured to opposite sides of the reach, whereby vertical and lateral pivotal
movement is permitted between the reach and forward axle, thus constituting a
universal joint between them. Suitable bearing plates 27 are riveted upon the
upper and lower sides of the reach, and bear against the upper and lower members
of the fifth wheel, thus preventing wear upon the reach itself. The inner and rear
member 28 of the reach is rigidly secured at one end to the rear axle by means of
a nut, 29, threaded upon a bolt 30 fixed in the end of the tube and projecting
through a cross bar or block 31, secured between the two members of the axle, the
tube 28 being arranged within the other tube 25, whereby the distance between the
two axles may be varied by simply sliding the tubes upon each other. In order to
hold the reach at any desired adjusted length, a set screw 32 is arranged, threaded
into a bearing block 33, which is held in a slot in the collar 34, secured between the
ends of the opposite braces 23 and 24, and through which the tube 25 passes,
the block having freedom of circumferential movement in the collar. It will thus
be seen that, when the set screw is secured upon the tube, the tube is prevented
from moving longitudinally through the collar, but is allowed to turn partially in it,
by means of the arrangement of the block 33 in the collar, and thus a slight rocking
or turning movement of one member of the reach upon the other is allowed to
accommodate the wagon to the inequalities of surface over which the wheels pass,
without straining the parts.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, 1 declare that what I claim is
:―
1. In a wagon, the combination, with the axles thereof, of reversible spindles
adapted to be secured thereto by screwing one of the tips of each spindle into a
threaded opening in said axle, whereby the spindle is held rigidly in place and
adapted to carry a wheel upon its outer end, substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
2. In a wagon, the combination, with the axle formed of two elliptically curved
members, of blocks rigidly secured between their meeting ends, having openings
therethrough registering with each other, cross bars between said axle members
having screw threaded openings registering with the openings in said blocks, double
or reversible spindles removably arranged in the openings in said blocks and with

page_text: their threaded tips screwed into the openings in said cross bars, substantially as
described.
3. In a wagon, the combination of the curved axle members 2 and 3, the blocks 4
secured between their adjacent ends having openings therethrough in line with the
axis of the axle, standards 6 secured between the members 2 and 3 and having
screw threaded openings in line with said axis, reversible spindles 5 removably
inserted in the openings in said blocks with their tips screwed into said standards,
and set nuts 7 screwed upon the tips projecting through the standard 6, substantially
as described.
4. In a wagon, the combination, with the axles thereof, of a tubular metallic
reach composed of telescoping members, the outer member having universal joint
connection with the forward axle and the inner member being rigidly secured to the
rear axle and extending forward within the outer member, braces extending forward
from the rear axle to said reach, a collar uniting the forward ends of said
braces and surrounding the outer member of said reach, and a set screw carried
by said collar and engaging said outer member, substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
.
5. In a wagon, the combination, with its axles of a telescoping tubular reach, the
outer member being connected by a universal joint to the forward axle, and the
inner member rigidly connected to the rear axle, braces from said rear axle to said
reach, a collar connecting said braces and surrounding said reach, a block carried
by said collar and having freedom of circumferential movement, and a set screw
threaded in said block and bearing upon the outer member of said reach, substan-
tially as described.
6. A metallic wagon running gear comprising in combination a skeleton or frame
made up of flanged or ribbed bars, a tubular telescoping reach, and reversible
spindles rigidly but removably secured to the axles, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
7. A wagon axle comprising in combination a pair of oppositely arched or
elliptically curved T steel bars, with the cross web of the bar forming the inner
concave side, blocks rigidly connecting the adjacent ends of the bars, axle
openings therethrough, fixed cross bars between the axle members having axial
threaded openings therethrough, and reversible spindles arranged in the openings
in said block, and with their tips screwed into said cross bars, substantially as
described.
Dhe 10th dor of Tonu 1801
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.