Improved Means of connecting Draught Animals to Vehicles and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 20th June, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Mar., 1897-Accepted, 20th Sept., 1897.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of connecting Draught Animals to Vehicles and
the like.
I, THOMAS HARGREAVES BRIGG, of Thornton Road, Bilford, Yorkshire, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improved means of carrying out the improved system
(now well known as the "Brigg Easy Haulage System,") of connecting draught
animals to vehicles, ground implements and the like having fore and aft axles
and wheels or other fore and aft bearings upon the ground, for which Letters
Patent No. 3321 of 1891, were granted to me, and in which, the co-operation of
two oppositely acting forces brought to bear on the animal's fore quarters is
effective in automatically determining and giving the animal the benefit of the
most effective angle of draught at each movement of its progress, as more particu-
larly appears in the Specification of such Patent; the Invention having particular
reference to a modification of the means of carrying out such system described in
the Specifications of other Patents Nos. 21938 of 1894, and 7964 of 1895, also
granted to me, which has been designed with the object of rendering the easy
draught attachment more readily applicable to existing vehicles having shafts
pivotally connected to the fore part of the fore-carriage in an ordinary manner,
so as to reduce the cost of applying the attachment to such vehicles.
In the improved device, both the automatically operating lifting force and also
the counter-operating force brought into action by the draught of the animal,
operate directly on the shafts, through which the resultant force is applied to the
animal, as described in the Specification of said Patent 21938 of 1894; and the
device also operates in throwing part of the weight of the load onto the animal's
hind quarters through the breeching, when backing, thereby enabling it to have
a better control over the vehicle at such time, as described in the Specification of
said Patent 7964 of 1895; but the improved hauling attachment may be applied
without any connection with the breeching to vehicles wherein the connection is
not desired.
According to the present modification; I apply the shaft-lifting springs, and
also the means by which the hind ends of the traces are 'connected to the vehicle,
each, in an adjustable manner, to brackets or behrings icommon thereto and
depending from and bolted to the under side of the fore part of the fore-cairiage;
and I apply the means respectively for taking the thrust of the lifting springs,
for deflecting the traces between and above their points of attachment to the
animal at the collar and to the vehicle at their rear ends, and for deflecting the
breeching between and forwardly of its attachments to the traces and its passing
behind the animal, all, directly and at respectively appropriate parts to the shafts,
which remain pivotally attached to the fore-carriage in an ordinary manner, so
that they may be turned up in relation to the fore-carriage and 'vehicle without
interference by their supporting springs, and may be used in backing and guiding
the vehicle in an ordinary manner; all such parts being so relatively applied,

page_text: respectively to the fore-carriage and to the shafts, as, when the animal is har-
nessed to the vehicle and is at work, to become co-operative therewith in perform-
ing the required functions of hauling, backing and guiding the vehicle, and in
attaining all the advantages incidental to the said improved system of haulage.
In an advantageous arrangement of carrying said modification into effect, each
shaft-lifting spring is applied to its supporting bracket in an adjustable manner,
to permit of its lifting force being conveniently adjusted, and its forwardly pro-
jecting free end is arranged to engage with and to apply its lifting thrust to the
under side of a grooved roller mounted in a bearing bolted to the under side of a
forward part of the shaft, so as to permit of the shaft being turned up about its
pivotal connection to the fore-carriage without interference by the spring. In
vans or heavy vehicles, the spring-carrying bracket may be stayed back to the
connection of the fore-carriage to its supporting spring or to any convenient part
of the fore-carriage.
The rear end of each respective trace (through which the counteracting force
is applied to the relative shaft) is connected to the vehicle by means of a lever
supported by the same bracket as supports its respective shaft-lifting spring, the
rear arm of the lever being adapted to engage in an adjustable manner with the
bracket, so as to obtain a heaving there-against when its forward arm is connected
to the trace end and the animal is in draught, and so as to prevent the lever from
falling when the animal is at a standstill. The trace extends from its connection
to the lever, over a deflecting pulley supported below the shaft by a bearing
bolted thereto, and is connected at its forward end to the animal at the collar in a
usual manner. When the device is arranged so as, with the object aforesaid, to
be operative in throwing part of the load on to the animal when the latter is
backing, a connection from the breeching to the trace is deflected forwardly by
a roller supported in a bearing bolted to the upper part of a'forward part of the
shaft.
D1
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LT1000
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
Chartered Patent Agents,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agents for the 'Applicant.
Improved Means of connecting Draught Animals to Vehicles and
the like.
I, THOMAS HARGREAVES BRIGG, of Thornton Road, Bradford, Yorkshire, Engineer,
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 improved means of carrying out the improved system
(now well known as the "Brigg Easy Haulage System,") of connecting draught
animals to vehicles, ground implements and the. like having fore and aft axles
and wheels or other fore and aft bearings upon the ground, for which Letters
Patent No. 3321 of 1891, were granted to me, and in which, the co-operation of
two oppositely acting forces brought to bear on the animal's fore quarters is
effective in automatically determining and giving the animal the benefit of the
most effective angle of draught at each moment of its progress, as more particu-
larly appears in the Specification of such Patent; the Invention having particular
reference to a modification of the means of carrying out such system described in
the Specifications of other Patents Nos. 21938 of 1894, and 7964 of 1895, also

page_text: granted to me, which has been designed with the object of rendering the easy
draught attachment more readily applicable to existing vehicles having shafts
pivotally connected to the fore part of the fore-carriage in an ordinary manner,
so as to reduce the cost of applying the attachment 'to such vehicles.
In the improved device, both the automatically operating lifting force and also
the counter-operating force brought into action by the draught 'of the animal,
operate directly, on the shafts, through which the resultant force is applied to the
animal, as described in the Specification of said Patent 21938 of 1894; and the
device also operates in throwing part of the weight of the load onto the animal's
hind quarters through the breeching, when backing, thereby enabling it to have
a better control over the vehicle at such time, as described in the Specification of
said Patent 7964 of 1895; hut the improved hauling attachment may be applied
without any connection with the breeching to vehicles wherein the connection is
not desired.
According to the present modification; I apply the shaft-lifting springs (a),
and also the means (g) by which the hind ends of the traces (f) are connected to
the vehicle, each, in an adjustable manner, to brackets or bearings (6) common
thereto and depending from and bolted to the fore part of the fore-carriage (c);
and I apply the means (d, h, k) respectively for taking the thrust of the lifting
springs, for deflecting the traces between and above their points of attachment
to the animal at the collar and to the vehicle at their rear ends, and for deflecting
the breeching between and forwardly of its attachments to the traces and its
passing behind the animal, all, directly to and at respectively appropriate parts
of the shafts; which remain pivotally attached to the fore-carriage (at e,) in an
ordinary manner, so that they may be turned up in relation to the fore-carriage
and vehicle without interference by their supporting springs, and may be used in
guiding and backing the vehicle in an ordinary manner; all such parts being so
relatively applied, respectively to the fore-carriage and to the shafts, as, when
the animal is harnessed to the vehicle and is in draught, to co-operate therewith
in performing the required functions of hauling, guiding and backing the vehicle,
and in attaining all the advantages incidental to the said improved system of
haulage.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the fore-part of a two'axled wheeled vehicle
(a two ton lurry being shown, by way of example,) having a fore-carriage and
shafts pivotally connected to the fore-part thereof in an ordinary manner, show-
ing the same as 'adapted with the present improved draught device, and the latter
as connected with the breeching; but, as aforesaid, the improved draught device
may be applied without any connection with the breeching to vehicles (such, for
example, as private carriages) wherein the connection is not desired.
Fig. 2 represents a plan thereof.
In the drawings, the ordinary parts of the vehicle are shown in plain dotted
lines.
a represents the shaft-lifting springs, each of which is supported by a bracket b,
depending from and bolted or otherwise conveniently. secured to the under side
or fore-part of the fore-carriage c, and is adjustably applied thereto by means of
opposite clutch-plates a¹, b', and a connecting bolt and nuts 62, or otherwise in any
suitable manner which will permit of its lifting force being conveniently adjusted
as circumstances may require; the forwardly projecting free end of the spring
being arranged to engage with and to apply its lifting thrust to the underside of
a grooved roller d³, mounted in a bearing d, bolted to the underside of a forward
part of the shaft d, in such a manner as to permit, when the animal is disconnected
from the vehicle, of the shaft being turned up about its pivotal connection at e,
to the fore-carriage, without interference by the spring. The bracket b, may, if
required, be further stayed back to the connection of the fore-carriage to its
supporting spring or to any convenient part of the fore-carriage.
The rear end of each respective trace f, (through which 'the counter-acting

page_text: force is applied to the relative shaft d,) is connected to the vehicle by being
hooked, as at f', to the forwardly extending arm of a lever g, which is supported
by the same bracket b, as supports its respective shaft-lifting spring a, a rear-
wardly extending arm of the lever being adapted to engage in an adjustable
manner, by means of an adjusting screw g', or otherwise, with the bracket, so as
to obtain a bearing there-against when its forward arm is connected to the trace-
end and the animal is in draught, and is also adapted, as at g², to engage with
the bracket so as to prevent the lever from falling when the animal is at a stand-
still. The trace extends from its connection to the lever,over a deflecting pulley h,
supported below or at the side of the shaft by a bearing h¹, bolted thereto, and
is connected at its forward end to the animal at the collar in a usual manner.
When the device is arranged so as, with the object aforesaid, to be operative in
throwing part of the load onto the animal when the latter is backing, a connection i,
from the breeching to the trace f, is deflected forwardly by a roller k, supported
in a bearing k¹, bolted to the upper part of a forward part of the shaft.
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 appliances for connecting draught animals to vehicles and the like of the
nature aforesaid in which a supporting force and a counter-acting downwardly
bearing force are caused to co-operate for the purposes aforesaid; the improved
arrangement of parts designed to render the appliance more readily applicable
to existing vehicles having shafts pivotally connected to the fore-part of the fore-
carriage in an ordinary manner, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 22nd day of March 1897.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
Chartered Patent Agents,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.