IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAKES FOR CARTS AND OTHER TWO-WHEEL VEHICLES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Mander Houghton, of Edgbaston, in the
County of Warwick, Farmer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BRAKES FOR CARTS AND OTHER TWO-WHEEL VEHICLES."
Sealed the 12th February 1875, and dated the 18th August 1874.
:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Mander Houghton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 18th August 1874.
I, JAMES MANDER HOUGHTON, of Edgbaston, in the County of
5 Warwick, Farmer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAKES FOR CARTS AND OTHER TWO-WHEEL VEHICLES,"
to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in constructing and arranging in the manner
herein-after described the parts of brakes for carts and other two-wheel
Ovehicles, the object of my Invention being so to construct and arrange

page_text: the parts that the brake shall be worked or put into action by the horse
instead of by the driver or attendant as usual.
I construct and arrange the parts of the brake as follows:-I will
describe my Invention as applied to a two-wheel cart, to which it is par-
ticularly applicable. I place under each shaft of the cart a sliding rod
working in bearings or guides on the said shaft. To the inner end of
each sliding rod a cross bar is affixed, the said cross bar being situated
under the body of the cart. The ends of the cross bar are situated
respectively opposite the tyres of the wheels, and the said ends carry
brake blocks of wood or other suitable material, which are made to press
upon the tyres of the wheels when the brake is put into action as herein-
after described. Bearing upon the said cross bar carrying the brake
blocks is a bow, coiled, or other spring, the said spring so acting upon
the cross bar that when pressure in the direction necessary to put the
brake into operation is removed the said spring forces the cross bar
towards the horse, and thereby withdraws the brake blocks out of action.
The outer end of each of the sliding rods under the shafts is provided
with a loop or eye, and through these loops or eyes the "breeching" of
the harness passes. The brake is thereby directly connected with the
horse.
"
The action of the brake is as follows:-When in descending a hill the
horse in resisting the pressure of the cart "squats or backs so as to
approach the front of the cart, he pushes back the sliding rods through
their connection with the "breeching" of the harness, and thereby puts
the brake into action. As soon as the cart has arrived at level ground
the pressure on the sliding rods is removed and the brake blocks are with-
drawn from contact with the tyres of the wheels by the action of the
spring described pressing the cross bar towards the horse. The brake
is thus put into and removed out of action at the proper times by the
movement of the horse itself.
In order that the brake may be readily thrown out of action when it
is required to back, the horse hooks or other fastenings are attached to
the shafts of the cart, so that by hooking or attaching the sliding rods to
the said hooks or fastenings they are prevented from advancing and
putting the brake into action when the horse is backed.
Instead of the continuous cross bar described the rear ends of the
sliding bars may be turned at right angles and the brakes attached to

page_text: the said turned ends of the bars. In this case each brake acts indepen-
dently of the other.
Although I prefer to work the brake direct from the "breeching" of
the harness, yet the said brake may be worked from other parts of the
harness with the same effect.