IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHBRIDGES
Year: 1885

page_text: I JAMES HINES of Albion Works, McAlpine Street, Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Manager do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHBRIDGES to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to a certain improved construction in that class of
weighing machine which is known as an agricultural weighbridge, namely a
machine for weighing two wheeled carts of all sizes and has for its object to
reduce the weight of such weighbridges and simplify their construction, and to
enable the weighbridge to be used for weighing cattle and goods generally, the
machine being self contained and portable can be easily erected in a field, or other
locality where its use is required. It requires no masonry, or brickwork and can
be placed in position by any intelligent workman.
A weighbridge according to my Invention consists of a box shaped iron casting,
the ends of which are widened out to receive the weighing levers which are of
forked construction so as to spread their fulcrums outside of the weighing platform.
The weighing platform is a parallelogram table, corresponding in width to the
centre part of the containing box and of length corresponding to the length of
such box, wing plates are provided as covers for the additional width of the box
ends. For example the dimensions of such a weighbridge, may, be overall length
six feet two inches, length of weighing platform, or table, five feet eleven inches,
being slightly in excess of the spread of the cart wheels. The width of the
containing box is about ten inches inside and the projecting ends are about one
foot nine inches outside. The depth of the box is about eight inches. On the
table there is provided a projecting arm, with a socket at its end.
This arm is
provided to receive the cart rest, or strut when the weight is raised from off the
horse. The weighing levers are two in number, namely a long and a short lever of
the ordinary kind common to platform weighbridges. The ends of the levers
being forked and spread out to their fulcrums in the wide ends of the box. By
this construction of box and platform a great saving of weight of material over the
ordinary form is obtained and at the same time a sufficient tread is provided for
two wheeled carts when weighing. To enable the weighbridge to weigh cattle and
other live stock, I provide a secondary platform which when required is placed on
the top of the platform proper. This secondary platform has projections, or feet
on its underside which fit into sockets on the platform proper and is thereby held

page_text: in position. The secondary platform is of the usual size common to machines for
weighing live stock and is provided with posts and chains to form a pen to receive
the cattle.
The end of the long lever is, as usual in platform weighing machines connected
to a rod which leads up a steelyard pillar, and is connected to the back centre of
the steelyard. The steelyard extends on both sides of the back centre, namely to
the side of the fulcrum centre and to the other side. The steelyard is of I section
and the lower flange is cut away at the bearing of the fulcrum centre, the web of
the steelyard being deepened at this point to compensate. The bearing is forked
to receive the web and the knife edges of the fulcruin centre. My object in so
constructing the fulcrum centre is to enable a compound poise to travel from end
to end of the upper edge of the steelyard (which has a graduated table) and to pass
the fulcrum centre in so travelling, the poise being an ordinary compound poise of
section. The ends of the steelyard pass through guide brackets forming part of
the pillar one end being bent up to form a pointer and the other end being formed
to receive the balancing weight. The object of this arrangement is to secure a
greater range for graduating and consequently increased legibility.

page_text: Improvements in Weighbridges.
I JAMES HINES of Albion Works, McAlpine Street, Glasgow in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Manager do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHBRIDGES 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 a certain improved construction in that class of
weighing machine which is known as an agricultural weighbridge, namely a
machine for weighing two wheeled carts of all sizes, and has for its object to
reduce the weight of such weighbridges and simplify their construction, and to
enable the weighbridge to be used for weighing cattle and goods generally, the
machine being self contained and portable, can be easily erected in a field or other
locality where its use is required. It requires no masonry, or brickwork and can
be placed in position by any intelligent workman.
A weighbridge according to my Invention consists of a box shaped iron casting,
the ends of which are widened out to receive the weighing levers which are of
forked construction so as to spread their fulcrums. The weighing platform is a
parallelogram table corresponding in width to the centre part of the containing
box and of length corresponding to the length of such box, wing plates are
provided as covers for the additional width of the box ends, or the weighing
platform may correspond to the shape of the containing box. For example the
dimensions of such a weighbridge inay be overall, length, six feet two inches,
length of weighing platform, or table, five feet eleven inches, being slightly in
excess of the spread of a carts wheels. The width of the containing box is about
ten inches inside and the projecting ends are about one foot nine inches outside.
The depth of the box is about eight inches. On the table there is provided a
projecting arm with a socket at its end. This arm is provided to receive the cart
rest, or strut when the weight is raised from off the horse. The weighing levers
are two in number, namely a long and a short lever of the ordinary kind common
to platform weighbridges. The ends of the levers being forked and spread out to
their fulcrumns in the wide ends of the box. By this construction of box and
platform a great saving of weight of material over the ordinary form is obtained
and at the same time a sufficient tread is provided for two wheeled carts when
weighing, the projecting arm receiving the cart strut. To enable the weighbridge
to weigh cattle and other live stock, I provide a secondary platform which when
required is placed on the top of the platform proper. This secondary platform has
projections, or feet on its underside which fit into sockets on the platform proper
and is thereby held in position. The secondary platform is of the usual size
common to machines for weighing live stock and is provided with posts and chains
to form a pen to receive the cattle.
The end of the long lever is, as usual in platform weighing machines, connected
to a rod which leads up a steelyard pillar, and is connected to the back centre of
the steelyard. The steelyard extends on both sides of the back centre, namely to

page_text: the side of the fulcrum centre and to the other side. The steelyard is of I section
and the lower flange is cut away at the bearing of the fulcrum centre, the web of
the steelyard being deepened at this point to compensate. The bearing is forked
to receive the web and the knife edges of the fulcrum centre. My object in so
constructing the fulcrum centre is to enable a compound poise to travel from end
to end of the upper edge of the steelyard (which has a graduated table) and to
pass the fulcrum centre in so travelling, the poise being an ordinary compound
poise of section. The ends of the steelyard pass through guide brackets forining
part of the pillar one end being bent up to form a pointer and the other end being
formed to receive the balancing weight. The object of this arrangement is to
secure a greater range for graduating and consequently increased legibility.
The beforegoing being the nature, object and purposes of my Invention I will
now proceed to describe more in detail how the same may be carried out into
practical effect, reference being had to the accompanying sheets of Drawings which
make a part of this Specification and to the letters and figures of reference inarked
thereon, like letters and figures being used to denote the same, or corresponding
parts throughout the various views of the Drawings.
In the Drawings
Figure 1 is a plan (shown with a portion of the cover removed and a portion of
the platform broken off') of a weighbridge according to my Invention.
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of Figure 1 showing also the pillar and
steelyard.
Figure 3 is an end view of Figure 2 shown partly in section.
Figure 4 is an elevation showing the secondary platform, as applied to a weigh
bridge according to my Invention when used for weighing cattle.
Figure 5 is a part plan of Figure 4.
Figure 6 is a modification (shown in plan with the platform broken off) of the
machine shown in Figure 1.
Figure 7 is an end view of Figure 6 shown partly in section.
A is a box shaped iron casting the ends of which are widened out at A¹ to receive
the weighing levers B which are of forked construction so as to spread their
fulcrums C, which are formed on the brackets D in the widened ends of the box.
E is the weighing platform which may be formed as a parallelogram table corre-
sponding in width to the centre part of the containing box A as shown in Figure 1,
or which may be formed with widened ends as shown at Figures 6 and 7. When the
platform E is made as shown at Figure 1 wing plates F are provided as covers for
the additional width of the ends of the box A. By forming the containing box A
and the platform E as shown at Figure 1 the fulcrums of the levers B can be so
positioned as to ensure steadiness in weighing and at the same time a great
reduction in the size and weight of the weighbridge takes place. The weight of
the weighbridge can be further reduced by forming the containing box A and the
platform E as shown at Figures 6 and 7. In connection with the platform, or
table E and to enable the platform to take the whole load of the cart there is pro-
vided a detachable projecting arm H with a socket Hat its end. The use of this
arm H is to receive the strut, or rod from the cart when the weight is raised from
off the horse.
The weighing levers B are two in number, namely a long and a short lever of
the ordinary kind common to platform weigh bridges. The ends of the levers B
being forked and spread out to their fulcrums C in the widened ends A¹ of the
box A. By this construction of box A and platform E a great saving of weight
of material over the ordinary form is obtained and at the same time a sufficient
tread for two wheeled carts, when weighing is provided.
To enable the weighbridge to weigh cattle and other live stock, I provide a
secondary platform J. This secondary platform J has projections on its under side
which take into holes, or sockets K on the platform E. The platform J is of the
usual size common to machines for weighing live stock and is provided with posts L
and chains M to form a pen to receive the cattle.

page_text: The
The end of the long lever B is as usual in platform weighing machines connected
to a rod a which leads up through a steelyard pillar b and is connected to the back
centre d of the steelyard e. The steelyard e extends on both sides of the back
centred namely to the side of the fulcrum centre f and to the other side.
steelyard e is of I section and the lower flange is cut away at e' at the bearing of
the fulcrum centre f, the web of the steelyard e being deepened at e¹ to compensate
for the cut away portion. The bearing of the fulcrum centre f is forked to receive
the web of the steelyard, and the knife edges of the fulcrum centre, as shown at
Figure 2. My object in so constructing the fulcrum centre f is to enable a
compound poise g to travel from end to end of the upper edge of the steelyard e
(which has a graduated table) and to pass the fulcrum centre f in so travelling.
The poise is an ordinary compound poise of section. The ends of the
steelyard e pass through guide brackets h forming part of the pillar b. One end
of the steelyard e being bent up at i to form a pointer and the other end of the
steelyard e being formed to receive the balancing weight. The object of this
arrangement of steelyard is to secure a greater range for graduating and conse-
quently increased legibility.
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
First. The construction and arrangement of the weighbridge herein before
described with reference to the accompanying Drawings whereby I secure sim-
plicity, economy of construction and of space, and strength.
Second. A weighbridge consisting of a containing box such as A, the ends of
which A¹ are widened out to receive the weighing levers, which are of forked
construction and so as to spread the fulcrums of the levers and steady, and maintain
the horizontality of, the weighing platform substantially as set forth.
Third. The construction and arrangement of weighbridge described with reference
to Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the Drawings in which weighbridge the ends of the
weighing levers are spread out in the ends of the containing box, the arm of the
long weighing lever being connected to a steelyard, the whole substantially as
shown and for the purpose set forth.
Fourth. In a weighbridge for weighing two wheeled carts, or vehicles, the use of
a projecting arm such as H in connection with the weighing platform to receive the
cart strut as set forth.
Fifth. The construction and arrangement of weighbridgo described with
reference to Figures 6 and 7 of the Drawings substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
Sixth. In a weighbridge such as herein described the combination with the
weighing platform of a detachable secondary platform such as J substantially as
and for the purposes set forth.
Seventh. The combination with a weighbridge constructed as horein described
of a steelyard constructed as herein described, the whole substantially as shown in
the Drawings and for the purposes set forth.