IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO LAND ROLLERS, SEED DRILLS, AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS DRAWN BY HORSES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Clarke Ogle, of Ripley, in the County of
Derby, Agricultural Implement Manufacturer, for the Invention of
" IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES,
WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO LAND ROLLERS, SEED DRILLS,
AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS DRAWN BY HORSES."
Sealed the 24th January 1873, and dated the 27th November 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Clarke Ogle
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 27th November 1872.
I, GEORGE CLARKE OGLE, of Ripley, in the County of Derby,
Agricultural Implement Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF REAPING
AND MOWING MACHINES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO LAND
ROLLERS, SEED DRILLS, AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS DRAWN BY HORSES,"
to be as follows:
-
This Invention relates to the arrangements for effecting the draught
and steerage of such implements, the object of the said Invention being

page_text: to reduce the weight upon the horses' necks, and at the same time to
render the draught steadier and easier, and to afford proper facility for
steering and turning the implement.
tr swan
I employ a central poll which (by preference) is cranked or
necked" upwards, so as to bring the forward part to the proper level
with the horse's body. To one side of this pole I attach rigidly, by two
cross pieces at the rear end, a shaft, so that the steering or turning of
the implement is effected mainly by the horse, which is placed between
the poll and this shaft, but instead of attaching the draught chains or
traces direct to the pole and shaft, as commonly practised, I have a
whippletree fixed loose. on a central bolt either above or beneath the rear
end of the pole, and to each end of this whippletree I attach by a strap
or link the centre of a splinter bar. Each splinter bar has a hook at
each end, to which the draught chains or traces of the two horses are
attached, so that the draught is equally divided between the two horses
and neither of them can shirk its fair share of work. In some cases
I propose to have a second fixed shaft on the other side of the pole for
convenience of turning and backing, but always connecting the draught
chains or traces to the splinter bars instead of direct to the pole or
shafts. When the whippletrec is fixed under the pole the chains pass
forwards through loops or staples underneath the pole and shaft, and are
then brought upwards through slots in the same, and attached to the
shoulder hooks. In one of the cross pieces there is a hole, through
which a pin may be inserted in front of the whippletree and prevent
it from swivelling in case it should be desirable to work with only one
horse in the shafts or to remove the outside horse to pass through a
narrow gate. The draught of all shafts as at present used is a fixed
point, and one horse quicker or more willing than the other may take
nearly the whole of the draught; but with my improved arrangement
the draught will be necessarily equalized. The horses also will not be
liable to chafe their hinder legs with the pole or chains or to get their
legs over the same in turning or backing the implement, and their
liability to become restive or to kick will hence be considerably
diminished.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Clarke Ogle in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 27th May 1873.
0
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
CLARKE OGLE, of Ripley, in the County of Derby, Agricultural Imple.
ment Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,. by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in
the thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said George Clarke Ogle, Her
special license that I, the said George Clarke Ogle, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Clarke
Ogle, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF REAPING AND MOWING
MACHINES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO LAND ROLLERS, SEED
DRILLS, AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS DRAWN BY HORSES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Clarke Ogle, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 George Clarke Ogle, 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 and accompanying Drawings (that
is to say):
This Invention relates to the arrangements for effecting the draught
and steerage of such implements, the object of the said Invention being
to reduce the weight upon the horses' necks, and at the same time to

page_text: render the draught steadier and easier, and to afford proper facility for
steering and turning the implement.
I employ a central pole which (by preference) is cranked or "swan-
necked," upwards, so as to bring the forward part to the proper level
with the horse's body. To one side of this pole I attach rigidly by two
cross pieces at the rear end a shaft, so that the steering and turning of
the implement is effected mainly by the horse which is placed between
the pole and this shaft, but instead of attaching the draught chains or
traces direct to the pole and shaft, as commonly practised, I have a
whippletree fixed loose on a central bolt, either above or beneath the
rear end of the pole, and to each end of this whippletree I attach by a
bolt or link the centre of a splinter bar. Each splinter bar has a hook
at each end to which the draught chains or traces of the two horses are
attached, so that the draught is equally divided between the two horses
and neither of them can shirk its fair share of work. When the whipple-
tree is fixed under the pole the chains pass forwards through loops or
staples underneath the pole and shaft, and are then brought upwards
through slots in the same, and attached to the shoulder hooks. In one
of the cross pieces there is a hole, through which a pin may be inserted
in front of the whippletree and prevent it from swivelling in case it
should be desirable to work with only one horse in the shafts, or to
remove the outside horse to pass through a narrow gate.
The draught of all shafts as at present used is a fixed point, and one
horse quicker or more willing than the other may take nearly the whole
of the draught, but with my improved arrangement the draught will be
necessarily equalized. The horses also will not be liable to chafe their
hinder legs with the pole or chains, or to get their legs over the same
in turning or backing the implement, and their liability to become
restive or to kick will hence be considerably diminished.
I may here remark that my Invention can be readily applied to
machines now in use as well as to new machines.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention I will now.
proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which the same is to be
or may be performed or carried into practical effect, and in order that the
same may be clearly understood I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of
Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures
and letters of reference corresponding with those in the following
explanation thereof:

page_text: In the annexed Drawing Fig. 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan
view showing the application of my Invention to the axle of mowing or
reaping machines.
.
a, a, is the main axle of the machine supported upon the wheels b, b.
To the socket c, c, which is free to turn upon the axle, the stump d, d,
is bolted, and the pole e, e, is bolted to the upper end of this stump, so
as to bring the pole to the proper level with the horse's body, but if pre-
ferred, the pole may be made in one piece, curved or "swan-necked" at
the rear end to get the proper elevation. To one side of the pole e, e,
the shaft.f, f, is attached rigidly by two cross pieces g, g; h, h, is a
whippletree capable of turning on a central stud i, i, on the pole (as
shown in dotted lines) and having a splinter bar j, j, attached by the
centre to each end. To the end of the splinter bar j, j, the draught
chains or traces k, k, are hooked, the other ends of the same being either
attached to hocks 1, 1, or direct to the shoulder hooks. In the Drawing
a triple hook is shown, being the hook for the draught chain m, the
hook for the back band, and n the hook for the shoulder chain; o, o, is
the hook for the breech band, by means of which the machine is backed.
In cases where the draught chains or traces are connected direct to
the shoulder hooks I use a double hook for the breech band and back
band. p, p, are long staples upon which the hooks slide so as to give
full play to the whippletrees in drawing, q, q, is a hole through one of
the cross pieces 9, g, and a pin is to be dropped into this hole in front
of the whippletree whenever it is required to draw the machine by one
horse only. Also in some cases (if preferred) I propose to attach a
second shaft on the other side of the pole as before named.
Fig. 3 shows the arrangement when the whippletree is fixed under-
neath the pole. In this case the draught chains or traces k, k, pass
forward through loops or staples r, r, and are then brought upwards
through slots both in the pole and shaft s, s.
In order to get the draught as low as possible in reaping and mowing-
machines I also sometimes attach a draught rod or chain to the central
bolt upon which the whippletree turns, and connect it thereby to some
convenient part of the framing as near as practicable to the level of
the knife bar.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention,
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed
or carried into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I claim

page_text: •
as my Invention the combination of whippletrees and draught chains
or traces with shafts for effecting the draught and steerage of such
machines substantially as herein-before described, and illustrated by the
Drawings annexed, whereby the draught is equalized, and at the same
time the backing effected by means of the breech band, and the great
weight and strain on the horses' necks is thus entirely obviated.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Clarke Ogle, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witnessed by,
GEORGE DAVIES, C.E.,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
G. C. OGLE. (L.S.)