AN IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN STEAM PLOUGHING
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN STEAM PLOUGHING." A communication
from abroad by Alfred Debains, of Paris, in the Republic of France, Engineer.
Sealed the 21st January 1879, and dated the 2nd August 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd August 1878.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN STEAM PLOUGHING."
A communication from abroad by Alfred Debains, of Paris, in the Republic of
France, Engineer.
This Invention consists of a cheap and simple apparatus constituting a combined
windlass and tender for use in steam ploughing operations with a view to enabling
such operations to be performed with any ordinary or other portable engine adapted
for agricultural purposes.
The improved apparatus is composed of a frame supported at its opposite ends
by a fore carriage and a bind carriage. The fore carriage consists of a frame made
to form a St. Andrew's cross, through the centre of which is passed the bolster pin.
The movements of the axle supporting the fore carriage are provided for by
annular plates, upon which is distributed the heavy weight of the winding drums
which are carried on this part of the apparatus.
The bar, by which the apparatus is drawn, is connected to the fore carriage, and
is bent upwards in order to raise the draught bars to a convenient height. The
hind carriage is supported upon a fixed axle, carrying wheels of larger diameter
than those on the fore axle, and the wheel, which is turned towards the field when
the apparatus is in operation, is provided with a flange for the purpose of pre-
venting the apparatus from dragging sideways.

page_text: For the purpose of guiding the fore carriage in the direction which it is desired
to cause the apparatus to travel steering tackle is provided, consisting of chains
attached to each extremity of the axle of the fore carriage, and connected to the
lower part of a vertical shaft, which is mounted in bearings carried by the hind
carriage, and actuated by means of a hand wheel.
Two supports fixed on the frame of the apparatus carry three winding drums on
one and the same axis, two of which drums are of equal diameter, and serve for
winding up the rope employed for hauling the plough in opposite directions, whilst
the third drum, which is of smaller dimensions, and situate between the two others,
serves to propel the apparatus in order to keep it up to its work. Each of these
drums is provided with a spur wheel, which gear with corresponding pinions carried
loose upon a transverse shaft, provided at one end with an internal toothed wheel
in gear with a pinion keyed upon the end of a primary driving shaft, which receives
motion direct from the engine.
In order to cause the loose pinions (herein-before referred to) to partake of the
motion imparted to the primary shaft three clutches are fitted to slide on a feather
on the said shaft, & are provided with hand levers, enabling them to be thrown
in and out of gear with the pinions as required.
The winding drums are provided with brake blocks working inside the rims of
the spur wheels.
A suitable guide is provided for preventing the driving band (by which the
apparatus is driven) from running off the driving pulley when the machine is
travelling on a sinuous course, and a tension pulley is also provided for the purpose
of maintaining the said band constantly in a proper state of tension.
In order to guide the ropes employed in the apparatus, so as to cause them to be
wound evenly upon their respective drums, the arrangement next herein-after
described is employed.
An endless screw is provided on one end of the shaft (herein-before referred to)
carrying the pinions and clutches, which screw actuates a worm wheel keyed upon
an inclined countersliaft provided at its lower extremity with a bevel wheel in gear
with a corresponding wheel fast on a transverse shaft. This shaft is provided with
right and left screw threads crossing each other, and situated immediately opposite
the drums, and underneath and parallel with these screw threads there are arranged
two cylindrical rods, which serve as guides to two frames, each carrying two steel
guide rollers arranged obliquely, one being somewhat in advance of the other. On
the upper side of each of these frames there is fitted a brass segment, which is
pivotted in a socket formed in a block carried by the said frame, so as to travel
between the two cylindrical guide rods before referred to. This segment performs
the functions of a nut, and travels in the direction of the screw thread, with which
it is in gear, and carries with it the block and the two steel guide rollers, between
which the rope is passed.
The automatic motion for guiding the rope upon the drums takes place in the
following manner: As soon as a drum is brought into gear the corresponding
segment engages with one of the threads of the screw, and is moved sideways by
the same, the pitch of this screw and its 'speed being so, calculated that at cachi
revolution of the drum the guide rollers are moved sideways for a distance corre-
sponding to the thickness of the rope.
When the guide has travelled the width of the drum the segment into which is
caused to turn partly round in its socket and engage with the other screw thread,
by which it is then caused to travel in the opposite direction, carrying the guide
with it. The segment thus engaging alternately with the two screw threads causes
the rope to be wound on to the drum from side to side in regular coils until the
whole of the rope is wound, upon the drum.
The hind part of the apparatus is provided on its opposite sides with a coal bunk
and a water tank, which are constructed of thick sheet iron, and strongly framed
in order to enable them to bear the strain brought to bear upon them when the
apparatus is connected to the portable engine by which it is driven.

page_text: The front portion of the apparatus is provided with a rectangular box, which
serves as a combined seat and a receptacle for tools.
All the open spaces in the framework of the base of the apparatus are covered
with sheet iron, so as to form a platform, upon which the workman stands who
operates the levers, and a small footboard is also provided at the rear of the
machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st
February 1879.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN STEAM PLOUGHING."
A communication from abroad by Alfred Debains, of Paris, in the Republic of
France, Engineer.
The said Invention relates to an improved apparatus forming a, combined tender
and windlass to be employed in steam ploughing operations for the purpose of
enabling such operations to be performed, with any ordinary or other portable
engine adapted for agricultural uses.
The entire apparatus forms a machine of a moderate size and weight capable of
travelling upon farm roads with facility. It is of inexpensive construction, casily
managed, and does not necessitate the use of a large amount of tackle, as in other
machines employed for a like purpose.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now pro-
ceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to the
several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents a side elevation of the com-
bined tender and windlass; Figure 2 is a plan; and Figure 3, an end elevation of
the same, both corresponding to Figure 1.
The improved apparatus is mounted upon a carriage consisting of a frame A
constructed of angle iron suitably curved and rivetted to a breadth of sheet iron,
and supported at one end by a fore carriage B, and at the other end by a hind
carriage G.
The fore carriage is of the same description as those with which most portable
engines are provided, being composed of a circular cast-iron box D, bolted to a
frame E of angle iron, and having cast on its centre a boss d, forming a socket for
the reception of a bolster piu d'. The lower part of this pin works in a socket
cast in one with a hollow block fitting over the axle b, which block carries annular
bearing plates g provided with lugs for the reception of bolts, serving by means of
plates g to retain the axle in position.

page_text: The shafts by which the apparatus is drawn when travelling are connected to
bars Hattached to the fore carriage and bent upwards, so as to raise the shafts to
a convenient height.
The hind carriage G is supported upon a fixed axle c carried by wheels of larger
diameter than the wheels of the fore carriage, and all the wheels are provided with
axle boxes of the most approved construction.
The wheel of the hind carriage, which is turned towards the field when the
apparatus is in operation, is provided with a flange I, having a sharp edge for the
purpose of preventing the apparatus from being dragged sideways.
For the purpose of guiding the fore carriage in the direction which it is desired
to cause the apparatus to travel steering tackle is employed, consisting of a chain e
attached at each end to lugs i provided on the axle b near the wheels, the said
chain being carried round sprocket wheels J fast on vertical shafts y, one of which
is actuated by means of a worm wheel J' in gear with an endless screw J² operated
by a hand wheel j.
sleeves on a fixed
The two outside
width, serve for
directions, whilst
Two supports K fixed on the frame A carry three eccentric
axis kc, serving to raise or lower three winding drums L, L', L.
drums L and L2, which are of equal diameter but of different
winding up the rope employed for hauling the plough in opposite
the third drum (L) of smaller dimensions serves to propel the hauling apparatus
itself in order to keep it up to its work. These drums are provided with spur
wheels a, a', a³, worked by pinions M, M³, M³, fast upon a shaft N, which is sup-
ported by two side frames n. On this shaft is keyed at one end an internal
toothed wheel O, in gear with a pinion o, fast upon the end of a driving shaft p,
which latter, by means of a pulley P on its other extremity, receives motion direct
from the engine employed for actuating the apparatus.
The apparatus for raising or lowering the drums consists of eccentric sleeves,
carried on the axis k, passed through the centres of the drums, the said sleeves being
each provided at one end with a lever l, having a spring locking device, which
admits of the lever being retained either in a horizontal position, when it is desired
to throw the corresponding drum out of gear, or in a vertical position, when the
drum is in gear. This motion of the levers causes the corresponding eccentric
sleeves to turn upon the axis k, and thereby raise or lower the drums L, L', L²,
and throw the spur wheels a, a, a³, respectively in or out of gear with the
pinions M, M', M³, on the shaft N.
The two winding drums employed for propelling the plough are provided with
brake blocks working inside the rims of the spur wheels, and actuated by means
of levers secured to the frames n.
A platform is provided at one end of the apparatus surrounded by a hand rail w,
to which is attached a tension pulley Q, the latter being provided for the purpose
of maintaining the driving band constantly in a proper state of tension.
The driving band passes between arms m, by which the tension pulley is sus-
pended, and is thereby prevented from accidentally running off the pulley P. The
arms m are fixed to a sleeve m' capable of turning upon a prolongation of a bar q
forming part of the hand rail w. Motion is imparted to the tension pulley by
means of a long lever T fast upon one end of the sleeve m², and provided with a
hook, so as to enable it to be retained in any required position by causing the said
hook to engage with one of the links of a chain u.
A peculiar device is provided for the purpose of automatically guiding the ropes
employed in the apparatus, so as to cause them to be wound evenly upon their
respective drums. This apparatus is driven by an endless screw U provided on
one end of the shaft N, and actuating a worm wheel V keyed upon an inclined
countershaft r. This shaft is provided at its lower extremity with a bevel wheel v
in gear with a corresponding wheel v¹ fast on a shaft X, the latter being formed
with right and left hand screw threads X³, crossing each other on the same parts
of the shaft opposite the drums. Underneath and parallel with these screw threads
there are arranged two cylindrical rods t serving as guides to two frames x, which

page_text: are each provided with two steel guide rollers a¹ arranged the one somewhat in
advance of the other.
In a socket provided on the frame x above the guide rods t there is pivotted a
segmental nut in gear with the screw threads on the shaft X, which nut receives a
traversing motion from one or the other of the screw threads, according to which
thread for the time being in gear with it, and transmits such motion to the frame x,
which is thus caused to slide along the guide rods t, carrying with it the two steel
guide rollers, between which the rope is passed.
When the segment has travelled along one of the screw threads until it comes
in contact with the unthreaded portion of the screw shaft it is thereby caused to
turn partly round on its socket and engage with the other screw thread, which
propels it in the opposite direction until it comes in contact with the unthreaded
portion of the shaft at the other end of the screw, which causes it to turn again and
re-engage with that thread of the screw with which it was previously in gear,
and so on until the whole of the rope is wound upon the drum in regular coils.
The foregoing description relates to the strictly mechanical parts of the apparatus;
the remaining parts consist of accessories of secondary importance, which may be
arranged in any convenient manner; for example, a water tank Y is provided on
the framework above the fore carriage, and the hind carriage is covered by a sheet-
iron platform, upon which the attendant stands, and which also serves to carry the
coal required for the engine.
The combined tender and windlass may be so arranged as to work in concert
with two steam engines if required.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I
would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is, the combined tender and windlass arranged substantially in the
manner and for the purposes herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my Specifi
cation set my hand and seal, the Thirty-first day of January, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-nine.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (LS.)