Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Adjusting the Position of Portable Machinery, and for Chocking or Securing the Travelling Wheels.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 26th July, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 25th Apr., 1896-Accepted, 13th June, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Adjusting the Position
of Portable Machinery, and for Chocking or Securing the
Travelling Wheels.
We, ALFRED SHUTTLEWORTH and FRANK SHUTTLEWORTH both of Stamp
End Works, Lincoln, Agricultural Engineers, THOMAS FEWSTER WILKINSON,
Linguist of Stamp End Works, Lincoln, and ROBERT GAMBLE Machine
Foreman, of Stamp End Works, Lincoln, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
For the purpose of adjusting the position of portable machinery, and securing
the travelling wheels there have been employed (as described in the Specification
of Patent No. 2962 of 1876 granted to Nathaniel Clayton and Joseph
Shuttleworth) chocks or wedges placed one on each side of the wheel to be lifted
and secured, one of such chocks or wedges carrying side chains or rods connected
to pins on an actuating lever whilst the other chock or wedge was provided with
inclined rows of notches or teeth forming a progressive fulcrum for such actuating
lever and it is to apparatus of this kind that the present improvements have
reference.
An arrangement of apparatus according to this invention is as follows:-
One of the two wedges or chocks which are intended to be forced under a wheel,
has attached to one of its ends a fulcrum plate having a longitudinal central rib or
ribs on either side of which are a number of transverse horizontal notches for
receiving the two prongs or teeth of the bifurcated lower end of an operating lever.
On the top of the fulcium plate is a "stop" notch, the object of which is to ensure
the rods being brought into the proper position for the next oblong holes to engage
with the books when the lever teeth enter the uppermost of the notches
below the stop. If this stop were not provided, the lever might be pitched so far
towards the wheel as to cause the hooks to engage in the second oblong holes
instead of the first. The lever is bifurcated or recessed between its teeth so as to
clear the longitudinal rib of the fulcrum plate, which rib forms a guide for the
lever. The lever has at each side a pin; these are adapted to engage in corre-
sponding round holes one in each of two rods. Each of the said pins has a key or
projection on its end, so placed that it can pass through a corresponding groove or
key way cut in the inner side of the round hole in the corresponding rod only when
that part of the lever which carries the pins occupies a position opposite to that
towaids which the longer arm or handle of the lever is moved when causing the
wedges or chocks to approach one another. By this arrangement the pins can be
made a good fit in the holes of the rods, thus obviating the loss of motion as also
the liability of the rods to drop off the pins, which obtains in some previous
constructions wherein the holes are made of much larger diameter than the pins in
order that they may pass over the pin heads. The lever handle is inserted in a
socket in the central part of the lever and is secured by a pin. Each rod besides
having, at one end, a round hole with groove at the inner side for receiving the
corresponding lever pin, as above described, has, towards the other end, in a part
of it that is arranged flatwise a series of oval or oblong holes for engaging
successively with one of two pawls turning on studs projecting horizontally above
supporting brackets attached to the second wedge or chock which pawls drop into

page_text: the oblong holes and abut against the said brackets for taking the pull of the rods.
The brackets have vertical flanges on their outer sides for retaining the rods in
proper position for the pawls to engage in the oblong holes. In such an arrange-
ment, assuming the lever to be resting with its teeth in the uppermost or stop notch
at the top of the lever chock, into which the lever has been pitched after completing
the bottom stroke, then the pawls will be resting on the rods and when the lever is
moved back to the next lower notch the pawls will enter the next holes to those
which they have just left and will abut against the brackets when the rods are
pulled by the lever to draw the chocks towards each other.
Another series of strokes of the lever can now be made, without having to
remove the rods from the pins of the lever for the purpose of taking a shorter hold,
and the action will be practically continuous from the first stroke of the lever to
the last.
The form of the lever is such that when it is pressed down until it comes in
contact with the longitudinal ribs of its chock the fulcrum teeth and the pins are
in line with the centre lines of the rods. The pins of the lever are thus on the
dead point of their stroke: the lever has consequently no tendency to rise by
reason of the pressure exerted on the inclines of the chocks by the weight of the
wheel resting on them: consequently there is no necessity for supporting the lever
by a pin and holes as described with reference to Figs. 11 and 12 of the drawings
of our said former Patent.
a
According to a modification the arrangement is similar in principle to that just
described but the pawls are mounted on vertical studs and move in horizontal
instead of vertical planes; also those ends of the rods in which are the oblong
holes are disposed on edge instead of flatwise. In this case each pawl is made to
engage with the oblong holes in the corresponding rod by a coiled spring secured
at one end by a nut screwed on to the top of the stud the other end of the spring
engages in a recess in the pawl. Ou the underside of each pawl there
projection which abuts against a stop on the bracket and prevents the pawl being
turned so far outward as to cause a breakage of the coiled spring. The side rods
have not to be removed from the pins of the lever for the purpose of taking a
shorter hold, and the action will be as before continuous from the first stroke of
the lever to the last. We sometimes modify this construction by substituting for
the pawls hooks which project vertically from brackets fastened to the sides of the
one chock. Each bracket has a vertical flange on the outer side for guiding the
corresponding rod (arranged flatwise) while riding over the hook to take a fresh
engagement.
According to a modification of this arrangement the hooks are disposed
horizontally instead of vertically and the rods have their corresponding ends on
edge instead of being arranged flatwise. In this case the brackets which support
the rods are curved upwards at their outer ends for the purpose of guiding the rods
during the time the lever is being lifted from the bottom notch and pitched into
the "stop" notch. By reason of the rear ends of the oblong holes coming into
contact with the inclined backs of the hooks the rods are pushed away laterally
from the chock and they slide up the inclines of the brackets until the holes are
opposite the points of the hooks whereupon the rods are free to slide down the
inclines of the brackets until the hooks engage in the fresh holes in rods. Another
series of strokes of the lever can then be made, without having to remove the rods
from the pins of the lever for the purpose of taking a shorter hold, and the action
will be as before continuous from the first stroke of the lever to the last.
According to another construction the lever chock has a fulcrum plate with a
lever permanently jointed to it by a pin passing through holes in lugs on both.
The lever has a socket for receiving the handle and a like arrangement of pins
with keys or projections to engage with the round holes in the ends of the rods to
that already explained. But each of the rods is in two similar parts, each part
having a round hole with a key way on its inner side at the outer end for engaging
indifferently either with one of the pins on the lever or with oue of the hooks on

page_text: :-
the other chock, and a sleeve is fixed to the inner end of each rod, through which
sleeve the corresponding half rod is free to slide longitudinally. Each of the said
sleeves carries a counterweighted pawl jointed thereto, for engaging alternately in
notches on the underside of the other half rod. When one pawl of one of these
divided rods is engaged with a notch, the other pawl will be midway between two
notches. If then the lever be again raised causing the part rods to slide
relatively to one another for the purpose of taking a shorter hold, the pawl that
was disengaged will become engaged with a notch, and the other pawl will become
disengaged. The chock that does not carry the lever has attached to each of its
sides a hook having its end curved upwardly and inwardly for engaging with a hole
in either of the outer ends of the combined rods. The manipulation is as follows:-
The chocks having been placed under the tyre of the wheel, the rods drawn out to
full length with their notches and pawls uppermost laid with one end of each
resting on the horizontal part of one of the hooks, the holes in the rods are then
entered on the points of the hooks. By a turn of the wrist the rods are now
brought into working position, with the notches and pawls underneath, when the
counter-weighted pawls immediately engage with the notches. The lever, without
its handle being now placed to rest against the end of its chock, the keys or
projections on its pins will coincide with the keyways in the holes at the ends of
the rods, permitting of the coupling up of the rods with the lever. The position
of the pawls and notches on the rods when in work being underneath, they are
protected from being injured by men stepping on the rods. The side rods have
not to be removed from the pins of the lever for the purpose of taking a shorter
hold and the action as in previous arrangements will be continuous from the first
stroke of the lever to the last. Instead of the lever being permanently jointed to
the fulcrum plate of its chock the same arrangement of loose lever and notched
fulcrum plate, as described with reference to previous constructions may be adopted,
in which case the notches in the rods can be of the same pitch as are the oblong
boles in the rods of the previous constructions and both pawls can be in engagement
at the same time so as to apportion the strain equally between the halves of the
rods. If it should be desired to make a finer adjustment of the level of a machine
than is possible with the arrangements previously described, this can be accom-
plished with the modification last above described, by placing the notched fulcrum
plate at a sufficiently steep inclination and making the notches in the rods of
corresponding pitch.
Dated this 20sh dan of Lul 100%
Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Adjusting the Position
of Portable Machinery, and for Chocking or Securing the
Travelling Wheels.
We, ALFRED SHUTTLEWORTH and FRANK SHUTTLEWORTH, Agricultural
Engineers, THOMAS FEWSTER WILKINSON, Linguist, and ROBERT GAMBLE,
Machine Foreman, all of Stamp End Works, Lincoln, 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 :-
For the purpose of adjusting the position of portable machinery, and securing the
travelling wheels, there have been employed (as described in the Specification of
Patent No. 2962 of 1876 granted to Nathaniel Clayton and Joseph Shuttleworth)

page_text: chocks or wedges (hereinafter called “chocks") placed one on each side of the
wheel to be lifted and secured, one of such chocks carrying side chains or rods
connected to pins on an actuating lever whilst the other chock was provided with
inclined rows of notches or teeth forming a progressive fulcrum for such actuating
lever; but this well known apparatus, as it has heretofore been actually constructed,
has been open to objection for the following reasons; (1) When the fulcrum pins
of the lever had reached the bottom notches of the plates that were attached to the
corresponding chock, the rods connecting the other chock with the lever had to be
taken off the pins of the said lever, then the lever had to be litted into the top notch,
and afterwards the pins had to be inserted in the middle holes of the rods in order
to continue the lifting. (2) The rods were liable to become detached from the pins
of the lever owing to the loose fit of the holes in the rods on the said pins, which
was necessary to enable the rods to be passed over the enlarged heads of the said
pins. (3) In one side of the lever chock there were holes made to receive a pin,
the use of which was necessary to support the lever when its position was such as to
be in line with the rods.
Now the present invention is designed to obviate the foregoing disadvantages as
we shall now proceed to explain.
In the accompanying illustrative drawings, Fig. 1 shows in side elevation, and
Fig. 2 partly in plan and partly in section on the line x x of Fig. 1, one arrangement
of adjusting means or apparatus according to this invention.
One viz., B of the chocks which are intended to be forced under a wheel has
attached to one of its ends a fulcrum plate a having a longitudinal central rib or
ribs b, on either side of which are a number of transverse horizontal notches c for
receiving the two prongs or teeth e of the bifurcated lower end c' of the operating
lever C. On the top of the fulcrum plate is a "stop" notch f, the object of which
is to ensure that the rods g shall be brought into the proper position for the next
pair of oblong holes therein to engage with the pawls when the lever teeth e
enter the uppermost of the notches c. If the stop-notch f were not provided, the
lever might be pitched so far towards the wheel A as to cause the pawls p to engage
in the second pair of oblong holes instead of the first. The lever C is bifurcated
or recessed at k between its teeth e, so as to clear the longitudinal rib 6 of the
fulcium plate, which rib forms a guide for the lever. The lever has at each side a
pin l.
These pins are adapted to engage in corresponding round holes m, one in
each of the two rods g. Each of the said pins 1 has a key or projection on its end,
so placed that it can pass through a corresponding groove or keyway m¹ cut at the
inner side of the round hole m in the corresponding rod g, but only when that part
of the lever C which carries the pins 7 occupies a position (see Fig. 3) opposite to
that towards which the longer arm or handle c* of the lever is moved when causing
the chocks to approach one another. By this arrangement the pins can be made
a good fit in the holes m of the rods g, thus obviating the loss of motion, as also
the liability of the 1ods to drop off the pins, which obtains in previous constructions
wherein the holes are made of much larger diameter than the pins in order that
they may pass over the pin heads. The lever handle c* is inserted in a socket C'
in the central upper part c¹ of the lever, and is secured by a pin n (Fig. 2). Each
rody besides having, at one end, a round hole with groove m' at the inner side
for receiving the corresponding lever pin l, as above described, has, towards the
other end, in
a part got it that is arranged flatwise, a series of oval or oblong
holes for engaging successively with one of two pawls turning on studs p
projecting horizontally above supporting brackets 9 attached to the chock B, which
pawls p drop into the oblong holes h and abut against the said brackets
taking the pull of the rods g. The brackets have vertical flanges q¹ on their
outer sides for retaining the rods g in proper position for the pawls p to engage
in the oblong holes h. In such an arrangement, assuming the lever C to be resting
with its teeth e in the stop notch finto which the lever has been pitched after
completing the bottom stroke, then the pawls will be resting on the rods
when the lever is moved back to the uppermost of the notches c, the pawls q
for
and

page_text: will enter the holes h next to those which they have just left, and will abut against
the brackets q when the rods g are pulled by the lever to draw the chocks B, B¹
owards each other, and so raise the wheel A resting thereon. Another series
of strokes of the lever can now be made, without having to remove the rods g
rom the pins of the lever for the purpose of taking a shorter hold, and the
ction will be practically continuous from the first stroke of the lever to the last.
The form of the lever is such that when it is pressed down until it comes into
contact with the ribs of its chock B¹, the fulcrum teeth e and pins / will be
in line with the centre lines of the rods g. The pins of the lever are thus
on the dead point of their stroke, and the lever has consequently no tendency to
rise as a result of the pressure exerted on the inclines of the chocks B, B' by the
weight of the wheel A resting on them; consequently there is no necessity for
supporting the lever by a pin placed in a hole in the lever chork as described
with reference to Figs. 11 and 12 of the drawings of our said former Patent.
According to a modification represented in Figs. 4 and 5, the arrangement is
Similar in principle to that just described, but the pawls p° are mounted on vertical
studs p and move in horizontal instead of vertical planes; also the ends g of the
rods in which are the oblong holes h, are disposed on edge instead of flatwise. In
this case, each pawl p is made to engage with the oblong holes in the corre-
ponding rod by a coiled spring r secured at one end to a nut s screwed on the top
of the stud ; the other end of the spring engages in a recess in the pawl. On
the underside of each pawl p* there is a projection which abuts against a stop g³
on the bracket q* and prevents the pawl being turned so far outward as to cause
a breakage of the coiled spring . The side rods 9 have not to be removed
from the pins of the lever for the purpose of taking a shorter hold, and the
action will be, as before, continuous froin the first stroke of the lever to the last.
The construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 is sometimes further modified, as
shown in Figs. 6 and 7 by substituting for the pawls p (Figs. 1 and 2), hooks t
which project vertically from brackets q **fastened to the sides of the chocks B.
Each bracket q** has a vertical flange q¹ on the outer side for guiding the corre-
sponding rod 9 (arranged flatwise at g¹) while riding over the hookt to take a fresh
engagement.
*⭑
According to a modification of this arrangement, represented in Figs. 8 and 9,
the hooks to are disposed horizontally instead of vertically, and the rods g have
their corresponding ends gl on edge instead of flatwise. In this case the brackets
which support the ends gl of the rods g are curved upwards at their outer ends (see
Fig. 9A) for the purpose of guiding the rods whilst the lever C is being lifted from
the bottom pair of notches c and pitched into the "stop" notch 7. In consequence
of the fact that the rear ends of the oblong holes come into contact with the
inclined backs of the hooks to, the rods are pushed away laterally from the chock B
and they slide up the inclines of the brackets q** until the next set of holes are
opposite the points of the said hooks, whereupon the rods are free to slide down the
inclines of the brackets until the hooks fully engage in the fresh holes in the rods.
Another series of strokes of the lever C can then be made without having to remove
the rods y from the pius of the lever for the purpose of taking a shorter hold, aud
the action will be, as before, practically continuous from the first stroke of the lever
to the last.
-
According to another construction, shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the lever chock B¹
has a fulcrum plate a' with a lever C permanently jointed to it by a pin el passing
through holes in lugs a* and e* respectively on both. The said lever has a socket C
for receiving the handle c, as before, and an arrangement of pins with keys or
projections to engage with the round holes n in the ends of the rods g, like that
already explained. But the said rods are compound, each being in two similar
parts, each part having a round hole m (with a keyway m' on its inner side) at the
outer end for engaging indifferently either with one of the pins on the lever, or
with one of the hooks t* on the other chock B, and a sleeve U is fixed to the inner
end of each half rod, through which sleeve the other corresponding half rod is free

page_text: to slide longitudinally. Each of the said sleeves U carries a counterweighted
pawl U jointed thereto, for engaging alternately in notches on the underside of
the other half rod. As will be seen the arrangement is such that when one pawl U
of one of these divided rods g is engaged with a notch ¹, the other pawl will be
midway between two notches. If then the lever handle co be again raised causing
the part rods g to slide relatively to one another for the purpose of taking a shorter
hold, the pawl U that was disengaged, will become engaged with a notch ', and
the other pawl will become disengaged. Each of the hooks ** on the chock B has
its end curved upwardly and inwardly for engaging with the hole m in either of the
outer ends of each of the compound rods g. The manipulation of this arrangement
is as follows:- -The chocks B B' having been placed under the tyre of the wheel A,
the rods 9 are drawn out to full length, their notches and pawls U being upper-
most and then laid with one end of each on the horizontal part of one of the
hooks ** the rear holes m in the rods are then caused to be entered by the points
of the hooks. By a turn of the wrist, the compound rods are now brought into
working position, with the said notches and pawls underneath, when the pawls, owing
to their being counterweighted, immediately engage with the notches. The lever,
without its handle c*, being now so placed as to rest against the end of its chock B',
the keys or projections on its pins will coincide with the keyways m¹ in the
holes m at the front ends of the rods g, permitting of the coupling up of the
rods with the lever. The position of the pawls and notches on the rods, when in
work, being underneath, they are protected from being injured by men stepping
on the rods. The side rods have not to be removed from the pins of the lever
for the purpose of taking a shorter hold, and the action as in the previous arrange-
ments herein described, will be continuous from the first stroke of the lever to the
last. Instead of having the lever permanently jointed to the fulcrum plate a¹ of
its chock B', the same arrangement of loose lever C and notched fulcrum plate
as herein before described with reference to and shown in Figs. 1 to 9 inclusive,
may be adopted, in which case the notches h in the rods g can be of the same
pitch as are the oblong holes h in the rods of the previous constructions, and both
pawls U can be in engagement at the same time so as to apportion the strain
equally between the halves of the rods.
a
If it should be desired to make a finer adjustment of the level of a machine than
is possible with the arrangements previously described, this can be accomplished
with the modification last above described by placing the notched fulcrum plate a
at a sufficiently steep inclination, and making the notches in the rods g of
corresponding pitch.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. For the purpose of adjusting the position of portable machinery and securing
a travelling wheel, apparatus comprising two chocks adapted to be placed one on
each side of the travelling wheel to be lifted and secured, a lever adapted to be
fulcrumed on the one chock, rods connecting the said lever to the other chock, the
connection of the said rods to the said lever being by means of pins each having a
key or projection on its outer end so placed that it can pass through a corresponding
groove or keyway cut at the inner side of a round hole in the corresponding rod
and the connection of the said rods near their other ends with the other chock being
such that it is not necessary to disconnect the rods from the lever during the process
of completing the drawing toward one another, to the rcquired extent, of the chocks,
substantially as described.
2. In apparatus of the kind specified, a chock such as B' provided with notches
for the operating lever to engage with and with a stop notch adapted to ensure
that the rods connected with the said lever shall be brought into proper position
to engage pawls or hooks on the chock B when the lever is fulcrummed in the
uppermost of the said notches, substantially as herein before described.

page_text: 3. Apparatus of the kind herein specified in which the rods connecting the
chocks are compound each being composed of two similar parts each having at
the outer end a round hole with a key-way for engaging indifferently either with
one of the pins on the operating lever or with one of the hooks on the chock B,
and at the inner end a fixed sleeve through which the adjacent half rod is free
to slide longitudinally and to which is pivoted a counterweighted pawl adapted to
engage in notches on the underside of the said adjacent half rod, the arrange-
ment being such that when the lever is moved backward to obtain a shorter hold,
one or other or each of the pawls on each of the compound rods will become
disengaged from the notch with which it was engaged and become re-engaged
with a fresh notch so as to shorten the compound rod, as set forth.
4. Means or apparatus for adjusting the position of portable machinery and for
chocking or securing travelling wheels, constructed, arranged and operating sub-
stantially as herein before described with reference respectively to and shown in
Figs. 1, 2 and 3; in Figs. 4 and 5; in Figs. 6 and 7; in Figs. 8, 9, and 9; and
in Figs. 10, 11, and 114 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 25th day of April 1896.
For the Applicants,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.