Improvements in Vehicles or Floats for the Conveyance of Horses and other Animals.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Sept., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 4th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 12th Nov., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Vehicles or Floats for the Conveyance of Horses
and other Animals.
I, GERALD HERBERT FENTON, Station Veterinary Hospital, Bangalore,
Madras, India, Veterinary Surgeon, 1st Class Army Veterinary Department, do
hereby declare the nature, of this invention to be as follows:-
A vehicle or float for the conveyance of horses and other animals according to
this invention is mounted and balanced upon two wheels and in order to allow of
the employment of different draught animals the draught pole is adjustably secured
in a socket by a pin passing through holes in the sides of the said socket, several
such holes being provided at different heights.
·
The body of the vehicle or float is supported on side springs and comprises a
frame of iron bars, of angle, T, or other suitable section, to which the sides and
bottom are secured; front and rear doors; a roof formed of canvas stretched on
hoops and battens; and a floor formed of planks situated about half an inch apart
to allow of drainage.
The springs are connected at their ends to horizontal bars in the sides of the
frame, or to scroll irons thereon.
:
The said front and rear doors are hinged at their lower edges and can be turned
down to form inclines for facilitating the entrance and exit of the animal. When
closed up the said doors are secured by cross bars each provided at its ends with
inclined slots in which engage hasps or levers secured to the sides of the vehicle or
float. The aforesaid socket is secured to the front door, the draught pole being
removable by the pin connection to allow of the door being turned down as
described.
Suitable ventilation openings or apertures provided with canvas blinds are formed
in the sides and doors.
Props or stays are provided to support the vehicle in an upright position during
the entrance or exit of the horse or other animal, and shoes with grooves or recesses
are also provided which can be placed under the said props to prevent them sinking
into the ground. These props and shoes may be secured to the vehicle in any con-
venient manner. The wheels of the vehicle are all made to a standard pattern,
to facilitate their renewal in case
preferably the "Royal Artillery India Pattern
of damage.
"
Within the vehicle on each side is a padding of suitable material such as leather,
which is made removable so as to facilitate disinfection, and the wood work is
varnished with the same object.
The wheels are mounted on a crank axle the vertical parts or webs of which
extend down the sides of the vehicle to near the floor, and the central or horizontal
portion extends across the floor bottom of the vehicle.
Where the vehicle is to be used in rough country the said horizontal portion
passes through the sides of the vehicle and across the upper side of the floor so as
to prevent its accidentally coming in contact with obstructions; in other cases
however the said axle passes below the floor. When arranged inside the vehicle
the said axle has a protective covering of suitable material such as coir matting.
The vehicle or float is supplied with various accessories such as a water bucket,
a feeding blanket, lamp sockets and a grease tin. It is also provided with a
horizontal
breast band and breeching to prevent the horse swerving to and fro;
bars at the tops of sides with hooks or stanchions thereon; drag ropes for pulling
the vehicle up hill and holding it back down hill; and hobbles for the horse's feet
secured by ropes to rings in the floor of the vehicle.

page_text: Bars extending in an inclined direction down the sides of the vehicle or float
carry hooks to which the drag chains are secured. For bullock traction hooks
are also secured along the lower edge of the vehicle to bars extending under the
bottom of the vehicle and meeting in a socket piece at their inner ends so forming
a V-shaped stay.
-
The drivers seat is preferably secured to the front door and made removable.
The vehicle or float constructed according to this invention is specially suitable
for removing sick, lame, injured or exhausted horses to their respective hospitals
whether on field days or on active service.
Dated this 3rd day of September 1892.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Vehicles or Floats for the Conveyance of Horses
and other Animals.
I, GERALD HERBERT FENTON, Station Veterinary Hospital, Bangalore,
Madras, India, Veterinary Surgeon, 1st Class Army Veterinary Department, 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:
A vehicle or float for the conveyance of horses and other animals according to
this invention is mounted and balanced upon two wheels and in order to allow of
the employment of draught animals of different heights the draught pole is
adjustably secured in a socket by pins passing through holes in the sides of the said
socket, several such holes being provided at different heights.
The body of the vehicle or float is supported on side springs and comprises a
frame of bars of metal such as iron, of angle, T, or other suitable section, to which
the sides and floor are secured front and rear doors; a roof formed of canvas
stretched on hoops and battens; and a floor formed of planks situated about half
an inch apart to allow of drainage.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one form of vehicle or float, according to this
invention.
Fig. 2 is a part section of Fig. 1 to a larger scale showing the arrangement of
axle.
Fig. 3 is an end elevation illustrating a modification, the axle passing through
the interior of the vehicle in order to give greater clearance from ground in rough
country.
Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views hereinafter referred to.
A is the body and A¹ the roof of the vehicle or float; B B are the wheels
thereof; these wheels are all made to a standard pattern; preferably the "Royal
Artillery India Pattern to facilitate their renewal in case of damage.
"
Cis the draught pole which is secured in the socket C' by the pins C and C+
several holes C3 being formed for the said pin C to permit of the pole being
adjusted to different heights. The pole C is centred on pin C and the other end
can be elevated or depressed according to position of pin C² in holes C³ as
indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. This socket C' is secured to the front door,
and the removability of the pole enables the said door to be turned down with
facility.
D, D are the springs which are connected at their ends to horizontal bars in the
frame E, by scroll irons E¹ thereon.
The said frame E forms a support for the wood-work and serves to take the
strain due to the carrying of a load. The construction of this frame-work is shown

page_text: in Figs. 1 and
the latter being a separate detail view thereof to a larger scale
with the wood-work of the vehicle removed...
F, F are respectively the front and rear doors. They are hinged at their lower
edges at F and can be turned down as indicated to form inclines for facilitating
the entrance and exit of the animal. By this arrangement the animal can be
admitted at one end and removed at the other thereby obviating any difficulty from
backing the horse out. When closed up the said doors are secured by cross
bars F and F. The former of these is slotted or recessed at its end to allow it to
pass over screwed bolts G secured to the metal frame of the vehicle or float, and
having nuts provided with handles G¹ for securely fixing the said bar. The other
cross bar Fis swivelled on a ring F³ at one end, and rests in a hook or support F
being secured at the other end by a pin and hasp F7.
H, H, are suitable ventilation openings or apertures provided with canvas blinds
and formed in the sides.
I, I are props or stays provided to support the vehicle in an upright position
during the entrance or exit of the horse or other animal, and I are shoes with
grooves or recesses 1' which can be placed under the said props to prevent them
sinking into the ground. These props and shoes may be secured to the vehicle in
any convenient manner
In the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the wheels are mounted on a crank
axle the vertical parts or webs J of which extend down the sides of the vehicle and
the central or horizontal portion .J' extends across the vehicle, passing beneath the
floor of the same.
Where however the vehicle is to be used in rough country the modification
illustrated in Fig. 3 is employed. In this case the said horizontal portion .J' passes
through the sides of the vehicle and across the upper side of the floor so as to
prevent its accidentally coming in contact with obstructions beneath the vehicle.
When thus arranged inside the vehicle the said axle has a protective covering of
suitable material such as coir matting.
Bars K, K, extending in an inclined direction down the sides of the vehicle or
float have hooks K' which carry the swingle tree to which the draught chains are
secured. For bullock traction the swingle tree is secured to rings or suitable
fastenings L L secured along the lower edge of the vehicle to bars M extending
under the bottom of the vehicle and meeting in a socket piece M' at their inner
ends as indicated in detail in Fig. 4, so forming a V-shaped stay.
When a single horse only is to be employed for drawing the vehicle the draught
pole may be removed and a pair of shafts employed the vehicle being for this
purpose provided with sockets N (Fig. 1) to receive the said shafts.
Within the vehicle on each side is a padding of suitable material such as leather,
which is made removable so as to facilitate disinfection, and the wood work is
varnished with the same object.
The vehicle or float is supplied with various accessories such as a water bucket,
a feeding blanket, lamp sockets and a grease tin. It is also provided with a breast
band and breeching to prevent the horse swerving to and fro; horizontal bars near
the roof with hooks thereon for the feeding blanket and for slings, these bars being
secured inside the vehicle by bolts passing through the sides and through the metal
frame so as to transmit the strains to the said frame; drag ropes for pulling the
vehicle up hill and holding it back down hill; and hobbles for the horse's feet
secured by ropes to rings in the floor of the vehicle.
The driver's seat is preferably secured to the front door aud made removable.
In some cases one or more bars of metal such as iron may be provided between
the sides at the top of the vehicle to prevent or guard against collapse of the sides
in case of accident.
The vehicle or float constructed according to this invention is specially suitable
for removing sick, lame, injured or exhausted horses to their respective hospitals
whether on field days or on active service as well as for use in any case of accident
to horses in the street, race course or hunting field.

page_text: 6. Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
"1. For the conveyance of horses and other animals a vehicle or float with body
mounted and balanced upon two wheels and provided with a draught pole adjustable
to suit animals of different heights and with doors adapted to serve also as inclined
ways for animals entering and leaving the vehicle as described.
2. In a vehicle such as referred to in the preceding claim, the construction of the
body with a metal frame such as described, adapted to take the strains due to the
carrying of a load.
3. In a vehicle or float such as referred to in Claim 1, the arrangement described
comprising the socket C and the draught pole adjustable in the socket to suit
animals of different heights as set forth.
4. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting my improved vehicle
or float for the conveyance of horses and other animals, constructed and arranged
as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5, or modified as
described with reference to Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings.
1
f Ostalo 1000