A PLOUGH UPON A NEW AND IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION
Year: 1815

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
PLENTY, of Newbury, in the County of Berks, Ironfounder, send greeting.
WHEREAS His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, in the name and on
the behalf of His Majesty, did, by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of
Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-second day of
December, in the fifty-sixth year of the reign of His Majesty King George the
Third, give and grant unto me, the said William Plenty, His especial licence,
that I, the said William Plenty, during the term of years therein mentioned,
should and lawfully might exclusively use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A PLOUGH
UPON A NEW AND IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION;" in which said Letters Patent there
is contained a proviso obliging me, the said William Plenty, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, to cause a particular description of the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two calendar
months after the date of the said recited Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Plenty, do hereby declare that my said Invention is described in the
Drawing hereunto annexed, and the description hereunder written.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Plenty, have hereunder set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-first day of February, in the fifty-sixth year
of the reign of His Majesty King George the Third, and in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixteen.

page_text: The following is a Specification of my Patent for a plough:-The beam in
the first place is curved, which gives the ploughman an opportunity of seeing
his furrow, and enables him to work in a direct line with more facility than in
any plough now in use. To the beam is fixed by means of screw bolts and
nutts a body of cast iron, which projects over the land side, being fitted to the
curved beam, and is cast so as to form at top two plated, one of which goes
underneath the beam through which the screw bolts pass to fix it to the beam,
and the other on the furrow side or face of the beam. The bottom part of the
cast-iron body, where the share is fitted on, is cast with a hollow; the convex
side fills up the interstice between the body and the mould plate, the concave or
opening being on the land side of the body, and which, when the shoe is
screwed on, forms a box, within which are the nutts and screws which fasten
the mould plate and share to the body projected from all friction in the action
of ploughing. The mould plate is of cast iron, curved and fastened to the body
by means of screw bolts and nutts which come within the box above described.
The share is also fixed to the body by means of a curved screw bolt and nut,
protected within the same box. The share has also a wing in an horizontal
position, which serves as a cutter in ploughing. In the space between the body
and mould plate is a friction wheel of cast iron, one end of the axle of which is
"fixed in a grooved wrought-iron arm, which grooved arm fits in another groove
"on the land side of the body, and the other end of the axle in a groove fixed
to the inside of the mould plate; and the axle by thus working by grooves
the wheel may be elevated or depressed according to the proposed depth of the
furrow. The fore carriage consists of a carriage or gear plate of cast iron, in
the front of which one wheel runs on a wrought-iron axletree and the other
wheel on a another wrought-iron axletree at the back part of the plate; both
axletrees being attached to the plate by screw bolts and nutts, so that one
wheel is before the other; the front or furrow side wheel going in the furrow
and the rear wheel going on the land. From the axletree of each wheel goes
& screw bolt, with an eye to hold the axletree, through the collars, round the
beam, by which the fore carriage is fastened to the beam; and, by means of a
winch working on the screw of these eye bolts, the wheels, either or both of
them, may be elevated or depressed at pleasure, or according to the depth of
the furrow. From the rear axletree a dol or draft chain goes to the body, and
fixes by means of a hook in a hole in the body, by which the draft is from the
body itself. A small scraper is fixed over the friction wheel from the handle,
which keeps it clean. The plough handles are as usual, one of which fixes in
a groove in the cast-iron body, and the other is either bolted or morticed into

page_text: the beam. For the more minute particulars the details in the annexed
Drawing may be referred to.
:
Figure 1 is the perspective view of the plough as put together. k is the
beam; a, the cast-iron body; c, the mould plate; f, the share; b, 'the friction
wheel in the space between the body and mould plate with the scraper n; m,
the coulter; .d, the ground rest. The fore carriage.-g, the carriage or gear
plate; p; the fore and rear axletrees; r, the winches, which, working on the
eye screw-bolts, elevate or depress the wheels; h, the collars which go round
the beam, and through which the eye screw-bolts pass, and by which the fore
carriage is fixed to the beam; u, rods running. parallel with the beam, and
which keep the two collars at their proper distance, the ends being: fastened to
the collars; a, the nutts which work on the eye screw-bolts, and raise or
depress the wheels; o, the draft or-dul-chain; fixed on the hind axle and to the
body by a hook through a hole in the body..
The above is a general outline of the plough, as seen in the perspective,
Figure 1.
•
The details of the several parts are as follow:-h, Figure 7, the beam, made
of wood, curves over the land side, and by this means obviates an objectionable
angle. The curve comes into the line of draught about one fourth part
(eighteen inches) from the end of the beam. The front end of the beam is
covered with plate iron to prevent its wearing in the collars. a, Figure 8,
the cast-iron body; Figure 8, a, is the furrow side, as partly seen in the
perspective Drawing of the plough. Figure 8, 6; is the other side or land side
of the body. It is made to project over the land side to admit and fit the
curved beam. The upper part forms two plates at right angles, which fit the
bottom.and furrow side of the beam, to which it is fastened by wrought-iron
screw bolts and nutts. The bolt holes being marked on the plan of the beam,
and the plate on which the beams rests being seen in perspective in the
Drawing, Figure 8, 6; at the bottom of this Drawing (Figure 8, a), the
convex part of the box is shewn by this mark X, into which the screw bolts
and nutts go that fasten the mould plate and the share. This convex part fills
up the interstice between the body and mould plate. On the other Drawing,
Figure 8, b, the concave part is shewn with the bolts, as it
appears before the
shoe is fixed on. There is a partition in the box, against which the nut of the
curved screw bolt fixes to fasten the share, as shewn in the plate representing
the concavity of the box; Figure 8, b. 8, 8, 8, at the top of the Drawing
(Figure 8, a) are grooves, the two front ones for the coulter, the rear one. for
one of the plough handles; the other being fixed in the beam W. Figure 8, 6,
the groove in which the arm of the friction wheel, Figure 11, is worked, and

page_text: by which the arm of the axle is elevated or depressed. c, Figure 4, the mould
plate, the curve of which is obtained by means of the intersection of lines, as
described at Figure 5. This plate fixes to the body by means of screw bolts
and nutts, being in the hollow or box part of the body, as above described.
Figure 4, a, is the convex or furrow side of the mould plate, as seen in the
perspective Drawing of the plough (Figure 1, c); and Figure; 4, b, is the
concave or inside of the mould plate, to which is fixed by screws and nuts
the groove y, into which is. screwed one end of the axle of the friction wheel;
the other working by a groove in the body, as above described. Figure 8
is the share; a, b, c, three views of it. a, the bottom part, which lies flat on
the ground; b, the upper part; c,' a perspective. It screws on to the body by
means of a curved screw bolt, Figure 21,. introduced.at the hole t; the nut of.
which and screw. end are in the hollow or box part of the body, above described.
In the perspective Drawing of the plough, .Figure 1, the wing of the share
marked thus appears to stand perpendicularly, but it is horizontal and
serves as a cutter in ploughing. a, the ground rest, Figure 2, with holes to
admit bolts and nuts to fix it to the mould plate, Figure 4. This can be
replaced when worn out; see bottom of perspective plough d. e, Figure 9, the
shoe or bed. This does not appear at all in the perspective Drawing of the
plough being on the further side of the point of view. It is fixed to the body;
Figure 8, by a bolt, and covers the concave part of the body in which are the
nuts and screw ends of the bolts that fasten the share and mould plate, so as
to form a box in which they are secure. from all friction. This must be
removed to get at those nuts, in order to take off the mould plate or share.
This may also be replaced when worn out. b, Figure 11, the friction wheel of
cast iron, which works in the space between the mould plate and the body.
One end of the axle is a grooved arm k, which by means of that grove may be
elevated or depressed by means of a screw and nut, by which that arm is fixed
to the body at W (Figure 8, 6). The other end of the: axle being fixed in the
grove y within side, the mould plate by means. of two nuts, between which the
axle end is fastened in the grove, and may also be raised higher or lower, and
the mould plate may be removed further or brought nearer the body, so as to
widen or narrow the furrow, and as is also seen in the perspective Drawing of
the plough y, Figure 13. The edge view of the friction wheel, with the
grooved arm k, and the nuts by which the other end of the arm is fixed to the
grove y, withinside the mould plate. .g, the axle or, gear bed, Figure 10, has
holes to fix by bolts and nuts the axle of the two wheels on the fore carriage,
and the drail with draft hooks. Figure 14, the front wheel, when in action,
-runs in the furrow already cut, the hinder wheel upon the land, which, by

page_text: means of the screws (i), Figure 18, regulates the depth in paring or ploughing.
The front axle, Figure 12, is curved for the screw bolt (i) to work on when
the plough is turning. h, the collars, Figure 16, through which the beam,
Figure 7, passes. These are kept at a distance from each other by two
wrought-iron bars or rods (u). They also have holes for the screw bolts (i) to
pass through. i, two screw bolts, Figure 18, made of wrought iron, which
pass through the collars, Figure 16, and by means of the eye (see Figure 18),
at bottom receive the axle of each wheel, and are raised and lowered at
pleasure by means of the winch with falling handles (Figure 17). %, the
handles, Figure 20, made of wood. m, the coulter, Figure 6, is fixed in the
groove s, on the furrow side of the body, Figure 8. n, the scraper, Figure 15,
is fixed on the furrow side of the handle over the friction wheel, Figure 11, to
scrape off the earth that collects upon it. o, the dol or draft chain fastens and
connects the fore carriage and the body of the plough by means of the ring and
hook (w). p, the axles or arms of the front wheels. q, the wilding or drail,
Figure 14.
r, the winches or nutts with falling handles, Figure 17. 8, 8, 8,
grooves to admit- the coulter and one of the plough handles. t, a nut and
screw to fasten the share to the body, Figure 21. u, a rod to prevent the
shifting of the collars (h). v, a ferril to prevent the collars from passing higher
up the beam. w, the ring and hook of the dol or draft chain. x, the nuts,
Figure 19, on which the collars with falling handles, Figure 17, affix.