IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR TIGHTENING THE FELLOES OF WHEELS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark of the firm of A. M and W.
Clark of 53 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the
Institute of Patent Agents for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR TIGHTENING THE FELLOES OF WHEELS A communication to him from
abroad by Archimedes Galbraith of Amadore in the County of Samlac and
State of Michigan, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th December 1882.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A. M. and W. Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents,
IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR TIGHTENING THE FELLOES OF WHEELS.
[A communication to him from abroad by Archimedes Galbraith of Amadore in
the County of Samlac and State of Michigan, United States of America.]
"
"
The object of this Invention is to provide means for tightening or taking up the
play in felloes of wheels so as to avoid the necessity of resetting the tire which is
not always convenient or desirable.
The Invention consists in a novel construction, arrangement, and combination of
a right and left threaded screw, two internally threaded bars, two pairs of clamping
jaws, and two pairs of fastening bars together with certain details connected there-
with, whereby provision is made for tightening felloes either by drawing or
pushing without removing the tire, and if necessary without removing the load
which may be upon a waggon.
The bars into which the screw passes may be made of iron and have right and
left hand threads cut in them, or they may be of wood simply bored and provided
with straps embracing two or more sides and having the threads formed in the
portions which are at the inner ends of the bars, or the bars may be made of any
suitable form or material. The inner surface of the clamping jaws are serrated and
gouged out and the plate is perforated to make it light. At one end is a slot to
allow adjustment in connecting the plate. Two of these plates are attached to the

page_text: outer end of each bar by. a bolt passing through them and through the bar, and
fastened by a nut, thus forming a pair of clamping jaws. Two of the fastening or
clamping bars are attached to each screwthreaded bar between the jaws and the
inner end of the bar by a bolt which passes through the bars and is secured by a
nut, thus forming a pair of fastening or clamping bars for holding the apparatus in
place, but the bars are more particularly intended for use to clamp across the ends
of the clamping jaws to hold the said jaws securely upon the felloe when the
tightener is to be used to draw the felloes together. The outer end of each threaded
bar between the clamping jaws is provided with a cushion which may be of chamois
skin, cloth, felt, rubber, or any other suitable material.
In operation the apparatus is placed between two spokes of a wheel near the
felloe with the cushioned ends of the bars bearing against the spokes. The
clamping jaws are then pressed closely against the two opposite sides of the
felloe and secured by the nuts. The fastening bars are placed one on each
side of the felloe and tire and secured by the bolts and their fastening nuts, the
bolts in the outer end of the fastening bars being passed through the outer ends of
the bars outside of the tire. If it is intended to take up the play in the felloes by
drawing the felloes together, the bars are placed one on each side of the clamping
jaws and secured by the bolts, and the ends of the jaws are thus held firmnly to the
felloe by tightening the bolts. The felloes are tightened by turning the screw in
one direction or the other. If they are to be drawn toward each other the screw
is turned so as to screw both of the threads into their respective bars, and the
spaces between the felloes and the tire are filled by thin pieces of any suitable
inaterial put in with lead, paint, or any cementing substance to hold them in place,
this being done evenly around the wheels so as not to throw the wheel out of
shape. If they are to be pushed outward away from each other and against the
tire, the screw is turned in the opposite direction so as to unscrew the threads from
their respective bars and the joints between the ends of the felloes are filled by
pieces of any suitable material to make the ends of the felloes bear solidly against
each other. These inserted pieces are to be formed to pass by the tenon of the
felloe and they may be held in place by any suitable means.
The screw may be turned by means of an ordinary wrench applied to a squared
portion or head midway of its length, or a device may be used consisting of a
lever having its fulcrum on the screw and carrying a pawl engaging with a ratchet
wheel carried by the head.
The advantages of the Invention. are:-It is cheap and simple in construction
and is strong and durable. It can be used to tighten the felloes by either drawing
or pushing. The cushions prevent the marring of the painted surface of the spokes
and felloes, and the serrated clamping jaws take hold of the wood of the felloes so
as not to injure the same. The fastening bars hold the apparatus securely in place
and prevent it from slipping in either direction; it can be used by any one, and can
be used to tighten a wheel in cases where there is not time to have the tire reset,
and can be used when a load is on a waggon to save unloading the same.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th June 1883.
"
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the Firm of A, M, and W, Clark of 53 Chancery:
Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR TIGHTENING THE FELLOES OF
A communication to me from abroad by Archimedes Galbraith. of Amadore in the
County of Samlac and State of Michigan, United States of America.
WHEELS
The object of this Invention is to provide means for tightening or taking up the
play in felloes of wheels so as to avoid the necessity of resetting the tire in the
ordinary way which is not always convenient or desirable, and further to provide
for making the spokes fit tightly. between the felloe and the hub.
The Invention consists in a novel construction, arrangement, and combination of
a right and left threaded screw, two internally threaded bars, two pairs of clamping
jaws, and two pairs of fastening bars, together with certain details connected
therewith whereby provision is made for tightening felloes either by drawing or
pushing without removing the tire, and if necessary withont removing the load
which may be upon a waggon as hereinafter more particularly described.
The Invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which similar
letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures. Figure 1 is a
side view of the Invention in position for use; Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional
view, Figures 3. 4 and 5 are detail views; Figures 6 and 7 represent the device for
tightening the spokes and its application.
A represents a right and left threaded screw with an angular head a midway of
its length. B B are two bars which are provided respectively with right hand and
left hand threads. The bars may be of iron and have the threads formed in them,
or they may be of wood simply bored and provided with straps D D embracing
two or more sides and having the threads formed in the portions which are at the
inner ends of the bars or they may be made of any suitable form or material.
E represents a plate having its inner surface provided with serrations e, see
Figure 4. The inner surface is also gouged out and the plate perforated to make
it light, and at one end is a slot to allow of adjustment in connecting the plate.
Two of these plates are attached to the outer end of each bar B by a bolt f passing
through them and through the bar, and fastened by a nut g and thus form a pair
of clamping jaws. H represents a clamping bar having bolt holes at its ends for
the reception of bolts h and i. Two of these bars are attached to each bar B
between the jaws E and the inner end of the bar, by the bolt h passing through
them and through the bar B and fastened by a nut and thus form a pair of
fastening or clamping bars for holding the apparatus in place as shown in dotted
outline in Figure 1 but the bars H are also intended for use to clamp across the
ends of the clamping jaws E to hold the said jaws E securely upon the felloe when
the tightener is to be used to draw the felloes together, as shown in full lines in
Figure 1. The other end of each bar B between the clamping jaws E is provided
with a cushion K which may be of chamois skin, cloth, felt, rubber, or any other
suitable material.
The operation of these parts is as follows:-The apparatus is placed between
two spokes of a wheel near the felloe with the cushioned ends of the bars bearing
against the spokes. The clamping jaws E are then pressed closely against the two
opposite sides of the felloe in either position shown in Figure 1, and secured by
tightening the nuts g on the bolts f. The bars H are then placed one on each side

page_text: of the felloe and tire and over the jaws E, and secured by the bolts h and i and
their fastening nuts, the bolts i being passed through the outer ends of the bars
outside of the tire. The device can be arranged with the clamping jaws in either
position as may be convenient, and the felloe can be tightened by either drawing
or pushing, as most desirable.
The felloes are tightened by turning the screw A in one direction or the other.
If they are to be drawn toward each other, the screw is turned so as to screw both
of the threads into their respective bars, and the spaces between the felloes and the
tire are filled by thin perforated pieces of any suitable material put in with lead,
paint, or any cementing substance to hold them in place; this is to be done evenly
around the wheel so as not to throw the wheel out of shape. If they are to be
pushed outward away from each other and against the tire, the screw is turned in
the opposite direction so as to unscrew the threads from their respective bars, and
the joints between the ends of the felloes are filled by pieces of any suitable
material to make the ends of the felloes bear solidly against each other. These
inserted pieces are to be formed to pass by the tenon of the felloe and they may be
held in place by any suitable means such as by barbs or nails, &c. The screw A
may be turned by means of an ordinary wrench applied to the head a, or the
device shown in Figure 3 may be employed. This consists of a lever L having its
fulcrum on the screw A and carrying a pawl M engaging with a ratchet wheel P
carried by the head a as shown.
The advantages of the Invention are:-It is cheap and simple in construction
and is strong and durable. It can be used to tighten the felloes by either drawing
or pushing. The cushions K prevent the marring of the painted surface of the
spokes and felloes, and the serrated clamping jaws take hold of the wood of the
felloes so as not to injure the same. The fastening bars H hold the apparatus
securely in place and prevent it from slipping in either direction; it can be used
by any one and can be used to tighten a wheel in cases where there is not time to
have the tire reset, and can be used when a load is on a waggon to save unloading
the same and without burning or marring the wood as usually occurs.
The spoke tightening device shown in Figures 6 and 7 consists of a cup made
of hard material covered to prevent it from chafing the wood of a size for fitting
over the end of a spoke. In the centre of this cup is fitted a screw bolt m
In
extending through at both sides of the cup, and upon the bolt is the nut n.
using this device the cup is applied to the end of the spoke, one end of bolt m
entering the end of the spoke, and the other or threaded end of the bolt being
entered as shown in Figure 6 in the hole or mortise in the felloe from which the
spoke tenon has been removed, then by turning the nut n so as to clamp against
the felloe, the spoke will be forced end wise and tightened and the felloe expanded
if the tyre be too large, or else contracted to allow of the insertion of filling pieces
beneath the tire. In case there is not room for the device to be received between
the spoke and felloe, the spoke may be cut off. It will not be usually necessary
to apply the device to more than three or four spokes of a wheel, but generally it
should be applied to spokes on opposite sides. If necessary a washer may be
applied between the nut and the felloe to give a broader bearing. In place of
using a cup on the bolt, the bolt may be made hollow, or as a cup to set over the
spoke, and the nut n is preferably made with a cap or flange having holes in it
for screws to secure the nut to the felloe, and may also have a shoulder to take
against the bottom of the cup.
.
I prefer to form the threaded end of the bolt hollow as shown to receive rosin
and oil and fit in its outer end a perforated plug of wood. The rosin will melt
when the tire becomes heated and escape through the hole in the. plug so as to fill
all crevices.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein before in part recited Letters Patent is.
1st. A felloe tightener consisting of a right and left threaded screw,
two

page_text: internally threaded bars, two pairs of serrated clamping jaws, and two pairs of
fastening or clamping bars H attached to said bars by bolts and nuts, substantially
as and for the purpose described.
2nd. In a fellow tightener, the combination with the right and left threaded
screw A and bars B of the serrated plates E, bolts f, and nuts g, as herein shown
and described.
3rd. In a felloe tightener, the combination with the right and left threaded
screw A and bars B, of the plates E provided with a serrated portion e, bolts f,
and nuts g substantially as herein shown.
4th. The combination with the screw A and bars B, of the fastening bars H and
bolts, as herein shown and described.
5th. In a felloe tightener, the combination with the right and left hand screw A,
bars B, and clamping jaws E, of the fastening or clamping bars H and bolts i and
h for securing the jaws E upon the felloe, substantially as shown and described.
6th. The combination with the screw A and bars B, of the straps D provided
with threads for the engagement of said screw, substantially as herein described.
7th. The combination with the bars B, of the cushions K as shown and
described for the purpose specified.
8th The device for tightening spokes consisting of a cup adapted for passing
on the end of the spoke and carrying a screw, substantially as shown and
described.
9th. The combination of the cup 1, screw m, and nut n, substantially as described
for use as a spoke tightener or felloe expander.
In Witness whereof I the said Alexander Melville Clark have hereunto set
my hand and seal this fifth day of June, A.D. 1883.
A M ALADI