US2173724A - Log raft and log rafting mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 19, 1939. P. A. PEARSON 2,173,724

I LOG RAFT AND LOG RAFTING MECHANISM Filed June ll, 1938 INVENTOR fau/ Z Z e cars on ATTORNEY i atentecl S ept.

UNITED" STATES PATENT. OFFICE Foss Launch and Tug Company,

Tacoma,

Wash., a corporation of Washington Application June 11, 1938, Serial No. 213,222-

4 Claims.

My invention relates to the rafting of logs and to log rafting mechanism. More particularly, my invention relates to log rafting mechanism which is particularly adapted for use in rafts which are to be towed in rivers and in inland waters.

In river towing, generally it is suflicient to have the logs of the tow loose but surrounded by secured together logs forming a parallelogram. However in river towing, the rafts generally encounter strong currents and crooked channels, so there is continual movement and the angles at the corners of the raft are continually changing and may be either acute angles or obtuse angles, i. e., the raft may be rectangular or diamond shaped.

To take care of this continual change in the shape of the raft, it is necessary to provide sulficient slackness in the flexible connecting means to prevent undue strain and breakage. In other words the flexible connection between the end logs, i. e., head log or tail 10g, and the side logs, must have sufiicient slackness therein or the prying action of the logs, due to change in shape of the raft, will place undue strain on or will break the connecting means.

A conflicting requirement of the connecting means between the end logs and the side logs is brought about by reason of the fact that the slackness must be reduced to a minimum to prevent escape of logs through openings between the end logs and the side logs. In most cases if the slackness in the connecting means between the end logs and the side logs is reduced to the minimum necessary to prevent undue strains or breakage, there will be a sufiicient opening between the end logs and the side logs to permit escape of logs which are loose within the enclosing side and end logs.

In accordance with myinvention I am able to provide sufiicient slackness in the flexible connecting means between the end logs and the side logs to prevent'undue strains and breakage and at the same time prevent escape of logs from the enclosing end and side logs.

In accordance with my invention I provide, at

7 each corner of the raft, a flexible connector which connects adjacent end portions of an end log and a side log, and I also secure each flexible connector to the end portion of the log next adjacent the side log, preferably by passing each connector slidably through a dog which is secured to the log adjacent the side log. This securely holds the log, which is positioned adjacent the side log at each corner of the raft, and said log thus anchored blocks the opening at the corner of the raft and prevents the exit of any of the other logs in the raft through the corner open- In towing in rivers and like waters where there is little wave action, it is common practice to use what is generally termed in the art, a flat raft. My invention is used in connection with such flat rafts.

In constructing fiat rafts in accordance with my invention, I prefer to: employ the timber or saw logs both as the side logs and the end logs of the raft. If the timber or saw logs are bored for this use, the boring of said logs entails a considerable loss due to the fact that it is common practice in scaling to deduct two lineal feet from a log for each end portion having a hole bored; therethrough. For this reason I prefer to employ means for connecting the logs together which does not necessitate the boring of the logs, and I have illustrated such an apparatus in the preferred form of my invention. c It is a primary object of my invention to overcome the objections above pointed out and to provide practical and efficient means for preventing the loss of logs through openings in the corner portions of rafts. I The above mentioned general objects of my invention, together with others inherent in the same, are attained by the devices illustrated in the following drawing, the same being preferred exemplary forms ofembodiment of my invention, 3

throughout which drawing like numerals indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a plan view, with parts broken away, showing a fiat raft constructed in accordance with this invention as said raft may appear when the head 10g and tail log are at substantially right angles to the side logs;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view on a larger scale than Fig. 1 of one corner of the raft, showing an end log positioned at an angle of substantially less than ninety degrees relative to a side log and leaving an opening at the corner of the raft between an end log and a side log;

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of a dog employing a thimble and clevis which may be used in connection with this invention; a

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of a dog and clevis which may be used in connection with this invention; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the corner portion of a flat raft of modified form showing the same constructed in accordance with this invention.

reference Fig. 1 of the drawing shows two end logs l0 and II and a plurality of side logs I2 all secured together to provide an enclosure for a plurality of other logs which are loose in the raft. Preferably end logs I and II and side logs I2 are logs which are saw logs as distinguished from especially prepared boom sticks. Fragments of tow line means I3 are shown connected to one of the end logs I0 and this tow line means I3 may extend to a tug boat, not shown, or to a like source of power. In still water this tow line will be connected with the head log II! but in conducting a raft down a swift stream a similar tow line means I3 may be connected with the tail log II so that the raft may be controlled and held back by a tug boat. A flat raft made up for river towing is usually not a long raft but may comprise several sections. With a short. raft of this nature, the end logs more frequently become inclined relative to the side logs, as shown in Fig. 2, and leave openings at corners of the raft. My invention provides means for blocking these openings and preventing the escape of rafted logs therethrough.

The preferred mechanism for securing the end logs and side logs together at the corners of the raft is shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4. This mechanism comprises a flexible cable I4 having an anchoring device, herein referred to as a dog 9, secured to each end. Each dog 9 (see Fig. 3) has a driving member or spike comprising a shank I5 having an integral head I6 of square cross section at one end and having an integral spiral blade I? at the other end. The shank I5 passes through holes in the spaced apart end portions of a U shaped clevis I8. The clevis I8 has an eye I9 therein through which the cable I4 passes. A .thimble member 2% is positioned on the shank I5 between the spaced apart end portions of the clevis I8, said thimble member 20 having an opening through which the shank I5 passes and having an external groove for receiving an end portion of the cable I4 which is drawn around the said thimble member and spliced, or similarly fastened, so as to secure the dog 9 to the cable. The cable i4 is formed in a loop at the location of each dog member 9 with a portion of the cable passing slidably through the eye I9 of the clevis I8.

Another dog 21, shown in Fig. .4. has a driving member identical with the, driving member shown in Fig. 3. A clevis 22 with an eye 23 therein is pivotally mounted on the shank of this dog 2| and the cable I4 .passes through this clevis 22.

In applying this flexible fastening means to the logs at the corner of a raft the loops at the respective end portions of the cable I4 are passed over the adjacent ends of the side log and end log respectively substantially as shown in Fig. 2, and the spike members of the dogs 9 are driven into these logs, thus securely anchoring the dog members 9 to the logs. The spike of the dog 2I is driven into the log 8 next adjacent to the side log I2 so that the cable connects the end log I0 and the side log I2 substantially as shown in Fig. 2, and is slidable through the clevis 22 of the dog 2I which is anchored to the log 8 adjacent the side log I2.

This connects the end portion of the end log Ill with the adjacent end portion of the side log I2 by a flexible connector. The flexible connector has a sliding connection with the log 8 which lies adjacent to the side log I2. When the side log I2 and end log I0 assume respective positions as shown in Fig. 2 and leave an opening in the corner of the raft, the log 8 adjacent the side log I2 will be in alignment with this opening but said log 8 is connected with the cable I4 so it cannot escape from the raft through this opening. At the same time the log 8 adjacent the side log will obstruct and block 01f the opening at the corner of the raft.

The adjacent ends of side logs I2 are preferably connected together by flexible connector means I4 and dog means 9, Which may be similar to the connectorand dog means used at the corners of the raft and are therefore given the same numbers. These connections are shown in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 5 I show a modified form of the invention in which a flexible connector 24 connects directly "between an end log, such as head log I0, and side log I2. The flexible connector 24 is secured to such end and side logs by the dog means 9. Another flexible connector 25 connects between the flexible connector 24 and the log 8 adjacent a side log I2. The flexible connector 25 is preferably slidable on the flexible connector 24. This may be accomplished in any well known manner such as providing the flexible connector 25 in the form of a loop. The flexible connector 25 is preferably connected to the log 8 adjacent a side log I2 by means of a dog. If the flexible connector 25 is in the form of a loop, the dog 2| (Fig. l) may be employed and the flexible connector 25 passed through the opening 23.

In the foregoing forms of this invention the connector means between the end logs I0 and II and the side logs I2 have been illustrated in the form of flexible connectors which have been connected to the logs by means of dogs. Also the flexible connector has been secured to a log 8 adjacent the side logs I2 by means of a dog, The flexible connector between the end logs and the side logs has been either directly connected to the log 8 or has been connected by way of a separate flexible connector. It is to be understood the invention is not limited to flexible connectors in the form of a cable and to dog means for connecting the same to logs, and any of the well known means in the art, such as chains and holes in the logs, maybe employed.

Obviously, changes may be made in the forms, dimensions and arrangement of the parts of my invention, without departing from the principle thereof, the above setting forth only preferred forms of embodiment.

I claim:

1. A log raft of the class described comprising substantially parallel spaced apart side logs; end logs extending across the ends of the raft and cooperating with the side logs to form arienclosure; loose rafted logs within said enclosure parallel to saidside logs; flexible connectors connecting adjacent end portions of the end logs and side logs; and means connecting said flexible connectors with the end portions of the rafted logs which are positioned adjacent the side logs.

2. A log raft of the class described comprising substantially parallel spaced apart side logs; end logs extending across the ends of the raft and cooperating with the side logs to form an enclosure; loose rafted logs within said enclosure parallel to said side logs; flexible connectors connecting adjacent end portions of the end logs and side logs at the corners of the raft; and means slidably connecting said flexible connectors with the end portions of the rafted logs that are po sitioned adjacent the side logs.

3. A log raft of the class described comprising substantially parallel spaced apart side logs; end logs extending acrossthe ends of the raft and. cooperating with the side logs to form an enclosure.

loose rafted logs Within said enclosure parallel to said side logs; eye members secured to the end portions of the rafted logs that are positioned adjacent the side logs; and flexible connectors connecting adjacent end portions of the end logs and side logs at the corners of the raft and passing through said eye members.

4. A log raft of the class described comprising substantially parallel spaced apart side logs; end logs extending across the ends of the raft and cooperating with the side logs to form an enclosure; loose rafted logs within said enclosure parallel to said side logs; a flexible connector member directly connecting adjacent end portions of the end log and side log at a corner of the raft; and another flexible connector member directly connected with said first named flexible connector member and with the end portion of the rafted 10g which is positioned adjacent to and alongside of the said side log.

PAUL A. PEARSON.

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