IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAKE APPARATUS FOR CARTS, WAGONS AND OTHER VEHICLES
Year: 1885

page_text: I, HENRY STUDDY of Waddeton Court in the County of Devon, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAKE
APPARATUS FOR CARTS, WAGONS AND OTHER VEHICLES" to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object to provide means whereby a cart, wagon or other
vehicle will, by reason of its weight, be automatically braked when descending a
hill, thereby relieving the horse and rendering the descent safer and easier than
heretofore.
In carrying my said invention into practice I attach to the body of the cart, on
the underside and projecting beyond the rims of the wheels, a bar of wood. To
each end of this bar I attach a strong flat steel spring to the free end of which is
secured a brake-block which is arranged opposite the rim of the adjacent wheel
and is adapted to bear thereon.
The said springs normally hold the brake blocks out of contact with the wheels,
the springs being bent when the brake is applied.
The method of applying the blocks to the wheels is as follows, that is to say:-
To each spring, between its block and the bar, to which it is attached, is secured an
eye. To each shaft, preferably upon the underside and in front of the ends of the
breeching, is placed a pulley. Around these pulleys pass chains, ropes or the like,
one end of each of which is attached to the eye of a spring, the other end being
connected to one end or side of the breeching.
When a cart or other vehicle provided with this apparatus is running down hill
the breeching, by bearing against the horses hinder quarters, will cause the chains
or ropes to be tightened as the cart moves slightly forward relatively to the horse,
thereby bending the springs and applying the brake blocks to the wheels.
In order to prevent the brakes from being applied when a cart is being backed,
I provide means for holding or clamping the ropes or chains so that they do not
run around the pulleys, or I may attach the breeching to hooks on the shaft for the
time being. Other suitable means for the purpose may also be adopted.
Instead of using separate ropes for each brake-block, I sometimes use a single
continuous rope, which runs through the eyes, which, in this case, are provided
with rollers, or over pulleys, the ends of the rope being attached to the breeching
as before described.

page_text: With this arrangement the pressure applied to the two wheels of a vehicle is
uniform.
Also, instead of braking both wheels as herein before described, it may be necessary
only to provide for braking one. For this purpose the ropes or chains are attached
to the breeching and run around the pulleys on the shafts in a similar manner to
that hereinbefore described, but the said ropes are connected together beneath the
body of the cart, the single end being attached to the brake spring as before
described.
The brake might, in some instances, be held out of contact with the wheels by
means of a chain connected with a hook on the shaft, the chain being unhooked
when the brake is to be applied. A weight is sometimes connected with the
brake-block in order to increase the pressure of the latter upon the wheel.
1
تيمم
•
2 4
BACK
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.

page_text: I, HENRY STUDDY, of Waddeton Court, in the County of Devon, Gentleman,
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:-
My invention has for its object to provide improved brake-apparatus for carts,
wagons or other vehicles,
My improved apparatus is so constructed and arranged that the brake-blocks
will be automatically applied to the wheels when necessary; for example, when
the vehicle is descending a hill and commences to move forward relatively to the
horse or horses.
My said invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which
Figure 1 is a side elevation, and,
Figure 2 a plan of a cart provided with my improved brake apparatus.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both Figures.
a is, the body of the cart, b b are the shafts, and c c the wheels.
d, d are two levers pivotted at d¹, d, to the underside of the body a. The free
ends of these levers project in front of the wheels c, as shown in Figure 2, and
carry the brake-blocks or shoes e e.
Pressing against the levers d are two springs ff, which are attached to the body
of the cart and which normally hold the blocks e away from, or out of contact
with, the wheels, as shown in Figure 2.
Upon the sides of the cart, behind the levers d d, are secured two chain-
pulleys g g; and upon the shafts b b, in front of the breeching of the harness, are
secured two other chain-pulleys h h.
To each lever d, near its free end, is secured one end of a chain i, which is
passed around the pulley g and the other end of which is connected, by means of a
rod j, with another chain . The chain Л is passed around the pulley h, and
attached to the breeching.
Instead of the chains i, j and the rods j, single chains or ropes may be used.
The operation of my improved brake-apparatus is as follows, that is to say;
During traction, the trace-chains k are kept tight whilst the chains i¹ are slack.
Therefore the brake-blocks e are held by the springs f out of contact with the
wheels. But, as soon as the cart, in going down hill, for example, commences to
move forward relatively to the horse, and the breeching comes to bear against the
horse's hind quarters, the forward movement of the pulleys h h relatively to the
breeching, causes the chains to be tightened and to run around their pulleys,
thereby moving the brake blocks, against the pressure of the springs f, into contact
with the wheels. As soon as the strain is again taken by the chains k, the
springs freact upon the levers d, and thus restore the chains i, j, to their normal
positions.
I sometimes modify the arrangement herein before described by attaching the
connecting chains to some other part of the harness instead of to the breeching, for

page_text: instance to the belly-band or girth. In this case the positions of the pulleys h, h
upon the shafts are altered accordingly.
To prevent the application of the brakes when a cart is being backed, I some-
times provide pins adapted to be inserted into the body of the cart and to engage
with the levers d, d, so that the latter cannot move towards the wheels. Or
I insert pins into the shafts, which pins are passed through one or other of the
links of the chains between the pulleys h, and the breeching. Or I provide
other suitable means for this purpose.
Instead of using a separate chain for each brake-block, I sometimes use a single
chain. In this case however the chain is not attached to the levers d but is passed
around pulleys carried thereby, the ends of the said chain being attached to the
breeching as above described. With this arrangement the pressure applied to the
two wheels of a vehicle is uniform.
I sometimes provide only one brake-block. In this case the chains or ropes are
attached to the breeching and passed around pulleys on the shafts in a similar
manner to that hereinbefore described, but the said chains or ropes are connected
beneath the body of the cart, the single end being attached to the brake-lever as
above described.
If desired, I dispense with the springs fand levers d, and substitute therefor
strong springs or spring plates upon which the brake-blocks are mounted, and
which normally hold the said blocks out of contact with the wheels.
The brake apparatus above described is designed for use in connection with a
vehicle drawn by a single horse. To adapt the said apparatus for use with a pair
of horses, the above described arrangement is slightly modified, that is to say:-
A chain connected with the brake-blocks is conducted under the pole and around a
pulley on the front end of the latter. After passing around the said pulley the
chain is bifurcated at its end, the two branches being connected to the two collars
of the harness. When the vehicle commences to move forward relatively to the
horses, the pulley on the end of the pole moves in the bight of the chain thereby
causing the application of the brakes in the manner above described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
•
First. A brake-apparatus for a cart, wagon or other vehicle, wherein the shoes
or blocks are connected with the breeching or other part of the harness in such a
manner that they will be automatically applied to the wheels when necessary.
Second. The improved brake-apparatus consisting of the parts constructed and
combined substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawing,
and operating as, and for the purpose, specified.