Improvements in Braking Mechanism for Road Vehicles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Mar., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 10th Jan., 1896-Accepted. 15th Feb. 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Braking Mechanism for Road Vehicles.
I JOHN LEE BRADSHAW of 25 Shakespeare Street, Southport in the County
of Lancaster, Hay and Corn Merchant do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:
My invention relates to four wheeled vehicles such as lurries waggonettes or the
like and has for its object to provide an efficient and simple braking mechanism to
be applied to the hind wheels by the backward push of the draught animal or
animals. It is a great advantage to apply to the hind wheels as compared with the
front, as is well known.
The braking mechanism is mostly placed on the underside of the lurry (for
instance) and is connected to the breechin or other part of the harness by flexible
connections supported on pullies on the shaft or by rigid connections such as rods,
or otherwise. Under the lurry is supported a piece (or sometimes more than one)
of wire rope or other suitable strong hauling medium whose two ends are fastened
to a swingletree or otherwise connected and arranged so as to be simultaneously
pulled (or pushed) by the backward push of the horse communicated from the
breechin as aforesaid. Tracing the wire rope from one end, say the off side of the
swingletree centre, it passes round a pulley on the off fore corner of the under
carriage, then onto a pulley on the rear corner, then round a pulley on the brake
lever thence to the rear hind & near fore corners of the carriage & back to the
swingletree. Or if preferred the two sides of the rope may cross between the brake
lever & the carriage & in that case I may use two pulleys on the brake lever or
levers. I do not limit myself to this plan, the main object of these arrangements
being to so arrange the rope in a "give & take manner on the two sides of the
lurry that when the shafts and consequently the under carriage are turned there
shall be very little difference in the tension of the rope on both sides.
"
In some cases, I may, instead of supporting the wire rope on the under carriage,
at its fore part, & making it movable therewith, support it on fixed guides adjacent
to the upper carriage or the "circle" thereof. The rope in this case would not
participate in the movement of the under carriage when turned at an angle by the
shafts, but a runner movable with said under carriage will travel along the rope
during such movement and allow the pull or push from the horse to act thereon at
any point of its travel. If found necessary I provide one or more additional
supports for the rope.
In some cases the ends of the rope passing from the breeching instead of being
pullied on the carriage may pass between the two circles which are kept apart for
that purpose by antifriction runners, and after a partial turn round the centre pin
they then pass through the upper circle plate to the brake lever.
Springs may be used to release the brake & a claw catch or other device provided
to hold it inoperative for backing &c. when desired.
Dated this 8th day of March 1895.
CHARLES COVENTRY,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: I
Improvements in Braking Mechanism for Road Vehicles.
I JOHN LEE BRADSHAW of 25 Shakespeare Street Southport in the County
of Lancaster, Hay and Corn Merchant, 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 relates to four wheeled vehicles such as lurries wagonettes or the
like and has for its object to provide an efficient and simple braking mechanism to
be applied to the hind wheels by the backward pressure of the draught animal or
animals. It is a great advantage to apply to the hind wheels, as compared with the
front, as is well known.
One of the main objects of this invention is to provide, in convenient form, a
brake such as mentioned which shall be capable of exerting equal pressure or
practically so, at whatever angle the fore-carriage of the vehicle is turned.
Referring to the drawings.
Fig. 1. is a sectional elevation of a lurry having my invention applied thereto,
parts being omitted for clearness.
Fig. 2. is a plan of such portions of Fig. 1. as are necessary to enable my invention
to be understood.
Fig. 3. is a plan of a pole-wagon for two shaft horses, having my invention applied
thereto.
Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2. The two ends of the breeching strap or similar
portion of the harness, instead of being hooked into links fixed on the shafts are
hooked to the ends of a wire rope Z which is connected with the brake in such a
manner that when the animal backs against the load, or the load tends to overrun
the horse, the pressure so caused is transferred to the brake. I show and
describe wire rope as the connecting mediumn as this is very suitable and successful
in practice but I de not confine myself to this material as I may in some cases use
other material, chain for instance.
A is the body of the lurry B the fore-carriage C the circle plates D the bed.
Upon the under carriage B I take four points a, a', a², a³, preferably in the
form of a square.
Two of these points a a¹ are occupied by pulleys pivotted
loose on the under carriage while the points a², a³, coincide with a pair of clips
upon the ends of two bars E which are provided to keep the wire rope from
creeping bodily around the pulleys and which at the same time being freely
pivotted on a stud at e allow the necessary movements as hereinafter described.
They also serve to prevent the rope from twisting.
I provide two other pulleys 66. These are shown supported in guiding strips F
kept apart by packing and secured by bolts to the body of the lurry.
A stay G connects the two pulleys to prevent them closing together and thus
straining guides F and causing unnecessary friction when tension is put upon the
rope. The brake H hangs as usual from the body of the lurry and is connected to
the pulleys bb by rods h h and h¹ and lever I, which, in this case has a purchase of
about 3 to 1 thus multiplying the braking power as applied by the horse by about
3 times.
A spiral spring J normally keeps the brake inoperative. The wire rope Z after
leaving the pulley on the shaft passes to the clip a³ thence takes a partial
turn round pulleys a, b, b', and crossing itself takes a partial turn round pulley a¹
and through clip a² and thence to the pulley on the other shaft. The distance apart
of pulleys is preferably equal to the distance apart of a, a¹ as is also the
distance of bb¹ from a' a when the brake is inoperative.
This arrangement of clips and pulleys enables the under carriage of the vehicle

page_text: to be turned in either direction without making any substantial difference in the
tension on rope Z.
For instance should the carriage turn to the left (Fig. 2) the point a will approach
point to practically the same extent that point a¹ will recede from point 6' the rope
travelling meanwhile around pulleys and thus causing no material alteration in
the tension.
The mode of action is as follows.
When the load tends to overrun the horse the breeching pulls upon the ends of
the wire rope. The rods E swing out a few inches and the pull is communicated
to the pulleys b which travel along guides F and by means of connections 4 I h
When the
apply the brake with a force proportionate to the horses pressure.
pressure is removed the spring J takes off the brake.
I provide a disconnecting device to be used when it is wished to back the vehicle.
This is in the form of a pair of hooks K K mounted on the shaft bark and having
handle. These hooks K serve to engage a pair of links or eyes L spliced in the
wire rope and thus take the pull instead of allowing it to travel to the brake.
The
In Figure 3 where the brake is shown as applied to a two horse pole wagon
dispense with rods E and put another pair of pulleys in place thereof.
two ends of the wire rope coming from the brake are fastened to a swingle-
tree M from which a single piece passes to pulley fixed on the top of the
pole, whence it is bifurcated as shown for attachment to the double harness.
A link or eye may be provided in the wire rope Z near the forward end of
the pole or in other suitable place, so that when it is desired to back or set
the vehicle a pin carried by or inserted into said pole may be caused to engage
it by hand and thus disconnect the brake mechanism.
د,
In some cases more especially when applied to vehicles having only a “half
lock that is those whose under-carriages are so arranged that they never turn
beyond a certain more limited extent than those described. The wire rope may
instead of crossing itself proceed straight to one central pulley.
I have described and shown the best way known to me of carrying my invention
into practice but it is evident that modifications may be made without departing
from the main principle of my invention which is to so arrange the rope in a
give and take manner on the right and left sides of the vehicle, that when
the shafts and under-carriage are turned, it shall cause no deleterious difference
in the tension or braking capability.
66
A hand wheel or lever may be provided if desired acting independently on the
brake. It will preferably be connected to the brake by an arin having a slot
embracing the brake lever in such manner that when the brake is applied auto-
matically the brake lever will ride idle in the slot. I do not confine myself to
the use of any particular form of brake proper as it will be evident that the
mechanism described may be used to apply different designs of brake such for
instance as a band brake. I am aware that has before been proposed to utilize
the back pressure of the horse for braking and make no claim to such brakes
broadly but,
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is.
1. A braking mechanism for road vehicles comprising a wire rope or other suitable
hauling material upon which tension may be put by the backward pressure of the
draught animal, said rope being supported on each side of the vehicle upon a series
of pulleys or supports in such manner that the tension thereon is not materially
varied by the turning of the fore-carriage, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
2. In braking mechanism for road vehicles the combination of clips as a² and
pulleys a a¹ forming four points of support placed equidistant or thereabouts upon.

page_text: the under-carriage, movable pulleys connected to the brake, and a wire rope Z
supported by the series substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3. Braking mechanism for road vehicles having a wire rope or equivalent flexible
hauling medium carried symmetrically on both sides of the centre line in such
manner that the shafts may be turned with respect to the vehicle proper without
imparing the action of the mechanism substantially as described.
Dated this 9th day of January 1895.
CHARLES COVENTRY,
Patent Expert,
Agent for the Applicant.