An Improved Apparatus for Instantaneously Detaching the Harness Connection of Fallen Horses from Vehicles.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 13th May, 1889-Accepted, 15th June, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Instantaneously Detaching the Harness
Connection of Fallen Horses from Vehicles.
I ALFRED LEADBEATER of Dorrington Road Leeds in the County of York, Mechanic,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to provide means for instantaneously detaching or
releasing fallen horses from vehicles.
This effect by making the or a connection between the horse harness and the
vehicle readily detachable in the following manner.
more
Instead of fitting the trace hooks or pins and the back band hook as is usually done
to the whipple tree or draw bar I attach these to a separate bar by rivetting, screwing,
or any ordinary method. This bar, which for the sake of distinction may be called
the false whipple tree or draw bar is attached to the whipple tree or draw bar proper
by a connection or connections, which are readily detachable as follows. Two (or
desirable) bolts with T heads are arranged to pass through slits or slots in the
false whipple tree or draw bar, and to screw into the whipple tree or draw bar proper,
the fitting being so adjusted that when the bolts are screwed up, the T heads lie across
or at right angles to the before mentioned slots or slits, and hold the false whipple tree
or drawbar securely to the whipple tree or draw bar proper. In order to prevent any
possibility of the T headed bolts working loose owing to the jar of the vehicle I
arrange a spring to bear against the bolt heads or between the false whipple tree or
draw bar and the whipple tree or draw bar proper. The tension of the spring however
is not so great but that in case the horse has fallen, the T heads can be readily turned
round by key or hammer so as to lie lengthways with the slots or slits, in which
position they readily slip through the slots or slits, and the false whipple tree or
draw-bar is immediately free or detached from the whipple-tree or draw bar proper.
It will be readily understood that this detachable connection can be more or less
easily adapted to other arrangements of harness connection than the one described ;
as for example to the pole piece attachment.
Dated thi. 19h
1004
J. CLARK JEFFERSON, A.R.S.M.,
2, East Parade, Leeds, Agent for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Instantaneously Detaching the Harness
Connection of Fallen Horses from Vehicles.
I ALFRED LEADBEATER of Dorrington Road Leeds in the County of York Mechanic,
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:-
The object of my Invention is to provide means for instantaneously detaching fallen
or runaway horses from vehicles.
This I effect by making the or a connection between the horse harness and the
vehicle readily detachable in the following manner.
Instead of fitting the trace hooks or pins and the back band hook as is usually done
on the shaft or draw bar, I attach these to a separate bar by rivetting, screwing, or
any ordinary method. This bar which for the sake of distinction may be called the
false draw bar is attached to the draw bar proper by a connection or connections
which are readily detachable as follows:-
--
Two (or more if desired) bolts with T heads are arranged to pass through slits
TDO37

page_text: or slots in the false draw bar, and to screw into the draw-bar proper; the fitting
being so adjusted, that, when the bolts are screwed up the T heads lie across or at
right angles to the before mentioned slots or slits, and hold the false draw bar
securely to the draw bar proper. In order to prevent any possibility of the T headed
bolts working loose owing to the jar of the vehicle, I arrange a spring to bear against
the bolt heads, or between the false draw bar and the draw, bar proper. The tension of
the spring however is not so great, but that in case the horse has fallen, the T heads
can readily be turned round by key or hammer, so as to lie lengthways with the slots
or slits; in which position they readily slip through the slots or slits, and the false
draw bar is immediately free'd or detached from the draw bar proper.
Instead of fitting the T headed bolts in the draw bar proper or the shaft so that
they can be rotated as above described, for the purpose of placing them in line with
or across the slots or slits at pleasure; 1 may fix them permanently in the shaft with
their heads across or at right angles to the line of the shaft; and in this case the slots
or slits are formed T shaped in plan, so that the heads of the bolts will pass readily
through the wide part of the slots or slits, when the false draw bar is dropped over or
on to the draw har proper. The false draw bar is then pushed forwards so as to bring
the lower narrower part of the bolt heads into the narrow portions of the slots or slits,
in which position the wide upper parts of the T heads of the bolts prevent the false
draw bar being lifted from the draw bar proper. The false draw bar may be pushed
forwards (or backwards) by hand and then held securely in place by a spring or
catch, or an eccentric lever may be provided for more easily moving the false draw
bar, itself held in position by the spring or catch.
It will be readily understood that this detachable connection can be more or less
easily adapted to other arrangements or parts of harness connections, than the one
referred to, as for example to the pole piece attachment.
And in order that the manner in which my Invention is, or may be performed, may
be more readily and clearly understood, I will describe it as applied to one of the
shafts of a vehicle and refer at the same time to the accompanying drawings which
illustrate this application of iny Invention.
Fig. 1 is an isometric view of the false draw bar with attachments, shewn detached.
Fig. 2 is an isometric view of the draw bar proper with its attachments, as fixed to
the shaft, the false draw bar being detached therefrom.
•
Fig. 3 is an isometric view shewing both draw bars as connected together and fitted
on the shaft under ordinary conditions.
a is the false draw bar with back and front trace hooks h h¹ and back band hook k
attached thereto, and provided with T shaped slots or slits marked d.
b is the draw bar proper screwed or otherwise secured to the shaft f. c are the
heads of the T headed bolts, which are preferably arranged to pass quite through the
shaft. One end of the draw bar b is preferably arranged with a staple or eye-piece l,
in which the narrow end o of the false draw bar a fits, in order the more securely to
attach the latter to the draw bar b. The opposite end of the draw bar 6 is depressed
and provided with a fixed pin i, over which fits the eccentrically bored boss of the
lever n¹ n.
The upper part of this boss n¹ fits in the hole m in the false draw bar,
..and it will be evident, that as the lever n' n is moved from the position shewn in
Fig. 2 to the position shewn in Fig. 3, the false draw bar is moved in the direction
indicated by the arrow, the hole for the pin i being bored in the proper eccentric
position through the boss n¹. A spring e, of such a strength that it can be conveniently
depressed by hand, carries a short pin or catch p, which can slip into the hole p
in the end of the hand lever n' n and thus hold it in the position shewn in Fig. 3,
and with it secures the false draw bar a securely to the draw bar b.
.
.
In case the horse has fallen, the driver depresses the spring e and pulls out the
lever n'n into the position shewn in Fig. 2. This movement draws back the false
draw bar a, so that the T heads of the bolts are now over the wide parts of the slots
or slits d, and the false draw bar a may now be lifted clear away from the shaft,
releasing or freeing the horse from the shafts.
It will be evident that the above arrangement described as forming a detachable

page_text: connection between the shaft or shafts and the harness, may be applied to the connection
of the harness or of the cross bar of the shafts to the whipple tree, in which case it
would serve to detach or free runaway horses from the vehicle.
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 combination of a so-called false draw bar or plate having harness hooks
attached thereto and slots or slits formed therein-with a draw bar or plate permanently
fixed to the shaft, pole piece or whippletree of a vehicle, and provided with T headed
bolts substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.
2° The combination of a draw bar or plate permanently fixed to the shaft, pole-piece
or whipple-tree of a vehicle and provided with rotable T headed bolts-with a so-called
false draw bar or plate having straight slots or slits therein substantially as and for
the purpose herein set forth.
30 The combination of a draw-bar or plate permanently fixed to the shaft, pole-piece
or whipple-tree of a vehicle and having fixed T headed bolts-with a so-called false
draw-bar or plate having T shaped slots or slits therein and moveable over or along
the fixed draw-bar or plate substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.
4° The combination with the subject-matter of claim 3° of an eccentric lever
substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.
Dated this 10th dov of M1000
J. CLARK JEFFERSON, A.R.S.M., Wh. Sc.,
2, East Parade, Leeds, Agent for Applicant.