Year: 1895

page_text: A communication from JAMES HOUGHTON, of Brantford, in the County of Brant,
in the Province of Ontario, Canada, Carpenter.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to the construction of thill couplings and possesses the
advantages of simplicity of construction, ease and speed of adjustment from shafts
to pole and vice versa, without the removal of bolts, screws or nuts of any description
whatever.
The device also contains within itself the means of holding up the shafts off the
ground without any springs, under-props or similar devices; it also possesses
greater strength than the present style of thill couplings, and has nothing to get out
of order to prevent them from lasting as long as the vehicle to which they are
attached.
The invention'further has the advantage of being easily adapted to old vehicles,
and its peculiar eonstruction prevents it from rattling.
The improved thill coupling consists of an iron box or jaw one end of which is
elongated to pass under the fore axle and be fastened thereto by a clip secured by
nuts this clip passes through a circular opening and a slot the latter is for the
purpose of allowing it to be adapted to different sizes of axles.
The said box is constructed at its outer end with a circular-shaped lug with a
round shaped opening in it on one side and a similar open lug on the opposite
side having the upper part cut away leaving an open space which is for the
purpose of allowing a T shaped head on the shaft to enter and fit and operate in
the circular recess in the box. The cross piece of the said T shaped head is
cylindrical in form to fit the corresponding shaped bed in the box and the ends are
conical in order to facilitate the entrance of the head to the box. A flat spring is
secured at one end to the side of the head having its outer end bent slightly
inwards to conform to the conical end, for the purpose of taking up any little
wear that may possibly take place to the parts in the course of time. An iron
plate is cast or otherwise united to the centre of the cylindrical portion of the iron
head giving it the T shape, this is welded to the thill irons to which the wood shafts
are bolted.
The means provided for holding up the shafts from the ground may be described
as follows:-
:-
A portion of the lug is cut away leaving a square projection on the inner side the
space between the lugs being a little more than the width of the iron forming the
tail of the T shaped head. A corresponding square shaped recess is cut out on
the underside of this iron which receives the said square projection when the shaft is
elevated nearly perpendicularly and pushed over in the said recess of the lug, the
shaft being held up by the projection of the lug entering the notch in the shaft
iron. To release the shafts all that is necessary to do is to pull over the shaft
sufficiently from the projection so that the iron drops down between the lugs.
There are two shoulders on the said iron which impart firmness strength and
support to the lugs also helping to keep the head from rattling.

page_text: An opening will be formed in the bottom centre of the box for the outlet of dust
that might collect under the head.
It will be observed that there are only two parts of the device proper, the box
and the shaped head, and that they can be united instantly to complete the
coupling of the shafts to the axle, and as quickly removed without the necessity of
bolts, nuts, pins or other similar devices to hold them together. And it will be
further observed that the head may be of chilled iron and made to fit in the
corresponding recess of the box A which together with the spring attached to the
head will prevent any possible rattling of the parts when the vehicle to which
they are attached is in motion, as the movement is exactly that of a noiseless
hinge.
It will be observed that the above description refers to the coupling when the
shafts are attached to the front axle as in comninon use, there are some classes of
vehicles however, such as so-called broughams etc., constructed with the shafts or
pole secured to a cross piece or splinter bar fastened to the front part of a
vehicle, in which case the boxes of the device may be secured thereto as
desired, and the T shaped heads affixed to the shafts or pole and coupled to
the said box or boxes secured to the splinter bar or its equivalent device instead of
the axle.
Dated this 10th day of January 1895.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
A communication from JAMES HOUGHTON, of Brantford, in the County of Brant,
in the Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada, Carpenter.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, 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 reiates to the construction of thill couplings and possesses the
advantages of simplicity of construction, ease and speed of adjustment from shafts
to pole and vice versa, without the removal of bolts, screws or nuts of any description
whatever.
The device also contains within itself the means of holding up the shafts off the
ground without any springs, under-props or similar devices; it also possesses
greater strength than the present style of thill couplings, and has nothing to get
out of order to prevent them from lasting as long as the vehicle to which they are
attached.
The invention further has the advantage of being easily adapted to old vehicles,
and its peculiar construction prevents it from rattling.
In the accompanying drawings ;-
Fig. 1, is a plan view of a thill box embodying one part of the invention.
Fig. 2, is a side view of the same.
Fig. 3, is a plan view of a T shaped head embodying the second part of the
invention.
Fig. 4, is a plan view of the thill coupling showing the first and second parts
united.
Fig. 5, is a side view of thill coupling united at one end to an axle by a clip and
at the forward end to the butt of the shaft.
Fig. 6, is a side view of thill coupling showing how the shaft is held up from the
ground without prop or other similar support.

page_text: Fig. 7, is a side elevation of that part of the coupling which is shown in plan in
Fig. 3.
A is a box or jaw one end of which is elongated to pass under the fore axle B
and be fastened thereto by a clip C secured by nuts D as seen in Fig. 5, this clip
passes through a circular opening a and a slot b (Fig. 1); the latter is for the
purpose of allowing the box to be adapted to different sizes of axles.
The said box is constructed at its outer end with a circular-shaped lug c
with a round opening d in it, and with a similar open lug c¹ on the opposite side
having the upper part cut away as at d', Fig. 1, leaving an open space which is for
the purpose of allowing the head E on the shaft to enter and fit and operate in the
circular recess in the box A. The said head E is cylindrical in form to fit the
correspondingly shaped bed in the box A, and the ends are conical as shown at ii,
Fig. 3, in order to facilitate the entrance of the head to the box. A plate is cast
or otherwise united to the centre of the cylindrical portion of the head E giving it
a T shape; this plate can be welded to the thill irons to which the wood shafts are
bolted.
The metal plate F and head E may be formed solid or divided in the centre as
shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7 of the drawings, this latter construction allows the
head E to spring outwardly against the sides of the opening d of the box A, and so
fill the space as to prevent rattling of the parts without any necessity of springs or
other device to accomplish that result the wear of the parts, is also, by the same
means, taken up, and they operate as a noiseless hinge.
The means provided for holding up the shafts from the ground may be described
as follows
A portion of the lug c is cut away leaving a square projection e on the inner side
of the lug, the space between the lugs being a little more than the width of the
iron F attached to the head E. A correspondingly squared recess 9 is cut out on
the under side of this iron F which receives the said square projection e when the
shaft is elevated nearly perpendicularly and pushed over in the said recess of the
lug, the shaft being then held up by the projection e of the lug centering
the notch in the shaft iron as seen in Fig. 6. To release the shafts all that is
necessary is to pull over the shaft sufficiently from the projection e and in the
direction of the axis of the head E that the iron F may drop down between the
lugs cc as in Fig. 4. There are two shoulders nn on the said iron F, as shown in
Figs. 3 and 4, which help to keep the head from rattling.
g
An opening (see Fig. 1,) is formed in the bottom centre of the box A for the
outlet of dust that might collect under the head E.
It will be observed that there are only two parts of the device proper, the box
and the shaped head, and that they can be united instantly to complete the
coupling of the shafts to the axle, and as quickly removed without the necessity of
bolts, nuts, pins or other similar devices to hold them together.
It will be observed that the above description refers to the coupling when the
shafts are attached to the front axle as in common use, there are some classes of
vehicles, however, such as so-called broughams, &c., constructed with the shafts or
pole secured to a cross piece or splinter bar fastened to the front part of a vehicle,
in which case the said boxes A of the device may be secured thereto as
desired, and the heads E affixed to the shafts or pole and coupled to the said
box or boxes A, secured to the splinter-bar or its equivalent device instead of
the axle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a thill coupling for vehicles a box formed with two circular-shaped lugs at
its outer end one open at the top a cylindrical opening and a corresponding T shaped
cone-ended head operating in said opening the box being attached to the axle or its

page_text: equivalent of a vehicle and the T head to the shafts to form a complete thill
coupling substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. In a thill coupling for vehicles the box A constructed with lugs cc'
cylindrical socket opening d across the box a cylindrical head E to operate in the
socket opening d and the plate F constructed with shoulders n n attached to the
said head all constructed substantially as and for the purpose specified.
3. In a thill coupling for vehicles the box A constructed with lugs cc'
projection e to hold up the thills socket opening d to receive the head E dust
opening opening a and slot b in the rear portion to adjust to different sizes
of axles or equivalents and held by clips C substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
4. In a thill coupling a head such as E and spring plate such as F divided
substantially as and for the purpose described.
5. In a thill coupling the combination of the box A lugs c c¹ opening a thill
supporting catch e dust opening h adjusting slot b cylindrical shaped head E bevel
ends i having the iron F attached thereto all constructed substantially as and for
the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 10th day of October 1895
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.