CATTLE YOKE

摘要

1517466 Cattle yokes SUEVIA HAIGES KG 4 Aug 1976 [14 Aug 1975 19 May 1976] 32499/76 Heading AIM [Also in Division A5] An automatically closing yoke for-retaining an animal's head comprises a frame and at least one lever pivoted intermediate its ends, the arrangement providing an aperture through which an animal can put its head, the neck of the animal engaging the lower portion of the lever which is thereby pivoted to a position, in which it is locked, so reducing the aperture that the animal cannot withdraw its head. In one embodiment a lever 15, 16 is pivoted at 14 to a limb 13 of a frame 11 which is connected by chains 25, 26, 29 to a cattle stall. In the dotted line position of the lever an animal can put its head through an aperture 10 to reach a manger 30, and its neck contacts arm 15 and pivots the lever to its full line position. The upper arm 16 has a bifurcated end 18 carrying a pawl 22 co-operating with ratchet teeth 19, 21 formed on a horizontal part 17 of the frame. The lever 15, 16 is thus retained in its closed position trapping the animal's head. In order to release the animal a shaft 27 is rotated; the shaft has an arm 32 connected by a cord 31 to the pawl, and rotation of the shaft raises the pawl and pulls lever 15, 16 towards its open position. The lever is biassed to its fully open position by the weight of arm 16 which exceeds that of arm 15. As shown the limb 13 of the frame is shorter than that of the co-operating limb 12, but limb 13 could be extended by a vertical portion; in another embodiment the arrangement is symmetrical, both limbs 12, 13 carrying a locking lever. Instead of a rotatable shaft to release the pawls an axially slidable member can be provided.