An Improvement in Carts, Carriages, Floats, and like Road Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Jan., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 6th Oct., 1896-Accepted, 5th Dec., 1896
SIONAL S
An Improvement in Carts, Carriages, Floats, and like Road
Vehicles.
We RICHARD WILDER, JAMES WILDER and HENRY WILDER of Walling-
ford in the County of Berkshire Agricultural Engineers do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to road vehicles of various descriptions but more particu-
larly to those in which it is desirable that the bed or bottom should be near the
ground such as milk carts, brewers' floats or carts for the conveyance of heavy
goods or animals and it consists of improved means and method whereby the body
of the vehicle may be brought nearer to the ground than hitherto and nevertheless
be balanced upon springs.
In accordance with our invention we dispense altogether with the ordinary
cranked axle and in place thereof we furnish each wheel with a short axle or
spindle the inner end of which is securely held upon a horizontal crosshead at right
angles with said spindle and made preferably of H section or channel section of
metal. The said crosshead is bored through with a hole at or near each end for
sliding over two vertical guide bars fixed rigidly upon the frame or shaft and to
the underside of the crosshead we attach by means of rivets or the like, centrally or
thereabouts a guide rod projecting downwards and of flat iron or other metal
preferably placed edgeways to the way of the strain the outer edges being rounded
off to fit into a grooved guide pulley mounted in bearings in a box or strap
projecting sideways from under the vehicle.
The two guide bars fixed rigidly to the frame or shaft before mentioned form
the means by which the body of the float or vehicle is connected with or mounted
upon the wheels and we interpose spiral springs between the crosshead and the
shaft or frame for taking the weight of the vehicle. Other forms of springs may
be used if desired. It will thus be understood that as the vehicle is loaded the two
guide bars carried thereby will sink to a lower position in the crosshead, the
springs also becoming depressed and the guide pulley likewise comes into play
bearing upon the outside edge of the lower guide rod and thus resisting by a lever
action the tendency which the wheels have to lean outwardly at the bottom when
the vehicle is loaded. The tendency of the wheels to lean inwardly can also be
overcome by providing a horizontal frame bar which may also be fitted with a
guide roller or pulley, upon the underside of the vehicle against which the inner
edge of the lower guide rod may bear; the latter will hardly project at all below
the level of the bed or bottom of the vehicle when fully loaded and the advantage
of this arrangement over the old form will be apparent for where a cranked axle is
used it occupies considerable space under the vehicle and clearance has to be left to
allow for action of springs.
Dated this 6th day of January 1896
STANLEY, POPPLEWELL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: An Improvement in Carts, Carriages, Floats, and like Road
Vehicles.
We, RICHARD WILDER, JAMES WILDER, and HENRY WILDER, of Walling-
ford in the County of Berkshire, Agricultural Engineers, 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:-
Our invention relates to road vehicles of various descriptions, but more particu-
larly to those in which it is desirable that the bed, bottom, or floor shall be near to
the ground, such as in the case of milk carts, brewers floats, or carts for the
conveyance of heavy goods or animals, and our said invention consists of improved
means and method whereby the body of the vehicle may be brought nearer to the
ground than hitherto, and nevertheless be balanced upon springs.
In carrying out our invention, we dispense with the ordinary cranked axle, and
in place thereof, we provide, at each side of the vehicle, a short axle or spindle,
mounted as hereafter described, upon which the wheels revolve.
We prefer
to secure the inner end of each spindle or short axle to a block carried upon a
horizontal crosshead or bar at right angles to said spindle, that is, parallel, or
nearly so, with the shafts of the vehicle, and further, we may form these bars or
crossheads out of section or channel iron or other metal. We bore a hole at each
end of each crosshead so that it may work up and down on two vertical guide bars
fixed as hereafter described, or we may fit sockets to the crossheads through which
the said guide bars may pass. Below the axle or spindle block, and to the under
side of the crosshead, we secure, by rivets or the like, an independent guide rod
depending therefrom, preferably of flat metal placed edgeways, and having its
outer edges or arrises rounded off so as to freely engage or fit into a grooved guide
pulley mounted in bearings projecting from the bottom or floor of the vehicle; or
in some cases, we may secure the axle or spindle to a block fixed below the cross-
head, and carrying, depending therefrom, the central guide rod. We interpose
spiral or other convenient form of springs between the crossheads and the shafts
of the vehicle, kept in position by short rods, telescopic tubes, or any well known
device.
In order to more clearly indicate the nature of our invention, we have caused to
be attached to this specification a sheet of drawings to which we shall now refer,
similar letters of reference indicating corresponding parts.
Figure 1. shows a light milk float, on which the shafts A are not parallel with
the bottom of the vehicle, a cranked or bent metal bar B (or a wooden block if
desired) being fixed by means of bolts or the like to the under side of each of said
shafts. To this bar B we secure, at CC, the tops of guide rods D D, the lower
ends of which E E are secured to the ends F F of the bars or stays F F
projecting from, and bolted to, the bottom of the vehicle G. H is the crosshead,
before mentioned, on which is bolted the block J carrying the spindle or short
axle K on which the wheel revolves. L L are sockets attached to the crosshead,
through which pass the guide rods D D. Below the crosshead, is secured or formed
a depending guide rod M preferably of flat metal, having its outer edge N rounded
to fit into a grooved pulley O, which is carried by a fork or bearing P projecting
from, and bolted under, the bottom of the vehicle G. Between the crosshead H
and shaft A or bar or block B, we interpose springs such as R R carried and
supported in any well known manner.
Figure 2. shows a heavy float or vehicle, and in this case, we may cause the
crosshead H to ride parallel, or nearly so, to the shafts A, securing the guide

page_text: rods D D directly thereto, and placing the springs R' R' R between the shaft of
the vehicle and the crosshead, as shown. If desired, however, we may pass the
spiral springs R' R' over, instead of alongside of, the rods D D between the shaft
and crosshead. We form the block J and depending guide rod M preferably in
one piece, and secure it to the underside of the crosshead H, or, if desired, it may
be formed in one piece therewith.
In order to prevent a tendency in the wheels to spread when the vehicle is
loaded, we may connect the stays F F by a rod or bar S, passing behind the guide
rod M, and, if desired, further attached to fork or bearer P.
It will be seen that, as the vehicle is loaded, the bars D D are depressed through
the crosshead H, or said crosshead rises up them, the springs R R being thereby
compressed, and the depending guide rod M running through the guide pulley O.
Figure 3. is a part end elevation and section showing our arrangement of axles,.
and the spring action.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In road vehicles particularly floats and the like mounting the wheels on short
axles or spindles carried by horizontal crossheads such as H riding up and down
vertical guide bars such as D D and having springs such as R R interposed
between said crosshead and the shaft of the vehicle substantially as herein before
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
2. The means for and method of inounting bodies of vehicles on their wheels
substantially as herein before described and illustrated on the accompanying
drawings.
3. The improvement in carts carriages, floats, and like vehicles substantially as
herein before described and illustrated on the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 6th day of October 1896
STANLEY, POPPLEWELL & Co.,
7 & 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London,
Chartered Patent Agents.