US680844A - Thill-coupling. - Google Patents

Description

No. 680,844. Patented Aug. 20, |90I. J. Il.. CURLEY.

THILL COUPLIN'G.

(Application filed Jun. 'Il 1901.)

Mines-sas. faz veul irnn @rari-rs JOHN L. CURLEY, OF HAMILTON, OHIO.

THILLl-COUPLlNG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 680,844, dated August 20, 1901. Application filed January '7, 1901. Serial No. 42,283. (No model.)

To a/,ZZ whom 2S may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN L. OURLEY, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Hamilton, in the county of Butler and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thin-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is a thill-coupling in which the swinging member of the divided eye of the thill-iron locks itself automatically when the eye is brought into contact with the bolt or pin of the clip and in which the wear both upon the bolt and in the eyes of the clip is taken up automatically to prevent rattling. This object is attained by the means described in the annexed speciication and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side view of a thill-coupling embodying my invention in the closed position, the thill-iron, with its divided eye, being shown in side elevation attached to the end of a shaft and the clip-bar being shown with one of its ears broken off and its pin in crosssection. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the thill-iron in its open position removed from the clip. Fig. 4 is a detail plan view of the swinging member or lever of the eye of the thill-iron. Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation of Jthe same. Fig. 6 is a front view of the rigid member of the thill-iron, the spring being in section.

Referring to the parts, clip A is of the usual construction and is attached to vehicle-axle B in the customary manner.

Thill-iron C has a divided eye c. Rigid member c of the eye has at its forward end two downwardly-projecting lugs c2 c3, which between them support a pin c4, upon which a lug cl at the front end of swinging member or lever D is journaled. Lever D has upon its under side a small downwardlyeproject ing hook CZ. Upon the top of rigid member c is secured a fiat spring E,- which is of a width slightly less than the width between ears a of the clip, and the contour of which follows the top of the thill-iron to a point e in front of the thill-iron, at which it is bent back upon itself and again curved over in a forward curve e2 and carried down to the under side of the thill-iron, terminating in an upturned hook c', which engages hook d upon lever D. The forward end of lever D where it engages pin o/ of the clip has an upwardly-projecting wedge d2, and the journal-4 hole ds in lug d is elongated, as shown in dotted line, Fig. l, so that when pin a becomes worn in use spring E, pressing upon lever D, keeps wedge cl2 in contact with said pin and prevents any rattling on account of this wear. The rear end d4 of lever D in the closed position fits snugly against the under side of the thill-iron.

In use when it is desired to attach the shafts to a vehicle, lever D being thrown down, as shown in Fig. 3, its end is inserted into the clip and the shaft pushed down When the eye of the thill reaches pin a of the clip, the forward curve c2 of spring F., contacting with the clip, causes the hooked portion e of the spring to press lever D backward and carries it to its closed position, as shown in full lines, Fig. l. It is thus seen that the locking requires no separate operation. The shaft is then raised to the position shown in d0tted lines, Fig. l, which it occupies when attached to an animal. This operation causes the forward curve e2 to press firmly against the clip and push the thill-iron forward against .pin a of the clip, so that should the eyes in the ears of the clip become worn they are held against rattling by this pressure. The lowering of the shaft when the animal is unhitched again releases this pressure, so that leverD may be readily thrown down, as shown in Fig. 8, should it be desired to remove the shafts.

What I claim is- 1. In a thill-coupling the combination of a thill-iron with a divided eye having a rigid and a swinging member, the swinging member hinged at the forward end of the rigid member and having a downwardly-projecting hook, a spring secured upon top of the rigid member curved forward carried down beneath the rigid member and terminating in a hook which engages the hook upon. the swinging member so that in inserting the thill in a clip the forward curve of the spring contacts the clip and carries the swinging member back to its closed position, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a thill-coupling, the combination of a thill-iron with a divided eye consisting of a IOO rigid and a swinging member, the swinging member hinged to the forward end of the rigid member and having a downward-projecting hook, a spring secured upon top of the rigid member following the contour of said member to a point in front of it there bent back upon itself curved forward and downward to a point beneath said member and terminating in a hook which engages the hook upon the swinging member so that in inserting the thill in a clip the forward curve contacts the clip and throws the swinging member to its closed position and that when the shaft is raised the spring takes up wear in the eyes of the clip to prevent rattling, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a thill-eouplingthe combination of a thill-iron with a divided eye having a rigid `and a swinging member, the rigid member supporting a journal-pin, the swinging member having at its forward end an elongated hole for engaging said pin and an upwardlyprojecting wedge and upon the under side a downwardly-projecting hook, a spring secured upon top of the rigid member curved forward carried down beneath the rigid member and terminating in a hook which engages the hook upon the swinging member so that the spring keeps the wedge in Contact with the pin of the clip even when it becomes worn, substantially as shown and described.

JOHN L. CURLEY.

4Witnesses:

W. F. MURRAY, EMMA LYFORD.

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