Improved Means for Assisting the Starting of Vehicles
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Assisting the Starting of Vehicles
I, ARTHUR WILLIAM MAJOR, of 368, Ivydale Road, Nunhead, in the County of
London, Commission Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention is designed to assist in starting vehicles.
According to this invention I pivot a bar in front or at any other convenient
part of the vehicle, such bar having at its lower end a loose arm or pawl which
latter takes on to the ground when the horses pull for starting the vehicle. I
fit to the back end of the draw bar a chain passing over and fixed to a pulley
mounted on a spindle, and on the same spindle I mount another larger pulley
under which a chain is fixed, the upper end of said chain being connected to the
upper end of the aforesaid bar, so that as the horses pull for starting the vehicle
I obtain extra power on account of the leverage of the aforesaid bar.
I employ suitable springs to prevent any jarring and for pulling the aforesaid
back into its normal position.
1
T
1000
BROWNE & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant,
9, Warwick Court, Gray's Inn, London, W.C.,
Improved Means for Assisting the Starting of Vehicles.
I, ARTHUR WILLIAM MAJOR, of 368, Ivydale Road, Nunhead, in the County of
London, Commission Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention is designed to assist the starting of vehicles.
According to this invention I pivot a bar in front or at any other convenient
part of the vehicle, such bar having at its lower end a loose arm which latter takes
on to the ground when the horses pull for starting the vehicle.
I employ suitable springs for preventing any jarring and for pulling the arm
back into its normal position.
And in order that my said invention may be more clearly understood I will
now proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings accompanying
this specification in which Figure 1 shews elevation of one end of a tram car,
with my invention applied thereto: Fig. 2 shews elevation of front end of an

page_text: omnibus fitted with my invention: Fig. 3 shews plan of undercarriage of the
omnibus shewn at Figure 2: Figures 4 to 8-shew details hereinafter referred to
drawn to a larger scale.
The same letters of reference are employed to denote the same parts in all the
views;
With reference to Figure 1, a shews a bar or lever turning on the cross bar or
support b. The lever a carries loosely at its lower end a forked or double arm c.
is a stop-piece on the lever a. e is a weight. To the upper end of the lever a
is connected a chain or rod f. The other end of the chain or rod f is provided
with a hook or other suitable attachment for connection with the trace.
The lever a is shewn detached in front elevation at Figure 4 and in side eleva-
tion at Figure 5. A plan of a portion of the platform of the tram car is shown
at Fig. 6 and an elevation of the method of mounting the lever a is shewn at
Figure 7. It will be seen from Figures 6 and 7, that the aforesaid cross-bar bis
carried by two supports y and g¹, the ends of the bar passing through slots h
in the said supports (see front of a support at Figure 8). Springs i are provided
between the bar and the platform of the tram car, being fitted over projecting
pins attached to the said bar 6. The pins j can rise and fall in holes in the
platform.
m Fig. 1 shews a lever handle connected by a vertical rod with the horizontal
bar o, the vertical rod n thus forming the pivot of the whole lever. The end of
the bar o is carried by a suitable rest bar o' attached to the underneath of the
platform.
The
At Figs. 2 and 3 the lever a is shewn supported from the undercarriage by two
bent rods and I which carry the cross bar b. In this case (that of an omnibus)
instead of the lever m n o I pivot at s a vertical lever r, the lower end of such
lever carrying a sleeve t which embraces the quadrant u. This quadrant u is pro-
vided with extending arms vel 2, of which and slide in guides w w'.
central arm is pivotted at its free end to a cranked lever . the other end of this
said levere being pivotted to a bar y. The ends of the lever are sloited, so that
the pivots may slide therein. The bar y is bent down vertically (y) and then
across horizontally (2), the vertical portion y being carried by lugs and the
horizontal portion y being supported by the rest z on the bar q (see Fig. 2).
The action is as follows:-
-
When the vehicle is started, the horses pull upon the chain or rod f, thus pull-
ing the lever over into the position shewn in dotted lines at Fig. 1 so that the fork e
takes against the ground and being stayed by the rest or stop d assists in starting
the vehicle. When the pull is released the weight brings the lever back to its
normal position.
f
The apparatus may be thrown out of gear by turning the handle m in the
direction shewn by the arrow (see Fig. 6), when the bar o would turn as shewn
by its arrow, thus pushing the fork upwards. The position of the fork when
thus pushed up is shewn clearly by the dotted lines at Fig. 4. By the arrange-
ment shewn at Fig. 2 when the lever is pulled over the quadrant u is drawn for-
ward, as the cranked lever operates the lever y and turns the bar y. This bar y
acts in the same way as the bar o Fig. 1. The mechanism for throwing into and
out of gear may be varied to suit different vehicles.
?"
2 3 4 5 and 6 shew springs. The springs i prevent jerking of the vehicle, the
bar being able to rise and fall in the slots h.
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:
1. The improved mechanism for assisting the starting of vehicles substantially
as herein before set forth.
2. In mechanism for assisting the starting of vehicles the employment of an

page_text: arm or fork so fitted to the vehicle as to take on to the ground when the horses
pull for starting.
3. In mechanism such as that described, pivotting the lever carrying the arm or
fork upon a bar mounted on springs so that it may be capable of rising when the
apparatus is in action.
Doted this 20th day of March 1800
BROWNE & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant,
9, Warwick Court, Gray's Inn, London, W.C.