Land vehicles – Wheeled – Two-wheel
Patent
1998-11-30
2000-12-19
Johnson, Brian L.
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Two-wheel
280292, 280 4725, 280 47131, B62C 100
Patent
active
061618527
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART
The present invention relates to a sulky, adapted to be connected to and drawn by a horse, which comprises an arrangement adapted to receive a driver in the sulky.
Such sulkies are used primarily for races, but they are also used for training horses. The sulkies presently used have an arrangement for receiving the driver sitting onto a seat part with the legs of the driver diverging outwardly to the region of a respective shaft through which the sulky is connected to the horse. The arrangement supports the feet of the driver close to the respective shaft. The legs of the driver have to be kept substantially straight in this sitting position. The reason for keeping the legs apart in this way is to bring the driver as close as possible behind the horse for reducing the air resistance otherwise experienced by the carriage.
However, this known sulky has a number of drawbacks. Firstly, the driving position to be assumed by the driver in the sulky is anatomically condemnable, since the substantially straight and diverging legs mean tensions in the muscles and loads primarily on the back of the driver, which easily results in all types of problems with the back of the driver, but also the legs and the knee joints are exerted in this driving position. The loads applied on the body of the driver will be especially high when driving on a ground being somewhat irregular, since the rest of the sulky is without resilient suspension and by that rigid.
Another drawback consists in that, should the horse drawing the sulky rear, the driver will fall off the sulky rearwardly and hit the ground by the seat or the back with a risk of very severe injuries with possible permanent physical disorders as a consequence thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a sulky of the type defined in the introduction, which to a large extent reduces the drawbacks mentioned above of known sulkies.
This object is according to the invention obtained by arranging a sulky to receive a driver in a sitting position with his (her) feet on a substantially lower level than the seat and providing means adapted to support at least the legs of the driver in this position.
A driver sitting in such a sulky will not receive any unacceptable loads upon his body any longer owing to the fact that the driver is sitting in a natural sitting position with the feet on a substantial lower level than the seat. Furthermore, in the case the horse drawing the sulky were to rear, the driver may land on the ground with his feet first, when lucky in a standing position, but in any case in a position resulting in a considerable reduction of a risk of severe body injuries of the driver. Another advantage of such a sulky is that it will get considerably easier for the driver to get on and off the sulky as a consequence of the position of the feet with respect to the seat.
"Sitting position" is here to be given a very broad meaning, and all types of positions between lying and standing, in which the thighs and the lower leg portions of the driver may have the most different inclinations are included, but in which at least a considerable part of the weight of the driver is transferred to the sulky through the seat or the seat and the thighs of the driver.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention said means are adapted to support the legs of a driver and define a sitting position for the driver with substantially bent knees. Such a sitting position of the driver results in considerably lower loads on the body of the driver, especially on the rear sides of the thighs, the seat and the back, than in sulkies already known.
These means can comprise members having support surfaces adapted to form support for the front side of at least parts of the legs of the driver sitting in the sulky and form counter-surfaces so as to make it possible for the driver to strongly draw reins, attached to the horse, in a rearward direction. Furthermore, these support surfaces of said are adapted to support
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Fischmann Bryan
Johnson Brian L.
Michaelson Peter L.
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