US988543A - Sectional wagon-bottom. - Google Patents

Description

Patented Apr. 4, 1911.

9 l0 Wm M H w 0 m v M DN m Wwm O s BWn m IL S M m n N OT. m u 8 MELVILLE S. BOWDISH, OF LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA.

SECTIONAL WAGON-BOTTOM.

7 Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 27, 1909.

Patented Apr. 4, 1911.

Serial No. 535,168.

To. all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MELVILLE S. Bownrsn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Gatos, in the county of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sectional Wagon- Bottoms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in wagons.

It is especially designed for wagons adapted to convey gravel and like loose material.

It consists in the employment of a series of transversely hinged tiltable boards, and means by which they may be simultaneously brought to a level, or disengaged to discharge a load. I It also comprises the combination of parts and details of construction which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 3 is a cross section on line ma2 Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a bottom section.

It is the object of my invention to provide a means for more rapidly and conveniently discharging loads of loose separable material, such as gravel, and to readily return the bottom boards to their normal position and lock them as soon as the load has been discharged.

As shown, the wagon-body A may be of any usual or suitable construction for the purpose. The bottom-boards or planks 2 are made of any sufficient convenient width, and of a length suflicient to extend across below the edges of the wagon sides, projecting far enough to receive the operating devices. These operating devices consist of bell-crank levers 3, of which there will be preferably a pair to each bottom board. The bottom boards are clamped to these levers by suitable clamping bolts, as shown at 4:, and the angles of the levers are pivoted to the sides as shown at 5, so that the tilting of these angular levers about their fulcrum rods or bolts will either bring the boards into alinement to form a close bottom, or may tilt them down into position, which will allow the contents previously resting upon the bottom to readily escape. The upper ends of the levers 3 are connected by rods 6 upon each side of the wagon body so that all the levers will move in unison.

At the rear end of the body I have shown levers 7 centrally fulcrumed to the upper part of the wagon sides, and the lower endsof the levers are connected by independent links 8 with the rearmost ends of the side bars 6,,and the upper ends of the levers 3. From the upper end of one of these levers a rod 9 extends forwardly, and connects with a lever 10 fulcrumed at the lower end of the w. 'on side, and adapted to engage with a suf ciently strong segmental rack 11. Thus, when the lever is thrown forward it will act through the levers 7 to draw the upper ends of the rods 6 back until the bottom boards 2 are in a horizontal position with their edges registering so as to form in connection with the1 sides a tight receptacle for loose materia The levers 7 located upon opposite sides of the wagon body may be connected with a shaft to which they are keyed or locked so that both levers will turn together.

In order to allow the bottom boards 2, which are of considerable thickness, to form a proper joint with each other, it will be noted that they have a certain forward and back movement by reason of their being located below the pivot pins 5, so that when swung up into horizontal position, they will also be moved forward so that the front edge of each rear board will contact with the rear of the board in front. The rear edges of these boards are chamfered or beveled ofl as shown at 12, and these chamfered edges allow the rear ends of the boards to move upwardly around the pivot pins, and they act as stops to arrest the boards when these beveled edges strike the lower edges of the wagon sides.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patl. The combination in a wagon body of vertical sides, parallel transverse bottom boards having a length greater than the distance between the sides, beyond which sides they extend, angle levers fulcrumed to the wagon sides having their normally horizontal arms bolted to the ends of the bottom boards and the other arms extending up outside the wagon sidcs, manually actuated levers, and rods connectin said angle levers to said manually actuated levers, said bottom boards having beveled surfaces to limit the opening movement of said boards.

2. The combination in a wagon body of vertical sides, parallel transverse bottom boards having their rear edges beveled to boards extending beyond the sides and havinsure a free opening and closing movement. ing their rear upper surfaces beveled in the In testimony whereof I have hereunto set planes of the sides, exterior bell crank levers my hand in: the presence of two subscribing 5 having their normallly hoizontal arms fixed witnesses.

to the bottom boar s, an their other arms connected to a manually operated lever, said MELVILLE BOXVDISH' bell crank levers being fulcrumed above the lVitnesses: angles so that the boards swing in an arc of ZEDD S. RIGGS,

10 a circle when opening 01" closing, and said C. H. NOBLE.

Copies; on this: patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0.

Images