Improvements in Hand-trucks.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 10th Mar., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 1st June, 1894-Accepted, 7th July, 1894
Improvements in Hand-trucks.
I, HARLOW EDWIN SPAULDING, of 4, Church Street, Saratoga Springs, in
the State of New York, United States of America, Maker of Carriages and
Patent Hand Trucks, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention has for its object to enable goods such as heavy boxes etc., to be
more readily loaded on to hand trucks than can at present be done with trucks
now in use, while at same time providing a truck which is well adapted for handling
goods and which when not in use will occupy but little space.
According to my invention the body part of the truck has at its forward end
a transverse supporting base projecting downwardly in front of the wheels, a pair.
of spurs projecting upwardly from the body part, and a hook secured to the body
part for the purpose of grappling a box or other article in the act of loading the
truck. The axle is cast in one with the supporting base, which consists of a pair
of brackets bolted to the body of the truck, the lower end of each bracket being
provided with a foot which, assuming the truck to be in a vertical position, extends
rearwardly from the body and projects a short distance beyond the wheels so that
the feet rest on the floor and support the truck with the wheels slightly raised.
The grappling book is of bow-shape and its members are pivoted to the handle
part of the truck, its hooked end being adapted to swing out over the box or other
article.
In loading the truck the handles are brought to a vertical position or until the
hook can grasp the article to be raised, this movement throwing the truck off its
wheels and causing it to stand on its feet. The spurs which project from the body
opposite to the feet engage the lower part of the article and the hook is then
caused to grasp the upper part of the article. The feet resting on the floor
sustain the weight of the article until it is swung into position and form a stable
fulcrum for tipping the article and swinging it over the truck. As the article is
swung on to the truck the handles and body assume an inclined position which
brings the wheels into contact with the floor and raises the feet therefrom.
Dated this 10th day of March 1894.
n. E. SP
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
DING,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.

page_text: Improvements in Hand-trucks.
I, HARLOW EDWIN SPAULDING of 4, Church Street, Saratoga Springs, in
the State of New York, Maker of Carriages and Patent Hand Trucks, 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:-
My invention has for its object to enable goods, such assheavy boxes, etc., to be
more readily loaded on to hand trucks than can at present be done with trucks
now in use while at same time providing a truck which is well adapted for handling
goods and which when not in use will occupy but little space.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, and the letters of
reference marked thereon, which form a part of this Specification. Similar letters
refer to similar parts in the several figures therein.
Figure 1 of the drawings is a rear elevation of my improved hand-truck, with
the handles and body part in an approximately vertical position...
Figure 2 is a central vertical cross-section of the same in the position shewn in
Figure 1, except that the truck-hook is shewn in engagement with a box in position
to be loaded upon the truck.
Figure 3 is an isometrical perspective view of a casting, comprising the axle and
supporting brackets.
The body part A, handles A', wheels A', and spurs A³, may be of any known
form.
The axle B, which supports the wheels, is cast integral with the supporting
brackets B' which are provided with the bolt-holes B adapted to receive the
bolts B by which the brackets are secured to the body-part of the truck, as
shewn. The lower end of each bracket is provided with a fulcrum-foot B which
projects from the body-part of the truck. Assuming that the parts occupy the
position shewn in Figures 1 and 2 in which the body-part of the truck stands
vertically with the handles uppermost, the fulcrum-foot B on the lower end of
each bracket projects horizontally from the body part of the truck approximately
to the vertical plane which passes through the axial line of the wheels and a short
distance below the wheels, so that the feet rest on the floor B' and support the
truck with its wheels a short distance above the floor.
The handle end of the body of the truck is provided with a grappling hook C
pivoted at C' upon the body part and having its hooked end C adapted to swing
out over a box D, or other object to be loaded upon the truck. To load a box or
other article the truck is pushed up to one side of the article and the handles are
thrown up to a vertical position or until the hook can be made to grapple the
article. Such movement throws the truck off from its wheels and causes it to
stand upon the fulcrum-feet, as shewn in Figure 2. The spurs A' engage the lower
part of the box and the hook is then brought into engagement with the upper
part of the box, as shewn in Figure 2. If the spurs A' are not quite in engagement
with the box, when the box is hooked, a horizontal pull upon the handles will
force the spurs against the box and swing the box over on to the truck. If the
wheels rested upon the floor the box could not be swung upon the truck by
horizontally pulling upon the handles, because the wheels would only afford an
unstable fulcrum or prop which would recede as soon as the box was lifted from
the floor and before it could be swung over on to the truck. The feet resting upon
the floor and sustaining the weight of the box, until the box is swung to a position
where its centre of gravity is over the truck, form a stable fulcrum for tipping the
box and swinging it over on to the truck. As the box is swung on to the truck,
the handles and truck frame assume an inclined position which brings the wheels

page_text: into engagement with the floor and swings the feet up off from the floor, whereupon
the loaded truck can be freely moved upon its wheels in the usual manner. By
having the fulcrum-feet rigid upon the truck-frame, they are always in place
and ready for use and cannot get out of order.
I am aware that it has been proposed to use fulcrum-feet pivoted upon the
truck-frame, but such a form of construction is expensive, uncertain of operation,
and easily disorganized.
By casting the axle for the wheels, the fulcrum-feet, and the supporting brackets,
all in one piece of metal, I am able to provide a new article of manufacture for
trucks that combines cheapness, stability, and strength. The wheels fit loosely
and turn on the journals B. The feet can be made short and arranged to engage
the floor at a short distance from the box, thereby securing an advantageous
leverage which enables the operator to easily and quickly load a. heavy box or
other article unaided.
I am aware that it has been proposed to extend the body-part of a commou
truck forwardly of the wheels to form fulcrum points whereby the load may be
tipped or swung well over the wheels without lifting the load from the floor and
while the wheels are supported above the floor by such points, but such a form of
construction precludes the common method of supporting a truck when not in use,
that is upon the wheels and forward end with the body in an approximately vertical
position. In a crowded store-house, floor-space is valuable and a vertically-
supported truck not only occupies a comparatively small space, but the elevated
handles are within easy reach.
In my improved truck, the fulcrum-feet project downwardly from the body-part
in a plane at right-angles to such part and forwardly of the wheels while the spurs
project upwardly from the body approximately in the same plane, thereby affording
a base extending the length of the spurs and feet for supporting the truck in a
vertical position, as shewn in Figure 2.
It is obvious from an inspection of such figure that the feet would alone
suffice to support the truck in such vertical position independently of the spurs,
but the spurs serve to extend the base when located in the same plane with
the feet.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a hand-truck, the combination, with a body-part having at its forward end
a transverse supporting base, projecting downwardly in front of the wheels, of a
grappling-hook secured to the body-part, and a pair of spurs projecting upwardly
from the body-part, substantially as described.
2. In a hand-truck, the combination, with the truck-body and a grappling-hook
secured thereon, of fulcrum-feet projecting downwardly from the body and
forwardly of the wheels, and a pair of spurs projecting oppositely to the feet, the
plane of the feet and spurs being approximately at right angles to the body,
substantially as described.
Dated this 1st day of June 1801
H. E. SPAULDING,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.