An Improvement in the Shafts of Vehicles, and Harness to be used in connection therewith.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Sept., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 24th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 22nd Feb.. 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in the Shafts of Vehicles, and Harness to be used
in connection therewith.
We, WILLIAM ALFRED BROMWICH, of 12, Kensington Square, London, W.,
Gentleman, and CHARLES ASHBURNHAM FLOYD, of 12, St. James' Square,
London, S. W. Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the shafts of vehicles and in harnessing
draught animals thereto, and it has for its principal objects to improve the
appearance of the vehicle, to avoid the liability of the injury frequently caused by
the end of a shaft running into another animal in cases of collision, and also to
enable the length of the harness traces to be shortened, and other minor improve-
ments to be obtained, as will hereafter appear. The downwardly curved ends of
vehicle shafts, in so far as they project forwards beyond the point where they
pass through the shaft tugs or loops carried by the back strap, are quite useless
either for the purpose of harnessing the animal to or for guiding the vehicle, and in
case of a runaway horse they are liable to cause serious injury to any other animal
that may be run into.
This invention consists in making the shafts each terminate in a looped or
bowed end, the loop being in the vertical plane, its upper member having an upward
rise or curvature corresponding to the present usual curvature of the shaft whilst
the lower member may be straight and in alignment with the straight part of the
shaft. The shafts are made so much shorter than usual that their looped or bowed
ends extend forward but slightly beyond the point of attachment of the back strap
which is attached to the upper member of the loop or bow by lapping and buckling
around it instead of by the usual looped tugs and the bowed ends of the shafts are
consequently held close against the animal's sides. The bowed part of the shaft
is strengthened by a cross-stay which also forms the point of attachment of the
trace so that the latter is very much shortened.
Dated this 9th day of September 1895.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
An Improvement in the Shafts of Vehicles, and Harness to be used
in connection therewith.
We, WILLIAM ALFRED BROMWICH, of 12 Kensington Square, London, W.,
Gentleman and CHARLES ASHBURNHAM FLOYD, of 12 St. James' Square, London,
S.W. Gentleman 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 the shafts of vehicles and to the

page_text: barnessing of draught animals thereto, and it has for its principal object, besides
the improvement of the appearance of the vehicle and the simplification of the
harness, to avoid the danger, in the case of a collision, of the projecting ends
of the shafts causing injury to any other animal that may be run into.
The end portions of vehicle shafts which extend forward beyond the loops
carried by the back band are not only a source of the danger just referred to,
but are quite useless either for the purpose of harnessing the animal or for
guiding the vehicle, and our invention bas for its object to dispense with the
projecting ends of the shafts and also to obtain other advantages which will be
apparent from the description.
The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings,
forming part of this Specification, wherein
Figure 1 illustrates by a perspective side view of a gig, the construction of our
improved shaft end and the mode of harnessing the horse thereto.
Figures 2 and 3 are respectively a side view and horizontal section of our
improved shaft end on a larger scale."
Similar letters of reference denote like parts in all the figures.
The invention consists mainly in making each shaft A terminate in a looped end
or eye B, the shafts being only of such length that the looped end or eye B will
come opposite the side panel of the back pad in position for attachment of the back
band C. The attachment of the back band C to the loop may be effected by
passing the end of the back band through the loop, lapping it around the upper
member c thereof, and buckling it, as shewn, or in any other convenient way, the
usual closed loops or tugs being, of course, unsuitable.
The looped end B of the shaft is made by forging and is strengthened by a
cross-stay which serves as a stop for the back band and also forms the point of
attachment for the trace D. The traces are consequently very much shortened,
the draught-strain being applied directly to the front end of the shafts, instead of
at a point farther back, although it is to be observed that the adoption of our
improved shaft end does not preclude the use of the ordinary long traces, if these
be preferred. In the event of long traces being used, the cross-stay b is not required
unless for strengthening the loop B.
Figure 1 shews the short trace D attached to an ordinary collar, but it will be
obvious that the latter might be replaced by a breast-collar and short traces.
Figures 2 and 3 shew the preferred form for the looped end B of the shaft, the
front or bowed part of the loop being preferably curved outwards, as shewn in
Figure 3, so as to give clearance room for the trace D which passes behind it as
shewn, and also forming a convenient point of attachment for the trace from the
leading horse when driving tandem. The looped end B is conveniently attached to
the shaft by a socket E wherein the point of the shaft is received and which may
be secured to the shaft by cross-rivets or by means of a longitudinal bolt F
fixed in the shaft by cross-pins or otherwise and securing the socket and loop by a
nut f.
In addition to the advantages already mentioned, the following are obtained by
our improved shaft end viz. -The end of the shaft cannot catch in the collar,
reins, or traces, or injure the collar by rubbing against it, and in case of a horse
falling there are no shaft ends to be broken off and the animal can be more easily
unharnessed.
The invention is applicable to the shafts both of two-wheeled and four-wheeled
vehicles.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The herein described improvement in the shafts of vehicles, which consists in
providing the front end of each shaft with a terminal loop or eye in position for the

page_text: attachment thereto of the back band, the loop being provided with a cross-stay for
the attachment thereto of the trace, substantially as specified.
2. The herein described combined improvement in shafts and harness, substan-
tially as specified.
Dated this 24th day of December 1895.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.