An Improved Harness Attachment.
Year: 1892

page_text: United States of America),
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 20th June, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 20th June, 1892-Accepted, 15th Oct., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Harness Attachment.
I, THOMAS SMITH MOODIE, of South Walpole, in the County of Norfolk, and
State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Blacksmith, 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 has for its object to provide an improved harness attachment
whereby a horse may be more readily attached to or released from a vehicle.
In accordance with this invention the tugs or traces may be permanently
attached to the whiffletree; but at their forward ends said tugs or traces are
detachably connected with the hames or breast-plate, from which they are discon-
nected to free the horse from the vehicle. Means are provided whereby the
connection between the tugs and the breast-plate or hames may be severed by the
driver from the vehicle. These and other features of this invention will be
hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the claims.
Figure 1 of the drawings represents a sufficient portion of a vehicle and harness
to enable my invention to be understood;
Fig. 2, an enlarged sectional view of the detachable connection to be referred
to, and
Fig. 3 a cross-section of the same on the dotted line . a.
Referring to the drawings, each of the usual shafts a of a vehicle at or near
its outer end has secured to it two posts b, connected by the rod b', on which a
movable member (herein shown as a sleeve c) is fitted to slide. Each sleeve cat
its upper side is recessed to receive an ear d on a plate D, a sliding spring-
controlled bolt e in the upper portion of the sleeve (see Fig. 2) passing through
Each tug or
the eye in the ear d to lock the plate D securely to the sleeve c.
trace may, if desired, be permanently attached to the whiffletree f¹; but at its
forward end the said tug or trace is attached to the sleeve c either directly or
through the medium of the angle-iron f', as herein shown, said angle-iron fitting
into a suitable recess in the upper portion of the sleeve c and having an eye, through
which is passed the spring-controlled bolt e.
C
The plates D, of which there are two, one upon each side of the horse, have
attached to their front ends, as represented, the straps g, leading to the breast-
plate G; or said straps may lead to the hames, if such are employed, instead of
the breast-plate, while the pull-back straps are attached to the back sides of the
plates D, being thereby connected with the pulling-straps g, as represented in
Fig. 1. The saddle straps or girths i are herein represented as passed through or
attached to the plates D to hold the same in position.
From the foregoing it will be seen that the pull of the horse when exerted
upon the straps g is transmitted through the sleeves c and tugs f to the
whiffletree, the sleeves e being made shorter than the distance between the
rosts bb, in order to permit the sleeves to slide back and forth on the rods with

page_text: the tugs and whiffletree as the same are moved by the horse in drawing the vehicle.
When backing, the pull is transmitted through the pullbacks to the sleeves c on
the shafts, as in harness at the present time.
To release the horse from the vehicle it is only necessary to draw the spring-
controlled bolts e back into their dotted-line positions, Fig. 2, to withdraw them
from the eyes in the ears d, and thereby disconnect the plates D from the sleeves c
and from the shafts to which they are attached.
In cases of emergency, as when the horse is beyond control, the release may be
effected from the vehicle by means of a cord m, connected at its opposite ends with
the bolts e and extending back to the vehicle within reach of the driver, who by
pulling the cord will withdraw both the bolts e at the same time and release the
horse from the vehicle. In such cases it is desirable to prevent the shafts a from
dropping to the ground, and I have therefore provided the thills a' of the shafts
with ears a², which lie under the front axle of the vehicle and which, when the
shafts are released from the horse, will come in contact with the said axle and
retain the shafts in an elevated position.
With the above-described device the horse pulls from the whiffletree and when
backing pulls from the shafts, as in the usual harness.
Each sleeve c, as herein represented, is provided with lateral lips c* to guide the
ear d on the plate D into proper position to permit the bolt e to enter, while the
periphery of the ear d is also rounded or sharpened, as represented, to further
assist in coupling the plate D to the sleeve c.
I have herein described and claimed the tugs as attached to the whiffletree f;
but I include in this use of the term "whiffletree" any other means for attaching
the tugs at the back of or behind the horse in contradistinction to devices wherein
the forward pull by the horse is applied to the outer ends of the shafts, it being
much easier on the horse to pull from behind, as in the ordinary harness in
general use.
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
1. The shafts, the sliding sleeves c, offset from said shafts and permanently
secured thereto and having the spring controlled bolts e, a whiffletree, and
independent tugs connecting the same with each of said sleeves, combined with
plates detachably connected with said sleeves by said bolts, pulling-straps and
pullback-straps connected with the plates, and a cord attached to said bolts, to
operate substantially as described.
2. The shafts, the sliding sleeves c, permanently secured thereto and provided
with the ear-guiding lips cx, a recess in each sleeve and spring-controlled bolts e
extended across said recess, a whiffletree, and independent tugs connecting the
same with said sleeves, combined with plates having ears to enter said recesses and
through which said bolts are passed to attach said plates to said sleeves, pulling-
straps and pullback-straps connected with said plates, and a cord to move said bolts,
substantially as described.
Dated this 20th day of June 1809
F. W. BARKER,
Applicant's Agent.