US573306A - Harness - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

R. P. SPENCER.

HARNESS.

No. 573,306. Patented Dec. 15, 1896 as 1M1. am

mus PETERS 00., Pficmuvmi, wumwaron n c which will enable others skilled in the art to UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

RIPLEY F. SPENCER, OF ASHLAND, VVISOONSIN.

HARNESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 573,306, dated December 15, 1896.

Application filed March 18 1 8 9 6.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RIPLEY F. SPENCER, of Ashland, in the county of Ashland and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harness; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,

which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My improvements relate to that class of harness which are designed particularly for use with light vehicles, such as gigs and sulkies, and comprising, in connection with a saddle and girth; draft and holdback straps attached to the saddle and extending rearwardly and forwardly therefrom in place of the usual breast-collar, traces, and breeching.

The main objects of my invention are to encumber the animal with as little weight and as few straps aspossible, and thus allow perfect freedom of movement, to insure the proper support of the vehicle-shafts and thus prevent accidents, and to admit of the use of. any suitable harness-saddle not specially made for the purpose, whereby an old saddle that has been broken to the animal may be utilized for the purpose.

It consists of certain novel features in the construction and arrangement of component parts of the harness, as hereinafter particularly described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings like letters designate the same parts in the several fig ures.

Figure 1 is a general perspective View of a harness embodying my improvements as applied in practice. Fig. 2 is a front elevation, on an enlarged scale, of a harness-saddle to which my improvements are applied; and Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same.

A designates an ordinary harness-saddle of the kind commonly employed in light harness. It is provided with the belly-band or girth B and with terrets g g and check-hook h in the usual way.

a, is a safety-strap constituting a part of my improvements. It extends over the saddle and is secured thereto by the terrets g g, which Serial No. 583,801. (No model.)

are first removed from the saddle and then screwed into it through holes made therefor in said strap.

6! cl are metal pieces riveted or otherwise securely attached to the safety-strap a on each side of the saddle below the terrets g g. They are formed at the sides with loops or openings for the attachment of the draft and holdback straps, as hereinafter explained, and with one or more loops or openings for the passage of the saddle-bearers when the saddle is provided with these appendages.

The safety-strap a is preferably extended in width where the metal pieces (Z cl are attached thereto, so as to form a suitable base or hearing therefor, as shown in Fig. 3.

b b are straps, usually called by harnessmakers saddle-bearers, with which harness-saddles of this class are usually provided. They are secured at their upper ends to the saddle usually by inserting them through transverse slits in the backs of the saddlepads and passing the terrets through them. I11 connection with my improvements these saddle-bearers are passed outwardly through openings in the safety-strap a and through openings or loops in the upper parts of the metal pieces d cl, thence inwardly through loops or openings in the lower parts of said metal pieces, so that their lower ends lie over and parallel with the corresponding ends of the safety-strap a, as shown in Fig. 2.

O C are shaft loops or tugs adjustaloly secured by buckles c c to the lower ends of both the safety-strap a and the saddle-bearers b b.

For the purpose of lightness and to prevent corrosion the metal pieces 61 cl may be made of aluminium. The upper loop or opening therein may be omitted and the metal pieces themselves may be altogether dispensed with, the draft and holdback straps being attached to the safetystrap by any other suitable means. I prefer, however, to use the metal pieces for this purpose, as they afford a strong fastening and a neat and attractive finish.

c and fare holdback and draft straps, respectively, such as are employed in this style of speeding-harness in place of the ordinary breastcollar, traces, breeching, and holdbacks. They are secured in the side loops or openings of the metal pieces (1 cl and extend forwardly and rearwardly therefrom for attaolunent to the front and rear ends of the vehicle-shafts. The holdback'straps c are preferably provided in the usual manner with sockets, as shown in Fig. 1, to pass over the front ends of the shafts, and the draft-straps f may be fastened at their rear ends to awhiffletree or directly to the shafts 0r cross-bar.

lly means of the safety-strap a I am enabled to readily apply my improvements to anysuitable saddle not specially constructed for the purpose. This is not only a matter of economy, butenables me to utilize saddles which have been used, broken, or fitted and are therefore generally preferred to new saddles, which are stiff and uncomfortable. It also insures against accidents by holding the vehicle-shafts up in place in case the ordinary saddle or parts thereof break, which is very liable to occur, particularly with old harness, preferably employed for speeding purposes on account of its flexibility and ease.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to exact details of construction herein shown and described, as they maybe modified within the intended scope of my invention.

I claim 1. In harness the combination with a saddle, of a safety-strap extending over and secured to the saddle, saddle-bearers attached to the saddle and passing outwardly through openings in said safety-strap, shaft tugs or loops attached to said safety-strap and saddle-bearers, and draft and holdback straps-attached to said safety-strap above the shafttugs, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In harness the combination with a saddle, of a safety-strap extending over and secured to said saddle, metal pieces attached to said safety-straps and formed with loops or openings, saddle-bearers attached at their up per ends to the saddle and passing through said safety-strap and openings or loops in said metal pieces, shaft tugs or loops attached to the ends of said safety-strap and saddle-bearers and draft and holdback straps attached to the-side loops of said metal pieces, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that Iclaim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RIPLEY F. SPENCER.

Witnesses:

B. E. WEBB, J'. WHIT POTTER.

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