NZ545349A

NZ545349A - Chestbar for horsefloats

Info

Publication number: NZ545349A
Application number: NZ54534906A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: David Writer
Original assignee: David Writer
Priority date: 2006-02-15
Filing date: 2006-02-15
Publication date: 2006-05-26

Abstract

A horizontally- and vertically-adjustable chestbar assembly for a horsefloat or other horse transportation vehicle has a first mounting assembly with a substantially vertical support bar mounted for slidable movement along substantially horizontal first mounting bars. A chestbar, with padding along at least one side, is hingedly connected to hinge means mounted for selected vertical adjustment on the vertical support bar. A striker means has a substantially vertical body mounted for selective slidable movement along horizontal second mounting bars of a second mounting assembly. The other end of the chestbar has a side locking pin selectively engageable in a set of vertically spaced holes in the body of the striker means and a sliding pin urged by a spring to engage an end face of a flange on an opposed face of the body of the striker means. The chestbar can be swung from a substantially horizontal operative position to a substantially vertical inoperative position and can be moved both in horizontal and vertical directions, relative to the horsefloat, to accommodate horses of a range of lengths and heights.

Description

4 5 3 4 9 *10050744541* 1 INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N.Z. 1 5 FEB 2006 received TITLE: CHESTBAR FOR HORSEFLOATS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention THIS INVENTION relates to a chestbar for horsefloats. The invention particularly relates, but is not limited to, a chestbar for so-called "straight-load" horsefloats and other vehicles suitable for the transportation of horses; which can restrict the movement of horses while travelling, and which can be moved to an inoperative position when not in use. 2.

Prior Art Considerable care must be taken during the transportation of horses, to ensure that they do not suffer injury.

It is known to provide chestbars in "straight-load" horsefloats (or like horse transportation vehicles) which are capable of movement in a horizontal plane to selectively limit the longitudinal length of the spaces which the horses can occupy in the horsefloats. Clearly, a horse 18 hands high will be longer-bodied than a 14 hands high pony, and require a longer space.

It is essential to limit the length of the available space so the horses do not have too much room to move during braking and cornering of the horsefloats.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a chestbar for a horsefloat which is vertically adjustable to suit horses of different heights.

It is a preferred object to provide such a chestbar which is also horizontally-adjustable to suit horses of different body lengths.

It is a further preferred object to provide such a chestbar which can be selectively releasably swung to an inoperative position when the horsefloat is stationery.

It is a further preferred object to provide such a chestbar where all the fittings are concealed, or directed away, from the horse.

It is a still further preferred object to provide such a chestbar which is padded to protect the horse from injury.

Other preferred objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.

Throughout the specification, the term "horsefloat" shall incorporate horsefloats and all other types of horse transportation vehicles.

In a broad aspect, the present invention resides in a chestbar assembly for a horsefloat including: a first mounting assembly, having a first pair of vertically-spaced, substantially horizontal, mounting bars mountable in the horsefloat, and a substantially vertical support bar slidably mounted on, and interconnecting, the first pair of mounting bars; a second mounting assembly having a second pair of vertically spaced, substantially horizontal, mounting bars mountable in the horsefloat, and a substantially vertical striker means slidably mounted on, and interconnecting, the second pair of mounting bars; a chestbar; hinge means at one end of the chestbar to hingedly mount the chestbar on the support bar, for movement of the chestbar between respective operative and inoperative positions; and latch means at the other end of the chestbar releasably engageable with the striker means when the chestbar is in the operative position.

Preferably, padding means are provided on at least one side of the chestbar to engage a horse's chest when the chestbar is in the (preferably horizontal) operative position.

Preferably, the first pair of mounting bars are supported by a first pair of vertically spaced pair of brackets mounted on a wall of, or support in, the horsefloat.

Preferably, the support bar interconnects a first pair of vertically spaced mounting guides, each mounting guide slidably mounted on a respective one of the first pair of mounting bars.

Preferably, first locking means on the first mounting guides enable releasable selective positioning of the support bar relative to the first mounting bars.

Preferably, the chestbar is formed of rolled-hollow steel or aluminium tubing.

Preferably, the hinge means incorporates a pair of horizontally-spaced (eg., bifurcated) hinge plates on a hinge support slidably mounted on the support bar.

Preferably, second locking means on the hinge support enable selective vertical adjustment of the hinge support relative to the support bar to enable adjustment of the vertical height of the chestbar.

Preferably, the chestbar is hingedly mounted about a hinge pin interconnecting the hinge plates.

Preferably, the second pair of mounting bars are supported by a second pair of vertically spaced pair of brackets mounted on another wall of, or another support in, the horsefloat.

Preferably, the striker means interconnects a second pair of vertically spaced mounting guides, each mounting guide slidably mounted on a respective one of the second pair of mounting bars.

Preferably, third locking means on the second mounting guides enable releasable selective positioning of the striker means relative to the mounting bars.

Preferably, a vertically aligned set of holes or recesses are provided in one face of the striker means.

Preferably, the latch means includes: a spring-loaded pin, slidably mounted on a latch bracket on the chestbar, the spring-loaded pin releasably engageable with a second face of the striker means; and a fixed side locking pin in a latch body plate substantially at right angles to, and spaced from, the spring-loaded pin, the side locking pin being engageable with at least one hole or recess in the set of holes in the striker means.

Preferably, the spring-loaded pin is slidably received in spaced arms of the latch bracket and extends parallel to the chestbar; and the side locking pin is mounted on a bottom wall of the latch body plate, which is of substantially U-shape, and extends transverse to the chestbar.

Preferably, the striker means includes a substantially vertical hollow striker body where the set of holes or recesses are provided in one face of the body and a substantially vertical flange extends from an opposed face of the body and is engaged by the spring-loaded pin.

Preferably, the first mounting bars, support bar, and second mounting bars have holes extending diametrically therethrough to respectively receive the first, second and third locking members. Alternatively, the bars may be substituted by rods having recesses, or tubes having sets of aligned holes therethrough, to receive first, second and third locking means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS To enable the invention to be fully understood, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a chestbar assembly in accordance with the present invention, parts being omitted or shown in dashed lines for clarity; FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the chestbar assembly where the chestbar is shown being swung towards an inoperative position in dashed lines; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one end of the chestbar assembly; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the other end of the chestbar assembly shown in part-exploded view; FIG. 5 is a part-sectional, top plan view of the chestbar assembly; and FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of the striker means.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The chestbar assembly 10 is arranged to be mounted in a straight-load horsefloat and may be supported between, eg., the vertical studs 101 of a side wall of the horsefloat and, eg., a divider assembly 102 having a support post 103 and the divider frame 104 with a divider post 105.

NB: It will be readily apparent to the skilled addressee that the chestbar assembly 10 may be mounted to the studs 101 of the post or side walls of a single-bay horsefloat; or between adjacent divider assemblies 102 of a multiple-horse transportation vehicle.

A first mounting assembly 20, shown in larger scale in FIG. 3, has a pair of vertically-spaced, substantially horizontal, first mounting bars 21,22, each received in a pair of first mounting brackets 23,24 fixed, eg., by welding to an adjacent pair of studs 101.

The first mounting bars 21,22 have vertically aligned holes 25, 26 therethrough.

At one end of the first mounting bar 21, 22 an enlarged head 27 engages an adjacent end of the first mounting bracket 23; while at the other end, studs 28 extend through aligned holes 25,26 in the first mounting bars 21, 22 and the corresponding mounting brackets 24, to releasably secure the first mounting bars 21, 22 in the first mounting brackets 23, 24.

The substantially vertical support bar 30 interconnects a pair of vertically spaced first mounting guides 31, 32, each first mounting guide 31, 32 being slidably mounted on a respective one of the first mounting bars 21, 22 and selectively located via first locking means comprising studs 33 passing through holes 25, 26 in the first mounting bar 21, 22.

The chestbar 40 is formed of rolled-hollow steel or aluminium tubing and has padding 41 extending along at least one side of the chestbar 40. The padding 41 may comprise rubber or plastic foam enclosed within a washable plastic (eg., vinyl) covering.

Hinge means 50 for the chestbar has a pair of horizontally spaced hinge plates 51, 52 on a hinge support 53.

Second locking means, comprising a stud 54, extends through holes in the hinge support 53 and through a selected one of a set of holes 34 in the support bar 30. One end of the chestbar 40 is hingedly mounted about a hinge pin 55 which interconnects the hinge plates 51, 52. The hinged mounting of the one end of the chestbar 40 about the hinge pin 55 allows the chestbar 40 to be swung from a substantially horizontal operative position (shown in solid lines in FIGS. 1 to 4) towards the substantially vertical inoperative position, the chestbar 40 being shown between intermediate the operative and inoperative positions in dashed lines in FIGS. 2 and 3.

A second mounting assembly 60, shown in larger scale in FIG. 8 4, has a pair of second mounting bars 61, 62 mounted in pairs of second mounting brackets 63, 64, with holes 65, 66 therethrough, in a similar construction as for the first mounting bars 21, 22 of the first mounting assembly 20.

Striker means 70 has a tubular striker body 71 interconnecting second mounting guides 72, 73 slidably mounted on second mounting bars 61, 62 and selectively locatable therealong by third locking means comprising studs 74 passing through the second mounting guides 72, 73 and the holes 65, 66 in the second mounting bar 61, 62.

A set of vertically spaced holes 75 are provided in one (eg., the rear) face 76 of the body 71 of the striker means 70.

A vertical flange 77 extends from the opposite (eg., front) space 78 of the body 71 of the striker means 70.

The chestbar 40 has a latch assembly 80 at the other end, spaced from the hinge means 50.

The latch assembly 80 has a substantially U-shape latch body plate 81, where a side locking pin 82 is provided on the bottom wall of the "channel" of the substantially U-shape latch body plate 81, extending \ transverse to the chestbar 40, to engage one of the set of holes 75 in the body 71 of the striker means 70.

A sliding locking pin 83, with a handle 84, is supported by the parallel arms of a substantially U-shaped latch bracket 85, to lie parallel to the chestbar 40, and is urged by a spring 86 to engage the vertical flange77 on the body 71 of the latch means 70.

In an alternative embodiment, not shown, the sliding pin 83 may engage a respective one of a set of vertically spaced holes through, or recesses in the forward edge of, the vertical flange 77 on the body 71 of the latch means 70.

The combination of the side locking pin 81 and the sliding pin 83 ensures secure releasable anchoring of the end of the chestbar 40 to the striker means 70 when the chestbar 40 is in its operative position.

By selective movement of the support bar 30 along the first mounting bars 21, 22; and of the striker means 70 along the second mounting bars 61,62; the chestbar 40 can be moved horizontally relative to the horsefloat to selectively adjust the length of the space which the horse can occupy. By selective movement of the hinge means 50 up and down the support bar 30; and selective engagement of the side locking pin 80 with the set of holes 75 in the body 71 of the striker means 70, the vertical height of the chestbar 40 can be selectively adjusted to suit horses of different heights.

The degree of horizontal adjustment will be determined by the length of the first mounting bars 21, 22 and second mounting bars 61, 62; and the degree of vertical adjustment will be determined by the length of the support bar 30 and of the body 71 of the striker means 70.

The first, second and third locking means, comprising studs 33, 53,74, passing through holes 25 and 26 in the first mounting bars 21 and 22; holes 34 through the support bar 30; and through the holes 65, 66 in the second mounting bars 61,62, can be substituted by studs or pins received in recesses in respective rods, or holes through respective tubes, substituted for the first mounting bars 21,22; support bar 30, and second mounting bars 61, 62.

Various changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments described and illustrated without departing from the present invention. 11

Claims

I claim:

1. A chestbar assembly for a horsefloat including: a first mounting assembly, having a first pair of vertically-spaced, substantially horizontal, mounting bars mountable in the horsefloat, and a substantially vertical support bar slidably mounted on, and interconnecting, the first pair of mounting bars; a second mounting assembly having a second pair of vertically spaced, substantially horizontal, mounting bars mountable in the horsefloat, and a substantially vertical striker means slidably mounted on, and interconnecting, the second pair of mounting bars; a chestbar; hinge means at one end of the chestbar to hingedly mount the chestbar on the support bar, for movement of the chestbar between respective operative and inoperative positions; and latch means at the other end of the chestbar releasably engageable with the striker means when the chestbar is in the operative position.

2. An assembly as claimed in Claiml, wherein: the chestbar is formed of rolled-hollow steel or aluminium tubing; and padding means are provided on at least one side of the chestbar to engage the horse's chest when the chestbar is in the operative position.

3. An assembly as claimed in Claim 2, wherein: 12 the first pair of mounting bars are supported by a first pair of vertically spaced pair of brackets mounted on a wall of, or support in, the horsefloat; the support bar interconnects a first pair of vertically spaced mounting guides, each mounting guide slidably mounted on a respective one of the first pair of mounting bars; and first locking means on the first mounting guides enable releasable selective positioning of the support bar relative to the first mounting bars.

4. An assembly as claimed in Claim 3, wherein: the hinge means incorporates a pair of horizontally-spaced hinge plates on a hinge support slidably mounted on the support bar; and second locking means on the hinge support enable selective vertical adjustment of the hinge support relative to the support bar to enable adjustment of the vertical height of the chestbar.

5. An assembly as claimed in Claim 4, wherein: the chestbar is hingedly mounted about a hinge pin interconnecting the hinge plates.

6. An assembly as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein: the second pair of mounting bars are supported by a second pair of vertically spaced pair of brackets mounted on another wall of, or another support in, the horsefloat.

7. An assembly as claimed in Claim 6, wherein: the striker means interconnects a second pair of vertically 13 spaced mounting guides, each mounting guide slidably mounted on a respective one of the second pair of mounting bars; and third locking means on the second mounting guides enable releasable selective positioning of the striker means relative to the mounting bars.

8. An assembly as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein: a vertically aligned set of holes or recesses are provided in one face of the striker means.

9. An assembly as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein: the latch means includes: a spring-loaded pin, slidably mounted on a latch bracket on the chestbar, the spring-loaded pin releasably engageable with a second face of the striker means; and a fixed side locking pin in a latch body plate substantially at rights angles to, and spaced from, the spring-loaded pin, the side locking pin being engageable with at least one hole or recess in a set of holes in the striker means.

10. An assembly as claimed in Claim 9 wherein: preferably, the spring-loaded pin is slidably received in spaced arms of the latch bracket and extends parallel to the chestbar; and the side locking pin is mounted on a bottom wall of the latch body plate, which is of substantially U-shape, and extends transverse to the chestbar.

11. An assembly as claimed in Claim 8 or Claim 9, wherein: the striker means includes a substantially vertical hollow striker 14 body where the set of holes or recesses are provided in one face of the body and a substantially vertical flange extends from an opposed face of the body and is engaged by the spring-loaded pin.

12. An assembly as claimed in Claim 11, wherein: the first mounting bars, support bar, and second mounting bars have holes extending diametrically therethrough to respectively receive the first, second and third locking members.

13. A chestbar assembly for a horsefloat substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14. A horsefloat incorporating a chestbar assembly as claimed in Claim 1 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this thirteenth day of February 2006. DAVID WRITER By his Patent Attorneys FISHER ADAMS KELLY