Lord's Perch Coupling

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The king bolt by which the axles of vehicles are connected to the body, and on which they turn, is a very inconvenient appendage, not on account of the space which it occupies, or its shape, but from the fact that it is very liable to break; and as a vehicle changes its center in turning a curve, the king pin being rigid, does not allow the center to change, so that the vehicle is very liable to overturn when rounding a sharp angle. This invention obviates these difficulties, and compels the perch always to traverse the axle, thereby adding to its strength, and lessening the liability to upset, while at the same time it greatly reduces the circle in which the buggy or other vehicle can turn. Fig. 1 shows the perch and front axle of a buggy when straight, and Fig. 2 shows the same when turning a curve, the lines, A A', illustrating the deviation from the center, which the king pin will not allow. A:s the perch, the end of which, b, slides on a metal plate, I, that has catches or projections, a, to prevent the perch sliding too far, and it is secured on to the front axle, H. G are the wheels. To the perch is attached a cross bar, B, to each end of which is pivoted, by pivots, C, a lever, D, also pivoted at E to clips, F, which are firmly secured to the axle, H. It will be seen from the illustration that a steady draft is obtained, and the pull is always directed in the best manner to turn the vehicle in the way desired. This efficient coupling is the invention of W. S. Lord, of Pulaski, Tenn., and was patented by him October 28, 1856. Any further particulars can be obtained from the agent, E. G. Chant, corner of Broadway and Broome St., New York.

Scientific American Magazine Vol 13 Issue 46This article was published with the title “Lord's Perch Coupling” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 13 No. 46 (), p. 368
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican07241858-368d

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