Improvements in Shaft Harness for Horses and other Animals.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 18th May, 1897-Accepted, 19th June, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Shaft Harness for Horses and other Animals.
I, FREDERICK LEE, of 65, Long Acre, in the County of London, Saddler and
Harness Maker, 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 :-
This invention relates to harness of the kind used for harnessing a horse or other
animal between shafts, and to that class of such harness wherein short traces are used
between the collar and the front ends of the shafts, the chief object of my. invention
being to provide more efficient means than heretofore for connecting the loops on the
ends of the shafts to the harness.
According to my invention I make use of a metal tug having a buckle for attach-
ment to the back band at the upper end, and an eye for the attachment of the belly
band at the lower end. This metal tug is provided with suitable recesses for
receiving parts of the loop upon the end of the shaft and with a hinged clip for
retaining the loop in position relatively with the tug. The short trace which is
attached to the hame tug is advantageously adapted to exert its pull upon my
improved metal tug instead of upon the end of the shaft, and to permit of this the
said short trace at its rear end is inserted through a slot or opening in the said metal
tug and provided with a metal head or plate for preventing it from being pulled
through the said slot or opening.
To enable my invention to be fully understood, I will describe the same by reference
to the accompanying drawing, in which :-
:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved tug:
Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; and,
Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.
a is a metal casting forming the tug proper, the said casting having at one end
the buckle 6 for attachment to the back band, and at the lower end the loop c for
attachment to the belly band. The said casting a is formed with a hook shaped
portion d in which the top of the loop upon the end of the shaft will lie, the said loop
being indicated in Figures 1 and 2 by the dot and dash lines e. The said hook d
is formed with a central slot f, below which in the body of the tug is a channel g
in which slot and channel the usual cross bar 4 of the loop will lie. Pivoted above
the hook d is a cap or clip i which can be turned up as indicated by the dotted
lines in Figure 1 to permit of the loop e being applied to the tug and then turned
down, as indicated by the full lines in the said figure in order to lock or clip the
said loop in position relatively with the tug, the said clip being held down by means
of a strap; passing through a loop k at the bottom of the tug and through a link /
on the free end of the said clip. m is the hole or slot formed in the tug for receiving
the short trace n, the said short trace having secured to its rear end a metal plate or
enlarging piece o as clearly shewn in Figure 3, to prevent the said trace from being
pulled through the said hole.
With this arrangement it will be understood that when the shaft loops are placed
in the tugs they are immovable relatively with the same which is of considerable
advantage especially when descending hills; and furthermore, that as the traces are
quite independent of the shafts, it is only necessary to unbuckle the straps j and open
the clips in order to disconnect the shafts from the harness.
In order to prevent the loops from rattling in the tugs, I advantageously line or

page_text: cover the nooкs a, a and the cups 2, with india rubber, as indicated at pin
Figures 1 and 2.
Although I have described the short traces as being applied to the tugs so that the
pull is directly exerted upon the tugs, the said short traces may, if desired, be
attached to the shaft loops.
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. In harness of the kind herein before described, a metal tug provided with a
clip for receiving and holding the loop upon the shaft end, substantially as
described.
2. The combination with a metal tug having a clip for holding the shaft loop of
a short trace connected to the said tug, substantially as described.
3. The manufacture and use of the improved harness tug, hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dal 101
CM1807
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.