Vehicles Drawn by Horses or other Draught Animals.
Year: 1886

page_text: Vehicles Drawn by Horses or other Draught Animals.
I FRANCIS BEAUCHAMP, of High Cross, Tottenham, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said 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 three sheets
of Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon that is to say :-
My invention relates to improved means or apparatus applied to vehicles drawn
by horses or other draught animals, for the purpose of applying the brakes to the
wheels of such vehicles when the horse or other draught animal presses backwards
or when in descending an incline the vehicle has a tendency to overrun the animal
drawing it.
Various attempts have been made to devise apparatus for this purpose, but all,
so far as I am aware, have been more or less imperfect, especially when applied to
four wheeled vehicles with the usual front locking carriage, in which case their
application has necessitated a special construction of certain parts of new vehicles
and serious alterations to certain parts of old vehicles when it is desired to apply
them thereto. The object of my present improvements is to obviate these
inconveniences and to simplify and cheapen the construction of the apparatus.
For this purpose I employ the mechanical arrangements shown in the drawings
hereto annexed, in which Figure 1 represents an underside view of the front part
and locking carriage of an omnibus or other four wheeled vehicle, and Figure 2 a
longitudinal section through the centre of Figure 1.
A is the part of the underframe of the vehicle through which the perch bolt B
passes. C is the upper locking plate secured to the underframe of the vehicle, and
which rests as usual on the lower locking plate D fixed on the bar E of the locking
carriage, to which are fixed the shafts or a pole Fas usual. G is a metallic cross
bar or frame, formed with or fixed on the lower end of the perch bolt B with or
on which it is free to turn. His a bar or bolt firmly secured in or to the bar E of
the locking carriage so as to stand at right angles thereto. The ends of the bar or
bolt H pass through holes in the ears or lugs G¹ of the metallic cross bar G, and
are free to slide to and fro therein a spring I being provided to prevent shock in
case of a sudden pull by the horse. When the horse pushes backwards, the locking
plate D assumes the position with reference to the plate C shown in Figures 1 & 2

page_text: of the drawings, at which time the plate D presses against a lever arm J connected
by a rod, J¹ to the brake lever J' fixed on a cross shaft K, turning in bearings L
secured on the underframe of the vehicle. This cross shaft K has fixed or formed
on its outer ends arms M, to which the brake blocks N are attached by means of
the links O. These brake blocks act on the hind wheels of the vehicle. The
lever arm J is constantly pressed forward against the edge of the locking plate D
by a spring or by the weight of the brake blocks N, acting through the links O,
arms M, shaft K, lever J³, and rod J¹, or by other suitably arranged counter
weight.
It will now be understood that when forward traction is exerted through the
shafts, or through a pole F, as the case may be, the locking carriage is drawn
forward and compresses the spring I, until the plate D coincides with the plate C,
and becomes concentric, or nearly so, with the perch bolt B. The lever arm J
follows, under the action of its spring or its counterweight, the forward movement of
the plate D, and the brake blocks are taken off the hind wheels and the vehicle is
free to be drawn forward. When the forward tractive effort is stopped, and the horse
backs, or the vehicle begins to overrun the horse, as in going down hill for example,
the locking carriage is moved backwards under the body of the vehicle, the bar or
bolt H slides in the ears or lugs G₁ of the cross bar G, the plate D takes the
position shewn in the drawings, pressing by its edge the lever arm J backwards,
and thereby applying the brake blocks N to the hind wheels.
When the locking carriage is turned at an angle, the edge of the plate D will
when the locking carriage is pressed backwards by the backward action of the
borse, or by the overrunning of the vehicle towards the horse, still act upon the
lever arm J and apply the brakes, as the circular curvature of the edge of the
plate D is in most cases sufficiently near to the theoretically correct form to enable
it to act with practically equal effect on the lever arm J whatever position the
locking carriage can be made to assume, especially when the said locking carriage
is so arranged that it cannot be turned beyond a certain angle..
Figure 3 shows the application of the above described arrangements to a carriage
with a well. The lever J is acted upon by the edge of the plate D in the same
way as in Figures 1 and 2. Its fulcrum is at Js, and its upper end J* extends into
the "boot" Q, and has connected to it a chain J' which passes over the top of the
well and under suitable guide rollers to the brake levers carrying the brake
blocks N.
In order to prevent the brake blocks from acting on the hind wheels when it is
required to move the vehicle backwards, the connection of said brake blocks to the
arms M (see Figures 1 and 2) is effected by the links O, pin jointed at one end to
the arms M, and at the other to the brake blocks N so as to form a kind of
parallel motion. The joints of these links O to the arms M are made square at
the bottom or are otherwise fitted with stops which prevents the said links from
falling below the horizontal position although they are free to assume an upwardly
inclined position. When by the forward traction, the brakes are drawn away
from the wheel as before described, they are held suspended, as it were, on the
ends of the links O, which are then supported in a more or less horizontal position
by the square form of their joints in the arms M, or by the stops provided for that
purpose. When, as the vehicle is still moving forward, the wheels revolving in
the direction of the arrow, the horse backs or the vehicle overruns the horse, as in
going down hill for example, the locking plate D pushes the brake blocks N into
contact with the wheels, and as the said brake blocks are held up by the links O
they exert friction upon the wheels, and the motion of the latter in the direction
of the arrow tends to wedge the blocks more tightly between the wheels and the
arms M. But when the vehicle is moved backwards, that is to say, when the
wheels are caused to revolve in the direction opposite to that indicated by
the arrow, the brake blocks N, although pressed backwards by the action of the
locking plate D, as before described, do not exert pressure upon the wheels,
because the direction of motion of the latter now tends to lift the brake blocks

page_text: upwards, (the links ○ being free to turn upwards on their joints in the arms M),
and to reduce automatically the pressure thereof on the wheels, so that in fact
they merely press by their own weight against the wheel, but exert little or no
braking effect upon them, the tendency being to raise the brake blocks N out of
contact with the wheels. Instead of connecting the brake block N to the arm M
by the links O as in Figures 1 and 2 it may be connected thereto by bolts passing
through slots therein (see Figure 2A). As the wheel revolves in the direction of
the arrow it tends to force the wedge shaped block N downwards and to jam it
between the arm M and itself, so as to exert a braking effect upon the latter, but
when the wheel revolves in the opposite direction it tends to lift the wedge shaped
block N upwards, and to prevent automatically any braking action thereof on the
wheel.
Figures 4 and 5 illustrate means whereby the forward and backward tractive
effort of the horse or other animal may be made to take off or apply the brakes to
the wheels of a cart or other carriage; Figure 4 being an elevation of a cart, and
Figure 5 a plan of the under frame of same with the back part of the body R
removed. The body R of the cart rests on the underframe S, and is free to slide
longitudinally thereon but is held securely thereto by bolts or studs projecting
from the under side of the body, passing through slots T in the underframe, such
bolts or studs being furnished with nuts or pins at their lower ends. The brake
blocks N are connected to an arm M, preferably by links O as shown in Figures 1
and 2, or by bolts as shown in Figure 2A, and the said arm M is secured at its
upper end to the body R of the cart. The traces are connected directly to the
body R, as at U for example, (see Figure 5), and the breeching to the false shafts V,
as at W,,connected to the same. It will now be understood that when the traction
is forward, the body R is drawn forward on the underframe S to an extent limited
by the play of the bolts or studs longitudinally in the slots T, or by suitable stops
provided for that purpose, and the brake blocks N are thereby drawn forward also
out of contact with the wheels. If however the horse backs, or the cart overruns
the horse, the body is pushed back wards on the underframe through the breeching
and the brakes are applied so long as the wheels continue to revolve in the
direction of the arrow, the tendency in that case being to tighten the brake
blocks N between the arm M and the wheel, in the manner already explained.
But when the cart is moved backwards so that the wheels revolve in the direction
opposite to that shown by the arrow the brakes are slackened in the manner
already described in connection with Figures 1 and 2.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I desire to have
it understood that I am aware that in apparatus for actuating brakes by the
back ward effort of the draught animal, or by the tendency of the vehicle to overrun
such draught animal, the use of a locking carriage arranged to slide under the
body of the vehicle on the perch bolt by means of a slot in the said locking
carriage, is not novel, nor is it novel to operate the said brakes in such cases by
means of a special circular segment mounted on the locking carriage, nor is it
novel to connect a brake block to the brake arm by a single link jointed thereto
as above described, and I make no claim to such appliances generally, but I declare
that what I do claim is:-
First. For the purpose of applying the brakes to the wheels of vehicles drawn
by horses or other draught animals by the backward effort of such animals, or by
the tendency of the vehicles to overrun such draught animals, the employment of
an ordinary locking carriage, upper and lower circular locking plates, a perch bolt
with a cross bar or frame, in or on to which the locking carriage is free to slide
longitudinally, and devices for transmitting the sliding motion of the said locking
carriage to the brakes, all arranged, combined, and operating substantially as
herein before described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the Drawings hereto
annexed.

page_text: Second. For the same purpose, the employment of a cart or carriage body, with
an underframe on which it is free to slide longitudinally, the said cart or carriage
body having the brakes connected thereto, all arranged, combined, and operating,
and 5 of the
substantially as herein before described, and illustrated in Figures
drawings hereto annexed.
Third. In arrangements for applying the brakes to vehicles by the backward
effort of the draught animal, the employment of two linke for connecting each
brake block to its brake arm, the said links being prevented from falling below
the horizontal position, but left free to be raised above it, and to operate auto-
matically to prevent the brakes from acting when the vehicle moves backwards, as
herein-before described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings hereto
annexed.
Fourth. In arrangements for applying the brakes to vehicles by the backward
effort of the draught animal, the employment of brake blocks arranged to slide
vertically on their brake arms by the action of the wheels so as to prevent the
braking of the said wheels when the vehicle moves backwards, as herein before
described, and illustrated in Figure 2ª of the drawings hereto annexed.