Improvements in and relating to Thill-couplings.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 29th Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 29th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 4th Nov., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Thill-couplings.
I, MATTHEW TODD, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at
No. 239 Fourth Street, in the City of New Bedford, County of Bristol, and State
of Massachusetts, one of the United States of America, Machinist, 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 invention relates to that class of thill-couplings in which one-half of the
thill-iron pivot-box is secured to the axle-clip and the other half is hinged to the
first stated half, and additionally secured thereto by means of a band screw passing
through their front portion; and the objects of my improvement are to secure in
devices of this class, durability, simplicity and inexpensiveness, in addition to very
effective anti-rattling capabilities. I attain these objects by the construction
illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a thill-coupling constructed in accordance
with my invention.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the inner end of the thill-iron.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the thill-iron pivot-box open to show
therein the vulcanized fiber bearing for the pivot pin of said thill-iron.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical section of the thill-iron pivot-box.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the vulcanized fiber, vulcanized rubber,
or raw hide bearings removed from the pivot-box.
In said drawings A represents the bow of the clip which is secured to the axle
as usual by a tie plate a and nuts a². Upon the forward arm of the bow of the
clip is formed the lower half A' of a substantially square box designed to receive
the forward pivot-pin d carried by the forked inner end D2 of the thill iron D.
To the rear upper portion of the half box A2 is hinged at a³ the upper half or
cover As of the box designed to receive the pivot pin d. When said cover is down
its front portion is kept from longitudinal or from lateral displacement by two
dowel pins or projections a entering holes c correspondingly located in the half
box A on each side of a screw tapped perforation 6 made therein to receive the
screw-threaded portion of the hand screw or bolt B that is first passed through a
perforation in the cover A³. Within the central portion of the half box A and
also of its cover A³, rectangular bearing blocks E are placed; said blocks consist
of vulcanized rubber, or raw hide, or preferably of vulcanized fiber, that constitutes
a reliable anti-rattling material. Each block has formed therein, lengthwise
thereof a semi-cylindrical groove e, substantially equal to a half-segment of the
cylindrical pin d of the thill-iron; and transversely of each block there is a
narrow groove e² of larger diameter than the groove e to receive a cylindrical
collar de formed upon the pin d, centrally between the forks D' of the thill-iron.
Said forks D' being slightly farther apart than the width of the box AA³; the
collar and a portion of the pin d that is imbedded into the blocks E is well

page_text: cushioned against end-thrust, although said blocks are also protected against undue
lateral pressure by the metallic bearings f for the pin d, formed at each end of
said blocks in the boxes A' A³.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination of a thill-coupling clip having the lower half of a bearing
box on its forward arm, a bearing box cover hinged to said lower half, a screw
passing through said bearing box and cover, yielding bearing blocks E received
into and protected on all sides by said box and cover, with a thill iron having a
pviot-pin provided with a central collar d² received within grooves in the
blocks E, substantially as described.
2. The combination of a thill-coupling clip having the lower half of a bearing-
box on its forward arm, a bearing-box cover hinged to said lower arm, a screw
passing through said bearing box and cover, and dowel-pins on two sides of said
screw, vulcanized fiber bearing blocks received into said box and cover, with a
thill-iron having a pivot-pin provided with a central collar d² received within
grooves e in the bearing blocks, substantially as described.
Dated this 29th day of September 1893.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.