IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CULTIVATING LAND
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Savage, of Saint Nicholas Ironworks,
Alexandra Dock, Gaywood, King's Lynn, in the County of Norfolk, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CULTIVATING LAND."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Savage at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th September 1877.
FREDERICK SAVAGE, of Saint Nicholas Ironworks, Alexandra Dock, Gaywood,
King's Lynn, in the County of Norfolk. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
CULTIVATING LAND."
In order to lift clear from the ground the hind wheels and winding drums of
traction or other engines used for hauling cultivators and other implements, where
the axle of the hind wheel has winding drums fast upon it, I employ hydraulic rams,
the cylinders of which are attached to each side of the boiler of the engine. When
the hind wheels are to be lifted off the ground water is pumped into the cylinders
by the ordinary feed pump, or by an extra pump attached to the engines. By forcing
the water into the cylinders the rams press on the ground and raise the engine
wheels or winding drums clear off the ground, and allow them to turn on their
axis without moving the engine along the ground.
In lieu of the hydraulic rams a' worm and wheel driven by a pitch chain or gear
wheel from the engine may be employed to drive a pinion gearing with a rack;
when the rack is pressed downwards it lifts the engine wheels clear of the ground;
or instead of rack and pinion a powerful screw may be used.
In cultivating implements worked by steam, horse, or other power, I also employ
means to lift the cultivator or harrow by the forward rope or forward draught
power before or at the headland, thus saving the extra strain upon the rope at the
time of moving the travelling anchor, while by the same means the tines can be
lifted out of the ground in any part of the field, so as to clear themselves when they
get choked without stopping the engine or horses; to accomplish this I place a
revolving shaft across the frame of the implement just behind the two hind wheels
[Price 8d1

page_text: which are generally run on crank axles, it will also work equally as well where no
wheel at all is used to the implement.
On the cross shaft I fix two cross arms just long enough when pressed on the
ground to lift the tines clear out of the work; the arms can be regulated to suit any
kind of land. Turning around the shaft is a lever arm; the lever carries a pawl,
which works with a ratchet wheel on the cross shaft. When the lever is moved
forward the shaft revolves, and the arms are raised up off the ground into a position
from which they can readily. be thrown forward over the top of the axis and
allowed to drop on to the ground whenever the tines are required to be lifted;
this applies to all cultivators or harrows worked by steam or any other power.
The hind wheels of the implement when wheels are used may be mounted on a
cranked axis, which can be held in any desired position by a lever catch; when the
tines or implements have been lifted out of the ground, and it is desired to prevent
them from re-entering, the wheels drop, and are then locked by the lever catch.
In ploughing land by steam when balance ploughs are used I attach a balance
roll to one side of the plough, to work automatically at the same time with the
plough in one operation, instead of setting the tackle twice to do the same work;
after you have ploughed a field and it sets in wet, it cannot be rolled at all.
I put a lever out from the centre of the plough with an eye underneath the draft
chain of the roll, which is allowed to work freely to allow it to pass over the
balance part of 'the draft iron of the roller at each bout; to follow the plough back
the roll does not turn round; it can be worked with a cultivator that does not turn
round.
.
The moveable anchor used at the headlands I fit with a straight cross axle; on the
axle I fit two cross arms similar to the ones fitted on the cultivator, and also a lever
opposite to the arms that press on the ground, and when the disc wheels of the
anchor are required to be lifted I cause the draft power, either steam or horse, to
haul upon the lever and depress the cross arms on to the ground,.and lift the anchor
high enough to enable me to place two wheels on to the ends of the cross centre
axle; this appliance saves manual labour to jack up the anchor, and there are only
two wheels to take off instead of four, as is now usual, and it can be done with one
man instead of two.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Frederick Savage in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th March
1878.
FREDERICK SAVAGE, of Saint Nicholas Ironworks, Alexandra Dock, Gaywood, -
King's Lynn, in the County of Norfolk. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
CULTIVATING LAND."
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for cultivating
land.
In order to lift clear from the ground the hind wheels and winding drums of
traction or other engines used for hauling cultivating and other implements, where
the axle of the hind wheel has winding drums upon it, I employ hydraulic rams,
the cylinders of which are attached to each side of the boiler of the engine. When
the hind wheels are to be lifted off the ground water is pumped into the cylinders
by the ordinary feed pump, or by an extra pump attached to the engines. By
forcing the water into the cylinders the rams press on the ground and raise the
engine wheels or winding drums clear off the ground, and allow them to turn on
their axis without moving the engine along the ground.
In the Drawings annexed Figure 1 is an elevation of a winding engine having
lifting apparatus applied to it in accordance with this part of my Invention.
a, a, are rams working in the hydraulic cylinders b, b, into which at pleasure
water can be forced by a pump c when it is desired to raise the hinder wheels of the
engine off the ground in order that it may be set to work in winding.
In cultivating implements worked by steam, horse, or other power, I employ
means to lift the cultivator or harrow by the forward rope, or forward draught
power before or at the headland, thus saving the extra strain upon the rope at the
time of moving the travelling anchor, while by the same means the tynes can be
lifted out of the ground in any part of the field, so as to clear themselves when
they get choked without stopping the engine or horses; to accomplish this I place a
revolving shaft across the frame of the implement just behind the two hind wheels,
which generally run on crank axles (it will also work equally as well where no
wheel at all is used to the implement), and on the cross shaft I fix two cross arms
just long enough when pressed on the ground to lift the tynes clear out of the work;
the arms can be regulated to suit any kind of land. Turning around the shaft is a
lever arm or handle carrying a pawl, which works with a ratchet wheel on the cross
shaft. When the lever is moved forward the shaft revolves, and the arms are raised
up off the ground into a position from which they can readily be thrown forward
over the top of the axis, and allowed to drop on to the ground whenever the tynes
are required to be lifted; this applies to all cultivators or harrows worked by steam
or any other power.
The hind wheels of the implement, when wheels are used, may be mounted on a
cranked axis, which can be held in any desired position by a lever catch; then
when the tynes or implements have been lifted out of the ground, and it is desired
to prevent them from re-entering, the wheels drop and are locked by the lever
catch.
Figure 2 is an elevation partly in section of a cultivator, having applied to it
apparatus for lifting the tynes arranged in accordance with my Invention; Figure 3
is a plan of the same; d is a shaft capable of revolving in bearings on the hinder
part of the frame of the cultivator, and upon this cross shaft the arms e, e, are fixed
preferably in such a manner that the length which they project from the axis can
be adjusted; e¹, e', are shoes fixed to the lower ends of the arms. Upon the
shaft & there is a ratchet wheel with which a pawl carried by the lever handle f
engages, as does also another pawl carried upon the frame of the implement, so that
when the lever handle (which is free to turn upon the shaft d) is worked to and fro
the shaft is turned, and in this way the arms can be lifted and brought into such a

page_text: position that at the next motion of the handle the arms will pass over the centre.
In this way the arms are carried until it is desired to lift the tynes, and then the
necessary movement being given to the handle the arms fall by their own weight
until their points reach and penetrate the land, bringing the shoes to bear firmly on
the land, when the further movement of the implement causes the tynes to be lifted
Where the implement is provided with wheels, as in the Drawing, the cranked
axle of the wheels turns as the tynes rise, and the retaining catch commonly in use
falls in and holds the axle so that the frame of the implement and the tynes cannot
again descend until the catch is withdrawn by the attendant.
out.
In the case of implements not provided with wheels the tynes will descend and
enter again into the land immediately, but leaving behind the rubbish which they
were previously carrying with them; a represents a hanging leg at the back of the
implement; it serves to relieve the tynes from shocks when the frame of the imple-
ment is allowed to descend. This leg, as the Drawing indicates, hangs freely whilst
the implement travels with the frame raised, but when the frame falls the leg
meets the ground just before the tynes and takes the shock, which otherwise they
would have to sustain ; as the implement moves on, the leg trails behind and the tynes
enter.
In ploughing land by steam, when balance ploughs are used, I attach a balance
roll to one side of the plough to work automatically at the same time with the
plough in one operation instead of setting the tackle twice to do the same work; and
sometimes when it is intended to roll at a separate operation, after you have
ploughed a field it sets in wet, it cannot be rolled at all.
I put a lever out from the centre of the plough with an eye underneath to receive
the draft chain of the roll, which is allowed to work freely to allow it to pass over
the balance part of the draft iron of the roller at each bout; to follow the plough
back the roll does not turn round; it can be worked with a cultivator that does
not turn at the headlands.
Figure 4 represents in side elevation, and Figure in plan a balance plough
having a roller combined with it in accordance with this part of my Invention;
g is the roller; it is connected with the arm h fixed to the frame of the balance
plough by a chain, which passes from the eye i at the end of the arm to the balanced
draft iron of the roller. A roller may be coupled with a cultivator, which does not
turn at the headland in a similar manner.
The moveable anchor used at the headlands I fit with a straight cross axle ; on the
axle I fit two cross arms similar to the ones fitted on the cultivator, and also a lever
opposite to the arms that press on the ground. When the disc wheels of the anchor
are required to be lifted I cause the draft power, either steam or horse, to haul upon
the lever and depress the cross arms on to the ground, and lift the anchor high
enough to enable me to place two wheels on to the ends of the cross centre axle ;
this appliance saves manual labour to jack up the anchor, and there are only two
wheels to take off instead of four, as is now usual, and it can be done with one man
instead of two.
Figure 6 shows in side elevation the manner of applying a lifting lever and arms
to a disc wheel anchor; j is a transverse shaft capable of turning in bearings upon
the frame of the anchor carriage; h, k, are aims at the ends of the shaft carrying
shoes, as in the arrangement shown by the Figures 2 and 3; 7 is the lever to which
when it is desired to lift the anchor carriage the draft is applied until the carriage
is lifted high enough to admit of the road wheels indicated by the dotted line
being applied at the ends of the shaft j, which serves as the axle for these wheels.
Having. thus described the nature of my said Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim, as my improvements
in machinery for cultivating land,-
First. The combination with a winding engine of the lifting rams a and the
hydraulic cylinders b, substantially as described in respect to Figure 1.
Second. The combination with a cultivator or harrow of lifting apparatus,

page_text: consisting of the transverse shaft d and the arms e, substantially as described in
respect to Figures 2 and 3.
Third. The combination of a roller with a balance plough or with a cultivator
which does not turn at the headlands, so that the two implements may work
together, substantially as described in respect to Figures 4 and 5.
Fourth: The combination with an anchor carriage of lifting apparatus, consisting
of the transverse shaft j and the arms k, substantially as described in respect to
Figure 6.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Savage, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-third day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
FREDERICK SAVAGE. (L.S.)