US550371A - Harry haynes - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

H. HAYNES.

WIRE FENCE.

No. 550,371. Patented Nov. 26, 1895.

W INVENIO R4 ATTORNEYS ANDREW EGRAHAM.PHO'IOUTNQWASHINGTON.UL

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

HARRY HAYNES, OF OOLDWVATER, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN N. NEAL,

' OF SAME PLACE.

WIRE FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters: Patent No. 550,371, dated November 26, 1895.

Application filed June 18, 1894. Serial No. 514,920. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARRY HAYNES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Goldwater, in the county of Branch and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Wire Fences, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of wire fences which are provided with tension devices which compensate for the expansion and contraction of the fence.

My invention has for its objects to construct the tension devices in such a manner that the necessity of boring holes in the posts is obviated, and to so combine the wires with the tension devices that the latter may be arranged at or near the center of the fence, so-

as to enable the wires to be strained more evenly when the fence is erected upon uneven ground. I

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of my improved fence. Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section of one of the tension devices. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the bracket in which the shaft or spindle is journaled. Fig. lis a rear View of the tensioning device, showing the means of connecting the wires to the spring.

A represents one of the end posts of the fence, and B B are two intermediate posts thereof.

C represents the longitudinal wires of the fence, each of which is divided into two sections, which are connected by an interposed tension device constructed as follows.

D is a bracket or supporting-frame provided with forwardly-projecting ears cl, in which are formed open or half bearings d.

E is a transverse winding spindle or shaft seated with its end portions in such half-bearings and provided with a ratchet-wheel e, which interlocks with a detent-toot-h diformed on the adjacent ear of the bracket D,whereby the spindle is held against backward movement. The teeth of the ratchet-wheel are beveled on their rear sides, so as to permit the spindle to be turned forwardly. One end of the spindle is square or flat-sided and adapted to receive a corresponding wrench for turning the spindle.

D is a hollow plug or stem extending rearwardly from the bracket D, and F is a spiral spring, which surrounds said plug and bears at its front end against the rear side of the bracket.

When the tension device is arranged adj acent to an end post, as shown by the devices of the top and bottom wires in Fig. 1, one section of the wire is attached to the spindle E and passes rearwardly through an opening 01 of the bracket and through the hollow stem of the latter, thus tending to hold the winding-spindle in its bearings in the bracket.

G is a wire loop which forms the other section of the divided wire and which surrounds the post. This loop passes with its branches through the bracket-opening and its hollow stem and has its ends connected with the rear end of the spring F. This connection may be effected by a Washer h, bearing against the rear end of the spring, and provided with two pairs of holes h, through which the ends of the wire loop are passed in the form of a hook, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, so as to securely fasten the same to the washer. This washer also has a central opening 71, for the passage of the fence-wire 0.

Upon turning the spindle in the proper direction to tighten the fence-wire the section attached to the spindle is wound upon the latter, thus tending to draw the bracket D away from the end post, while the loop G, forming the other section, confines the rear end of the spring against movement in the same direction, thus compressing the spiral spring and tensioning the wire. By this construction the boring of holes in the end post for the passage of the Wire is avoided, thus saving the time and expense of this operation and reducing the cost of the fence correspondingly.

By combining the tension devices with the divided fence wires in the manner described the further important advantage is obtained that the tension devices may be located at or near the center of the fence erected on uneven or undulating ground, as shown in connection with the intermediate wires of Fig. 1, by which arrangement the tension is more evenly exerted upon the wires. When the tension device is thus arranged, the fencewire is divided as in the first-described ar rangement and one section of the wire is secured to the spindle, while the other section is fastened to the washer or cross-bar at the rear end of the spring. In this case the section connected with the spring is simplylooped around the end post and the end of the loop is twisted around the body of the wire closely to the post, as shown, to avoid the formation of a long loop extending from the post to the tension device.

The several longitudinal wires of the fence are connected by stays I, which preferably consist of a piece of wire formed at intervals corresponding to the main wires with lateral loops 1', which are twisted around the main wires by a bar or lever J inserted in the loops. Thes stays are bent into the form shown adjacent to the intermediate post B in Fig. 1 before being applied to the fence. The upper portion of each stay is preferably vertically movable on the lower portion, so that in case the upper wire of the fence is depressed by an animal the upper part of the stay is not bent or buckled, but simply slides on the lower part and allows the upper wire to return to its normal position when the pressure is removed therefrom. For this purpose the upper part of the stay consists of a piece of wire bent into V shape and having the upper ends of its branches twisted around the top wire, while its apex loosely straddles the adjacent lower portion of the stay to allow the movable stay to slide up and down freely.

In both of the constructions described each fenceavire is divided and the tension device is interposed between the adjacent sections of the wire instead of employing continuous wires and passing the same through perforations in the end posts and arranging the tension devices on the outer sides of said posts, as has been the case heretofore.

I claim as my invention In combination in a wire fence, the posts, the winding spindle, the hollow bracket carrying the same, the bearing plate or washer having a central opening with openings on each side thereof, the spring between the bearing plate and the bracket, the wire passing through the central opening of the bearing plate and connected with the winding spindle and the loop extending from one of the posts through the bracket and having its ends passed through the side opening of the bearing plate and connected therewith on opposite sides of the central wire, substantially as described.

Witness my hand this l5th day of June, 1894.

HARRY HAYNES.

Witnesses HENRY G. LOVERIDGE, NOAH P. LOVERIDGE.

Images