Livestock Head Holder with Over-Center Drop Prevention and Improved Height Adjustability

The livestock head holder of claim 2 further comprising:

• an intermediate link (16) pivotally coupled to the top holding member at a third pivot point (16B) and pivotally coupled to the bottom holding member at a fourth pivot point (16A) to coordinate movement of the top and bottom holding members during opening and closing of the head holder between the closed state in which the top and bottom holding members occupy laterally oriented positions spanning in a common lateral direction from the frame to brace a top and bottom of an animal's neck, respectively, from one side thereof, and the fully open state in which the top and bottom holding members are of pivotally raised and lowered relation, respectively, to the laterally oriented positions occupied thereby in the closed state;
• wherein, relative to an imaginary reference line (50) spanning from the second pivot point (12C) to the third pivot point, the fourth pivot point (16A) resides on a first side of said imaginary reference line in the fully open state of the head holder in an over-center position that effects the over-center locking action on the top holding member to prevent gravitational dropping thereof, and said fourth pivot point is movable, via exertion of a closing actuation force on the linkage, from said over-center position, through a center-position of coincident relation to said imaginary reference line, and onward to an opposing second side of said imaginary reference line, thereby releasing said over-center locking action.