An for the Easy Adjusting of the Balance of Two Wheeled Vehicles in Ascending and Descending Gradients and at the same Time Maintaining the Level Position of the Seats.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Feb., 1887
Complete Left, 8th Nov., 1887
Complete Accepted, 13th Dec, 1887
An Invention for the Easy Adjusting of the Balance of Two
Wheeled Vehicles in Ascending and Descending Gradients and
at the same Time Maintaining the Level Position of the Seats.
I CHARLES GRIEVE MCDOWELL of Rylands Street Warrington in the County of
Lancaster Coach Builder do hereby declare the nature of my invention for ADJUSTING
BALANCE OF TWO WHEELED VEHICLES to be as follows, that is to say :-
First this invention consists in contrivances for making parts of the carriages
movable so as to give greater convenience and comfort to the occupants and to the
horse. With Dog Carts and the like it is very desirable to be able to shift the centre
of gravity backwards or forwards so that the weight may be more forward in going
up the hill than in going down and also so that whether one seat be occupied or two
the centre of gravity shall be so placed as to arrange the weight on the horse's back
to the satisfaction of the driver. This has been done before to some extent by sliding
the body on bearings attached to the shafts the body being moved by a nutt and screw
(in this case the occupant had to alight) or by a lever worked from the driver's seat
and other methods. Now in place of sliding the body I leave it stationary and fix
the rails which carry the seats on four rods or bearers working on fulcrums top and
bottom so as to admit of the seat rails being swung backwards or forwards by a lever
handle placed conveniently to the driver's hand the rods or bearers being placed
nearer to each other at the bottom than at the top forming different radii of the same
circle. It will at once be seen that when the seat rails are pulled back to take the
weight off the horse's back in going down the hill the front pair of rods will attain
an upright position and the back pair a more slanting position thereby raising the
seat rails at the front and depressing them at the back and by this means retaining
the seats in a level position as the horse descends the hill and vice versa. This can
also be accomplished by the use of eccentric quadrants or rollers or ball bearings or
other mechanical means of moving weights.

page_text: The second part of this invention consists in making the hind seat to follow the
front seat automatically by an arrangement of pulleys of different diameters with
leather bands working on them so as to arrange the centre of gravity according to
the number of passengers to be carried without having to move the hind seat
separately as in the usual way. This can also be effected by means of a screw of
different pitches of thread worked from the front of the front seat by means of a
cranked handle or hand wheel (in which case it would be convenient to make the
screw of two diameters as well as pitches of thread but this is not absolutely necessary)
or by other mechanical means whereby the speed of one body can be determined by
the speed of another conveying the motive power.
1007

page_text: An Invention for the Easy Adjusting of the Balance of Two
Wheeled Vehicles in Ascending and Descending Gradients and
at the same Time Maintaining the Level Position of the Seats.
1, CHARLES GRIEVE MCDOWELL of Rylands Street Warrington in the County of
Lancaster Coach Builder do hereby declare the nature of my invention for THE EASY
ADJUSTING OF THE BALANCE OF TWO WHEELED VEHICLES IN ASCENDING AND
DESCENDING GRADIENTS AND AT THE SAME TIME MAINTAINING THE LEVEL POSITION OF
THE SEATS and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation shewing apparatus for moving seat rails. Fig. 2 is a
sectional elevation shewing application of screw for moving two seats proportionately.
Fig. 3 is also a sectional elevation shewing application of pulleys & straps affecting
the same purpose as Fig. 2. Figs. 4, 5 & 6 being their respective plans.
First this invention consists in contrivances for making parts of carriages movable
so as to give greater convenience and comfort to the occupants and to the horse.
With Dog Carts and the like it is very desirable to be able to shift the centre of
gravity backwards or forwards so that the weight may be more forward in going up
the hill than in going down and also, so that whether one seat be occupied or two,
the centre of gravity shall be so placed as to arrange the weight on the horse's back
to the satisfaction of the driver. This has been done before to some extent by sliding
the body on bearings attached to the shafts, the body being moved by a nut and
screw (in this case the occupants had to alight) or by a lever worked from the
driver's seat and other methods. Now in place of sliding the body I leave it
stationary & fix the rails A Fig. 1 which carry the seats on four rods or bearers B, B,
working on fulcrums () top bottom so as to admit of the seat rails being swung
backwards or forwards by a lever handle D, placed conveniently to the drivers hand,
the rods or bearers B, B, being placed nearer to each other at the bottom than at the
top forming different radii of the same circle. The upright spring (a) placed
between the bearers B, B, and secured to them at the top by straps thus being forced
to follow their movements, materially assists them in regaining their original
position. It will at once be seen that when the rails A are pulled back to take the
weight off the horses back in going down the hill the front pair of rods B will attain
au upright position and the back pair a more slanting position thereby raising the
seat rails A at the front & depressing them at the back and by this means maintaining
the seats in a level position as the horse descends the hill and vice versa. This can
also be accomplished by the use of eccentric quadrants or rollers or ball bearings or
other mechanical means for moving weight.
The second part of this invention consists in making the hind seat to follow the
front seat automatically by means of a screw E Figs. 2 & 5 of different pitches of
thread, worked from the front of the front seat by means of a cranked handle or hand

page_text: wheel F Fig. 5 and working in a smooth nut G fixed on the front seat and passing
through a worm nut H fixed on the cross bar J and passing thence through another
worm nut K fixed on the hind seat. It will be seen that when the screw E working
in the smooth nut G and passing through the nuts H and K is turned the front seat
is forced back and at the same time the hind seat is drawn closer to it so that when
the front seat is driven back say ten inches to balance for two people the hind seat
will be close against it and when it is drawn forward to balance for four people, they
shall be the required distance apart, which distance can be regulated by the relative
pitches of thread of the screw E. The same object can be attained by means of
leather bands working on pulleys of different diameters L, L, Fig. 3, which will be
more distinctly seen by referring to the plan Fig. 6. The front seat being fastened
to the bands, M, M, working over the larger pulleys and the hind seat being secured
to the bands N, N, working over the smaller pulleys it will be seen that when the
front seat is pushed back the large pulleys will revolve and the small pulleys being
concentric with and secured to the large pulleys the hind seat will also be moved but
a lesser distance proportionate to the relative diameters of the pulleys.
Having now described my invention and the best methods known to me of carrying
it into effect, I wish it to be understood that I am well aware that the seats of Dog
Carts and other carriages have been made to slide on guides antifriction rollers and
by other methods but in these cases the seats alone were moved. And also that I do
not confine myself to the precise details, relative proportions or dimensions herein-
before described and set forth as it will readily be seen that the same may be
considerably varied without departing from the invention but I declare that what
I claim is
1. The manufacture of Dog Carts or other two wheeled carriages with the seat rails
on which the seats are slided, and to which they are secured when in the required
position (having been previously fixed according to the number of passengers to be
carried) capable of being swung backwards or forwards promptly by the driver in his
normal position (without alighting or stopping the horse and whether there be other
passengers in the vehicle or not) and by reason of the bearers being closer together at
the bottom than at the top the maintenance of the seats in a level position by means of
apparatus attached to the seat rails and cross bars and placed conveniently under
the seats substantially as described.
2. Making the hind seat to follow the front one automatically and in proportion as
desired so that when the front seat is pushed back to arrange the balance for two
passengers the hind seat will be close against the front one and when the front one
is drawn forward to balance for four passengers they shall be the desired distance
apart which distance will be determined by the relative pitches of the screw or
diameters of the pulleys as fully and substantially described.
Dated this Seventh day of November 1887.