The present invention relates to a device by an animal box which is delimited by a bar or a similar device in front of the animal. The invention also relates to a bar for use in such a device.

The invention is primarily intended to be used by transports of animals, especially transports of horses, in spaces in roofed vechicles or trailers, especially designed for this purpose. By such transports there is a box for each animal and in the smallest kind of vehicles there is room for only one animal and thus only one box. The invention may, however, be used for all sizes of spaces and the delimiting bar may in certian embodiments be common for two or more boxes.

The delimitation of the boxes must allow a certain freedom of movement for the animals and must be adaptable to their size. They must also be arranged to be opened on at least one side, usually the back side of the box, both seen in relation to the animal and in case of transportable boxes in the direction of transportation. The opening can usually be closed by means of a bar or chain and at any rate in case of transportation boxes by a door. The side walls may be made in many different ways and are of no importance for the invention which relates to a front bar.

The front bar of an animal box according to the invention must be adjustable to a suitable height, so that the animal is given a possibility of moving and a possiblity of reaching food and water. Nor shall the bar be positioned at such a height that it is disturbing for the animal or may be a danger, especially in connection with transports. In case of deacceleration, the bar may function as a support and its height position must be adapted for this purpose. Therefore, the bar shall be freely adjustable in vertical direction.

Height adjustment of the front bar is in general achieved thereby that the bar by means of pins, screws or nuts is mounted to vertical fastening devices positioned along the sides of the box and having holes which constitute predetermined positiones.

By transportation of horses a fixed front bar may cause severe problems, if the front legs of the horse come onto or across the bar. The horse is then unable to go back by itself, but the bar has to be removed or lowered in order to let the horse free. It is also important that this can be done very rapidly, as the horse otherwise may be incurably wounded. On such occasions it is very difficult to make loose a bar which is mounted by means of pins or bolts, as the bar is loaded with the weight of the horse, and the loosening of the bar may be further complicated by corroded nuts and bent pins and bolts.

The present invention relates to a device for the front delimitation of an animal box by means of which the above mentioned problems with adjustment and loosening of a delimiting bar are solved. The invention also relates to a bar for this purpose.

The invention will below be described more in detail by the embodiment shown in the annexed figures.

Figure 1 shows a horse transportation carriage having two boxes.

Figure 2 shows details of the mounting of the front bar of the boxes.

Figure 3 shows a cross section of a bar according to the invention.

Figure 4 shows a cross section of the mounting device of figure 2 and parts of the outer ends of the bar.

The horse transportation trailer shown in figure 1 has two boxes separated by a partition wall 2. In front of the boxes they are delimited by a bar 1 and at the back by two bars 3 which can be opened. The back door of the trailer is not shown in the figures. The front bar 1 is slidably arranged on two sliding rods 4, 5, passing through the bar. The embodiment shown in the figure has a bar in the shape of a tube having a circular cross section. By means of a special fastening arrangement the bar can be positioned at a freely selected height on the sliding rods. The separating wall 2 is built onto a frame work of tubes, whereby an outer tube end 7 ends by a vertically downwardly directed part, as shown in the figure. This part is movably connected to the front bar 1 by means of a sleeve 6, comprising two tube parts, arranged at right angles to each other, in which the bar 1 and the tube end 7 may slide. The sleeve 6 is fastened by a screw fastener onto the bar 1 which gives enough support of the partition wall 2 independent • of the height of the bar 1.

The mounting of the sliding rods in the walls of the transportation box is shown more in detail in figures 2 and 4. The sliding rod is fastened by one lower and one upper mounting 26, 27 in a space delimited by side walls 21, 22, which is adapted to the outer dimensions of the bar 1. The side walls 21, 22 continue into outer side walls 24, 25.

Figure 3 shows a cross section of a bar according to the invention. The bar 1 has the shape of a tube with a cylindrical cross section. In the outer ends of the bar there are holes for the sliding rods 4, 5. In these holes there are bushings 9, 10, 11, 12, which function as sliding bearings for the sliding rods. Between the bushings the sliding rods each are surrounded by a sleeve 13, 14, the length of which is somewhat greater than the diameter of the bar 1. The bar also has end sealings 8, 28, preferably made from a polymer material, such as polypropen. The end sealings may also function as sliding

surfaces towards the innerwall 23 in the space for the sliding rod in question. Inside the bar there are two tensioning bars 15, 16 and a pressure rod 17. The latter is fixed or pivotably connected to a tensioning screw 18, the thread of which interlaces with the thread of a hole in the bar or a nut 19 mounted thereon. The tensioning screw can be turned by a handle 20. The meeting ends of the tensioning bars 15, 16 and the pressure rod 17 are not flat surfaces at right angles to the length of the bars but as shown in the figures spherical or otherwise e.g. conically shaped surfaces. When the pressure rod 17 is forced downwards by the tensioning screw 18, the two tensioning bars 15 and 16 are forced towards the outer ends of the bar. For this purpose the tensioning bars bear in holed discs 29, 30, 31 which function as sliding bearings for the tensioning bars.

The outer ends of the bars rest against the sleeves 13, 14 which encircle the sliding rods. The movements of the sleeves - in vertical direction relative to the bar are delimited by bushings 9, 10, 11, 12. When the tensioning bars 15, 16 are forced outwards by the pressure rod 17, the outer ends of the tensioning bars are forced against the sleeves 13, 14 and force them against the sliding rods 4, 5. The force by which the sleeves 13, 14 are pressed against the sliding rods and thus also the force which is required to push the bar along the sliding rods can be adjusted by the tensioning of the tensioning screw 18. The handle may suitably be combined with a graded disc mounted on the bar which makes it possible to set the bar so that it is displaced by a certain load. This load can be set due to the weight of the horses which shall be transported and chosen so that if the horse put one leg on the bar and presses the bar downwards, the bar will slide downwards and the horse can free its leg. If the horse should stick with one leg on the other side of the bar it may easily be made free and lowered so that the horse is freed.

Various embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention, in particular with reference to the outer shape of the bar, the arrangement of the fastening and tensioning devices, etc.