Improvements in and relating to Motor Road Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in and relating to Motor Road Vehicles.
I, ROBERT EDWARD PHILLIPS, of 30, George Street, Hanover Square, London, in
the County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:
This invention relates particularly to motor tricycles but it is applicable to
all other types of motor vehicles, and it consists in the employment of a pair of
struts mounted on the rear of the frame of the vehicle and adapted to be brought
into contact with the ground for the purpose either of acting as a brake or of lifting
the driving wheels clear of the ground so that the motor may be run without
imparting motion to the vehicle, and serving also in the case of tricycles and
similar vehicles as supports to prevent them capsizing backwards.
According to this invention a strut is pivotally attached to each side of any
convenient part of the frame of the vehicle in the rear of the driving wheels and
preferably in close proximity to the said wheels. The position of the struts is
determined by means of rocking quadrants or their equivalents pivotted to the
frame of the vehicle and adapted to engage the struts and be fixed thereto either
to retain them in position for preventing the vehicle tilting backwards, or in
position with their lower ends in contact with the ground for raising the driving
wheels clear thereof.
I prefer to mount both struts on one rocking shaft so that both may be brought
in contact with the ground either to act as a brake or lift the driving wheels
clear of the ground by means of a suitable handle or its equivalent but obviously
one only of the struts may be so arranged, or in case it is intended that the struts
should not act as a brake they may be mounted so as to be operated one inde-
pendently of the other.
Although I prefer to use a rocking quadrant for the purpose of locking the
struts to the frame in their different positions of use, any other equivalent device
may be employed.
When an operating handle is employed the locking quadrants may be connected
therewith, the struts being connected with the frame by means of chains or other
flexible connections which will limit their upward and backward movement when
employed as safety struts.
Dated this 17th day of February 1899.
I, ROBERT EDWARD PHILLIPS, of 30. George Street, Hanover Square, London, in
the County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
[Price 8d.1

page_text: 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 particularly to motor tricycles but it is applicable to
all other types of motor vehicles, and it consists in the employment of a pair of
struts mounted at the rear of the frame of the vehicle and adapted to be brought
into contact with the ground for the purpose either of acting as a brake or of
lifting the driving wheels clear of the ground so that the motor may be run
without imparting motion to the vehicle, which is very convenient in tricycles and
other like motor vehicles not provided with clutch or other disengaging gear.
The struts also serve in the case of tricycles and similar vehicles as supports to
prevent them from capsizing backwards.
In the accompanying drawing which illustrates-by way of example-some
methods of carrying this invention into effect: -
Figure 1 is a broken view in side elevation showing the invention applied to a
motor cycle and adapted to act as a safety strut and as a lifting device.
Figure 2 is a broken view in side elevation showing the invention applied to a
motor cycle and adapted to act as a safety strut, a lifting device and a brake.
Figure 3 is a broken view in side elevation showing one form the invention may
assume when applied to a motor cycle for the purpose of a lifting device only.
Figure 4 is a broken view in side elevation showing another form the invention
may assume when applied to a motor cycle for the purpose of a lifting device only,
and Figure 5 is a broken view in side elevation showing the invention applied to
a motor car and adapted to act as a safety strut or devil a lifting device, and a
brake.
Throughout the views similar parts are marked with like letters of reference.
Referring to Figure 1. The struts A are pivotally attached to any convenient
part of the frame X of the cycle preferably in the rear of the driving wheels and
in close proximity thereto. They are each guided and locking in one or other
of their operative positions by means of a quadrant such as B or its equivalent.
In the position shown in full lines the struts act as safety struts to prevent the
cycle capsizing backwards and in the position shown by dot and dash lines as a
lifting device to raise one or other or both of the driving wheels clear of the
ground, to enable the motor to be run without imparting motion to the machine.
For the sake of distinctness in this and also in the other figures of the accompany-
ing drawing the ground line is shown as dropped instead of the frame as raised.
When it is desired that the struts shall be employed as a brake I prefer the
construction shown by Figure 2 in which both struts are mounted on a rocking
shaft C so that they can be moved and brought into contact with the ground simul-
taneously to act as a ground brake. To enable this to be effected from the saddle
a hand lever such as 1) is mounted on the rocking shaft, and is provided with an
engaging quadrant such as B. It will be obvious that one only of the struts may
be so arranged, or in case it is not intended that the struts should act as a brake
they may be mounted so as to be operated one independently of the other.
the
When the struts are intended to be used as a lifting device only they may
be arranged so as to be supported by the mudguards or their stays when not in
use as shown by Figure 3, or instead of being pivotted to
upper part of the frame of the cycle they may be pivotted to the lower part thereof
supporting the motor or to the motor case itself as shown by Figure 4 in which
case they are splayed out sufficiently in a transverse direction to make a stable
support.
Referring to Figure 5 the strut or struts A are preferably mounted in advance
of the axle of the rear or driving wheels to enable them to be used as devils for
preventing the car from running backwards down hill. Owing to the small
diameter of the wheels used on most motor vehicles it becomes necessary to pivot
the struts in advance of the axle of the rear wheels to enable them to engage
with the ground at the right angle when acting as devils their length has to be
considerably longer than is required for lifting purposes which necessitates their

page_text: being made telescopic as shown or otherwise reducible in length. As all motor
carriages are provided with a clutch or equivalent device to enable the motor to
run free, the lifting device is only serviceable for effecting repairs to the tyres,
and consequently no guiding or locking quadrants or their equivalents are
necessary as the necessary longitudinal stability for this purpose can be obtained
by applying the brake or brakes to the wheels. When it is desired to use the
struts as a ground brake they are mounted on a cross axle such as C which is
provided with an operating hand lever such as D).
Although rocking quadrants are well adapted for the purpose of fixing the struts
to the frames of vehicles in their different positions of use, any other equivalent
device may be employed, but when an operating handle is employed the locking
quadrants may be arranged to act in conjunction with the said handle shown by
Figure 2. Further the struts may be connected with the frame by means of
chains such as E, or any other suitable flexible connections as shown by Figure 2
to limit the upward and backward movement of the struts when employed as safety
struts.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
In combination with a motor vehicle, a pair of struts constructed arranged and
adapted to operate as set forth.
1
T
1000