US1972349A

US1972349A - Sled

Info

Publication number: US1972349A
Application number: US599495A
Authority: US
Inventors: Allan L Mcgregor
Original assignee: JOHN DE VRIES
Current assignee: JOHN DE VRIES
Priority date: 1932-03-17
Filing date: 1932-03-17
Publication date: 1934-09-04
Anticipated expiration: 1951-09-04

Description

Sept. 4, 1934- A, l., MCGREGOR 1,972,349

SLED

Original Filed March 17. 1932 Patented Sept. 4, 1934 'secs SLED Allan l.. McGregor, Stevensville, Mich.,

assignor of one-half to .lohn De Vries, St. Joseph, Mich.

Application March 17,

1932, Serial No. 599,495

- Renewed February 1, 1934 6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in sleds, and has reference more particularly to that type of sleds which employs, in addition to the usual side runners, a central steering runner projecting more or less in advance of the side runners and equipped with a steering handle by which the steering runner can be swung to one side or the other to direct the course of the sled.

One object of the present invention has been l0 to provide a sled of this type of very simple, sturdy and inexpensive construction, and another object has been to provide a construction dispensing as far as possible with the use of pivoted joints for the steering runner. A still further object has been to provide a construction wherein the steering runner may be so mounted and supported as to be resiliently arcuately exible laterally and also, by a limited degree of yield in a vertical direction, be capable of sliding easily over bumps or rough spots without imparting a severe jolt to the occupant, especially when coasting. Still other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which I have illustrated one simple and practical embodiment of the invention, and wherein- Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the sled, broken off at the rear portion.

Fig. 2 is a perspective bottom View of the sled; and

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section.

Referring to the drawing, the platform of the sled herein shown is made up or the usual side bars l0,

cross bars

1l, 12, 13 and le bolted or otherwise secured to the side bars, and center and side boards l5 and 16 secured to the cross bars. The forward ends of the side bars are also preferably connected by a thin fiat metal strip 17 which overlies and is attached to the narrowed forward end portion of t1 e center board 15. The platform is supported on side runners 18 by splayed metal legs 19 bolted at their upper ends to the ends of the

cross bars

12 and 14 and at their lower ends riveted to the webs of the side runners 18, the ends of the upwardly curved forward portions of the side runners being bolted to the forward ends of the side bars 10.

Describing now the novel features of the present invention, secured to the upper face of the center board l5 as by bolts 20 which may also extend through the cross bar 11, is a metal wear 21, to which is pivoted by a bolt 22 the rear end of a forwardly extending metal pilot strip 23.

ttached to the forward end of the strip 23 as by a rivet 24 is the upwardly and forwardly curved end of a thin flexible steel steering runner 25, the rear end portion of which is upwardly and rearwardly curved and riveted in a loopshaped bracket 26 that is attached to the under side or the cross bar 13. The forward bearing portion of the steering runner 25 lies somewhat in advance of the forward bearing portions of the side runners, as is shown in Fig. 3.

Riveted to and extending crosswise of the strip 23 is a steering handle 27.

Riveted to and extending between the front and rear upwardly curved portions of the steering runner is a bar, which may consist of a single steel strip but preferably, and as herein shown, is made in front and

rear ections

28 and 28 riveted together at 29 to form a tight friction joint. The rear section 2S of this brace bar eX- tends through and is riveted in a loop-shaped bracket 30, similar to the bracket 26, secured to the under side of the cross bar l2. This brace bar is a flexible steel strip preferably of the sanie stock as the steering runner itself, and, in the form shown, has a three-fold function. 1t holds the forward end of the steering runner down into good traction Contact with the snow or ice and prevents severe upward strain on the pilot strip 23 and its pivot bolt 22; it laterally stiiens the steering runner and limits the side arcuate flexing thereof, at the saine time acting as a spring to help return the steering runner to central position; and, by reason of the friction joint 29, it can yield slightly in an upward direction, thus cushioning the shock of an encounter with a lump or ridge of snow or ice that might otherwise bounce the forward end of the sled upward.

When using the sled, the occupant steers by simply drawing inwardly on one endor the other of the steering handle 27. This causes a lateral arcuate flexing of both the steering runner 25 and its brace bar, the elasticity of the metal restoring the steering runner and handle bar to central position as soon as the stress is released.

From the foregoing it will be readily seen that the parts of the sled are few and simple, and that no pivot joints other than pivot 20 are employed in its construction. This latter is a practical consideration of some value, because nuts or pivot bolts are continually working loose, unless locked on, and dropping olf in the snow and ice. Moreover, the steering runner when iiexed is itself curved and thus oers less resistance to forward movement of the sled when changing direction from a straight line than do rigid steering runners which are pivoted so as to be bodily angled when changing direction from a straight line, thus giving greater speed under given conditions due to lessened snow resistance against the steering runner.

The structural details shown and described may be considerably varied without departing from the spirit and purview of the invention as dened in the claims.

I claim:

1. In a sled, the combination with the platform and side runners, of a laterally arcuately flexible steering runner rigidly secured at its rear end portion to the under side of the platform, a steering handle, and a connection from said handle to the forward end of said steering runner through which angular movements of said handle impart side flexing movements to said steering runner.

2. In a sled, the combination with the platform and side runners, of a laterally arcuately flexible steering runner rigidly secured at its rear end portion to the under side of the platform, a pilot bar pivoted on said platform and at its forward end connected to the forward end of said steering runner, and a steering handle mounted on and crosswise of said pilot bar. Y

3. In a sled, the combination with the platform and side runners, of a laterally arcuately steering runner rigidly secured at its rear end portion to the under side of the platform, a pilot bar pivoted at its rear end on said platform and at its forward end connected to the forward of said steering runner, and a steering handle mounted on and crosswise of said pilot forwardly of the pivotal connection of the latter to the platform.

e. In a sled, the combination with a platform and side runners, of a laterally flexible steering runner formed with an upwardly and forwardly curved front end portion and an upwardly and rearwardly inclined rear end portion, said steering runner being secured at its rear end to the under side of said platform, a laterally flexible brace bar secured to and extending between the said end portions of the steering runner and at an intermediate point thereof secured to the under side of said platform, a pilot bar pivoted on said platform and at its forward end connected to the forward end of said steering runner, and a steering handle mounted on and .crosswise of said pilot bar.

5. In a sled, the combination with a platform and side runners, of a laterally flexible steering runner formed with an upwardly and forwardly curved front end portion and an upwardly and rearwardly inclined rear end portion, a depending bracket on the under side of said platform to which the rear end of said steering runner is secured, a laterally flexible brace bar secured to and extending between the said end portions of the steering runner, a bracket on the under side of said platform to which said brace bar is secured, a pilot bar pivoted on said platform and at its forward end connected to the forward end of said steering runner, and a steering handle mounted on and crcsswise of said pilot bar.

6. In a sled, the combination with a platform and side runners, of a laterally flexible steering runner formed with an upwardly and forwardly curved front end portion and an upwardly and rearwardly inclined rear end portion, a depending bracket on the under side of said platform to which the rear end of said steering runner is secured, a laterally flexible brace bar secured to and extending between the said end portions of the steering runner, said brace bar being formed in front and rear sections connected by a friction joint permitting upward flexing of said front section, a bracket on the underside of said platform to which the rear section of said brace bar is secured, a pilot bar pivoted on said platform and at its forward end connected to the forward end of said steering runner,l and a steering handle mounted on and crosswise of said pilot bar.

ALLAN L. MCGREGOR.