Posted 10 years ago
TheGateKee…
(222 items)
Recently acquired automatic farm/ranch gate Salesman Demonstrator. 18" x 23" x 9". Patented by William R. White, of Bloomington, Illinois (2nd photo), patent number 493,539, March 14, 1893. This was found in an antique shop in Maine.
Used by Salesman to demonstrate the unique features of his product. Ride up on your horse, pull a lever, and the gate unlatches and opens. Pass through and pull the other lever and it closes and locks. Great labor saving device. And as you know a cowboy doesn't like to walk. Everything he does is on horseback.
A piece of the operating linkage was missing. It gave me great pleasure to research the patent drawings and re-create the missing part.
Mr. White was issued fourteen patents for gates, gate hinges, and other fencing items. This model includes features from patents number 496,926, May 9, 1893, and number 584,280, June 8, 1897 as well.
Two salesman demonstrators representing patent #584,280 are located in the Devil's Rope Museum in McLean, Texas. Patent #496,926 is the unique hinge mechanism used on the gates. Two other W.R. White models may be viewed in this collection.
nice write up...as well as the gate...