of Vehicles Drawn by Horses or other Draft Animals.
Year: 1885

page_text: of Vehicles Drawn by Horses or other Draft Animals.
We, JOHN COWELL COLMAN, Builder, and FRANCIS BEAUCHAMP, Engineer, both
of High Cross, Tottenham, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the
nature of the said invention for "NEW OR IMPROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR
ACTUATING THE BRAKES OF VEHICLES, DRAWN BY HORSES OR OTHER DRAFT
ANIMALS" to be as follows: —
Our improved means for actuating the brakes of vehicles drawn by horses or
other draft animals consists in the application for such purpose of the backward
effort of the horse or draft animal itself, exerted through the medium of the
breeching or of the collar, directly, or through the medium of suitable mechanical
devices, upon the brakes. That is to say, when the vehicle is being drawn forward,
the brakes are kept off the wheels by the action of the traces through which the
pull of the animal is transmitted to the vehicle, or by any other suitable means,
but when it is desired to apply the brakes for the purpose of stopping the vehicle
or restraining or retarding its motion, the backward push of the animal is made to
act through the breeching, or through the collar, upon devices which cause the
brakes to be applied.
The apparatus or appliances for utilizing for the above purpose, the backward
effort of the draft animal, may be of any suitable character, according to the
structure of the vehicle; for example, the connexion between the breeching or
collar and the brakes, may be by chains, cords, pulleys, rods, levers and other
mechanical devices, but in cases where shafts or poles are used, we prefer to arrange
so that when the draft animal is backed, the shafts or the pole, as the case may be,
slide or slides backwards bodily, acting through levers or other suitable mechanical
devices so as to apply the brakes to the wheels. In the case of four wheeled
vehicles provided with a fore locking carriage, we employ the following arrange-
ments for enabling the backward effort of the animal to be transmitted correctly
to the brakes, even when the locking carriage is turned at an angle with the body
of the vehicle. We arrange the shafts or the pole to slide as above described in a
right line on the locking carriage, or so arrange the shafts or pole and the locking

page_text: carriage that they will move together backwards to a certain extent on the centre
pin of the locking carriage. Concentric with the said centre pin and connected
with the under side of the body of the vehicle, and adapted to slide lengthwise
thereon, we place a circular segment which is connected by suitable mechanical
devices with the brakes. When the draft is forward, the traction takes effect
through the centre pin in the usual way, but when the draft is backward, the
shafts or the pole, or these and the locking carriage together, move backwards and
a pin or projection on the locking carriage comes to bear against some part of the
outer periphery of the aforesaid circular segment, dependent upon the angle at
which the locking carriage stands at that moment in relation to the body of the
vehicle. The backward pressure of the aforesaid pin or projection upon the afore-
said circular segment, acts upon the latter so as to press it backwards in a direction
lengthwise of the body of the vehicle, thereby bringing into action the mechanical
devices which operate the brakes.
In order to enable the vehicle to be backed by the draft animal without effecting
the application of the brakes, we provide a locking device by which the brake
apparatus can be connected or disconnected to or from the shafts or pole as desired.
We sometimes combine with the above described arrangements devices whereby
the brakes can be applied by the hand or by the foot without bringing into action
the said above described arrangements or jointly with them if and when required.
Dated this seventh day of August 1885.

page_text: of Vehicles Drawn by Horses or other Draft Animals.
We, JOHN COWELL COLMAN, Builder and FRANCIS BEAUCHAMP, Engineer, both
of High Cross Tottenham in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of this 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 accompanying four sheets of Drawings and to the letters and
figures marked thereon:-
Our new or improved means for actuating the brakes of vehicles drawn by
horses or other draft animals relates to the application for such purpose of the
backward effort of the horse or draft animal itself exerted through the medium of
suitable mechanical devices upon the brakes. That is to say when the vehicle is
being drawn forward the brakes are kept off the wheels by the pull of the animal
but when it is desired to apply the brakes for the purpose of stopping the vehicle
or restraining or retarding its motion the backward push of the animal is made to
act upon devices which cause the brakes to be applied.
According to our invention we utilize for the purpose of applying the brakes to
the wheels the backward effort of the draft animal or the tendency for the vehicle
to overrun the animal when on a decline by the arrangements illustrated in the
annexed drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2 are respectively an elevation and a
plan of a wagon with our apparatus applied thereto; Figures 3 and 4 similar views
of a brougham and Figures 5 and 6 similar views of a hansom cab.
In Figures 1 and 2 the apparatus is shown as applied. on the ordinary fore
locking carriage of a wagon. A is the fore locking carriage on which is fixed the
under turning plate B concentric with the centre pin C; B¹ is the corresponding
upper turning plate secured to the under side of the wagon frame. D is the splinter
bar and E the pole. F is a frame connected by the forks F¹ to the splinter bar D
or to the shafts when shafts are employed. The frame F is arranged to slide in a
right line in guides G fixed on the locking carriage A. The rear end of this
frame F is formed as the segment of a circle as shown; H is a bar sliding in suit-
able guides I and having its front end kept against the outer edge of the segmental
part of the frame F by a spring K or other suitable means. This bar H is connected
to the brake blocks L.
It will now be understood that when the draft is backwards the pole E splinter
bar D, and the frame F are forced backwards and the outer periphery of the rear
segmental part of the latter presses the bar H backward also against the action of
the spring K and the brake blocks L are pressed against the wheels. When the
draft is forward or the backward pressure ceases the bar H and the frame F with
the pole E and splinter bar D are urged forward by the spring K and the brake
blocks L are withdrawn from the wheels. It will be seen that when the locking

page_text: carriage A stands at an angle with the body of the wagon the outer periphery of
the rear part of the frame A will still bear by reason of its circular segmental form
against the end of the bar H so that if the frame F is forced backwards even when
the locking carriage stands at an angle with the body of the wagon the bar H will
still be forced back by the. segmental part of the frame and the brake blocks will
be applied in the same manner as when the locking carriage stands in the same
line as the body of the wagon. The rear segmental part of the frame F should be
formed to such a radius that when the brake blocks are applied to the wheels the
said segmental part of the frame shall be concentric, or nearly so, with the centre
pin or perch bolt of the fore locking carriage.
Figures 3 and 4 show a similar apparatus applied to the locking carriage of a
brougham similar letters of reference relating to like parts in all the Figures from
1 to 4 and Figures 7 to 10 inclusive. In this case instead of the rear segmental
part of the frame F acting upon a sliding bar connected directly to the brake
blocks L as in Figures 1 and 2 it acts upon one end of a lever H¹ the other end of
which is connected to a wire cord or chain H2 passing over guide rollers H³ and
connected at its other end to levers H* which carry the brake blocks L. When the
frame F is pushed backward the lower end of the lever H₁ is pushed backwards
also and the upper end moving forward draws the cord or chain H2 which acts
upon the inner ends of the levers Hso as to press their outer ends and conse-
quently the brake blocks L against the wheels. A spring, not shown in the
drawings may be employed to return the frame F, lever H, cord H³, levers H', and
brake blocks L to their normal positions when the backward draft ceases or while
the forward draft is acting on the carriage.
M is a hand lever placed at the side of the driver and connected by a slotted
link N with an arm O on the weigh shaft P carrying the lever H. By this
arrangement the brake blocks can be applied to the wheels by hand independently
of the backward draft of the horse.
Figures 5 and 6 show a brake apparatus applied to a hansom cab, Q is a lever
turning on a fulcrum Q1 secured to the shaft and furnished with a slot Q² for the
attachment thereto of the breeching strap. To the upper end of this lever is
jointed one end of a rod R connected at the other end to the upper end of a lever S
the lower end of which is connected by a wirerope or chain H2 to one end of a
lever H the other end of which carries a brake block L. When the backward
effort of the horse or the tendency of the vehicle to overrun him takes place the
lever is pulled backwards and the brake is applied. This arrangement is by
preference placed at both sides of the vehicle as shown in Figure 6. M is a treadle
lever placed in a convenient position for the driver to act upon, it is connected by
wire cords or chains N to the brake block levers so that the brake can be applied if
desired independently of the backward effort of the draft animal or of the tendency
of the vehicle to overrun it.
Figures 7 and 8 illustrate an arrangement in which instead of a frame sliding on
the locking carriage the locking carriage itself moves backwards on the perch
bolt C, the latter passing through a slot C¹ in the locking carriage, elastic pads or
springs C² being by preference placed at the ends of the said slot to prevent shock
when the end of the slot strikes against the said perch bolt. The circular segment
is in this case fixed directly on the locking carriage.
In order to prevent the brakes from being applied to the wheels when it is
required to back the vehicle we employ the arrangements shown in Figures 9
and 10. In Figure 9 the brake block is connected by a jointed link H with the.
arm Ho of the brake lever, this link rests on a stop H' so that when the vehicle is
going forward and the wheels turning in the direction of the arrow the brake
block is jammed against the wheel but when the vehicle is moving backward and
the wheels turn in the direction opposite to that of the arrow the tendency of the.
wheel is to lift the link of the stop and to free the brake block from contact with
the wheel.

page_text: In Figure 10 a similar effect is produced by the slot H formed in the back of
the brake block causing the said brake block to be jammed between the pin H³
and the wheel when the latter moves forward in the direction of the arrow and to
be freed from pressure on the wheel when the latter moves in the opposite
direction.
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:-
First For the purpose of applying the brakes to vehicles drawn by horses or
other draft animals by the backward effort of such animals or by the tendency of
the vehicles to overrun such draft animals when descending inclines, the use of a
sliding frame with a circular segmental part mounted on the fore locking carriage,
or of a fore locking carriage arranged to slide on the perch bolt and having a
circular segmental part mounted thereon, which circular segmental part acts, in
either case, through suitable mechanical devices, upon the brake blocks to apply
the same to the wheels, as herein before described, and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3,
4, 7 and 8 of the Drawings hereto annexed.
Second In the arrangements for applying the brakes to vehicles, forming the
subject of the first claiming clause hereof, the, devices for preventing the brakes
from acting when the vehicles move backwards, as herein before described, and
illustrated in Figures 9 and 10 of the Drawings hereto annexed.
J. C. COLMAN.
F. BEAUCHAMP.
Per W. H. Beck, Agent.