US454357A - Cattle-rack - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

J. H. HOWARD. CATTLE RACK.

No. 454,357. Patented June 16,1891.

"o" A I o o w Q2 "W 5 W ssssss 8: "4 W INVENTOR:

0 I bwzm eda f I dm M A r romv STATES PATENT OFFICEe JAMES HERVEY HOW'ART), OF BALDlVIN, KANSAS.

CATTLE-RACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 454,357, dated June 16, 1891.

Application filed February 19, 1891. Serial No. 382,070. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Janus Hnnvnr Ilow- ARD, of Baldwin, in the county of Douglas and State of Kansas, have invented a new and Improved Cattle-Rack, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to cattle-racks, and has for its obj ect to provide a means whereby cattle may be fed from stacks of hay or other food located in a field without wasting the food and without danger of the stack when undermined falling upon the cattle to their 1n ury.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means whereby the rack may be expeditiously and conveniently shifted to or from the stack, as may be required.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rack of simple, durable, and economic construction, and which may be readily set up in any field.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of, the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rack in operative position, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a fence'panel used in connection with the rack.

A number of posts 10 are fixedly secured in the ground, the said posts being arranged in rows between rows of hay-stacks or stacks of other food to be fed to the cattle. Two 0011- tiguons posts in one or more of the rows are connected by rails 11., the rails being preferably parallel, as shown in Fig. 1. The rails are attached to the posts through the medium of bolts provided with suitable nuts, and in each rail a number of longitudinally-arranged apertures 12 are produced.

In connection with the posts 10 and their rails 11 adjustable fence-panels A are employed. The panels preferably consist of a series of longitudinally-arranged slats 13, e011- nected by a series of uprights 1i. At the center of each panel a longitudinal opening 15 is formed by omitting slats, the said opening being of sufiicient height to admit of the passage of the heads of the cattle. The slats at the top and bottom of the openings 15 in the panels are longer than the other slats, and the extremities of these longer slats are utilized to connect two or more panels. The rails 11 pass through the openings 15 in the panels, and one panel is preferably located bet-ween each two opposed rails. The panels are held in an upright position through the medium of arms 16, which may be termed runners, the said arms being provided with straps 17 or their equivalents at their lower ends, which straps are passed over the ends of the lower long slats of the panels, and the upperends of the arms or runners are connected with the rails 11. by passing bolts through the runners and through one of apertures 12 in the rails, the said bolts being provided with suitable nuts. One runner only need be employed at the junction of two panels, as the lower long slats of the panels are preferably made to overlap and are connected by a bolt or an equivalent thereof. The upper long slats of the abutting panels are also made to overlap and are tied together, preferably, through the medium of a chain 18 secured to one of the long slats near its ends, and the chains are passedover the overlapping portions of the upper slats and are carried downward and attached to the rails 11 by passing bolts through links of the chains and through the apertures in the rails. If in practice it is found desirable, the openings 15 in the panels may be closed by doors 1E), hinged to one of the slats, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

\Vhen panels are connected in a sufficient number to extend across a field, the end panels are attached to the fence B inclosing the field, as illustrated in Fig. 1; butwhen the stacks are located at one corner of a field, for instance, or in the center of the field, and it is desired to inclose the stacks in such manner that the cattle can feed at all sides, a fence is constructed upon three sides of the stacks, the fence being formed by panels D, constructed as illustrated in Fig. 2. These panels are made practically in like manner to the panels A but the slats are ordinarily of equal length, and the center upright 14: has a chain 20 attached at or near its lower end, provided with a stake orpin 21, which pin is driven in the ground, serving as a brace when the panels are'in position. The panels D are secured to the posts 10 by means of bolts 22, and the panels are ordinarily held some distance away from the posts through the medium of washers 23, surrounding the bolts. It will be understood that when a fence inclosing three sides of the stacks is employed the fourth side is closed or protected by the ad- 'j ustable panels A; but two or more sides may be made up of adjustable panels, if desired.

,If it is desired to have the cattle feedfrom one side only of the inclosure,'the doors 19 in the panels at the other sides of the inclosing structure are closed. The panels A, constituting one side of the inclosure, may be, expeditiously and conveniently moved in the direction of the stack or stacks as the hay is exhausted by removing the bolts connecting the runners 16 with the rails 11 and carrying the panels the desired distance forward, and when the proper position is obtained the runners are again attached to the rails by pass ing the bolts through another of the apertures 12 therein. hen the hay in one line of stacks has been used up, the rails 11 are transferred to the next set of posts, and the adjustable panels are shifted and attached to the rails in their new position. hen the adjustable panels are extended to the ordinary fence, as shown in Fig. 1, the end rail 11 is located some distance inside the fenceline, and the space between the rail and fence is closed by a short panel, which panel may be secured'to the adjacent adjustable panel and to the fence in any suitable or approved manner. The short section may also be hinged, if desired, to act as a gate, whereby access may be had to that portion of the field in which the stacks are located.

By means of arack constructed as described it is evident that the cattlewill be prevented from wasting the food and that the food can be brought at all times within easy reach of the cattle. Again, the 'danger of the cattle becoming smothered in consequence of undermininga stack, and thus causing the upper portion to fall over upon them, is avoided, as when any undermining has taken place anattendant may level the stack by the use of any suitable implementand bring the hay close to the panels A.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with a series of posts arranged in rows and rails detachably attached their ends to the posts, of panels separate and independent of said posts containing feedopenings and adj ustably attached to the rails, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with posts and rails removably attached thereto and provided with aseries of apertures, of fence-panels containing feed-openings and arms or runners attached to the panels atone end and adj ustably secured to the rails at their opposite end, as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination, with a series of posts arranged in rows and rails containing apertures and removably attached to the posts, of fence-panels containing feed-openings, the said panels being arranged at an angle to the rails, a connection between the panels, and arms or runnerssecured at one end to the panels and adjustably connected at their opposite end to the rails, as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination, with posts arranged in rows and rails removably connecting the posts, of fence-panels provided with feedopenings and doors adapted to close the same and runners or arms secured at one end to the panels and adjust-ably attached at their opposite end to the rails, as and for the purpose specified.

JAMES HERVEY IlOlVARD.

\Vitnesses:

S. K. KIDDEB, L. E. KIDDER.

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