IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES."—A com-
munication from abroad by Samuel Johnston, of Brockport, New
York United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 17th June 1872.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
5 Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for " IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES,"
a communication, to be as follows:-

page_text: The frame of the machine consists of a continuous bar or strip of
wrought iron bolted to the tongue. The said bar being set up edgewise,
its material is in the most effective position to sustain vertical strains to
which the main frame is most exposed, and by this construction of the
main frame I obtain great strength combined with lightness and economy
of material.
The rear bearing of the shafting consists of a sleeve and two arms
projecting therefrom and bolted at their ends to the main frame. The
sleeve supports the rear end of the crank shaft. The front bearing of
the shafting consists of two sleeves made in one piece from which
project two arms. This bearing is formed with suitable lugs bolted to
the front and sides of the frame. The upper sleeve supports the front
end of the second countershaft, and the lower sleeve that of the crank
shaft. The ends of the arms are formed into sleeves to support the first
countershaft.
The driving wheels turn loosely on the axle and may be provided with
the usual backing ratchets. The bearings of the axle are bolted to the
main frame. To the outer wheel is rigidly attached an internal gear
wheel, meshing with a pinion on the outer end of the first counter-
shaft, which is parallel to and in front of the axle and has on it a bevel
gear wheel, meshing with a bevel pinion on the rear end of the second
countershaft. This second countershaft is parallel to the pole or line of
draft of the machine, and has on its front end another internal gear
wheel, into which meshes a pinion on the front end of the crank shaft.
The aforesaid pinion slides on its shaft and may be made fast or loose
thereon to throw the machine into or out of gear by means of the
usual shipping lever and slot and feather.
To the wheel on the rear end of the crank shaft is attached in the
usual manner the inner end of a pitman or rod whose outer end is
forked, the ends of the forks being recessed on the inside to receive a
ball on the head of the knife bar, thus forming a ball and socket joint.
The pressure of the forks against the said ball is regulated by an
adjusting screw.

page_text: coupling arm whose inner end is forked to embrace a ball on the end of
a hanger secured to the frame of the machine. The joint between the
hanger and coupling arm is of the same construction as that between
the aforesaid pitman and knife head; or the ordinary ball and socket
joint may be used. There is a stop on the coupling arm to prevent
the inner end of the finger beam from rising above a certain height.
The rear end of the drag bar is rigidly attached to the front of the
shoe. Its front end is pivoted to the draft rod so as to permit its.axial
motion. The draft rod has its front end pivoted to the tongue, and its
other end passes through a lug on the front bearing of the shafting, and
is held loosely therein by a nut on either side of the said lug so that the
outer angle can rise and fall.
The tilting lever is supported on the tongue and connected by a link
to the draft rod. A suspension lever is also supported on the tongue
and connected with the coupling arm by a rod and chain or other
flexible connection. The chain passes over a pulley on the rear end of
the tongue which extends to the rear of the frame and above the
rearwardly inclined coupling arm. The gearing is covered by a plate
attached to the front portion of the frame and supporting a driver's seat
and footboard.
The ball and socket joint permits the finger beam to be tilted by
means of a tilting lever connected by a link to the draft rod, the
movement of which lever elevates or depresses the front end of the drag
bar and thereby the points of the guard fingers. By means of the
suspension lever and its connection with the coupling arm the inner end
of the finger beam may be adjusted at different heights in reaping, and
may be lifted in mowing till it comes in contact with the aforesaid stop,
after which if the lever be still moved forward the finger beam will be
lifted bodily from the ground.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 14th December 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltinc, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert
Lake, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES," a communication to me from
abroad by Samuel Johnston, of Brockport, New York, United States of
America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Robert Lake, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same 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 William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 accom-
panying Drawing forming a part of this Specification :-
This Invention relates to that class of harvesters known as one-wheeled
zhines and may be used wither for mowing or reaving.

page_text: Figure I is a perspective view of the said machine.
Figure 2 is a plan of a portion of the same detached.
A is the frame of the said machine, which consists of a continuous
bar or strip of wrought iron, bent into the form shown in the plan,
Figure 2, and bolted to the tongue B. The bearings C of the axle are
bolted to the said frame.
The driving wheel D turns loosely on the axle, and has cast or other-
wise secured on it an internal gear wheel E, into which meshes the
pinion F on one end of the countershaft; the other end of the said shaft
carries the bevel gear wheel G. The bearing of the countershaft is a
sleeve secured in any suitable way to the main frame. The pinion F
slides on the countershaft, and is made fast or loose thereon to throw thic
cutting machinery into or out of gear by means of the lever H and the
usual slot and feather.
The plate I, bolted or otherwise secured to the left rear corner of the
frame, supports the rear end of the crank shaft sleeve J, the front end of
which is rigidly secured (either directly or intermediately) to the frame.
Within the sleeve J is the crank shaft, on whose front end is the bevel
pinion K meshing into bevel gear wheel G, and on its rear end is the
crank wheel L, to which is connected the pitman that reciprocates the
knife bar. The support M of the driver's seat N is bolted to a projection
from the countershaft bearing, or secured in any convenient way to the
frame. The footboard O is fastened to the main frame and tongue.
To the shoe P on the inner end of the finger bar Q is rigidly attached
the drag bar R, suspended at its front end by the link S from the bent
lever T, so that it can be moved up and down, and also turn on its
axis within the slotted hanger U. This hanger is fastened to the tongue,
and the lever T may be supported by it. An upright standard V is also
rigidly secured to the front of the shoe P. To the top and foot of this
standard are pivotted two parallel bars W, whose other ends are pivotted
to the plate I at the left rear corner of the frame. The top of this
standard is forked, and the ends of the forks are recessed on the inside to
receive a ball on the outer end of the upper bar W, so as to form a ball

page_text: and socket joint V¹. The pressure of the forks against the ball is
regulated by an adjusting screw.
To the rear of the tongue is bolted the support of the suspension
lever X, to which one of the bars W is connected by a chain or other
flexible connection Y. The bars W, plate I, and standard V form a 5
parallel motion, and, in combination with the lever X and a flexible con-
nection Y, enable the cutting apparatus to be raised from the ground in
mowing and adjusted at various heights in reaping. The drag bar serves
to draw the cutting apparatus forward as the machine advances, and to
support the said apparatus against strains, which tend to wrench it from 1
the machine, while the parts which compose the parallel motion enable
the cutting apparatus (or the outer support thereof) to support the
machine and prevent its toppling over.
By means of the tilting lever T, drag bar R, and ball and socket
joint V at the upper angle of the parallel motion next the cutting 1
apparatus, the finger beam may be tilted so as to elevate or depress the
points of the guard fingers.
When the machine is to be used for reaping, the grain platform and
raking apparatus are attached to it by bolting the main beam A¹ of the
platform to the inner shoe P, and the divider B' to the outer shoc Z.
The beam A' extends inwardly beyond the shoe P, and to this inner
extension is bolted the standard C¹ which supports the raking apparatus.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the
same, I wish it understood that I claim,-
The combination in a one-wheeled harvesting machine of the parallel
motion and drag bar, substantially as described.
The combination in a one-wheeled harvesting machine of the drag bar
with the parallel motion suspending lever and flexible connection,
substantially as described.
The inward extension of the main beam of the grain platform in
combination with the raking apparatus situated on the said inward
extension, substantially as described
2
3

page_text: The combination of the parallel motion suspending devices and inner
shoe with the inwardly extended main beam of the grain platform and
raking apparatus situated on said inward extension, substantially as
described.
The combination, substantially as described, of the ball and socket
joint V in the parallel motion with the drag bar and tilting lever.
A parallel motion with a ball and socket connection between two of
its members, so as to permit of the tilting of the finger beam, substan-
stantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, havo liere-
unto set my hand and scal, this Eleventh day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.
5 Witness,
JAMES EDWARDS,
8, Southampton Buildings,
W.C.
WM. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)