What is "whippletree"

Whippletree \Whip"ple*tree`\, n. [See Whip, and cf. Whiffletree.]

1. The pivoted or swinging bar to which the traces, or tugs, of a harness are fastened, and by which a carriage, a plow, or other implement or vehicle, is drawn; a whiffletree; a swingletree; a singletree. See Singletree.

   [People] cut their own whippletree in the woodlot.
   --Emerson.

2. (Bot.) The cornel tree.
   --Chaucer.

n. a wooden crossbar for a plough or carriage, pivoted in the middle, from which traces are fastened to a draught animal

n. a crossbar that is attached to the traces of a draft horse and to the vehicle or implement that the horse is pulling [syn: whiffletree, swingletree]

Whippletree (also as Whipple-tree and similar variations) may refer to:

• Whippletree, a very old plant name for species of dogwood (see: Cornus (genus))
• Whippletree (mechanism), a pivot mechanism used to distribute force evenly, used for draught animals and in windscreen (windshield) wipers

A whippletree, or whiffletree, is a mechanism to distribute force evenly through linkages. The mechanism may also be referred to as an equalizer, leader bar, or double tree. It consists of a bar pivoted at or near the centre, with force applied from one direction to the pivot and from the other direction to the tips. Several whippletrees may be used in series to distribute the force further, such as to simulate pressure over an area as when applying loading to test airplane wings. Whippletrees may be used either in compression or tension. Whippletrees were also used for subtraction and addition calculations in mechanical computers. Tension whippletrees are used in .