Improvements in Lumber Trucks.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 7th June, 1898-Accepted, 10th Sept, 1898
Improvements in Lumber Trucks.
We, The RELIANCE DRY KILN COMPANY, of Baltimore City, a corporation duly
incorporated under the laws of the State of Maryland, of 28, Light Street, in the
City of Baltimore, State of Maryland, and United States of America, and
VICTOR LEE EMERSON, of 1428, West Lexington Street, in the same City and
State, 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 improvements in lumber trucks designed for use on
tracks in dry kilns, but which may be used for carrying any other material and
employed wherever trucks may be required
One object of the invention is to provide a light-weight truck having two or
more wheels in alignment Another object 18 to make provision for carrying
the load on seats which are substantially in a line vertical with respect to the
axis of the wheels instead of on a frame which the load subjects to cross-strains
Another object is to provide a construction that will afford for a given number
of wheels a greater number of seats for cross-beams to be placed under the load of
material being carried And still another object is to provide a longitudinal
adjustment between the aligned wheels of the truck, whereby the wheels may be
set nearer together or further apart to suit different lengths of lumber
In order to make the invention more clearly understood we have shown in the
accompanying drawing certain means for carrying the same into practical effect,
without however intending to limit our invention to that particular construction
In the drawings,—
Figure 1 is a side view of one truck-wheel and seat directly above the axis of
the wheel
Figure 2 is an end elevation of same
Figure 3 18 an inverted or bottom plan of the truck-seat, the wheel being
omitted
Figure 4 19 a aude view of one complete truck having two aligned wheels, and
shows an end view of an I-beun supported over each wheel
Figure 5 shows a sectional view of one form of construction for an adjustable
connection that may be employed in each truck between the two aligned wheels
Figure 6 shows a hexagon screw clamp-collar, and the outside split-tube
belonging to the particular adjustable connection shown in Figure 6
In
Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the track rails, four trucks placed in
proper position thereon, and I-beams on the trucks for a load of lumber.
practice we prefer to have the I-beams long enough for their ends to project
bevond the trucks
Referring to the drawings. the letter, A, designates one of the wheels, which
in this instance, has two flanges, b, enabling the wheel to traverse a rail without
liability of slipping off at either side Any other form, however, may be used.
A shaft or axle, c, passes through the center of the wheel and supports a seat

page_text: or fiame over the wheel. An important feature of the invention consists of a
separate or independent frame supported over each wheel, and capable of hold-
ing a beam substantially in a line vertical with respect to the axis of the wheel.
Any preferred construction of frame may be employed to sustain the seat over the
shaft or axle, c In the present instance we show a suitable metal frame, F,
which sets astride of the wheel and has two beanings, g, which engage both ends
of the said shaft or axle, near the wheel-hub, the seat, D, is on the frame and
stops or shoulders, e, are at each side of the seat to prevent a beam, p, from
slipping off
The frame also has means of any suitable kind, such, for instance, as a socket h,
for the reception of a suitable connection such as a bar, or preferably a piece of
pipe, I, which thus connects two of the frames and two wheels together as in
Figure 4, and thereby forms one complete truck. It will be seen that the two
wheels of each truck are in alignment and revolve in the same plane, and that
the connections, I, will have practically no load to carry. The trucks would be
operative if the seat for carrying the I-beams were shifted slightly to one side of
a line vertical over the axis of the wheels, but any such shifting of the load from
a line vertical over the axis will only tend to cause a cross strain on the connec-
tions and thereby necessitate a stronger construction, which of course would
increase the weight of the truck, a thing we desire to avoid.
In practice it is preferable to use four trucks like Figure 4, to carry a load
when arranged with four beams, p, as shown in Figure 7, 60 that there will be
four cross beam supports under the load of lumber.
We have found by practical experience that where there are but two cross
beams to support the ordinary 16-foot lengths of lumber, that the lumber at the
ends and middle will sag down badly, especially when conveying the lumber
through drying kilns for the purpose of drying
Here
We contemplate a connection that shall have a variable longitudinal adjust-
ment between the two wheels of the trucks, as shown in Figures 5 and 6
we have shown two tubes I', I, one smaller than the other, so as to slide telescope
fashion The end of the larger tube has slits, J, and is extenorly screw-threaded,
as at, k, and its extremity is beveled off like the frustum of a cone, as at, l. A
Sciew clamp-collar, N, fits on the slitted end of the larger tube, and has a con-
tracted end which is provided with an inner bevel, o, coincident with the
beveled extremity, l, on said tube By loosening the clamp collar, N, the two
tubes, I, I, may be extended or contracted so as to lengthen the connection or
shorten it; when the length of the connection between the two wheels has been
adjusted to suit, the screw clamp-collar, N, may be tightened and thereby the
slit end of the outer tube will be caused to grip the inner tube tightly.
The clamp collar has a hexagon head to receive a wrench. Obviously other
constructions may be employed to provide a longitudinal adjustment in the con-
nection between the two wheels
Heretofore it has been the custom to use trucks which carry the supporting
beam, such as the I-beams shown in the drawing, resting on the frame of the
truck between the two wheels, such construction requires a very heavy frame to
support the weight of the load
Where more than four trucks have been used heretofore it sometimes happened
that in going over uneven places in the track, the load would be lifted off of
some of the center trucks, which, thereupon. would shift their position and
become deranged on the track under the load and cause much trouble. These
and other objections are entirely overcome in our invention
We are aware that lumber trucks have been constructed with two longitudinal
beams, one on each side of two wheels for carrying a load resting on said beams,
but to our knowledge no truck has been constructed with two wheels in alignment
and to carry the load only over the axis of the wheels and without causing a cross
strain on the connections between said wheels.
We have shown the trucks to consist of two wheels each, but it is obvious that

page_text: two or more wheels may be connected together in alignment in the same way
as we have here shown two.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim 18.-
1. A truck comprising two wheels in alignment, a shaft or axle in each wheel
with ends projecting at opposite sides, two separate and independent frames each
one astride of a different wheel and engaging both ends of the shaft or axle
thereof and each frame having on top a seat for a cross-beam, and a connection
uniting said two frames and attached to them below said top seats, for keeping
the wheels rigidly aligned
2 The combination of two trucks parallel with each other each truck having
two or more wheels in alignment; a separate frame over each wheel and having
a seat, and a rigid connection between the said aligned frames, and cross-beams
ecnnecting from one truck to the other and resting on said frames said cross-
beams for the purpose of supporting the load
3. A truck having two or more wheels which are in alignment; two separate
frames each supported over a different one of said wheels and each adapted to
carry a load substantially in a line vertical with respect to the axis of the wheel
over which it sets, a telescopic tube uniting said frames, and a screw-clamp collar
to hold the said telescopic tube at any position of adjustment.
Dated this 17th day of January 1898.
THE RELIANCE DRY KILN Co,
By CH BASSBOR, Sec & Treas.
VICTOR LEE EMERSON