US890056A - Wagon-box. - Google Patents

Description

No. 890,056. PATENTED JUNE 9, 190a.

H. J. HOPKINS.

WAGON BOX.

APBLIGATION FILED 1130.3. 1901.

rm: NORRIS PETERS ca}, wnsmum'olv, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFTQE.

HARRY J. HOPKINS, OF CRYSTAL SPRINGS, KANSAS.

WAGON -BOX.

Application filed December 3, 1907.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY J. HOPKINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Crystal Springs, in the county of Harper and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVagon-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wagon boxes and more particularly a wagon box provided with what I term a rodless end gate, that is, an end gate having no rods to be detached preliminary to the removal of the end gate.

My object is to produce an end gate consisting of two sections hinged together, the

- lower section being adapted to be unlocked to permit grain to be unloaded and the upper section folded down back of the lower sectlon when the extension side-boards of the Wagon are not in use.

A further object is to produce a wagon box of the character outlined which is of simple, strong, durable and inexpensive construction.

To these ends the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and organization as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1, is a perspective view of the rear end of a wagon box embodying my invention. Fig. 2, is a section on line II-II of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a central vertical section of the front end of the wagon body. Fig. 4, is a plan view of the lower portion of the wagon body broken away and showing the upper or extension section of the end gate folded down to inoperative position. Fig. 5, is an enlarged central vertical section showing only the sections of the end gate. Fig. 6, is a vertical section taken on the dotted lines VI of Fig. 2.

In the said drawing, 1 indicates the bottom of the wagon box, provided in its rear end with a pair of longitudinal slots 2 and with a cross brace 3, underlying the front ends of said slots and provided with a groove or channel 4 extending from its right hand end by preference to the left hand side of the left-hand slot 2, as shown clearly in Fig. 6.

Secured to the underside of the bottom 1 is an inverted U-shaped bracket 5 depending into groove or channel 4 and extending through said bracket is a slidable locking rod 6, having a pair of arms 7 contiguous to the slots 2 and having a collar or enlargement 8 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 9, 1908.-

Serial No. 404,925.

and held normally against the left hand arm of said bracket by an expansive spring 9 surrounding the rod and bearing against said collar or enlargement and the right hand arm of the bracket. At its right hand end the slide rod projects beyond the side of the wagon and by preference is bent upwardly as shown at 10, and pivoted to said end is a lever 11 fulcrumed on a bracket 12 secured to one of the permanent side boards 13 of the wagon. box. Said side boards are provided at their front ends and inner sides with oppositely disposed angle plates 14 to slidingly receive the angle bars 15 carried by the front board 16 of the wagon box. Near their rear ends and at their inner sides boards 13 each have a rearwardly disposed angle plate 17 for engagement by angle bars 18 secured to the front sides and ends of the lower section 19 of the end or tail gate, said section being equipped at its ends with headed pivots 20 pivotally engaging recesses 21 in the upper edges of the side bars 13 so that the end gate section 19 may be swung upwardly and rearwardly as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2. Said section is provided with a pair of bars 22 in the vertical plane of slots 2 and projected below the lower edge of said end gate so as to pass down through slots 2 into groove or channel 4, the projecting ends of said bars having holes to receive the arms 7 of slide bar 6, it being understood that the lever 11 must be operated to slide the bar 6 to the right in order to permit said end gate section to assume its proper position and therefore dispose the apertured lower ends of bars 22 in line with the arms 7 so that when the lever is released spring 9 will cause said arms to engage the holes of said bars and thus lock said section reliably in position.

When a wagon embodying the parts described is used the upper section 23 of the end gate hinged as at 23 to the lower section, is folded down to inoperative position as shown in Fig. 5, the section 23 being provided with an apertured spring latch. plate 24, for automatic engagement by the beveled-end catch 25, pivoted to the section 19 and pressed yieldingly in the path of the apertured catch by spring 26, this latch and catch serving to hold the sections together in their folded relation.

27 indicates extension side boards to rest upon boards 13, and provided with depending vertical stakes 28 to fit down into clips between the depending arms of the bracket 5 29 sec11red to the outer sides of boards 13.

These extension side boards 27, like side boards 13 are provided at their inner sides and front ends with angle plates 28 corresponding to angle plates 14 for slidable engagement with the angle bars 29, corresponding to angle bars 15 and carried by the front extension 30 of the wagon box, said extension 30 having a beveled-end spring catch 31 for automatic engagement with the apertured spring latch 32 carried by section 16 (see Fig. 3). The extension side boards 27 are also provided at their inner sides and rearward of the end gate with -forwardly disposed angle plates corresponding to angle plates 28, and adapted to receive the angle bars 34 secured to the rear sides of the extension 23 of the .end gate. The extension side boards 27 are notched in their lower edges andv rear ends to provide longitudinal slots 35 open at their rear ends and opening at their front ends into the underlying notches 2], these slots 35 being provided to accommodate the pivots 20 in placing the end gate in or removing it from position. .8

Assuming that the wagon as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is loaded with grain, it will be apparent that the operator can effect the discharge of such grain without removing the end gate, accomplishing this purpose by operating lever 11 and thereby withdrawing arms 7 from bars 22. As soon as this action occurs the weight of the grain will cause the lower member 19 to swing outward slightly in the direction indicated. by the arrow, Fig. 2, the lower end of section 23 moving inwardly slightly to accommodate this pivotal movement, said movement being necessarybecause the pivotal point of section 19 and the hinge points of connection between. said section and section 23 are shown slightly out of alinement.

After the grain is discharged the lever 11 is again operated and held pressed toward the wagon box until section 19 has been restored to its original position when the lever is released and spring 9 ellects the automatic reengagement of arm 7 with bars 22. It will thus be seen that the grain can be dumped without removing the end gate or any part of the wagon box.

In the event that the wagon is to be used as a stock wagon, it will be necessary to interlock section 19 as explained and then section 23 is pressed forwardly to disengage its angle irons 34 from angle plates 33 to permit the end gate to be removed for the purpose of loading or unloading the stock into or from the wagon the end gate being replaced in position by reversing the operations described.

The method of removing the side boards and extensions and section 30 or replacing them in position will be obvious, it being understood that the spring latch 32 is pressed inward to disengage it from the spring catch 31 in order to permit section 30 to be removed when the latter is slid down into place, spring catch 31 automatically engaging and interlocking with the spring latch plate. By reference to Fig. 5, it will be seen that the spring 26 will yield to permit section 23 to be disengaged from catch 25, it being also noticed that when section 23 is folded as shown in Fig. 5, that the apertured spring latch 54 will spring past the beveled end of the catch 25 and then back upon said end to secure said section in its folded position and thus hold it reliably.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a wagon box of the character outlined, and I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be restricted to the exact details of construction shown and described as obvious modifications will suggest themselves to one skilled in the art.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A wagon box having the rear end of its bottom provided with parallel longitudinal slots, a cross bar secured to the bottom and provided with a longitudinal groove or channel in communication with said slots, an end gate pivoted to the sides of the box and provided with depending apertured bars to work in the longitudinal slots and project into the groove or channel of the underlying cross bar, a slide bar in said groove or channel provided with arms engaging the apertured bars, and yielding means for holding said arms in engagement with said bars.

2. A wagon box having the rear end of its bottom provided with parallel longitudinal slots, a cross bar secured to the bottom and provided with a longitudinal groove or channel in communication with said slots, an end gate pivoted to the sides of the box and provided with depending apertured bars to work in the longitudinal slots and project into the groove or channel of the underlying cross bar, a slide bar in said groove or channel provided with arms engaging the apertured bars, yielding means for holding'said arms in engagement with said bars, and a lever fulcrumed on the wagon box and pivoted to the slide bar to effect the with drawal of its arms from said apertured bars.

3. A wagon box provided with an end gate comprising a lower section and an upper section hinged together, a catch pivoted to the lower section and provided with a beveled upper end and rigid as to forward movement at such end, a spring resisting rearward movement of said end of the catch, and an apertured spring latch secured to the upper section and adapted when thesaid section is folded rearward and downward to engage the spring and move the upper end of said catch rearwardly until disengaged therefrom l. A wagon box, comprising a bottom having longitudinal slots in its rear end, side boards provided with notches in their upper edges and near their rear ends, rearwardly opening angle plates secured to the inner sides of the side boards forward of said. notches, clips secured to the outer sides of the side boards, extension side boards provided with depending stakes to engage said clips and with notches in their lower edges and extending from their rear ends to the front sides of the notches in the upper edges of the first-named side boards, forwardly opening angle plates secured to the inner sides of the extension side boards rearward of the notches in the upper edge of the firstnamed side boards, an end gate comprising a lower section and an upper section hinged together, pivots projecting laterally from the upper end of the lower section and engaging the notches in the upper edges of the firstnamed side bars, angle irons projecting forwardly from the ends of the said lower section and engaging the rearwardly disposed angle plates of the first-named side boards, angle irons secured to the rear side and ends of the upper section of the end gate and engaging the forwardly disposed angle plates of the extension side boards, apertured bars depending from the lower section of the end gate through the slots of the bottom, a transverse slide bar below the bottom and suitably supported and provided with arms projecting in the same direction, a spring engaging'said bar to force said arms yieldingly into the said apertured bars, and a lever ful crumed 011 the wagon box and pivoted to one end of said slide bar, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I a'flix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

Y HARRY J. HOPKINS. Witnesses JonN BAUM'STARK, JNo. G. PARKER, Jr.

Images