IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CULTIVATING AND TILLING IMPLEMENTS.
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Mewzam Nicholson and William Mather, both of
Newark upon Trent, in the County of Nottingham, Agricultural Engineers,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CULTIVATING
AND TILLING IMPLEMENTS.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Mewgam Nicholson
and William Mather at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
27th June 1879.
WILLIAM MEWZAM NICHOLSON and WILLIAM MATHER, both of Newark upon
Trent, in the County of Nottingham, Agricultural Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF CULTIVATING AND TILLING IMPLEMENTS."
Our Invention has for its object, lat., a method of reducing the power commonly
required for the raising of cultivating and tilling implements out of work; and
2ndly, a method of rendering such implements what is usually called self acting or
self lifting, such lifting being effected by the onward progress of the horse or other
draught power.
In applying the first part of this Invention for the purpose of counterbalancing
the weight of the body of the cultivator, we fix, in addition to the ordinary handle
or lifting lever, a second lever upon the usual cranked axle of the hind wheels. A
pair of jointed links connects the end of this second lever to a fixed fulcrum upon
the frame. Attached to this fulcrum and the first of the pair of links is a strong
helical spring so arranged that its tension acts, through the links and the lever,
upon the axle, and tends to keep the whole in equilibrium, whatever may be the
position or inclination of the cranked axle. In order that the front of the cultivator
may be lifted simultaneously with the back, a quadrant is fixed upon the cranked
axle. This quadrant is hollow on the outer edge, so as to receive a chain which is
fastened to the hinder part of the quadrant, and passes along the cultivator round
a pulley, and is attached to the top of the stem of the fixings of the fore wheels,
such attachment being made by a bar passing through a mortice at the top of this
stem. The bar has a series of holes formed in it to receive a cotter pin, and by
raising or lowering this bar, the depth at which the front part of the cultivator

page_text: works, and the inclination of the tynes is easily regulated. Another plan of
counterbalancing the body of the cultivator is to mount upon the cranked axle a
spiral cab, quadrant, or fuzee, round which is a chain having its outer end fastened
to a spring, which spring is attached to the framing by an adjustable screw.
This
spring acts upon the axle with a varying force according to its inclination and
position. In carrying out the second part of our Invention, we make the front
wheels of cultivators or other tilling instruments fast on their axle so that it re-
volves with them instead of the wheels revolving on the axle in the ordinary manner.
On this revolving axle we key or fasten a ratchet wheel. A pawl carried by a pair
of radius bars loose on the axle is caused to engage with the ratchet wheel by
means of a hand lever. When the pawl is so engaged with the ratchet wheel, it
carries the radius bars with it, and attached to these bars are chains. One of these
chains is fastened to an arm or lever on the hind axle, which axlo is cranked in the
usual way, and the other chain passing over a pulley on the sliding stem or fixing
of the fore axle is attached to the frame, so that by the rotation of the fore wheels
with their axle the cultivator is lifted out of the ground until the pawl is released
from the ratchet wheel. The releasing of the pawl can either be effected by hand
or by means of a projection on the frame, fixed in such a position that it comes in
contact with the pawl and releases it at any determined point.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Mewzam Nicholson and William Mather in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 27th December 1879.
WILLIAM MEWZAM NICHOLSON and WILLIAM MATHER, both of Newark upon
Trent, in the County of Nottingham, Agricultural Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF CULTIVATING AND TILLING IMPLEMENTS.”
Our Invention has for its objects, first, a new and improved method of counter-
balancing the weight of wheel or drag harrows or other similar cultivating imple-
ments, and so reducing the power requisite for lifting the same; secondly, an
improved method of adjusting the height of the tines froin the ground, so that the
depth they enter at the back or frout of the implement may be varied at pleasure;
and, thirdly, a new and improved method of rendering such implements self lifting;
and that our Invention may be the better described and understood, we have
appended hereunto one Sheet of Drawings. The first part of our Invention is
illustrated by Figure 1. Upon the usual cranked axle "A" we fix an additional
lever "B" A pair of links "C" and "C" jointed together at "c" connect the end
of the lever "B" to a fixed fulcrum "e" on the main frame "E" of the implement.
A strong helical spring "D" is attached between the fulcrum "e," and an inter-
mediate point in the link “C” in such a position, that its tension acts through the
links "C" and "C" and the lever "B" upon the axle "A" with a varying force,
and so tends to keep the whole in equilibrium, whatever the inclination of the
cranked axle may be.
Figure 2 shows a modification of the first part of our Invention. A spiral camb
or fuzee "B" is fixed upon the usual cranked axle "A" round which is a chain "b."
This chain receives a constant tension from the helical spring "D" attached to the
main frame "E" of the implement. By these means the tension of the spring "D"
is caused to act upon the cranked axle "A" with a varying force, according to its
inclination and position, and so tends to keep the weight of the whole implement
counterbalanced upon its wheels, whatever the inclination and position of the
cranked axle may be.
The second part of our Invention is applicable to harrows and similar implements
when made, so that the motion given by the hand-lever to the hind wheels is
communicated by a chain or similar appliance to the front wheel or wheels. We
make the attachment of the chain to the sliding stem "G" adjustable. Figure 1
shows the attachment made by means of a bar "H," which can slide in a mortico
made for it in the head of the sliding stem "G." A series of holes "h” are made
in this bar "H" to receive a cotter pin, so that the length of the attachment may
be conveniently varied, and the height and position of the front and hind wheels
altered at will. Figure 2 shows the attachment made adjustable by means of a
screw "H" and hand wheel "h" A rack and pinion may be employed for the
same purpose.
The third part of our Invention is illustrated in Figure 3, and consists in making
the front wheel or wheels fast upon the axle, which axle revolves in bearings on the
sliding stem "G" The ratchet wheel "R" is secured to the axle so as to revolve
with it. A pair of radius bars "O" and "O" fast to one another at the base are
mounted loosely on the axle and carry a pawl "P." This pawl can be put into
gear with the ratchet wheel "R" by means of a lever "I" provided with a handle
extending to the rear of the implement. The radius bar "O" is connected by a
chain" to an arm "a" on the main cranked axle "A," and the other radius bar
"01" is connected to the sliding stem of the front wheels by a chain “o'” passing
over a pulley on the head of the stem, and connected to the frame "E" of the
implement. When the pawl "P" is put into gear with the ratchet wheel "R" by
means of the hand lever "1," it revolves round with the axle, carrying the radius

page_text: bars with it, and by means of the chains "o" and "o¹” raising the implement out
of work on its wheels by the onward progress of the horse or other motive power.
The pawl is disengaged from the ratchet wheel by the tail "p" of the pawl “P”
coming into contact with a projection on the sliding stem "G."
Having thus described our Invention and the methods in which the same is to 5
be carried into effect, what we claim is, first, the counterbalancing the weight of
wheel or drag harrows or other similar cultivating implements, substantially as
shewn and described in Figures 1 and 2; secondly, the method of adjusting the
height of the tines, substantially as shown and described in Figures 1 & 2; and,
thirdly, the method of rendering such cultivating implements self-lifting, substan- 1
tially as shown and described in Figure 3.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Mewzam Nicholson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty sixth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
WILLIAM MEWZAM NICHOLSON. (L.S.) 1