Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Mar., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 4th Dec., 1899-Accepted, 27th Jan., 1900
I, SAMUEL SMITH, of 14, Chapel Street, in the City of Bradford, Mantle Maker,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in that type of motor road vehicles
provided with two front steering wheels swivelling upon independent swivels
or locks," and its object is to enable such vehicles to more advantageously
utilize ordinary tramway rails.
66
To carry out my invention I attach a movable guide wheel to each swivelling
part having a rim or flange adapted to engage the groove in the rail and guide
or keep the vehicle thereon. These wheels are mounted and so arranged that they
can be raised or swung up out of action or be let down to engage the rails and
a spring or springs is or are introduced to keep them pressed down upon the
rails. For this purpose the guide wheel studs or pivots may be secured to blocks
sliding in vertical guides in which they are raised and lowered. Or the guides
may be hinged near to, the top and be swung forward and upwards to disengage
them from the rails.
A lever is provided on the body of the vehicle within convenient reach of the
driver by which the guide wheels are moved into and out of position. This lever
may be mounted on a rocking shaft or the like having arms coupled by chain
or other flexible connections to the blocks or guides to raise and lower them.
Other suitable means for raising and lowering the guide wheels may be
employed in which sufficient elasticity or play is allowed in the connecting
parts to permit of the movement of the body of the vehicle upon its springs.
Dated this 3rd day of March 1800.
I, SAMUEL SMITH, of 14, Chapel Street, in the City of Bradford, Mantle Maker,
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:--
This invention relates to improvements in that type of motor road vehicles
provided with two front steering wheels swivelling upon independent swivels
OI' locks," and its object is to enable such vehicles to more advantageously
utilize ordinary tramway rails.

page_text: To carry out my invention I attach a movable guide wheel to each swivelling
part having a rim or flange adapted to engage the groove in the rail and guide
or keep the vehicle thereon. These wheels are mounted and so arranged that they
can be raised or swung up out of action or be let down to engage the rails and
a spring or springs is or are introduced to keep them pressed down upon the
rails.
To fully describe my invention, reference is made to the accompanying sheet
of drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of
reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the views.
Figure 1, represents such parts of a motor road vehicle as are necessary to
illustrate my improvements.
Figure 2, is a side view of same.
The front wheels 2, 2, front axle 3 and the independent swivels or steering
locks 4, 4 are of any ordinary construction excepting that provision is made on
the latter to receive the eye ends 6 of the arms 5, 5 loosely mounted thereon so
far as vertical movement of their other ends 8 is concerned. The ends 8 are
pivoted to the axle 10 carrying the guide wheels 12 and it will be clearly seen
in the drawings that by this construction such guide wheels are made to follow
the movements of the steering locks.
To raise the guide wheels out of action as well as bring them into action I
may employ the diagonal lifting bars 14, 14 connecting the axle 10 to the cross
piece 15 coupled in the centre to an arm 17 on the rocking shaft 18 by the rod 19.
The rod 19 is not rigidly connected to the arm 17 but to a collar 20 sliding thereon,
and a spiral spring 21 is placed on the rod and is more or less compressed between
the underside of the collar and the shoulder 22 of the rod. The rocking shaft
is rotated to bring the guide wheels in and out of action by means of the hand
lever 25 having a stop or catch piece 26 to engage the notches 27 in the sectors 30
and hold the lever in any position. The spring 21 allows the wheels 12 when in
action to rise and fall with inequalities in the road and the diagonal bars 14 and
cross piece 15 allow either wheel to rise and fall independently of the other.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
The combination with the steering locks, of means for carrying guide wheels
arranged to move with the locks, and means to move such guide wheels in and
out of action, substantially as herein shown and described.
Dated this 1st day of December 1800
DRACUP & NOWELL,
Patent Agents, Bradford.