IMPROVEMENTS IN ADJUSTING THE SHAFTS OF WHEEL CARRIAGES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Healey of the City of Gloucester Coach Builder
for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN ADJUSTING THE SHAFTS OF WHEEL
CARRIAGES
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Healey at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th April 1883.
CHARLES HEALEY of the City of Gloucester Coach Builder "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ADJUSTING THE SHAFTS OF WHEEL CARRIAGES "
In the shafts of wheel carriages as ordinarily constructed the shafts cannot
be lengthened or shortened nor can they be raised or lowered to suit horses of
different sizes.
The object of my invention is to permit the shafts of wheel carriages to be
raised and lowered and virtually lengthened at pleasure so as to suit them to
horses of different sizes. This I effect in the manner hereinafter described.
I do not fix the shafts rigidly to the body of the carriage as usual but connect
them thereto in the following manner. As both shafts are connected to the body
of the carriage in the same way I will describe the method of connection with
reference to one shaft.
On the side of the body of the carriage at its rear or back part and near the
bottom of the body I fix a horizontal pin or axis at right angles to the side of
the body and on the side of the body and at its front part I fix another nearly
similar pin or axis. I will call the former the rear pin and the latter the front
pin. On the rear pin an arm made preferably of about four inches in length is
placed the pin passing through a socket or hole in one end of the said arm. The
said arm is fixed in its place on the rear pin by a screw nut or cotter or other like
fastening. The said arm is capable of turning freely on the said pin. To the free
end of this arm the rear end of the shaft is jointed. The front pin is provided
with a socket turning freely upon it which socket is attached to or is formed in
one piece with a plate dovetailed on its opposite edges. On the underside of that
part of the shaft which crosses the front pin is fixed a plate about eight inches

page_text: long having on its underside an undercut recess in which the dovetailed plate
described engages and in which it slides.
The action of the parts is as follows: When it is wished to shorten and to
lower the front parts of the shafts to suit them to a small horse the arms on the
rear pins are raised into a vertical position. This action raisos the rear parts of
the shafts and depresses the front parts the shafts turning on the front pins as
fulcrums. When it is wished to lengthen the shafts and raise the front parts of
the shafts to suit them to a large horse the arms on the rear pins are brought into
a horizontal position by turning them towards the front of the carriage. By this
action the rear parts of the shafts are lowered and their front parts raised the
shafts at the same time being advanced in front of the carriage so as to make them
virtually longer
After the adjustment of the shafts in either of the positions described or in any
intermediate position they are fixed in their adjusted positions by means of screws
in the sliding dovetailed plates carrying the sockets which work on the front pins.
The plates on the underside of the shafts in which the dovetailed plates slide have
a series of depressions or holes at a short distance apart. By driving home the
screws in the dovetailed plates so as to make them engage in the said depressions
or holes the dovetailed plates are fixed to the undercut plates on the underside of
the shafts and the length and height of the shafts fixed. In order to change the
adjustment of the shafts it is only necessary to withdraw the screws in the dove-
tailed plates until they have left the depressions or holes in the undercut plates
when the shafts can be moved. After re-adjustment they again are fixed by
driving home the said screws.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Healey in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 2nd October
1883.
CHARLES HEALEY of the City of Gloucester Coach Builder
ADJUSTING THE SHAFTS OF WHEEL CARRIAGES
•
"
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
In the shafts of wheel carriages as ordinarily constructed the shafts cannot
be lengthened or shortened nor can they be raised or lowered to suit horses of
different sizes.
The object of my invention is to permit the shafts of wheel carriages to be
raised and lowered and virtually lengthened at pleasure so as to suit them to
horses of different sizes. This I effect in the manner hereinafter described.
I do not fix the shafts rigidly to the body of the carriage as usual but connect
them thereto in the following manner. As both shafts are connected to the body
of the carriage in the same way I will describe the method of connection with
reference to one shaft.
The
On the side of the body of the carriage at its rear or back part and near the
bottom of the body, I fix a horizontal pin or axis at right angles to the side of
the body and on the bottom of the body and at its front part, I fix another nearly
similar pin or axis. I will call the former the rear pin and the latter the front
pin. On the rear pin, an arm made preferably of about four inches in length is
placed, the pin passing through a socket or hole in one end of the said arm.
said arm is fixed in its place on the rear pin by a screw nut or cotter or other
like fastening. The said arm is capable of turning freely on the said pin. To the
free end of this arm the rear end of the shaft is jointed. The front pin is provided
with a socket turning freely upon it which socket is attached to or is formed in
one piece with a plate dovetailed on its opposite edges.-On the underside of that
part of the shaft which crosses the front pin is fixed a plate about eight inches
long having on its underside an undercut recess in which the dovetailed plate
described engages and in which it slides.
The action of the parts is as follows:-When it is wished to shorten and to
lower the front parts of the shafts to suit them to a small horse, the arms on the
rear pins are raised into a vertical position. This action raises the rear parts of
the shafts and depresses the front parts, the shafts turning on the front pins as
fulcrums. When it is wished to lengthen the shafts and raise the front parts of
the shafts to suit them to a large horse, the arms on the rear pins are brought into
a horizontal position by turning them towards the front of the carriage. By this
action the rear parts of the shafts are lowered and their front parts raised the
shafts at the same time being advanced in front of the carriage so as to make them
virtually longer.
After the adjustment of the shafts in either of the positions described, or in any
intermediate position, they are fixed in their adjusted positions by means of screws
in the sliding dovetailed plates carrying the sockets which work on the front pins.
The plates on the underside of the shafts in which the dovetailed plates slide have
a series of depressions or holes at a short distance apart. By driving home the
screws in the dovetailed plates so as to make them engage in the said depressions
or holes the dovetailed plates are fixed to the undercut plates on the underside of
the shafts and the length and height of the shafts fixed. In order to change the
adjustment of the shafts it is only necessary to withdraw the screws in the dove-
tailed plates until they have left the depressions or holes in the undercut plates
when the shafts can be moved. After re-adjustment they again are fixed by
driving home the said screws.

page_text: I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figures 1 and 2 represent side elevations and Figure 3 a plan of underside of a
portion of a dog cart or carriage to which shaft adjusting mechanism constructed
according to my invention is applied. In Figures 1 and 3 the shaft is represented
in its fully lengthened' position and in Figure 2 in its partly shortened' position;
Figure 4 represents in side elevation the front pin or axis and the dovetail plates
at the front of the carriage, drawn to a larger scale than Figures 1; 2 and 3;
Figure 5 represents the dovetail plate which turns on the front axis and Figure 6
represents the undercut plate fixed to the shaft, the said Figures 5 and 6 being 1
drawn to the same scale as Figure 4.
Figures 1. 2 and 3 are drawn to a scale of one inch to a foot and Figures 4. 5
and 6 are drawn half the full size.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the Drawing.
As both shafts are constructed and connected to the body of the carriage in the
same way and have the same action, I have only represented in the drawing one of
the shafts of the carriage.
a is the shaft and b is the body of the carriage. On the side of the body bat
its rear end is a horizontal pin or axis c and on the rear end of the shaft a an
arm d is jointed, the said arm & having a hole or socket e which turns upon the
fixed rear pin or axis c on the carriage. The socket e of the arm d is fixed on the
axis c by the screw nut represented. The arm d jointed to the rear end of the
shaft a is capable of turning freely on the rear pin or axis c.
1
At the front end of the carriage b is a second pin or axis f carried by the arm ga
fixed on the bottom of the body of the carriage (see Figure 3). Turning on the
front pin or axis f is a socket h made in one piece with or attached to the dovetail
plate i, the dovetail being made on the upper face of the said plate i. The dovetail
plate with its socket h is shown separately in Figure 5 and in combination with
the other parts of the adjusting appliances at the front part of the carriage, in
Figure 4; k is a plate fixed by means of the clips l, on the underside of the shaft
at that part which crosses the front pin or axis f. The plate k is shown separately
drawn to a larger scale in Figure 6. On the underside of the plate k is a dovetail
recess of a size and shape proper for the dovetail of the fixed plate i to engage
with. By sliding the shaft a backward or forward the undercut plate k fixed
upon it can be made to slide upon the fixed dovetail plate i. As the shaft a is
moved backward or forward the dovetail plate i turns upon the front pin or axis f
and the rear end of the shaft rises or falls, the jointed arm & turning upon the rear
pin or axis c.
In order to fix the undercut sliding plate k in its adjusted position upon the
fixed dovetail plate i the said dovetail plate i carries a screw box m in which a
screw n works and the undercut part of the plate k has in it a series of holes or
depressions p in any one of which the end of the screw n may engage.
The two
dovetail plates i, ke are thereby securely locked or fixed together.
When the shafts are required to be used with a large horse the shaft at each side
of the carriage is arranged in the manner represented in Figure 1, that is, the shafts
are lengthened to their full extent and their front ends are fully raised the arms &
turning on the rear pins c being situated horizontally and the sliding undercut
plates k on the shafts being moved forward upon the dovetail plates i to their full
extent and locked by the screws n taking into the holes or depressions p in the
said plates k which are brought over the said screws n.
When the shafts are required to be used with a small horse they are arranged in
the manner represented in Figure 2, that is, they are shortened and their front
parts lowered. To effect this the screws n are withdrawn and the sliding undercut
plates are moved backward on the dovetail plates i. The said dovetail plates i
are thereby made to turn on their front pins or axes fand the arms & turning on
the rear pins or axes c are raised. After the adjustment of the shafts the screws n

page_text: are driven home so as to cause their upper ends to engage with the depressions or
holes p in the sliding plates k. The shafts are thereby fixed in their adjusted
positions.
By sliding the shafts backward so as to raise the arms & into a vertical position
the shafts are further shortened and their front ends further depressed to suit a
smaller horse. Or the shafts may be adjusted in any intermediate position by
bringing the undercut sliding plates into the required position upon the fixed
dovetail plates i in the manner before described.
Having now described the nature of my invention and the manner in which tho
same is to be performed I wish it to be understood that I claim as my invention―
The improvements in adjusting the shafts of wheel carriages to suit horses of
different sizes hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing;
that is to say, jointing the rear end of each shaft to an arm turning on a rear pin
or axis on the carriage and connecting the shaft at or near its middle to a front pin
or axis on the carriage by means of a socket carried by a dovetail plate turning on
the said front pin or axis, upon which said dovetail plate an undercut plate fixed
to the shaft is capable of sliding and of being adjusted and fixed, the several parts
of the adjusting mechanism being constructed combined and operating substantially
as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof I the said Charles Healey have hereunto set my hand and
seal this Twenty ninth day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.