Untitled record

Application filed FulmmTy 27, 1886. Serial No. 193,465. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, Kirke E. Lathrop, a citizen of the United States, residing at Afton, in the county of Union and State of Iowa,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Loading and Unloading, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this io specification, in which—

Figure 1 represents a rear perspective view of my improved apparatus. Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on the line a? x of Fig. 1.

^x5 My invention relates to devices for loading or unloading hay, stones, barrels, or other articles; and the same consists in the construction and combination of devices, which I shall hereinafter describe, and specifically 20 point out in the claims.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now describe its construction and the manner in which I have carried it out.

In the said drawings, A represents a suitable body provided with longitudinal sills a, and transverse sills b b; and B B' represent the supporting-wheels, which are mounted upon the axles C, as shown in Fig. 1.

In constructing my apparatus I mount upon the rear transverse sill, and at or near the longitudinal center of the wagon-body, and securely brace thereto, an upright post, D, composed, preferably, of gas-pipe or other hollow tubing, having one of its sides slotted at 2, for a purpose I will now describe.

Located within the post D is a pipe or tube, E, whose exterior diameter is slightly less than the interior diameter ofthe said tube,whereby 40 the pipe or tube E may be vertically moved within the post, and. may be adjusted to accommodate itself to different heights,in a manner to be hereinafter described.

The lower end of the pipe E is attached to 45 a swiveled connection, a', to which is secured a cord or chain, e, which extends upward over a guide-pulley, 3, secured to the post D, near its top, and thence dowmward to a drum, c, journaled within the vehicle-frame. The shaft 50 of this drum c is provided with a crank or handle, c', for operating the same, to cause the pipe E to be moved vertically upward or downward within its post. By these means I am enabled to adjust my loading apparatus to “racks” of different heights when employed 55 for handling hay, straw, &c.·—a feature that is greatly desired, and readily accomplished by the simple winding of the cord or chain e upon its drum until the desired height is obtained, when the pipe E may be held in its adjusted 60 position by means of a suitable pawl-andratchet mechanism.

In the extreme upper end of the pipe E is mounted a pulley, 5, to the pivot-pin of which is pivotally attached an arm, E', extending at 65 right angles to the vertical line of the tube and carrying on its outer end a pulley, 6, as shown. The arm E' is also provided with a series of stops, 7, which, in conjunction with a rod, F, pivoted at 8 to the tube E, enables 70 the arm E' to be raised from a horizontal to an inclined position, thereby further increasing the distance the load may be elevated.

At the rear end of the vehicle is mounted a transverse shaft, G, carrying at or near itscen- 75 ter a drum, H, around which is wound a cord or chain,/, which extends from the drum upward through the hollow post D, pipe E, and arm E', over the pulleys 5 and 6, and has attached to its outer end a suitable fork or other 80 implement, (not shown,) which engages and holds the hay or other article to be elevated.

The shaft G has loosely mounted near its ends sprocket-wheelsKK',provided with hubs ff, the outer portions of which have serrated 85 faces, which engage similar faces formed on suitable clutch-collars L, which are keyed or otherwise firmly secured to the shaft. The inner portions Of the hubs g are provided with annular grooves, which are engaged by the 90 outer ends of suitable sliding levers or rods, M, while the inner ends of said levers are attached to the end of a cord or chain, h. Thesaid cord or chain, after being attached to thelevers, passes through suitable guides, 7c, and passes 95 to the front portion of the vehicle-body under a pulley, 9, mounted on the front transverse sill, and thence extends upward to a drum, 10, in upper portion of a frame, N, pivoted at its base to the longitudinal sills of the vehicle- 100 body. The shaft I of the drum 10 has mounted thereon a ratchet, 11, whose movement is controlled by a suitable pawl, with which it is engaged. A crank-handle, 12, on the end of the

358,558 shaft I, when operated, winds or unwinds the cord upon the drum, and causes the serrated faces of the sprocket-wheels to engage or disengage the serrated faces of the clutch-collars, L 5 thereby permitting the cord or chain /, which carries the fork or implement, to be wound or unwound, and the article elevated or the fork lowered, as desired.

To cause the clutch mechanism previously io described to be engaged after they have been disconnected by the action of the drum 10 and cord or chain h, I place between the inner portions of the hubs g of the sprocket-wheels K K' and the proj ections m, which guide the slid15 ing movements of the levers or rods M, suitable coiled springs, n, which, when the cord h is released, cause the clutches to be again engaged and the elevating of the hay or other article resumed.

By reference to the drawings, it will be observed the rear supporting-wheels, B', are secured to and operate sprocket-wheels O, which are connected with the sprocket-wheels K IC by means of drive-chains P, as shown.

From the foregoing description it will be observed the operation of my apparatus will be substantially as follows: A team being hitched to the wagon, I ordinarily employ a boy to drive, a man to load, and boy or man 30 to place the hay-fork when handling hay in the cock or bunch of hay to be loaded. The man on the ground places the hay-fork in the cock or bunch, using preferably a four-tined grappling-fork, the boy starts the team, and 35 the supporting-wheels B' revolving the endless chains (the machine being in gear) and the drum, thereby causes the rope / that runs through the post and tube and to which the fork is attached, to be wound upon the drum

H. When the hay is lifted high enough, the operator on the wagon pulls a rope, R, attached to the outer end of arm E', and swings tbe hay over the load. The man on the ground then trips the fork, letting the hay drop on the 45 load. The boy then turns the handle 12, thereby throwing the machine out of gear and permitting the fork to drop to the ground. The team is driven to and stopped at the next cock or bunch, and the process is repeated as be50 fore. In ordinary work I only gear the machine to one of the supporting-wheels; but when farmers put up very large cocks it is better to gear to both hind wheels.

To unload after driving into the barn, if it 55 be desired to place the hay in the top of a mow, first raise the derrick-arm E' to its full height by adjusting the brace-rod F, and then raise the tube E by turning the crank c'. It is now evident that when the team is attached to the rope / and started the several mechan- 60 isms described operate to elevate the hay or other material.