IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING " DRAUGHT HORSES OR OTHER ANIMALS FROM FALLING WHILST AT WORK IN HARNESS APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE PREVENTION OF INJURY TO THE RIDERS FROM THE BREAKING OF AN AXLE OR THE LOSS OF A WHEEL
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William George Kite of Romford in the County of
Essex for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING
"
DRAUGHT HORSES OR OTHER ANIMALS FROM FALLING WHILST AT WORK IN
HARNESS APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE PREVENTION OF INJURY TO THE RIDERS
FROM THE BREAKING OF AN AXLE OR THE LOSS OF A WHEEL,"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William George Kite at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd May 1883.
WILLIAM GEORGE KITE of Romford in the County of Essex
"IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING DRAUGHT HORSES OR OTHER ANIMALS FROM
FALLING WHILST AT WORK IN HARNESS APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE PREVENTION OF
INJURY TO THE RIDERS FROM THE BREAKING OF AN AXLE OR THE LOSS OF A
WHEEL
"
This invention relates to a peculiar arrangement of apparatus to be attached to
the shafts or to the pole or other suitable part of a two or a four wheeled vehicle
for the purpose of preventing the falling of the horse or other draught animal
thereby preventing injury to the horse and occupants of the vehicle.
According to my invention I support the shafts or pole by the aid of a spring
or springs so disposed as to take the weight of the horse and vehicle with its
contents or of the horse alone in a four wheeled vehicle in case the animal stumbles
thus preventing it from falling to the ground whilst also assisting it by the reaction
of the springs in immediately regaining its feet.
-
According to one mode of carrying out my invention as applied for example to
an ordinary two wheeled vehicle provided with the usual shafts I attach to each
shaft a tubular telescopic support containing a helical spring of the necessary
strength according to the load.
The lower end of this support carries a small free running wheel which
so long as the horse is proceeding safely is maintained a few inches clear
of the ground but when the horse stumbles the said wheel is brought to

page_text: bear on the ground and the weight of the horse and load is consequently
supported by the said spring or springs until the horse has recovered his feet (he
being effectually prevented from lying down). The tendency of the said spring or
springs is to bear up the horse and load and prevent such a deflection of the shafts
as will produce more than a very slight displacement of the seat thereby preventing
the risk of the occupants being thrown out, and also preventing injury to the
horse. The lower ends of the said telescopic supports are suitably stayed by
angularly disposed stay rods extending to the axle or other convenient part of the
vehicle or to the fore part of the shafts themselves if required. In some cases I
may substitute for helical springs inside telescopic supports one or more flat or
blade springs or C shaped springs attached to the vehicle in such a manner as to
instantly take the weight of the horse and load or of the horse alone as the case
may be when the horse stumbles. It is obvious that in case of a broken axle or
the loss of a wheel in a two-wheeled vehicle that a similar arrangement of
yielding supports or springs will tend to prevent the vehicle from being upset
and the riders from being thereby injured.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William George Kite in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd November 1883::
WILLIAM GEORGE KITE of Romford in the County of Essex-" IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING DRAUGHT HORSES OR OTHER ANIMALS FROM
FALLING WHILST AT WORK IN HARNESS APPLICABLE ALSO TO THE PREVENTION OF
INJURY TO THE RIDERS FROM THE BREAKING OF AN AXLE OR THE LOSS OF A
WHEEL"
My said Invention consists essentially in combining with the shafts or pole of
a two-wheeled or a four-wheeled vehicle certain springs and supports or yielding
stays which tend to support and bear up the weight of the horse or other draught
animal harnessed to such vehicle in the event of its stumbling thereby preventing
it from falling the reaction of the said springs assisting the animal in regaining its
feet thus avoiding injury to the animal and preventing the occupants of the vehicle
being suddenly thrown out. Part of my improvements when applied to the body
of a vehicle prevents the upsetting of a vehicle from the breaking of an axle.or
the loss of a wheel thereby avoiding the consequent risk of injury to the
passengers.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the explanatory sheet of drawings hereunto annexed the same
letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the corresponding
figures..
Figure 1 represents in side elevation a portion of one of the shafts also the
position of the axle of a two-wheeled vehicle with a view to illustrate the application
of one of my improved arrangements thereto. Figures 2 to 5 are separate details
of various parts of the same apparatus hereinafter referred to. Figures 6 to 9 are
various details illustrating the essential parts only of a modified arrangement
applicable to the pole or to the shafts of a four-wheeled vehicle
In figures 1 to 5 a is a portion of one of the shafts of a two-wheeled vehicle.
b is the axle. c is a portion of one of the ordinary springs attached thereto, the
body of the vehicle and the connection therewith of the axle and shafts being
omitted as not forming any part of my invention and being well understood. by
carriage builders. As these several parts are duplicated for each shaft it will only
be necessary to refer to one set-d is a bracket fixed to the underside of the
shaft a just in front of the body of the vehicle and projecting some inches on the
outerside of the said shaft (see figures 2 and 3)-An oval or spherical shaped
stud e (figure 2) projecting from the underside of said bracket fits into the upper
end of a tubular support f and is connected therewith by a cross pin at g so as to
allow the tube a slight play round the said pin in the direction of the shaft a.
A rod or spindle h (shown in detail at figure 4) slides freely in the lower end of
the tubular support and is slotted longitudinally at i to receive a cross pin k
inserted through one or other of a series of holes in the tube. The lower end of
the spindle carries a small running wheel on a shoe which in the normal
position of the shafts is maintained a few inches above the ground. The combined'
tube and spindle form a telescopic spring support for the shafts and front part of
the vehicle which support comes into action directly the shafts are sufficiently
lowered by the stumbling of the horse to bring the small wheel or shoe & in contact
with the ground in which condition a helical spring m contained inside the tube f:
is compressed and its reaction tends to force outwards the spindle h and lift the

page_text: shafts again and with them the horse. The pink may be inserted into any of the
holes in the tube so as to adjust the length of the support to suit the height of
the animal employed. One end of the spring bears against the rounded stud e and
the other end against the top of the sliding spindle h which is prevented from
turning in and escaping from the tube f by the transverse pin k passing through
its slot. n figures and 5 is an inclined strut one end of which grips the lower
portion of the tube but allows a slight play thereto. The other end of the strut n
is secured to the axle as shown in figure 1 a detached plan of the strut being shown
at figure 5. The action of this apparatus is as follows
So long as the animal is proceeding safely the wheel or shoe / will be held
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few inches clear of the ground but should the animal stumble the consequent
lowering of the shafts will bring the said wheel down onto the ground and will
compress the spring m which will thus support the weight of the animal and
prevent it falling The reaction of the said spring by its upward pressure will
moreover assist the horse in regaining its feet. The said apparatus being
situate in front of the wheels also serves as a guard to prevent a person being run
over.
b
In the modification shown as applied to the pole of a vehicle for a pair of horses
at figures 6 to 9 a is a portion of the pole which may be attached and mounted
in the well known manner, b a flexible yielding stay secured at one end to a
bracket c near the fore part of the said pole and passing over a guide roller d
carried in brackets (not shown in my drawings) secured to the usual under carriage
or other convenient part of the vehicle. The guide roller d is situate at such a
height above the rear end of the pole a as that the flexible yielding stay 6 shall
form a vertical angle with the pole and act like the stays of a crane jib so that
when drawn back it shall tend to raise the front end of the pole and when the
pole is depressed slightly it shall exert a tensional strain on the said stay b. The
rear end of the stay is acted upon by a helical or other spring contained in a
spring box g (figure 7) or otherwise fitted the spring box when used being
connected to the middle of the axle h. In the normal position of the pole the
spring is fully extended but when the pole is deflected downwards by the
stumbling of the horse or horses the spring becomes compressed through the pull
exerted by the strain on the flexible stay b and the subsequent reaction of the said
spring tends through the stay b to lift the pole again to its normal elevation
thereby (aided by an arrangement which I shall now describe) assisting the horse
in regaining its feet.
To pins h h in the bracket c are hinged two curved supporting arms ii! (figure 8)
which when not in use hang down almost vertically below the pole as shown at i
but when the horses are being harnessed these arms are brought up against the
bellies of the animals (to the underside of which they are curved to fit) into the
position shown by the arm and are fixed in that position by bolts k passing
through holes in the side plates of the bracket c and in the butt ends of the arms.
These arms thus act as supports or belly-bands and tend to prevent the animal
falling. In the event of its stumbling and consequently causing the pole to be
deflected downwards the stay b will yield slightly under the compression of the
spring e which by its reaction will tend to lift up the poles and arms i
thereby assist the animal in regaining its feet.
and
A similar arrangement of angularly disposed flexible yielding stay and tension
spring is obviously applicable to the holding up of the hinged shafts of a four-
wheeled vehicle the curved supporting arms being in that case however
replaced by a belly-band passing underneath the horse and attached to the two
shafts.
By applying one or more yielding spring supports similar to that shown at
figure 1 to the body of a vehicle the same may be prevented from overturning in
the case of a broken axle or loss of a wheel.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into

page_text: effect I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original
and therefore claim as the invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part
recited Letters Patent is :-
First. The mode or method of supporting and bearing up the weight of a
draught animal in the event of its stumbling and so preventing its falling when
harnessed to the shafts or to the pole of a vehicle, by the aid of springs and
yielding supports or stays acting upon the shafts or pole of the vehicle the
reaction of the said springs assisting the animal in regaining its feet substantially
as described.
Second. The combination with the shafts of a two-wheeled vehicle of yielding
telescopic spring supports arranged and caused to act substantially as and for the
purpose described with reference to figures 1 to 5 of my drawings.
Third. The combination with the body of a vehicle of yielding telescopic spring
supports for preventing accidents in the case of the breakage of an axle or the loss
of a wheel substantially as described.
.
Fourth. The combination with the shafts of a two-wheeled vehicle of the
brackets & tubular support f spring m inclined strut n and sliding spindle h
carrying the free running wheel or shoe Z substantially as and for the purpose
described with reference to figures 1 to 5 of my drawings.
Fifth. The combination with the pole or shafts of a four-wheeled vehicle of a
flexible yielding stay disposed at a vertical angle to the said pole or shafts and
acted upon by a spring substantially as and for the purpose described with
reference to Figures 6 to 9 of my drawings
Sixth. The combination with the pole of a vehicle of the flexible yielding
stay b guide roller d spring f bracket c and hinged curved supporting arms i i
substantially as and for the purpose described with reference to figures 6 to 9.of
my drawings.
In Witness whereof I the said William George Kite have hereunto set my
hand and seal this nineteenth day of November in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.