Improved Means of Connecting Draught Animals to Vehicles and the like.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Apr., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Jan., 1896-Accepted, 14th Mar., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of Connecting Draught Animals to Vehicles and
the like.
1, THOMAS HARGREAVES BRIGG, of Thornton Road, Bradford, Yorkshire,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a development of the invention described in the
Specification of my Application for Patent No. 21938 of 1894, and is applicable
both to one-axled and to two-axled wheeled vehicles including field-guns,
artillery-carts, wagons, agricultural implements racing sulkies and the like.
The present improvements have special reference to improved means, to be used
conjunctively with the shaft-frame or with shafts and the trace-deflecting pulley
or pulleys and deflected trace connections of the draught attachment described in
my said former Specification, of obtaining a bearing or fulcrum for enabling a
transfer of part of the weight of the load to, or a downward pressure to be applied
at the animal's forequarters (through the shafts and a back-band) to be effected by
the pull effected by the attached animal through the traces; the counter-operating
force tending to support the animal at the fore-quarters (also operating through
the shafts and a belly-band) being effected, in a two-axled vehicle, by a spring or
springs as in my said former draught åttachment or in any equivalent manner, and,
in a one-axled vehicle, by loading or overbalancing the hind part of the vehicle-
body.
The present improvements have also especial reference to the use, conjunctively
with said trace connections operating as aforesaid when in draught, of means for
enabling the same advantage (automatically increasing the animal's pressure on
the roadway) as is obtained when hauling the vehicle, to be attained when backing
the vehicle.
In applying the improvement firstly referred to to a vehicle.not requiring to be
tipped, I pivotally connect a lever to the centre of the axle of a one-nxled vehicle,
or to the fore-axle of a two-axled vehicle, on a horizontal axis so as to be capable
of vibrating in a vertical plane, and to the rear of such lever I pivotally connect
on a vertical axis so as to be capable of oscillating in a horizontal plane an arm
carrying a trailing wheel normally bearing on the roadway, or adapted to bear
thereon only when in draught. The fore-arm (or arms) of the lever extends
forwardly to under the trace deflecting pulley (or pulleys) of the shaft-frame, and
is (or are) there connected to the depending end (or ends) of the trace connections,
which, consequently, when in draught, constantly pulls (or pull) on such arm or
arms in a vertical or approximately vertical plane, causing the lever and its
pivotally connected arm carrying. the trailing wheel to operate as a continuous
lever having its fulcrum or bearing on the roadway; and as the power exerted
through the traces is applied at the other end of the lever, and the resistance or
weight of the load is applied at the intermediate part of the lever, the result is to
cause more or less pressure to be brought to bear, or a part of the weight of the
load to be transferred through the shafts and back-band on to the animal's fore-
quarters, as determined by the resistance to traction and the tractive energy;
more or less neutralizing or overcoming the previously referred to counter-operating
force tending to support the animal, and attaining the advantages incidental to my
said former draught attachment.
In applying such improvement to a one-axled vehicle requiring to be tipped,

page_text: I mount the trailing wheel (or wheels) between the side (or sides) of the vehicle and
the ordinary travelling wheel or wheels thereof or in the track of the latter,
without being at liberty to oscillate about a vertical axis; and in such case, to
facilitate the turning of the vehicle, the trailing wheel 'may be so applied as to bear
on the roadway only when in heavy draught or backing.
The arm carrying the trailing wheel may be formed with a spring-connected break-
joint to enable it to yield on meeting an obstacle on the roadway so as to avoid the
tendency of drawing the animal back in the shafts; and, in a two-axled vehicle, it
may be connected by a chain to the underpart of the vehicle-body so as to still
remain operative as aforesaid in the event of the trailing wheel being destroyed by
any obstruction it may meet, or by dropping into a hole in the roadway.
In a two-axled vehicle the rear lever arm may be connected to the rear axle in
lieu of carrying a separate trailing wheel.
In applying the secondly mentioned improvement to either one- or two-axled
vehicles, I connect the traces, at a part forward of the trace deflecting pulleys, to a
breech-strap, passing the connections around other and still more forward pulleys
applied to the shafts, thus constituting an arrangement which slackens the breech-
strap when the animal is hauling through the traces and operates in partly or
wholly neutralizing or overcoming the supporting force and bringing a downward
pressure on the auimal's fore-quarters as aforesaid; and has a like action while the
animal is backing, when the animal's bearing against the breech-strap causes a
forward pulling on the part of the traces rearward of the connection of the breech-
strap thereto and a slackening of the forward part of the traces.
The application of the firstly referred to improvement to racing sulkies will
enable the animal to give greater impetus to the vehicle by reason of the
momentarily-transferred weight, which, between the successive impulses effected by
the animal's hind feet, will re-act in aiding in carrying the animal's body through a
greater distance at each stride, and the percussion on its feet will be greatly
reduced as it alights on the roadway.
In such cases, the trailing wheel may be so arranged as to aid the animal in
making sharp turns; to this end it may be capable of adjustment, permitting of its
being so arranged, before a race, as to run on the outside of the curve; and at such
times to be operated upon by the driver whenever found necessary to counteract
the centrifugal force. For instance, the leaning sideways of the driver may cause
the trailing wheel to receive a slight but necessary lateral motion practically
helping to thrust the animal round, instead of requiring so much of the animal's
energy to get round.
Dated this 22nd day of Anvil 1805
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
321, High Holborn, London, Agents for the Applicant.
Improved Means of Connecting Draught Animals to Vehicles and
the like.
I, THOMAS HARGREAVES BRIGG, of Theruton Road, Bradford, Yorkshire,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said 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 relates to a development of the invention described in the
Specification of my Patent No. 21938, of 1894, and is applicable both to one-axled
and to two-axled vehicles, including field guns, artillery, carts, wagons, agricultural
implements, racing sulkies and the like.
The invention consists in the use conjunctively with the shaft frame or shafts

page_text: and the trace deflecting pulley or pulleys and deflected trace connections of the
draught attachment described in the Specification of my said Patent, of the herein
described improved means of obtaining a bearing or fulcrum for enabling a
transfer of part of the weight of the load to, or a downward pressure to be applied
at the animal's fore-quarters (through the shafts and a back-band), to be effected
by the pull of the animal through the traces: the counter-operating force tending
to support the animal at the fore-quarters (operating through the shafts and a
belly-band) being effected, in a two-axled vehicle, by a spring or springs as in my
said former draught attachment, and, in a one-axled vehicle, by loading or
overbalancing the hind part of the vehicle.
The invention also comprises the use, conjunctively with said former draught
attachment, whether used with or without the herein-described means of obtaining
a bearing or fulcrum, of the herein described means for enabling the same
advantage (automatically increasing the animal's pressure on the roadway) as is
obtained when hauling the vehicle, to be obtained at all times when backing the
vehicle.
In the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1, represents the invention applied to a one-axled vehicle, in which the
scats can be regulated at the start of a journey to suit the load to be carried.
Fig. 2, represents the invention applied to a cab in which the seats cannot be
moved, and diagrammatically represents the operation of the attachments and
Fig. 3, represents the invention applied to a two-axled vehicle.
In applying the improvement firstly referred to to a vehicle not requiring to be
tipped, I pivotally connect a lever a, to the centre of the axle b, of a one-axled
vehicle, or of the fore axle b, of a two-axled vehicle, on a horizontal axis c, so as to
be capable of vibrating in a vertical plane, and to the rear arm of such lever,
I pivotally connect, on a vertical axis d, so as to be capable of oscillating in a
horizontal plane, an arm e, carrying a trailing wheel f, normally bearing on the
road-way, or adapted to bear thereon only when in draught. The fore arm of the
lever a, extends forwardly to under the trace deflecting pulleys g, of the shaft
frame h, and is there connected to the deperding ends of the trace connections i,
which, consequently, when in draught, constantly pull on such arm in a vertical or
approximately vertical plane, causing the lever a, and its pivotally connected arm e,
carrying the trailing wheel f, to operate as a continuous lever having its fulcrum
or bearing on the roadway. Consequently, as the power exerted through the
traces is applied at the forward end of the lever, and the weight of the load is
applied at the intermediate part of the lever, the result is to cause more or less
pressure to be brought to bear, or a part of the weight of the load to be trans-
ferred through the shafts h, and back-band j, on to the animal's fore-quarters, as
determined by the resistance to traction and the tractive energy; more or less
neutralizing or overcoming the previously referred to counter-operating force
tending to support the animal, and attaining the advantages incidental to my
former draught attachment.
In applying such improvement to a one-axled vehicle, the body of the vehicle
should be so mounted upon the axle as when loaded to exert a lifting force upon
the animal at the belly band of some 20 or 30 lbs. more or less. In such vehicles
wherein the seats can be regulated to suit the load to be carried, this should be
done at the start, and when once regulated the seats require no further adjustment,
during the journey, as the animal's pull will automatically convert the lift at the
belly-band into a pressure on the back-band whenever the resistance to traction is
sufficiently increased, as, for instance, in climbing hills, starting the load, or in
imparting increased velocity to the vehicle after it has been checked in passing
over obstructions on the road.
The wheelf, thus forms a trailing fulcrum, ever ready to do work by throwing
weight forward when starting or travelling up hill, and is not operative except
when, from any cause, the animal requires transferred weight; consequently, its
wear and tear is very small.

page_text: Fig. 2, shows diagrammatically how the weight is transferred from the vehicle
to the animal. The resultant of a 90 lbs. pull through the trace with this
attachment is obtained by the aid of parallelogram P, Q, R, S Let P, Q, equal
90 lbs., therefore, the force through Q, R, must equal 90 lbs., represented by Q, R,
and by completing the parallelogram, a resultant of 71 lbs. is obtained upon Q, in
the direction Q, S, then, by producing S, Q, (direction of force) to U, it is found
that 71 lbs. must be exerted upon a lever, which the cab itself constitutes,
equal to U, V, against a second arm V, W, and since U, V, is only half the
length of V, W, then a pull of 71 lbs. at U, will give about 35 lbs. transfer at W,
or about 41 lbs. at X, Y, the animal's back-band.
In applying such improvement to a one-axled vehicle requiring to be tipped,
I mount the trailing wheel between one side of the vehicle body and the adjacent
ordinary travelling wheel thereof or in the track of the latter, or similarly apply
a trailing wheel at each side of the vehicle without liberty to oscillate about a
vertical axis, and in such case, to facilitate the turning of the vehicle in ordinary
draught, the trailing wheel may be so applied as to bear on the roadway only
when in heavy draught or when backing.
The arm e, may he formed with a spring connected break-joint k, Fig. 2, to
enable it to yield on meeting an obstacle on the roadway, so as to avoid the
tendency of drawing the animal back in the shafts, and in a two-axled vehicle
(Fig. 3.), the arm may be connected by a chain l, to the underpart of the vehicle
body, so as to still remain operative as aforesaid, in the event of the trailing
wheel being destroyed by any obstruction it may meet or by dropping into a hole
in the roadway.
In a two-axled vehicle the rear lever arm may be connected to the rear axle in
lieu of carrying a separate trailing wheel.
The application of such improvement to racing sulkies will enable the animal to
give greater impetus to the vehicle by reason of the momentarily transferred
weight which, between the successive impulses effected by the animal's hind feet,
will re-act in aiding in carrying the animal's body through a greater distance at
each stride, and the percussion on its feet will be greatly reduced as it alights on
the roadway. In such cases, the trailing wheel may be so arranged as to aid the
animal in making sharp turns, to this end, it may be capable of adjustment in
any convenient manner on its pivot d, so as to permit of its being so set or arranged
before a race as to run on the outside of the curve, and at such times to be
operated upon by the driver whenever found necessary to counteract the centrifugal
force. For instance, the leaning sideways of the driver may cause the trailing
wheel to receive a slight but necessary lateral motion, practically helping to
thrust the animal round, instead of requiring so much of the animal's energy to
get round.
In applying the secondly mentioned improvement to either one or two-axled
vehicles, I connect the traces i, at a part forward of the trace deflecting pulleys g
to a breech strap m, passing the connections n around other and still more forward
pulleys o, applied to the shafts h, thus constituting an arrangement which slackens
the breech-strap when the animal is hauling through the traces, and operates in
partly or wholly neutralizing or overcoming the supporting force and bringing a
downward pressure on the animal's fore-quarters, as aforesaid, and has a like
action to that lastly referred to while the animal is backing, when the animal's
bearing against the breech-strap causes a forward pulling on the part of the traces
rearward of the connection of the breech-strap thereto, and a slackening of the
forward part of the traces.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A draught device for connecting animals to vehicles, characterized by the use,
in combination of shafts caused hyu spring carried by or by the action of the

page_text: vehicle to exert a lifting force on the animal's fore-quarters, trace deflecting pulleys
applied to the shafts, and deflected trace connections, and a trailing wheel or
equivalent means supported by a lever applied to the vehicle in such a manner
as to apply a counteracting force at the animal's fore-quarters through the deflected
trace connections and the shafts and back-band when the animal requires hauling
power additional to that due to its own weight, as set forth.
use,
2. A draught device for connecting animals to vehicles, characterized by the
in combination, of shafts caused by a spring carried by the vehicle to exert a
lifting force on the animal's fore quarters, trace deflecting pulleys applied to the
shafts and deflected trace connections, applied to the vehicle in such a manner as
to apply a counteracting force at the animal's fore-quarters through the deflected
trace connections and the shafts and back-band when the animal requires hauling
power additional to that due to its own weight; and connections from the breech-
strap to the traces deflected by the shafts and adapted to cause the said counter-
acting or downward force to be applied to the animal both when hauling and when
backing the vehicle, as set forth.
3. A draught device for connecting animals to vehicles characterized by the use,
in combination, of shafts caused by a spring carried by or by the action of the
vehicle to exert a lifting force on the animal's fore-quarters; trace deflecting
pulleys applied to the shafts and deflected trace connections; a trailing wheel or
equivalent means supported by a lever applied to the vehicle in such a manner as
to apply a counteracting force at the animal's fore quarters through the deflected
trace connections and the shafts and back-band, when the animal requires hauling
power additional to that due to its own weight-and connections from the breech-
strap to the traces deflected by the shafts and adapted to cause the said counter-
acting or downward force to be applied to the animal both when hauling and when
backing the vehicle, as set forth.
Dated this 22nd day of Janu 1896
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
Chartered Patent Agents,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.