Improvements in and relating to Waggons and the like Vehicles adapted to be Drawn by Draught Animals.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 14th June, 1894-Accepted, 14th July,
1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Waggons and the like Vehicles
adapted to be Drawn by Draught Animals.
I, JOHN JARVIS, of 11 Back Goree, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster,
Team Owner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My present invention relates to waggons and the like vehicles adapted to be
drawn by horses or other draught animals, and has reference more particularly to
the shafts and other means for attaching the horse to the waggon, and the object
of the invention is to provide improved means to relieve the horse of the weight
of the shafts, to mitigate the suddenness of the strain on the horse when starting
the waggon, and to prevent the harness catching against the hooks on the shafts
after it has been detached.
According to my invention, I support each of the shafts separately, preferably
between two strong projecting portions of the frame of the under carriage to
which the front axle is attached; the draw bar passes through these four projecting
portions, and each shaft is pivoted thereon after the manner of a knuckle joint,
with the exception that the hole in the shaft, through which the draw bar passes,
is elongated in the direction of the length of the shaft, so as to allow the latter a
limited longitudinal play. Each shaft is connected to the under frame or the front
axle by means of a spring, the point of attachment to the shaft and inclination of
the spring being such that the latter, in addition to pulling the shaft towards the
draw bar, tends to lift it, the draw bar acting as a fulcrum. It will be seen
therefore that the springs serve to support the weight of the shafts and that, when
the horse starts, his pull is exerted gradually on the waggon, as the resistance of
the interposed springs has to be overcome before the forward play of the shaft
in the elongated holes is arrested.
In some cases, I prefer to house the springs in the shaft itself; this I accomplish
by providing in each shaft a hole extending axially along the centre of the shaft
from the rear end up to the elongated hole; a spiral spring under compression is
inserted in this hole, which spring bears against the draw bar and presses the
shaft back till the forward end of the elongated hole bears against the draw bar,
the rear of the spring being held by a suitable strap screwed to the shaft.
The action in this latter form of my invention is similar to that described, with
the exception that the spring does not now tend to support the weight of the shaft ;
the rear end of the shaft may however be provided with a counter balance or a
second spring may be used.
I have found that after the harness has been detached and the horse is being
withdrawn from the shafts, the chains of the breeching straps are apt to become
entangled in the hooks on the shafts. I therefore arrange these hooks so that they
swivel in a horizontal plane, their points being protected in their fore and aft
positions by a cover plate which forms the top of the fixing which carries the
book.
D
101 1
1002
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26, Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Waggons and the like Vehicles
adapted to be Drawn by Draught Animals.
I, JOHN JARVIS, of 11 Back Goree, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster,
Team Owner, 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 :-
My present invention relates to waggons and the like vehicles adapted to be
drawn by horses or other draught animals, and has reference more particularly to
the shafts and other means for attaching the horse to the waggon, and the object
of my invention is to provide improved means to relieve the horse of the weight of
the shafts, to mitigate the suddenness of the strain on the horse when starting the
waggon, and to prevent the harness catching against the hooks on the shafts after
it has been detached.
In the accompanying drawings which illustrate my invention,
Fig. I is an elevation of the fore part of a waggon to which my invention is
applied, the near wheel being removed and one of the shafts being shown partly in
medial section;
Fig. II is a plan of the same, the upper or body part of the waggon, and a part
of the framing of the under carriage being removed to more clearly show the
arrangement of the springs; and
Figs. III and IV are detail views of the hook.
Each of the shafts 1 is supported separately, preferably between two strong
projecting portions 2 of the frame of the under carriage to which the front axle 3
is attached; the draw bar 4 passes through the shafts and the four projecting
portions 2 as shown in Fig. II. Each shaft is thus pivoted after the manner of a
knuckle joint, with the exception that the hole 5 in the shaft, through which the
draw bar passes, is elongated in the direction of the length of the shaft, so as to
allow the latter a limited longitudinal play.
Each shaft is connected to the under frame, or front axle 3 by means of a
spring 6, the points of attachment being such that the spring tends to lift the main
part of the shaft, about the draw bar as a fulcrum, and thus serves to support the
weight of the shaft. This spring may also be adapted to pull the shaft towards,
the draw bar till the latter bears against the forward end of the elongated hole, s0
that when the horse starts, his pull is exerted gradually on the waggon, as the
resistance of the spring has to be overcome before the forward play of the shaft is
arrested.
Generally, however, I prefer to provide for the limited forward play of the shafts
by housing the springs 7 in the shafts, as shown in the drawings.
This I accomplish by providing, in each shaft, a hole 8 extending axially along
the shaft from the rear end up to the elongated hole 5. The spring 7 is inserted
in this hole and bears against the draw bar 4, or against a block 9 through which
the draw bar passes, and presses the shaft back till the draw bar, or the block,
presses against the forward end of the elongated hole; the rear of the spring is
held by a suitable strap 10 screwed to the shaft. This strap 10 may conveniently
carry a hinged piece 11 to which the spring 6 is attached by suitable links, one of
which, 12, is adapted to adjust the tension of the spring.
It will be seen that, in the arrangement illustrated, the spring 6 serves to relieve
the horse of the weight of the shafts, and the spring 7 serves to mitigate the
suddenness of the strain on the horse when starting the vehicle.
As the shafts will, according to the arrangement described, be supported by the
springs 6, it is only necessary, when the horse has to be removed, to detach the
harness and allow the animal to walk out. I have found however that the chains

page_text: of the breeching straps are apt to become entangled in the hooks on the shafts, and
a restive borse is often injured in consequence.
In order to avoid the chance of entanglement, I form the hooks to which the
barness is attached, as shown in Figs. III and IV which are respectively an
elevation and a plan. The hook 13 is adapted to swivel about its pin 14 and it is,
in its fore and aft positions, housed under the cover plate 15 which effectually
protects the point of the hook against accidental engagement with or disengagement
from the harness. The cover plate may conveniently be integral with the fixing
which carries the hook and the pin 14 may be adapted to pass through the shaft as
shown, the tangs 16 serving to prevent rotation of the fixing about the pin.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said.
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what
I claim is ;-
1. The improvement in waggons which consists in articulating the shaft
separately to the under carriage, the holes in the shafts through which the draw
bar passes being elongated, and the rear end of each shaft being connected to the
under carriage by a spiral spring whose points of attachment are such, that the
said spring supports the shaft and is adapted to gradually transmit the pull of
the horse to the waggon before the rear end of the elongated hole in the shaft.
engages with the draw bar; substantially as described and illustrated.
2. The improvement in waggons which consists in articulating the shafts to the
under carriage as described, each shaft having an elongated hole through which
the draw bar passes, and a spring such as 6 attached to its rear end and adapted to
support it, and being also provided with a spring 7 housed in the shaft and adapted,.
when the horse begins to pull, to be compressed before the rear end of the elongated
hole engages with the draw bar; substantially as described and illustrated.
3. The improvement in hooks adapted for the attachment of harness to waggons
and the like; substantially as described and illustrated.
4. The combination and arrangement of parts forming the improvement in.
waggons, substantially as described and illustrated in Figs. I and II.
Dated this 12th day of June 1894.
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26, Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicant.