Improved Means of Connecting Draught Animals to Vehicles and the like.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 30th June, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 30th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 5th May, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of Connecting Draught Animals to Vehicles
and the like.
I, THOMAS HARGREAVES BRIGG, of Thornton Road, Bradford, Yorkshire,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a development of the invention described in the
Specification filed in pursuance of my application for Letters Patent No. 4296
of 1893, the present invention relating to improved means of connecting draught
animals to vehicles, ground implements and the like having fore-and-aft bearings
upon the ground, and having special reference to the combination with the lowly
attached arched trace levers described in such Specification-(as pivotally con-
nected at their rear ends to the fore carriage or equivalent part of the vehicle
at a low point of attachment, and as connected at their forward ends to the
animal by means of a belly band, and at an intermediate arched part to the
fore-carriage by spring attachments normally tending to raise the fore ends of
the levers, and as also connected to the animal by traces occupying a normal
position and tending when in tension to variably counteract said action of the
spring attachments, and as used for the purposes of obtaining the desired con-
tinuous automatic relation between the work required to be done by the connected
draught animal and the necessary expenditure of energy to perform such work,
and of supporting and affording relief to the animal ;-and as used conjunctively
with usual shafts or pole connections by which the steering movements of the
fore-carriage and the backing of the vehicle were effected in an ordinary
manner) of combined backing and steering attachments consisting of rods, levers
or equivalent means pivotally connected to the fore-carriage at as high points
of attachment as convenient, and engaging in a readily removable manner with
forward parts of said trace levers, whereby, conjunctively with the low con-
nections of the trace levers to the fore carriage, I am enabled to obtain, in
addition to the desired continuous automatic relation between the work required
to be done by the animal and the necessary expenditure of energy to perform
such work, and to the support and relief afforded to the animal by means of
the spring controlled arched trace-levers applied as described in said Specifi-
cation, the further advantages of more conveniently steering the forecarriage and
backing the vehicle with the same appliance, so enabling me to entirely dispense
with the ordinary shafts or pole connections, whereby the further advantage is
obtained of freeing the animal from the necessity of supporting the weight
thereof.
י
AT
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improved Means of Connecting Draught Animals to Vehicles
and the like.
I, THOMAS HARGREAVES BRIGG, of Thornton Road, Bradford, Yorkshire,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the 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 relates to improved means of connecting draught animals to

page_text: vehicles, ground implements and the like having fore and aft axles and wheels
or other fore and aft bearings upon the ground and fore-carriages or equivalent
turning or steering parts.
The invention is a development of the invention decribed in the Specification
of Letters Patent No. 4296, dated 27th February, 1893, and consists in the
combination with the rigid, arched, peculiarly connected, spring-controlled trace-
levers described in my aforesaid Specification, when applied to vehicles of the
nature aforesaid, of combined backing and steering attachments of the nature
hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawings ;-
Fig. 1, represents a side elevation of the fore part of a two-axled wheeled vehicle
having a fore-carriage, showing the same as fitted with the present improved
draught device, with the animal in draught, and
Fig. 2, represents a plan thereof.
h, represents the aforesaid rigid, arched, peculiarly connected, spring-controlled
trace-levers described in my aforesaid Specification.
Such trace-levers have their ends disposed in a downwardly inclined plane or
planes relative to flexible connections to the animal at the hame or collar, and their
rear ends pivotally connected to the fore-carriage b, at as low points of attachment i,
as convenient, and which may, conveniently, be supported by depending brackets m,
bolted to the fore-axle n. Such trace-levers are also (at or towards their forward
ends) connected to the animal by means of a belly-band g, adapted to support the
animal's fore-quarters, and a back-band f, adapted to bring downward pressure
upon the animal's fore-quarters. Such trace-levers are also (at any convenient
parts of their arched parts) connected to the fore-carriage by adjustable straps 8,
and adjustable springs, which latter may, conveniently, be supported by rearward
extensions of the brackets m, and normally tend to raise the fore ends of the trace-
levers and the belly-band and to more or less support the fore-quarters of the
connected animal. Such trace-levers are also (at any convenient parts of their
arched parts, or at or forward of their connections to the belly-band and back-
band) connected to the animal at the bame or collar k, by means of flexible trace
connections 1, so applied as normally to occupy an ordinary inclination (such as
that of ordinary traces connected directly from the hame or collar to the ordinary
trace-hooks of a fore-carriage) and as, when in tension, to tend to draw the ends of
the trace-levers into alignment with the attachments to the hame so as to variably
counteract said supporting action of the springs effected through the trace-levers
and belly-band, in the ratio of the pull exerted by the animal; all as more fully
described in my aforesaid Specification.
14, represents the aforesaid combined steering and backing attachments, which
consist of rods, tubes or equivalent rigid connections constructed of metal, wood or
other suitable material, and pivotally connected at their rear ends to the fore-
carriage at as high points I, (which also may be conveniently supported by
extensions of the bracket m,) as convenient, and pivotally connected at their
forward ends to sleeves or clasps 15, adapted to engage with and slide on forward
parts of the trace-levers h, in any readily separable manner, the rods 14, being also
connected, at any convenient parts 16, by a breech-strap d.
By the use of such rigid, arched, peculiarly connected, spring-controlled trace-
levers h, conjointly with such combined steering and backing attachments 14, 1 am
enabled to obtain, in addition to the continuous automatic relation between the
work required to be done by the connected animal and the necessary expenditure
of the animal's energy to perform such work, and to the support and relief afforded
to the animal by means of said trace-levers applied, as described in my aforesaid
Specification, to vehicles of the nature aforesaid, the further advantages of steering
the fore-carriage and backing the vehicle with the same appliance, whereby I am
enabled to entirely dispense with the ordinary shafts or pole connections used (in
vebicles of the nature aforesaid) for steering and backing the vehicles with the
trace levers described in my aforesaid Specification.

page_text: The turning movements of the animal are imparted to the fore-carriage through
the connections of the trace-levers h, and the rods 14, at 15, and their respective
connections at the low and high points i, I, with the fore-carriage, which is thus
most easily steered.
Said attachments 14, are also of very considerable advantage in enabling the
animal to exert a greatly increased backing resistance than it can exert when
backing through ordinary shafts, as, in the latter case, the forward motion of the
vehicle tends to lift the animal at the haunches and decreases its resistance and
backing power, whereas, with the said highly connected backing attachments 14,
the forward motion of the vehicle tends to bear downwardly on the animal and to
add weight at the haunches and so increase the animal's resistance and backing
power.
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 :-
In combination, rigid, arched trace-levers having their ends disposed in a
downwardly inclined plane or planes relative to flexible connections to the animal
at the hame, and their rear ends pivotally connected to a lowly depending part of
the fore-carriage; -continuing flexible trace connections tending, when in draught,
to draw the ends of the trace-levers into alignment with the attachments to the
hame a belly-band connected to the trace-levers and adapted to support the
animal's fore-quarters ;-a back-band connected to the trace-levers and adapted to
bring downward pressure on the animal's fore-quarters ;-a spring or springs
connected to the fore-carriage and to the arched parts of the trace-levers tending
to raise the fore parts of the levers; and combined steering and backing attach-
ments connected to the trace-levers at forward parts, and to the fore-carriage at
high points of attachment, and together by a breech-strap;-the whole co-operating
as set forth.
Dated this 30th day of March 1894.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.