Improvements in Pole-heads for Carriages, Vans, Omnibuses or other Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Sept., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 15th June, 1900-Accepted, 15th Sept., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pole-heads for Carriages, Vans, Omnibuses or other
Vehicles.
We, THOMAS HARGREAVES BRIGG, of 19, Harley Street, London, Engineer, and
CHARLES WILLIAM WALKER, of 122, Swan Arcade, Bradford, Yorkshire, Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to certain improvements in pole-heads for carriages,
vans, omnibuses or other vehicles drawn by two or more horses, the improvements
being applicable to pole-heads of that class in which, by means of laterally
projecting arms attached to the pole end and extending towards the front of the
horses' collars, the pole straps or chains connected to the collars and by means
of which the backing of the horses is caused to be effective in stopping or back-
ing the vehicle are maintained more nearly in line with the centres of the horses,
or, in other words, at a less angle to the pole, than is possible with the ordinary
direct connection of the collars to the pole-end by means of angularly disposed
straps or chains, and, consequently, have a more direct and effective action than
such lastly referred to connections have.
In such pole appliances of the class aforesaid, as hitherto made, two curved and
unstayed arms have been pivotally attached to the pole-end in such a manner
that, when in use, they project therefrom laterally in an inclined position, one
on each side, towards the centre of the collar of the horse on the same side of
the pole, with facility of rising and falling to accommodate the like movements
of the draught animals and of falling clear of the latter in case of their stumbling
or falling.
It is found, in practice, that such arrangement of such pivotal appliances only.
partly remedies the faults incidental to the aforesaid ordinary direct connection of
the pole-end to the horses' collars by angularly disposed straps or chains, (which,
latter connection is of disadvantage in tending to pull the horses fore-quarters.
towards the pole, causing them, in their endeavours to stop or back the vehicle..
each to assume a slanting or oblique position both in relation to the ground and
to each other, rendering the off horse very liable to slip and to fall and also to
throw the near horse off its feet and preventing exertion of the full backing.
power,) inasmuch as the said pivotal appliance cannot be made of sufficient length
to completely attain the desideratum of a backing action parallel with the pole
without being made of such a strength and of such dimensions and weight as
would be unsightly and objectionable in introducing other features of disadvan-
tage which it is very desirable to avoid.
The present improvements are designed to avoid sucli defects and also other
defects incidental to said ordinary and said pivotal attachments, and, to this end,
the invention is characterized by pivotally connecting the arms to the attachment
by which they are applied to the pole in such a manner that they can pivot or
turn both in a vertical plane and also in a horizontal plane so as to acquire the
facility and advantage of a universal joint or connection, and also by staying

page_text: the arms so mounted to the pole by chains or the like in such a manner as to
allow of the arms being made of a sufficient length to project to the centre of the
horses collars and yet to be of a sufficiently light construction and of such
dimensions as will enable the desired advantages to be obtained to the fullest
possible extent and without any counterbalancing disadvantages, and, as the
backing will be effected in the direction of the horses' centres, without liability
of the horses assuming or being caused to assume an inclined or oblique position
in relation to the pole or to each other and incurring the aforesaid disadvantages
incidental thereto; the said improvements also co-operating in obtaining the
further considerable advantage of enabling the appliance to be readily adjusted to
long or short horses by shortening or lengthening the stay chains, or, the carrier
of the pivoted arms may be bodily adjusted along the pole for such purpose.
The improved pole attachment can be readily applied to existing poles.
Dated this 13th day of September 1899
Improvements in Pole-heads for Carriages, Vans, Omnibuses or other
Vehicles.
We, THOMAS HARGREAVES BRIGG, of 19, Harley Street, London, Engineer, and
CHARLES WILLIAM WALKER, of 122, Swan Arcade, Bradford, Yorkshire, Merchant,
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 follow-
ing statement:--
This invention relates to certain improvements in pole-heads for carriages,
vans, omnibuses or other vehicles drawn by two or more horses abreast, the
improvements relating to pole-heads of that class in which, by means of laterally
projecting arms attached to the pole end and extending towards the fronts of the
horses' collars, the pole straps or chains connected to the collars, and by means
of which the backing of the horses is caused to be effective in stopping or back-
ing the vehicle, are maintained more nearly in line with the centres of the horses,
or, in other words, at a less angle to the pole, than is possible with the ordinary
direct connection of the collars to the pole-end by means of angularly disposed
straps or chains, and, consequently, have a more direct and effective action than
such lastly referred to connections have.
In such pole appliances of the class aforesaid, as hitherto made, two unstayed
arms have been pivotally attached to the pole-end in such a manner that, when
in use, they project therefrom laterally in an inclined position,, one on each side,
towards the centre of the collar of the horse on the same side of the pole, with
facility only of rising and falling to accommodate the like movements of the
draught animals.
.
The aforesaid ordinary direct connection of the collars and the pole-end is
of disadvantage, when the animals are endeavouring to stop or to back the
vehicle, in tending to pull their fore-quarters towards the pole, causing the
animals at such time to assume a slanting or oblique position both in relation
to the ground and to each other, rendering the off animal very liable to slip and
to fall and to throw the near animal off its feet, and presenting exertion of the
animals' full stopping or backing power.

page_text: The aforesaid pivotal appliances only partly remedy such faults inasmuch as the
pivotal arms cannot be made of sufficient length to completely attain the desider-
atum of a backing action parallel with the pole without being made of such
dimensions and weight as would be unsightly and also objectionable in introduc-
ing various disadvantages which it is desirable to avoid, and inasmuch as. with
their limited range of movement, they restrict the freedom of action of the
animals.
The present improvements are designed to avoid the above referred to defects
and also others incidental to said ordinary or direct connections and to said pivotal
or deflecting attachments, to cause the draught animals both when pulling and
when backing or stopping to exert their power to the best advantage in planes
parallel to each other and to the pole between them and without limiting their
freedom of action, to enable the appliance to be readily adjusted to draught
animals of different lengths harnessed to the same vehicle and to enable the
desired advantages to be obtained to the fullest possible extent without any
counterbalancing disadvantages.
To this end, the improved device is characterized by a pair of spreader arms
respectively connected with facility of universal movement to a carrier applied
to the pole-head and respectively adapted to connect with the draught animals'
collars in the planes of resistance through the animals' centres, and respectively
tied to the pole end by the means through which the animals exert their backing
or stopping power on the vehicle, so as to cause the fore connections of the vehicle
to the animals to be kept spread apart in the planes of resistance through the
animals' centres, so that the animals will be caused to exert their power in planes
parallel to each other and consequently to the best advantage.
On the accompanying drawings:-
Figure, 1, represents one form of the improved device, in front end view;
Fig. 2, represents a plan view thereof;
Fig. 3, represents a side view thereof;
Fig. 4, represents another form of the device, in rear end view; and
Fig. 5, represents a plan view thereof.
a, represents the said arms, each of which is made of a sufficient length to pro-
ject to the centre of the draught animal's collar, d, on the same side of the pole
when harnessed to the vehicle, and, independently of the other, is pivotally con-
nected to a carrier, b, in such a manner that it can freely turn about such con-
nection with a universal movement. In Figs. 4, and 5, the carrier-connecting
part of each arm is shown, at a, as hooked and adapted to engage with an eye, b₁,
of the carrier, in such a manner that the arm, when in action, will be caused to
remain in engagement with the eye, and, when not in action, may be turned
into such a relation to the eye as will allow of its being readily separated there-
from. The carrier, b, is applied to the pole, c, and may be bolted thereto in a
relatively fixed position, as represented in Figs. 1, to 3, or in an adjustable
manner, as represented in Figs. 4, and 5, or in any other convenient manner.
The arms, a, may be of any required unalterable length, as represented in
Figs. 1 to 3, or they may be of an adjustable length, as represented in Figs. 4,
and 5, wherein, by way of example, the arm ends are shown as screwed into a
connecting sleeve, a¹.
The arms, a, are stayed to the pole-head by chains, straps or the like, f、
which, preferably, are adjustable in length to permit of their being adjusted to
accommodate the connection of the arms to animals of different lengths without
shifting the carrier, b, on the pole. This adjustment of the straps or chains is
preferably effected by passing one end of each thereof through a ring, d, on the
kidney link, , of the hame and through an eye or link, a', at the arm end,
doubling it back and buckling or hooking it to an intermediate part of the strap
or chain so as to secure the arm collar and strap or chain together or release the
same at one operation; the doubled ends of the straps, f, are shown in Figs. 4,
and 5, but those of the chains, f, are not shown in Figs. 1, to 3, to avoid con-

page_text: fusing the drawings.
pole end.
The straps or chains may also be detachable from the
With such device, the animals, when backing or stopping the vehicle, will be
kept apart parallel with each other and with the pole and so will be caused to
exert their power to the best advantage.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is;
1. The hereinbefore described improved pole-bead device for vehicles drawn
by two or more draught animals, the same being characterized by a pair of arms
respectively connected with facility of free movement to a carrier applied to the
pole-head and respectively adapted to connect with the draught animals' collars
in the lanes of resistance through the animals' centres and respectively tied to
the pole end by the means through which the animals exert their backing or
stopping action on the vehicle, and operating to cause the fore connections of the
vehicle to the animals to be kept spread apart in the planes of resistance through
the animals' centres, as set forth.
2. In such apparatus, the application of detachable spreader arms, substantially
as described.
3. In such apparatus, the application of spreader arms adjustable in length sub-
stantially as described.
Dated this 12th day of June 1900.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
Chartered Patent Agents, 321, High Holborn, London, W.C.,.
Agents for the Applicants.