Improvements in Two-wheeled Vehicles.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Jan., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 14th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 17th Dec., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Two-wheeled Vehicles.
I, WALTER BROWN of 17 White Ladies Close Little London, Worcester,
Coachsmith, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
--
The object of this invention is to provide a means by which the body of two
wheeled vehicles will be kept level when driving up or down hill or when the
occupants are not balanced properly, and will put on a brake when travelling down
a steep hill.
According to this invention, the body of the vehicle is supported on ordinary
springs, but is not slung, as in the usual manner, the hinged rods or scroll irons
connecting the ends of the springs with the vehicle extending above the springs,
and the body of the vehicle connected to them. The vehicle can thus rock back-
wards and forwards on the spring for a considerable distance. A brake block is
fixed on the fore part of the vehicle, so that when driving down hill, the body of
the vehicle, being pushed back over the springs and wheels, presses the brake block
against the periphery of the wheels and retards the forward motion. When
driving up hill, or on the level, the body is drawn forward and takes the
brake off.
The body of the vehicle is kept level by means of the peculiar method of
supporting, the shafts being connected by a hinged rod to the back supports.
The back and front scroll irons are not parallel but lean away from each other so
that, when driving down hill, the body of the vehicle being in its rear position, the
forward scroll iron will be vertical, and the back one at an angle, thus raising the
front of the vehicle,.and taking the weight off the horses back. The reverse action
will occur when driving up hill.
I provide a lever and handle at the side of the vehicle, which, through suitable
connections can rock the body of the vehicle on the springs. This is, when on the
level, usually in its central position, but if the occupants weight is not distributed
properly, it can be moved in either direction, shifting the body of the vehicle
the amount required to properly balance. This handle also serves to put on the
brake when required.
Dated this 14th day of January 1892.
GEO. H. RAYNER,
37, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Two-wheeled Vehicles.
I, WALTER BROWN, of 17 White Ladies Close, Little London, Worcester
Coachsmith, 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 wheeled vehicles, or in the mounting,
hanging, and arranging of the bodies.and accessory parts of the same, and my said
invention has for its object primarily, the balancing of the said body, and the keeping
of the same in a constant.or horizontal plane, as hereinafter described.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents partly in vertical section, and
partly in elevation, actwo wheeled vehicle, constructed, arranged balanced and hung
according to my invention.
The body of the said vehicle is so slung or hung upon the supporting media, such

page_text: as springs, scroll iron work, levers, fulcra and the like, that the body of the vehicle
admits of being balanced and made to preserve a horizontal plane, over whatever
roads the vehicle may be travelling. Thus, on ascending a hill, the body of the
vehicle is bodily transposed to a more forward position, relative to the supporting
axle and springs, and with the body preserving a horizontal, or à nearly horizontal
position.
The transposition of the said body for. balancing, and the changing of the position
of the body for maintaining a constant horizontal position or nearly so, is performed
by a lever, acting upon certain accessory parts, which lower the rear of the body,.
and at the same time, the front of the body, consequent upon the angle made by the
shafts relative to the loops of the harness saddle of the horse as fulcra.
The said view Figure 1 represents the parts in the positions which they normally
assume when moving upon a level road.
Figure 2 represents a transverse vertical section of the vehicle (Figure 1) with
some of the parts in clevation.
Figure 3 shows a side elevation of the complete vehicle upon a small scale.
Figure 4 is a front and side elevation of the three-armed-lever, which receives
motion from a hand lever, and communicates motion to the inner ends of the shafts,
whilst the same forms a rocking lever, for the transportation or shunting of the
body, backwardly or forwardly, and the balancing of the same according to the road
upon which the vehicle is being drawn.
Incidental with the said balancing, or the bringing forward or aft of the centre of
gravity of the vehicle, the preserving of a constant plane of the body is brought
about.
Figure 5. is a front and side elevation of one of the links
Figure 6 is a front and edge view of a transmitting rocking lever;
Figure 7 is a top side plan and section of the screw box, with arm, arranged to
rise and fall upon the screwed end of a rod, working within guides, and operated by
a hand lever at its upper end.
1.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures
of the drawings :-
a is the body of the vehicle, normally balanced and hung or slung upon the
terminal and free end 63, 63, of springs b, supported by an axle c', of wheels c,
through the intervention of a three armed lever d, and a two armed lever d¹,
disposed respectively at opposite sides of the back end of the vehicle, and also by
hanger and swinging brackets e, disposed upon the two opposite sides, and under
the fore part of the body. The levers d, d, are united or connected together by
an axle or shaft d², directed transversely under the rear of the body of the vehicle,
and taking through brackets or eyes a², fitted to the said underside, and form
bearers or bearings about which the said levers turn for adjustment.
The lever consists of a receiving arm d³, a shaft motion transmitting arm d*,
and a bearer arm d. The latter is at its lower end de, connected and jointed to
the extreme outer end 64, of the spring b, and about which said end 6, the whole
of the lever d, turns as a fulcrum for the shifting or transporting of the body
forwardly or backwardly.
The corresponding two armed lever d', at the other side of the vehicle, has a
bearer arm, and shaft motion transmitting arm d³.
The arm, upon the near side of the vehicle is connected to the upper end of a
rocking leverf, having plain and slotted arms f¹, f, and jointed and fulcrummed
at, to a bracket a³, supported upon the top side of the bottom of the vehicle by
a link or rod g; h, 2, is an armed screw box, with a pin h', engaging within the
slot of the arm f, and with the screw eye taking upon the screwed end, of a rod
or stalk i, directed through guide and bearing brackets a, attachably connected to
the body of the vehicle a, and with the lever, surmounted at the upper end of the
said rod i, for the turning or rotation of the same, which, on being turned causes
the armed screw box h, to rise and fall upon the screwed end, and so by its motion
to rock the lever f, and give a corresponding movement to the lever d, which being

page_text: jointed and fulcrummed at de, d', the body a, is bodily moved forwardly or rear-
wardly, or from right to left, according to the position the body is required to take,
relative to the axle, or relative to the shafts, which are marked j. j.
These shafts are fulcrumed at 2, to brackets a³, carried by the front of the body
of the vehicle, and are connected at their extreme inner ends ³, to the shaft motion
transmitting arms d' d', by shackles k. The outer ends of the shafts, beyond the
fulcra, are marked *.
Terininating the ends ³, of the springs, are arms b*, which slide within the
elongated eyes e², of the hanging brackets e, which are pivoted or centred at e', to
an arm e, of a step iron e, terminated at its lower end by a step e, and connected
at its upper end e, to the body of the vehicle.
side, or
12, is an arm of a brake block l, carried by the step framing upon one
upon both sides of the vehicle.
The body of the vehicle turns from front to back upon the fulcra e¹, of the step
irons e, disposed at the two opposite sides of the vehicle.
By the transportation or change of the body of the vehicle, through the direct
instrumentality of transmitting levers, or arms, the arms &, slide within the eyes e²,
of the hanging brackets e, and likewise do the said arms move, on the springs being
straightened.
The primary fulcra upon which the shafts turn is the saddle harness loops m,
(see Figure 3).
OPERATION.
Assuming the body of the vehicle to be moving along a level road, and that
the said body has its centre of gravity disposed immediately over the centre of the
axle, or with the parts in a state of equilibrium and the said body disposed
horizontally, and assuming also that the springs have been to an extent straightened.
out by the occupants and load carried by the vehicle, and that such straightening
out has been allowed for by the ends, working piston-like within the sockets or
eyes of the hanging brackets e.
Then on the vehicle ascending a gradient or hill, the occupant of the same turns
the lever, in order to transport the body of the vehicle forwardly, and also
preserve the horizontal plane of the same, when the rotation of the rod or stalk,
causes the armed screw box 1, 12, to be lowered, and the rocking lever f, to be
drawn inwardly thereby. This inward motion of the rocking lever f, communicates
motion to the lever d, through the link or rod g, and from the lever d, to the
lever d', through the axle d³. Both levers d, d¹, now turn upon the fulcra A, as
centres of motion, hence the bringing bodily forward of the body of the vehicle,
to an extent dependent upon the downward traverse of the screw box as aforesaid.
The turning of the levers d and d¹, upon their centres, lowers the back of the
body of the vehicle, in an inward path struck from their fulcra 64, and by such
inward and downward motion, the arms d', d', have likewise downward and inward
motions, and as their outer ends are connected to the inner ends ³, of the
shafts j,j', through the shackles k, the said shafts are turned about their fulcra j³,
as centres of motion, which lowers the ends 3, and tips the ends it, and as the
shafts are supported by the animal, they turn about the harness parts m, as primary
fulera, and as the shafts inward of the said primary fulcra follow the downward
directions of the arms d', d', the shafts, and the fore part of the body of the vehicle
drop, to an extent nearly corresponding to the amount of lowering of the back of
the said body, and in consequence of the centre of gravity of the mass of the
vehicle being brought forward, the fore part ³, of the spring becomes slightly
straightened out, and to a small extent lowered, and as the weight upon the end b
is slightly lessened, then the fulcra b, slightly rises, and equilizes the position of
the fore part with the rear part of the body of the vehicle, hence the preserving
of the same in a horizontal position.
Thus it will be understood that the act of balancing a vehicle on an incline, or
transporting the centre of gravity forward to relieve the draught animal, and to

page_text: give the body a position of equilibrium or balance, regulates or gives unto the
body, a horizontal position, incidental to the said balancing, and besides the body
being balanced and kept in a constant or nearly constant horizontal plane, the
shafts are inclined to follow the direction of the animal, or the direction of the
road.
Assuming that the vehicle is now about to descend an incline, or a steep incline,
the occupant turns the lever in the reverse direction, raises the armed screw box,
rocks the rocking lever backward, and so also the primary levers upon which the
back of the vehicle is slung, and by the changes of position, so the arms d³, d', are
lifted, the shafts inner ends also raised or elevated about the sides of the horse as
fulcra, hence the lifting of the rear of the body, and the transporting of the front
of the body to a higher level, relative to the shafts, and by the said movements,
the centre of gravity of the weight is disposed rearward of the axle, the direction
of the arms of the springs changed, the shafts inclined downwards, the brake blocks
put into operation and the body made to turn upon a fulcra e², hence the preserving
of the plane of the body of the vehicle, and the balancing of the same.
Instead of operating the rocking lever f, or the rod g, by a lever ³, through a
screw and traversing screw box, I may employ a pull and push lever for the
working of the arm d.
Figure 8 represents such an arrangement.
is a lever jointed at , and carrying an arm, whose upper end, is jointedly
connected to the end g', of a rod g, whose other end g², is jointedly connected
to an arm d³, of a lever d, carried within bearings a², and having arms d', d, of
which the former is connected to the inner end of one of the shafts f, by a
shackle k.
Motion is communicated to the inner end of the other shaft, by means as
described in common with the preceeding arrangement.
o is a rack situated within the path of the push and pull lever ³, and with which,
a tooth, detent or pallet ³, carried by the said lever, engages, on the same being
latterally pulled aside.
Thus by disengaging the lever from the rack, which is connected to the body
of the vehicle, the said lever can be pulled or pushed for transporting the body
into a position as may be desired, hence the balancing and keeping of the same
level.
It will be understood that the brake blocks, which are rigid, and move with the
body, are taken out of action when ascending inclines, or upon a level road, and
put into action when descending. Thus the act of shifting the body moves the
brake.
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 I
claim is:
First A transporting or shifting and levelling body of a two wheeled vehicle,
as described and set forth.
Secondly-In a transporting or shifting and automatic levelling body of a twọ
wheeled vehicle, slinging or mounting the said body, that the same is transposed
to forward and rear positions, and the same levelled, or made to preserve a
horizontal plane, through the intervention, and by the aid of communicating
levers, rods, shafts and their adjuncts, substantially as described and set forth.
Thirdly In a shifting and automatic levelling body of two-wheeled vehicle,
mounting or connecting the inner ends of fulcra shafts to an arm of a lever or
levers employed for transporting the body of the vehicle forwards or rearward;
and balancing, substantially as described and set forth.
:
Fourthly In a shifting or balanced and automatic levelling body of a two
wheeled vehicle, mounting or slinging the same by the means and in the ways,
substantially as described and set forth.
Fifthly In a shifting or balanced and automatic levelling body of a two

page_text: wheeled vehicle, operating the supporting and transposing means, by means of
turn or pull and push levers, constructed, arranged, and operating, substantially as
described and set forth.
Sixthly In a shifting or balanced and automatic levelling body of a two
wheeled vehicle, mounting the fore parts of the vehicle upon hanging and swivel-
ling brackets e, and with the arm ends of the supporting springs working piston
like through eyes of them, substantially as described and set forth.
Seventhly-In a shifting or transposing and automatic levelling body of a two
wheeled vehicle, the construction, arrangement and combination of the parts, as
described and set forth, whereby the said body is balanced, transposed, and made
to preserve a common level, either when ascending or descending hills, or passing
over level roads, and which said parts are operated, co-operate and are worked by
means and in the way described and set forth.
Dated thin 19th don of
21000
WALTER BROWN,
By Henry Skerrett,
6, Livery Street, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.