Improvements in Doubletrees for Vehicles, Agricultural Machines, and the like.
Year: 1887

page_text: Improvements in Doubletrees for Vehicles, Agricultural Machines,
and the like.
We, JAMES RENSFORD FREELAND, Engineer, and EDWIN COLTON BRADLEY, Gentle-
man, both residing at Wellsville in the county of Allegany and State of New York,
one of the United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of our invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN DOUBLETREES FOR VEHICLES, AGRICULTURAL MACHINES AND THE
LIKE and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
Figure 1 is a perspective view, showing our regulating device for doubletrees
applied in operating position to the doubletree on the tongue of a phaeton.
Figure 2 is a top view of the doubletree and tongue provided with our improvement.
Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line x-x, Fig. 2; and
Figure 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line y-y, Fig. 2.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
Our invention consists in a new and improved regulating device for doubletrees,
which is adapted to be applied to all light and heavy carriages, wagons, mowing-
machines, reapers, and all vehicles, agricultural implements and machines using poles
and doubletrees; and our invention will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.
Referring to the several parts by letter:
A indicates a tongue, and B the doubletree thereof, to which our invention is
shown as applied; this tongue being shown in Fig. 1 attached at its rear end by the
tongue-hound, C, having the end thill-irons, D, D, to the front axle of a two-spring
phaeton.
Upon the rear end-part of this, the tongue is bolted or otherwise rigidly secured,
the bearing-plate, E, which is formed at its forward end with the head, F, which has
the long horizontal recess, G, formed in it, extending from its front end, the lower
lip, G1, thus formed, being bolted to the upper side of the tongue, while the upper
lip is free. The upper and lower lips are formed with the registering apertures, H, 1,
at their forward ends, which register with each other, and also with the vertical
aperturés, J, in the tonguo, through which the king-bolt passes.
B indicates a doubletree, which is formed with the central vertical aperture, K',

page_text: through which the king-bolt passes, the doubletree being pivotally secured in the
head, F, of the bearing-plate, E, by the king-bolt, L, of ordinary construction.
Through the rear part of the head, F, of the bearing plate, E, is formed a
transverse aperture, M, to the rear of the recess, G, in which the doubletree is
pivotally secured. Through the transverse aperture, M, extends and works the
middle portion, N, of a U-shaped bearing-piece or yoke, O, the ends of which are
bent out at right angles, and are bolted to the rear side of the double-tree on each side
of the king-bolt, and on each side of the middle-portion, N, of the yoke, the yoke is
formed with the shoulders, P, P, as shown.
On each end of the doubletree are pivotally secured the singletrees, Q, Q, of ordinary
construction.
In operation, when the tongue and doubletree of a carriage or agricultural machine
is provided with our improvement, it will be seen that when the team turns the
carriage or machine, as soon as the doubletree has turned on the king-bolt for a com-
paratively short distance, the stop or shoulder, P, on one side of the regulator-yoke
will come in contact with that side of the head, F, a small spiral spring, I, or rubber
cushion, S, being arranged on the middle part of the yoke on each side between the
shoulders and the outer sides of the head, F, as shown these rubber cushions or spiral
springs serving to render the regulator noiseless when in use, the spring or rubber
cushions being tightly compressed as the tongue swings around, so as to become
practically solid; and when the shoulder thus comes in contact with the side of the
head, F, when the tongue has swung around for a short distance, it will prevent the
tongue from moving around further as the carriage or machine turns, and thus prevent
the singletrees, at the end of the doubletree, from touching or coming in contact with
the wheels of the wagon, carriage or other vehicle to which our invention is applied,
while when it is applied to any of the various kinds of agricultural implements, or
machines, the danger to which horses are frequently subjected by coming into contact
with the machinery of the implement, entirely obviated, the shoulders of the yoke
making it impossible for the doubletree to turn far enough around on the king-bolt
for the horses to touch any part of the machinery when turning the machine around,
as will be readily understood.
The construction of the regulator is such that when our invention is applied to
carriages, wagons, or agricultural implements or machines, if the king-bolt which is
secured around the doubletree in the head, F, should at any time break, the doubletree
will still be held firmly in position by the yoke, which is firmly and securely bolted
at its long ends to the doubletrec, and thus any accident which may occur by the
neck-yoke, T, being drawn off of the front end of the tongue, and the tongue falling
to the ground is prevented or avoided. Also, as the team is held firmly into the
tongue by the yoke, even after the king-bolt breaks, they can be controlled, and a
serious runaway is thus prevented.
Accidents frequently occur when driving a span of horses by the traces of one
horse becoming unhooked, or by the stay-strips on one side breaking, thereby
permitting the team to pull the neck-yoke off beyond the end of the pole or tongue.
Our invention entirely overcomes this difficulty, and prevents the possibility of any
accident of this kind occurring, as should the traces of one horse become unhooked, or
the stay-straps break on one side of the tongue, the shoulder of the yoke on that side
will immediately be brought into contact with that side of the head, F, as the other
horse draws forward, and it will thus be impossible for either of the horses to pull
the neck-yoke off of the end of the pole or tongue.
The manner in which our improved regulator is attached brings the strain upon
three points of the doubletree, rendering it much less liable to breakage in case of a
sudden strain upon it, the strain falling at the point where the king-bolt passes
through the doubletree, and on the two points where the long ends of the yoke are
firmly bolted to the rear side of the doubletree, as when the yoke turns slightly to the
other side, so that one of the stops or shoulders of the yoke bears against that side of
the head, F, of the bearing-block or plate, E, and the yoke is thus held against
further movement. It will be seen that on the side on which the said shoulder is in

page_text: contact with the head, F, the forward end of the yoke will be pressed forward
against the rear side of the doubletree, and the pressure will be against the
rear side of the doubletree at that point, while the doubletree on the other side of the
king-bolt will draw forward on that end of the yoke, as will be readily understood, so
that the strain will fall on and be divided between three points of the doubletree.
From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying
drawing, the construction, operation, and advantages of our invention will be readily
understood. It will be seen that it is simple and strong in construction, and
exceedingly effective in its operation. Its use prevents the ends of the singletree
from coming into contact with the wheels of the vehicle, and when used on agri-
cultural implements or machines, prevents the horses from coming into contact with
any part of the machinery.
The horses are held and the neck-yoke is prevented from being drawn off of the
end of the pole or tongue in case of the king-bolt breaking or the traces of one horse
becoming unhooked, or the stay-straps of one horse breaking. The strain is brought
and divided between three points, so that the doubletree is much less liable to break
under a sudden strain. The doubletree is held firmly in position upon the pole or
tongue, and prevented from rocking or side motion. The coiled springs or rubber,
or other elastic cushions, cause the device to work noiselessly. My invention may be
applied to all light and heavy wagons, carriages, mowing-machines, reapers, and alt
vehicles, agricultural implements, and machines using poles or tongues and
doubletree.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
The combination of a bearing-plate, adapted to be secured upon the tongue, and
formed with the transverse aperture and the lips having the vertical apertures,
adapted to receive a king-bolt, the regulator-yoke, having the shoulders on each side
of its central portion, and having its outwardly-bent ends adapted to be secured to
the doubletree, and the springs or cushions arranged as described; substantially as
and for the purpose shown and set forth.
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