Year: 1897

page_text: I, EDWIN BASIL LUDLOW, of The Brewery, Oundle, in the County of Northampton,
Brewer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists of the herein described improvements in road motor vehicles
which according to my invention I so construct and arrange as to be readily
connected to any ordinary road vehicle for the purpose of drawing the same forwards
or pushing the same backwards and steering and turning the road vehicle as may be
required.
In a road motor vehicle constructed according to this invention the motor which
supplies the power is arranged on a carriage or frame which is supported by a cross
axle carrying one two three or more road travelling wheels which are fixed to the
axle. This axle receives rotary motion by chain or other gearing from the motor
arranged above the axle. The body of the said motor vehicle at some little distance
above the axle is made with a circular groove or bearing surrounding the motor
vehicle body and embraced by a metal or other hoop fixed thereto and in which the
motor vehicle body can turn, this hoop being made with backwardly projecting arms
or parts formed so as to hook or otherwise connect to the fore-carriage or other part
of the vehicle, which is to be drawn. By means of bevelled or other gearing and the
necessary spindle and hand wheel the motor carriage can be turned round in the
said hoop and fixed with its road travelling axle at any required angle to the vehicle
which is being drawn. The road motor vehicle is retained in its upright position by
the ends of the said arms or parts of the hoop being connected to the road vehicle
which is to be drawn. The driver is mounted upon a seat on the motor vehicle and
can there control the brake and the motor and steering.
When the motor vehicle above described is connected to an ordinary road vehicle
and the motor is driving in the right direction, the road travelling wheels and their
axle are turned so that the motor vehicle and the road vehicle are drawn along. The
steering is as aforesaid effected by a hand wheel or like means on the motor
vehicle which turns the said gearing and the motor vehicle in the hoop either
to the right hand or to the left hand so that the axle of the motor vehicle will
make a certain angle with the back axle of the vehicle which is being drawn
and thus the motor vehicle and the road vehicle move in a curve either to the
right hand or to the left hand as may be desired. When it is desired to back
the road vehicle the motor vehicle is by the steering mechanism turned half
round in the hoop so that the motor vehicle will then push the road vehicle thus
backing the same in the required direction or if preferred the motor may be
reversed to drive the same backwards.
It will be seen that by the arrangement above described the one two or more
road travelling wheels of the motor vehicle serve both for driving and guiding as
the motor vehicle with its motor and axle and road travelling wheels turn

page_text: altogether in the said hoop or band as may be desired to cause the vehicle to
travel in the required direction. The motor vehicle is weighted to give a sufficient
grip of the road wheels on the road.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY.
Agent for the Applicant.
I, EDWIN BASIL LUDLOW, of The Brewery, Oundle, in the County of Northampton,
Brewer, 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 consists of the herein described improvements in road motor vehicles
which according to my invention I so construct and arrange as to be readily
connected to an ordinary road vehicle for the purpose of drawing the same forwards
or pushing the same backwards and steering and turning the road vehicle as may
be required.
I will describe my invention by referring to the accompanying drawings on which
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a road motor vehicle constructed according to my inven-
tion and also shewing an ordinary waggon to be drawn by the said motor vehicle;
Fig. 2 is a plan of the said road inotor vehicle; Fig. 3 is a front view of the same; Fig. 4
is a sectional side elevation, Fig. 5 is a sectional front elevation and Fig. 6 is a plan
of the carriage or frame and mechanism of the notor vehicle; Fig. 7 is a side
elevation and Fig. 8 is a plan of the hooped part of the motor vehicle hereinafter
described; Fig. 9 is a side elevation and Fig. 10 is a sectional front elevation of a
modified arrangement of the carriage or frame of the motor vehicle, and Fig. 11 is
a plan of the said carriage or frame shewing how two speed driving gear can be
employed.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
figures of the drawings.
I will first describe the arrangement of my invention shewn by Figs. 1 to 8 both
inclusive.
In a road motor vehicle constructed according to this invention the motor which
supplies the power (but which forms no part of my invention) is arranged on the
carriage or frame A which is supported by one cross axle B on which is fixed a road
travelling wheel C of convenient size and width of face. This axle B receives rotary
motion from the motor E by any convenient means such as by the mechanism
hereinafter described. At some little distance above the axle B the body A of the
motor vehicle is made with a circular groove or bearing a¹ which surrounds the said
body A and is embraced by the metal hoop F in which the motor vehicle body A can
turn. This hoop F is made with backwardly projecting arms f¹ f2 which are formed
as eyes at their ends so as by a cross pin to be connected to similar eyes g¹ g² on the
front of the waggon G and maintain the motor vehicle body A in an upright position.
Or the arms ff may be otherwise formed for connecting to the waggon or other
vehicle which is to be drawn. The driver is mounted upon a seat H on the upper
part of the motor vehicle body A and can there control the brake and the motor and
steering. The steering is effected by turning the motor vehicle body A and parts
carried thereby bodily in the hoop F which can easily be done by turning the hand
wheel on the verticle spindle 22 carried by the notor vehicle body A and having the
spur pinion ³ fixed on its bottom end which gears with the toothed ring f³ which is

page_text: Пxed on the noop г and encircles the motor venicie body A and is concentric with
it.
When the motor vehicle above in part described is connected to an ordinary road
vehicle and the motor is driving in the right direction, the road travelling wheel C
and its axle are turned so that the road vehicle is drawn along by the motor vehicle.
The steering is as aforesaid effected by the hand wheel or like means on the motor
vehicle which turns the said gearing and the motor vehicle body A in the hoop F
either to the right hand or to the left hand so that the axle B of the motor vehicle
will make a certain angle with the back axle of the vehicle which is being drawn and
thus the motor vehicle and the road vehicle move in a curve either to the right hand
or to the left hand as may be desired. When it is desired to back the road vehicle,
the motor vehicle body A is by the steering mechanism turned half round in the
hoop F so that the motor vehicle will then push the road vehicle thus backing the
same in the required direction. Or if preferred instead of turning the body A half
round in the hoop F the motor itself may be reversed to drive the vehicle
backwards.
It will be seen that by the arrangement above described the one road travelling
wheel C of the motor vehicle serves both for driving and guiding as the motor
vehicle body A with its motor E and axle B and road travelling wheel C turn
altogether in the said hoop or band F as may be desired to cause the vehicle to travel
in the required direction. The motor vehicle is weighted to give a sufficient grip of
the road wheel on the road.
The mechanism communicating the rotary motion from the motor shaft e to the
axle B of the motor vehicle is by preference although not necessarily arranged as
follows:-
Parallel with the motor shaft e¹ is a counter shaft J which receives rotary motion
from the motor shaft e¹ by the friction wheel j¹ and pinion e². On the counter shaft
J are fixed two small sprocket wheels m¹ m² which by the endless chains n¹ n² drive
the two larger sprocket wheels o¹ 02 which are fixed on the axle B of the road
travelling wheel C. The counter shaft J is carried by two arms k¹ k² which can swing
about the fulcrum shaft k³ carried by the bearings on the motor vehicle body A.
The arm is continued upwardly and formed as a handle by which the arms k¹ k²
and the countershaft J can be moved so as to either bring the friction wheel f¹ into
contact with the friction pinion e² as shewn in Figs. 4 and 6 to drive the vehicle, or
the handle ko can be moved forward slightly and bring the friction wheel f¹ out of
gear with the pinion e² as when the motor vehicle is running down hill or by a
further forward movement of the handle the friction wheel 1 will be brought
against the fixed brake block thereby retarding the rotation of the shaft J and the
movement of the motor vehicle. An ordinary sector such as p keeps the hand
lever in any of the said positions.
The motor vehicle is by preference so weighted that a vertical line through the
centre of gravity will fall well between the axle B and the ends of the arms or
eyes f¹ f² so that the motor vehicle will not tend to tip forwards, and in order to
prevent the motor vehicle from tipping backwards when removed from the waggon or
road vehicle which is being drawn I prefer to provide the two swinging props q q²
hinged near the ends of the arms f1f2 and underneath the same and made with road
wheels q³ ³ and arranged to turn down as shewn in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8 to come in
contact with the ground when the motor vehicle is removed from the waggon or
other road vehicle and to turn up off the ground as shewn by the dotted lines in
Fig. 1 when the motor vehicle is connected to the road vehicle. The props q¹ q² are
turned up or down as aforesaid by the handler on the shaft 2 on which is a pinion r³
which gears with the toothed quadrant q* fixed on the shaft q³ to which the props q¹ q²
are fixed.
It is to be understood that I make no claim to the said props and wheels and prop
turning gear as part of my invention.
The axle B may have more than one road travelling wheel without departing from
the nature of my invention for instance as shewn by Figs. 9 and 10 where two road

page_text: travelling wheels C¹ C² are used. As these wheels must be capable of turning
independently of each other as when the motor vehicle is running round a curve the
axle is made in two parts marked B¹ B2 to which the wheels C¹ C² and the sprocket
wheels o¹ o² are respectively fixed. 6¹ is a sleeve fixed on the end of the half B¹ of
The sprocket
the axle and in which the end of the other half B2 fits and turns.
pinions m¹ m² on the shaft J must also be capable of turning independently of each
other which can easily be done by making the said shaft in halves J¹ J2 connected
together by ordinary differential gear which being well known is not shewn upon my
drawings. When the two road travelling wheels CC2 are used it is only necessary
to employ one of the props say q₁ and wheel q3 which will then be arranged midway
between the two arms f¹ƒ³.
Fig. 11 shews how the said motor vehicle can be fitted with two speed driving
gear. In this case I fix on the motor shaft el a friction wheel e³ in addition to the
friction pinion e² and I mount the friction wheel j₁ on a sliding sleeve S on the
countershaft J together with a small friction pinion & which is some little distance
from the friction wheel j¹. By means of a lever engaging between the collars 82 $3 of
the sleeve S the latter can be moved to bring the friction wheel j¹ in position to gear
with the pinion e² as in Fig. 11 or the sleeve $ can be moved along the shaft J in the
opposite direction moving the wheel j¹ out of position and bringing the friction
pinion s² in position to gear with the friction wheel e³ for slow speed of the motor
vehicle and increased power. The brake block is made wide enough to serve for
either position of the friction wheel j¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A road motor vehicle in which the body carrying the motor and gearing is
mounted on one road travelling axle or divided axle which has one or more road
travelling wheels driven from the motor, said motor vehicle body being surrounded
by a circular groove or bearing which is embraced by a hoop like part in which the
motor vehicle body and axle and road travelling wheel or wheels can be turned to
steer the motor vehicle said hoop like part being provided with means for attachment
to a road vehicle, substantially as described.
2. In a road motor vehicle of the kind denoted under claim one, the combination,
with the vehicle body and hoop in which said body turns, of the spur toothed ring
fixed on the hoop concentric therewith and the spur pinion gearing with the same
and carried by a spindle on the vehicle body for turning said vehicle body in the
hoop, substantially as described.
3. A road motor vehicle constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.