Improvements in or Applicable to the Wheels of Carts, Wagons, Tramcars, and other Vehicles to Prevent the Vehicle Running Back Down an Incline.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Mar., 1888
Complete Left, 7th May, 1888
Complete Accepted, 8th June, 1888
Improvements in or Applicable to the Wheels of Carts, Wagons,
Tramcars, and other Vehicles to Prevent the Vehicle Running
Back Down an Incline.
I EDWARD MURGATROYD of 5 Brown Street East, Colne in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has for its object a simple means of automatically scotching the wheels
of any of the above descriptions of vehicles so as to prevent the same running back
down an incline and consists in the use and application to the boss of the wheels of
such vehicles of a ratchet wheel with one two or more sets of ratchet teeth. Into the
ratchet wheel a pawl or pawls mounted by preference upon the axle or other stationary
part of the vehicles can be placed in gear say by means of a suitable hand lover
and when ascending an incline and thus the wheels of the vehicles are free to turn in
the forward direction, but become scotched and effectually prevented turning in the
other direction.
JOHN G. WILSON,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in or Applicable to the Wheels of Carts, Wagons,
Tramcars, and other Vehicles to Prevent the Vehicle Running
Back Down an Incline.
I EDWARD MURGATROYD of 5 Brown Street East, Colne in the County of
Lancaster Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:-
This invention has for its object a simple means of automatically scotching the
wheels of any of the above descriptions of vehicles so as to prevent the same running
back down an incline-and consists in the use and application to the boss of the wheels
of such vehicles of a ratchet wheel with one, two or more sets of teeth. Into the ratchet
wheel a pawl or pawls mounted by preference upon the axle or other stationary part of
the vehicles can be placed in gear say by means of a suitable hand lever and when
ascending an incline and thus the wheels of the vehicle are free to turn in the forward
direction but become scotched and effectually prevented turning in the other direction.
On the accompanying drawing Fig. 1. is a side view and Fig. 2 a back view of a
cart or double wheeled vehicle having my improved ratchet scotching apparatus
applied thereto.
In both views a is the body of the vehicle the axlo-tree and cc the wheels.
To the inner face of the boss of the wheels cc on both sides of the vehiclo I affix
any improved ratchet plate or wheel e shown separately (and on an enlarged scale) by
front and side sectional views in Fig. 3 and 4.
This affixing is most effectually and securely performed by having say three pins or
studs f. cast or otherwise secured on the inner face of the ratchet wheel (see Fig. 3) so
as to be fitted into the wooden boss of the wheel and thus such projections tako the
strain off the coach scrows g. which are screwed direct into such wooden boss. The
square heads of these screws are by preference arranged so as to lie in the recess h.
and not to project beyond or much beyond the rim or outer edge i of the ratchet
wheel.
Upon a bracket j. secured to each extremity of the wooden axle beam / or upon any
other suitable part of the body of the cart 1 mount a ratchet pawll which gears with its
corresponding ratchet wheel e. and so permits the wheel c. c. of the cart to revolve in the
forward direction but effectually and automatically scotches and prevents the same
turning in the other direction. In this manner I not only ensure that the vehicle
shall have no tendency to run backwards but enable the driver to stop to rest his horse
at any point in ascending an incline.
By having a rod m connected to a pin upon the side of the pawl and carried
upwards and there affixed to a lever n or its equivalent capable of being hung upon a
bracket or pegged to a plate o facility is afforded for supporting the pawl 7 out of
contact with the wheel e, say when travelling along a level country.

page_text: I prefer to construct the ratchet wheels or plate e of cast steel or of annealed cast
iron and in some cases 1 construct the rim with two or more sets of ratchet teeth or I
employ two or more pawls of varying length so as to obtain a finer and quicker
scotching action.
As applied to perambulators and invalid carriages this invention renders it possible
for such vehicles to be left standing safely on an inclined foot path or road way or even
in case of ascending an incline by turning the back of the vehicle to face down the
incline the ratchet wheels are automatically brought into action.
It will be apparent that a ratchet wheel could also be applied in the reverse
direction to prevent the perambulator running forward when its pawl is allowed to
drop into gear.
In the case of wheels affixed upon and revolving with their axles as in tram-cars and
some descriptions of perambulators the ratchet wheel could be applied in any convenient
position along the length of the axle.
I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise mode of
securing the ratchet plate or wheel to the wheel of the vehicle without departing from
my invention.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
I declare that what I claim is :-
1st. The employment of ratchet wheels or plates affixed to the wheels or carts, wagons
tram-cars and other vehicles in combination with pawls mounted and operated substan-
tially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated on the accompanying
drawing.
JOHN G. WILSON,
Agent for the Applicant.