IM- PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING GRASS OR CORN
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Howard, of Bedford, in the County of
Bedford, Agricultural Engineer, and Edward Tenney Bousfield, of
the same Place, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Howard and
. Edward Tenney Bousfield at the Office of: the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 19th August 1870.
We, JAMES HOWARD, of Bedford, in the County of Bedford, Agri-
cultural Engineer, and EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD, of the same Place,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING GRASS OR CORN," to be as follows:-
$6
This Invention of "Improvements in Machinery for Cutting Grass or
Corn" relates to improved means for supporting and driving the cutting
apparatus of such machines, and in the means for operating the gathering
and raking arms, whereby greater efficiency in reaping and mowing
machines is obtained with less friction.

page_text: These improvements are more particularly applicable to that class of
reaping and mowing machines for which we obtained Letters Patent
Sept. 4th 1867, No. 2507.
<<
Heretofore the geering, including the crank spindle which gives-tho
reciprocating motion to the sickle, has been carried on the main frame
of the machine, the cutting apparatus being attached to the main frame
by a jointed drag bar" to allow of its adapting itself to the irregu-
larities of the surface of the ground when cutting; consequently one
end of the connecting rod being attached to the main frame by the
crank pin and its opposite end to the heel of the sickle, the action of
the connecting rod was more or less injuriously affected in working.
To overcome this difficulty, and also to simplify and improve the con-
struction of the machine, we divide the gearing, one part being carrieḍ
upon the main frame and the other upon the cutter bar frame. The
main frame is composed of a central longitudinal casting resting upon
the axle of the carrying wheels; its backward end carries the "first
motion shaft" at right angles to the main axle, from which it
receives its motion by bevil geer. At the outer end of this shaft is a
spur wheel geering with a pinion on the crank spindle which gives
motion to the sickle by means of the connecting rod. This crank spindle
is carried by a suitable framework rigidly fixed to the cutter bar. The
cutter bar frame is hinged or pivotted to the main frame, so as to allow
the pinion of the crank spindle to move around the spur wheel which
gives motion to it. The finger bar will thus be free to follow the
inequalities of the ground without injuriously affecting the action of the
connecting rod in transmitting its motion to the sickle.
When the above arrangement is employed for a self-raking reaper
similar to that described in the Patent before mentioned, instead of
driving the gathering arms by means of a driving chain from the main
axle we employ direct spur geer from the first motion shaft," which
geer we mount-upon the cutter bar frame in a similar manner to that
described with reference to the cutting apparatus.
56
In order to lessen the friction upon the cam surfaces which control.
the gathering arms and rakes we propose to fix the cam surfaces above
the gathering arms and rakes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th February 1871.
.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, JAMES
HOWARD, of Bedford, in the County of Bedford, Agricultural Engineer,
and EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD, of the same Place, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date tlie Nineteenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said James Howard and Edward Tenney
Bousfield,. Her spécial licence that, we, the said James Howard and
Edward Tenney Bousfield, our executors; administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "I-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING GRASS OR CORN," upon the condition,
(amongst others) that we, the said James Howard and Edward Tenne
Bousfield, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par'
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and i
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the sanie to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent. Office within six calendar months next, and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Tenney Bousfield, on behalf
of myself and of the said James Howard, do hereby declare the nature of
our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be. performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed and
to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-..
This Invention relates to improved means for supporting and driving
the cutting apparatus of reaping and mowing machines, and also for

page_text: t
operating the gathering and raking arms, whereby the efficiency of
reaping and mowing machines is increased, while at the same time
the friction is diminished.
Our improvements are more particularly applicable to that class of
reaping and mowing machines for which we obtained Letters Patent
September Fourth One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, No. 2507.
It has been the practice hitherto to mount the gearing and the crank
spindle through which the reciprocating motion is communicated to the
sickle or cutter bar on the main frame of the machine, and to connect
the cutting apparatus to the main frame by a jointed "drag bar" which
allows of the cutter bar adapting itself to the irregularities of the surface
of the ground while in action. But in consequence of the connecting
rod being attached at one end to the main frame by the crank pin, and
at its opposite end to the heel of the sickle or cutter bar, its action'
was more or less injuriously affected. To overcome this difficulty,
and also to simplify and improve the construction of the machine,
we divide the gearing for imparting the reciprocating motion to the
cutter bar, mounting one part upon the main frame and the other upon
the cutter bar frame, which arrangement forms the first head of our
Invention.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an
automatic reaping machine with our improvements applied thereto;
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, partly in section, the section being
taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a partial back or hind elevation
shewing our improved arrangement of driving gear and the mode of
: mounting the same; and Fig. 4 is a partial sectional plan, the section
being taken in the line 3, 4, of Fig. 3.
A, A, are the carrying wheels, the axle of which passes transversely
through a casting B forming part of the main framing of the machine;
keyed to the axle of the carrying wheels A is a bevil wheel C which
receives rotary motion through the draught of the machine and imparts
the same to the gearing to be presently described. On the outer side
of the casting B are formed bearings 6, 6', to receive the opposite ends
of a spindle D which is mounted parallel to the framing. Fitted loosely
to this spindle D, but capable of being made fast thereto by a sliding
clutch is a bevil pinion d, which gears into 'and is driven by the bevil

page_text: wheel C. The spindle D forms a pivot support for a vertical rectangular
frame E which hangs thereon in rear of the carrying wheels, and is free
to vibrate on its pivot support. Made fast to the bottom of this frame is
the finger bar F, which carries the sickle or cutter bar G in the usual
manner, and it is adjusted to its work on the off side by raising and
lowering the wheel H and on the near side by turning an adjusting.
screw (carried by the framing). This screw works in a nut fitted to
the draught bar which is pivotted to the frame at h¹. The effect of
turning the screw will be to change the relative positions of the
draught bar and frame, and thereby to ensure the rise or depression of
the cutter bar. On the side of the vibrating frame E is a bearing e for
receiving the crank shaft I for working the cutter bar. The cranked
end of this shaft is connected by a rod I as usual to the cutter bar
G; keyed to the opposite end of the crank shaft is a spur pinion i,
which gears into a spur wheel d' on the spindle D and receives rotary
motion therefrom.
It will now be understood that as the machine' is drawn forward the
rotary motion transmitted through the shaft of the carrying wheels A. to
the spindle D will be further transmitted through the pinions d and i
to the crank shaft I, and thus a reciprocating motion will be given to
the sickle or cutter baṛ. At the same time the finger and cutter bar
will be free to rise or fall according to the irregularities of the ground
by reason of their connection with the swinging frame E, which will
accommodate itself to their requirments by, moving on its pivot support:
and will roll the pinion i over the face of its driving wheel, thereby
leaving the relative positions of the wheel and pinion unaffected. by the
changes in vertical position of the finger and cutter bars. The cutter
bar is thrown out of action by sliding back the clutch which makes the
bevil pinion d fast to the spindle. This is effected by a fork d² embracing
the clutch and operated by a hand lever d³.
The arrangement of driving gear above described is equally applicable
to mowing and to reaping machines; but when it is employed for a
self-raking reaper similar to that described under our Patent of One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, before referred to, instead of
driving the gathering arms by means of a driving chain from the main
axle we employ direct spur gear mounted upon the cutter bar frame E
and receiving its motion from the spindle D, which arrangement con-.

page_text: .
I
stitutes the second head of our Invention. Affixed to the top of the
frame E (see Fig. 1) is the casting forming the double cam K which
gives the requisite oscillation to the gathering or rake arms. Projecting
upwards through the centre of this casting is the rake shaft K¹, to which
the rake arms K³ are hinged as usual. E¹, Fig. 3, is a cross piece which
carries a horizontal stud axle L and forms the foot bearing of the rake
shaft K¹. Mounted loosely on this stud axle is a spur wheel on the
elongated boss of which is formed a bevil pinion A, and in gear with this
pinion is a bevil wheel. K³ keyed to the rake shaft. The wheel 7 gears
into a pinion d² formed on the boss of the wheel d', and by this connection
the rake receives rotary motion from the spindle D, the rake rising and
falling with the finger bar and the platform with which it is connected.
. by reason of its being carried by the frame E.
In order to lessen the friction upon the cam surfaces which control
the gathering arms and rakes, wè propose in some cases to fix the cam
( surface above the gathering arms and rakes. This arrangement is shown
in the enlarged view, Fig. 5, where K is a curved cam plate made fast at
its centre to the vibrating frame E. Below this cam plate the anti-
friction bowles of the gathering or raking arms bear. These arms are
jointed to a turn plate which is mounted loosely on a central stud axle
carried by the frame E, and it is driven by a spur pinion gearing into a
ring of internal teeth cast on the under side of the turn plate. The
gathering or raking arms may, if desired, be provided with similar bowles
for bearing on the upper face of the cam plate, and thus steadying their
action. These arms may be tied together in pairs by rods, as usual, to
act as a counterpoise the one to the other.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improvements
in Machinery for Cutting Grass or Corn," and explained the manner
of carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be understood that under
the above in part recited Letters Patent, we claim,-
First. Mounting the sickle or cutter bar of reaping and mowing
machines and arranging the parts for driving the same in the manner
and for the purpose above set forth.
Secondly. In combination with the above the arrangement for driving
the rake shaft as above described.

page_text: to their work.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Tenney Bousfield, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Seventeenth day of Feb-
ruary, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and.
seventy-onc.
EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD. (L.S.)