US744236A - Draft connection for vehicles. - Google Patents

Description

No. 744,236. PATENTED NOV. 17,1903. W; M. RIGKBTTS.

DRAFT CONNECTION FOR VEHICLES.

APPLIOATIONIILED MAY 8, 1903.

no MODEL.

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No. 744,236. I UNITED STATES Patented November 17,1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM M. RICKETTS, OF COLUMBUS, OlllO, ASSIGNOR TO ADA T. STUTSON, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

DRAFT CONNECTION FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 744,286, dated November 1'7, 1903.

Application filed May 8,1903. Serial No. 156,291. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it kn own that 1, WILLIAM M. RICKETTS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus,in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and usevful Improvement in Draft Connections for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to draft connections for vehicles, and is particularly designed to provide an improved device of this character in the nature of a clevis which is especially adapted for application to draw-bars, such as whiffletrees, swingletrees, &c., it also being designed to have the device adjustable for adaptation to draw-bars of different sizes and to provide a loose connection between the body portion of the clevis and the trace.

WVith these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is aside elevation of a draft connection constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan View thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in each and every figure of the drawings.

As hereinbefore indicated, it is especially designed to have the present device applicable to whiffletrees and the like, and therefore it is composed of a clip or body member made up of upper and lower sections 1 and 2, re-

spectively, said sections being bowed or of,

arcuate shape so as to snugly embrace the end or an intermediate portion of a whiffletree. The rear ends of the sections or members 1 and 2 have a pivotal or hinged connection 3, which is arranged to permit of the members being swung toward and away from one another in the same plane. The front ends of the members are extended into flat parallel ears 4 and 5, which are capable of lying flat against one another and are provided with corresponding perforations 6 and 7, respectively, of which the perforation 6 is smooth, while the other perforation 7 is screw-threaded. One of the ears, preferably the lower, is extended beyond the other and provided with an integral bifurcated knuckle 8. For connecting the free ends of the clip members there is a screw-threaded fastening 9, which passes loosely through the perforation in the ear 4 and engages the screwthreaded perforation of the ear 5. understood that the screw 9 has a sufficiently loose fit within the perforation of the ear 4 to permit of separation of the members 1 and 2 upon their pivotal connection 3 to fit whiffietrees of different sizes.

For convenience in connecting a trace to the clip there is a suitable hook 10,. having its rear end provided with a reduced knuckle 11, which is received within the bifurcated knuckle 8 and is hinged thereto by means of a pivot-pin 12, piercing both knuckles,

It will be whereby the hook is capable of swinging movements in a vertical direction. It is pre-' ferred to have the bill portion of the hook at the under side thereof, so as to prevent as far as possible accidental disengagement of a trace from the hook.

In fitting the device to a whiffletree the screw 9 may be loosened. and the clip members 1 and 2 slipped over the end of the whiffletree, or the screw 9 maybe entirely removed, so as to permit of the clip members being sufficiently separated upon their pivotal connection for direct application to any intermediate portion of the Whiffletree. After the clip has been properly located upon the whiffletree the fastening 9 is set into place, so as to draw the clip members into snug engagement with the tree,there being suitable spurs,teeth, or pointed projections 13 upon the inner faces of the clip members to bite into the tree and insure a rigid connection therewith.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that the device of the present invention is Very simple, efficient, and inexpensive, and it is adapted to embrace a tree, and thereby avoid weakening the latter by pass ing fastenings therethrough. Furthermore,

the device is adjustable, so as to be applicable to trees of different sizes, and is also capable of being directly applied to and removed from any portion of a tree Without sliding the device across the end of the tree.

A very important advantage of the present device resides in the fact that the hook 10 is entirely independent of the fastening 9,Whereby either of these parts may be applied and removed Without disturbing the other, and strain is not transferred from the hook to the fastening.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

1. A device of the character described embodying a pair of pivotally-conneeted clip members to embrace a draw-bar, the free end of one of the members being provided with a knuckle projected in front of the other member, means for detachably connecting the free ends of the clip members to lock the same upon the bar, and a vertically-swinging hook pivotally connected to the knuckle.

2, A device of the character described, em-

bodying a pairof arcuate pivotally-connected clip members, the free ends of which are provided with corresponding perforations, one of the perforations being smooth and the other being screw-threaded, the clip terminal having the screw-threaded perforation being extended in front of the other terminal and provided with a knuckle, a hook pivotally c011- nected to the knuckle, and a screw loosely engaging the smooth perforation and adj ustably engaging the screw-threaded perforation.

3. A device of the character described, embodying a pair of pivotallyconnected clip members to embrace a draw-bar, means for connecting the free ends of the clip members to lock the same upon the bar, and verticallyswinging means carried by one of the members for connection with a trace and independent of the means for connecting the free ends of the clip members.

XVILLIAM M. RICKETTS.

In presence of- A. L. PHELPS, C. O. SHEPHERD.

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