IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Stephen Tho Osmond, of Ramsbury, in the
County of Wilts, and Edwin Dandridge Collins, of Newbury, in the
County of Berks, Machinists and Ironfounders, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Stephen Thomas Osmond
and Edwin Dandridge Collins at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 18th March 1858.
We, STEPHEN THO OSMOND, of Ramsbury, in the County of Wilts, and
EDWIN DANDRIDGE COLLINS, of Newbury, in the County of Berks, Machinists
and Ironfounders, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to raising and lowering the heads of ploughs, and
consists in the application of such apparatus to them as to enable the raising
or lowering while the plough is in operation. The fore end of the plough is
mounted on a light fore carriage travelling on wheels, in the upper cross bar
or frame of which a rack bar is mounted, to slide up and down. This rack is
furnished with a ring, to receive and support the fore end of the plough. In
the upper part of the frame before mentioned a pinion is fitted, which pinion
gears with the rack. A screw is also fitted thereto, which gears with the pinion

page_text: and imparts motion to it, and retains it & the rack in any required position.
The axis of the screw is in line with the direction of the length of the plough;
a light rod or shaft is carried backwards to a hand wheel placed between the
hand holds of the plough, by which means the man attending the plough can,
from time to time, easily elevate or depress the fore end of the plough, in
order to set and regulate it during the progress of the work.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Stephen Thomas Osmond and Edwin Dandridge Collins in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th September 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, STEPHEN
THOMAS OSMOND, of Ramsbury, in the County of Wilts, and EDWIN DANDRIDGE
COLLINS, of Newbury, in the County of Berks, Machinists & Ironfounders,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Stephen Thomas Osmond & Edwin Dandridge Collins, Her
special licence that we, the said Stephen Thomas Osmond & Edwin Dandridge
Collins, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said Stephen Thomas Osmond & Edwin Dandridge Collins, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Stephen Thomas Osmond &
Edwin Dandridge Collins, our executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Stephen Thomas Osmond, on behalf
of myself & the said Edwin Dandridge Collins, do hereby declare the nature
of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to

page_text: be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, & to the
letters & figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
Our Invention relates to the improvements in raising & lowering the heads
of ploughs, & consists in the application of such apparatus as to enable the
ploughman to raise or lower the plough head while it is in operation, the
ploughman at the time remaining between the handles. The fore end of the
plough is mounted on a light fore carriage travelling on wheels, in the upper
cross bar or frame of which a rack bar is mounted, to slide up & down.
This rack is furnished with a ring, to receive & support the fore end of the
plough; in the upper frame before mentioned a pinion is fitted, which pinion
gears with the rack; a screw is also fitted in this frame, which gears with the
pinion & imparts motion to it, the whole remaining in gear with the rack in
any required position; the axis of the screw is in line with the direction of the
length of the plough; a light shaft is carried backwards to a hand wheel placed
between the band holds of the plough, by which means the man attending the
plough can from time to time easily elevate or depress the fore end of the
plough, in order to set & regulate it during the progress of the work.
Fig. 1 represents the side elevation of a plough fitted with gear for
elevating or lowering the head or front part according to our Invention ;
(Fig. 2) an end view of the same, while Figs. 3 & 4 show some of the gear
detached. a, a, is the fore carriage, as usual, from which two uprights b, b,
are raised, carrying a cross piece or frame c, c, firmly bolted thereto; in the
cross frame c, c, a vertical guide groove is formed, in which a rack d is fitted,
so as to slide easily & steadily up & down therein; the back of the rack bears
in the guide groove while the teeth take into a pinion e, which is mounted on
an axis supported in bearing cheeks or lugs raised from cross frame c, c; this
pinion supports & controls the position of the rack d; the lower part of the
rack is furnished with a ring or hoop f, through which the fore end of the
plough beam passes & by which it is sustained, any up & down motion of
the rack being communicated thereto. 9, 9, are pins inserted through ring f,
to limit the side play of the beam h, if necessary; i is an endless screw, best
seen in the section of the fore carriage, Fig. 3; it is fixed on an axis k fitted
to bearings in cross frame c, c; any rotatory motion. communicated to axis k
& screw i causes the rotation of pinion e, & consequently imparting an up or
down movement to the rack && plough beam h. The rake of the screw i is
such, that its contact with the pinion e retains the whole of the parts in any
position to which it may be turned, the weight thereof having no effect to put
the same in motion; m, m, is a long light shaft connected to axis k, by

page_text: preference with a double joint n, n, to permit deflection in either direction.
The rear end of m, m, is fitted in a bearing supported on one of the cross bars
between the hand holds p, p; a hand wheel r, r, is fixed on the end of the
shaft m, which terminates in a position convenient to be under the immediate
control of the ploughman, when between the handles p, p. By these means,
the ploughman by simply turning the hand wheel a little, from time to time,
as may be required when ploughing or when turning at the headlands, can
readily raise or lower the plough head, & regulate & adjust it, so as to set
the plough as may be required, & this without leaving the handles at any time.
Having described the nature of our Invention, & the manner of performing
the same, we desire it to be understood that what we claim as of our Inven-
tion, to be secured by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is the
application of the gear described & represented in the Drawings annexed, to
ploughs for raising or lowering the fore ends, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Stephen Thomas Osmond, on behalf of
myself & the said Edwin Dandridge Collins, have hereunto set my
hand & seal, this Tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred & fifty-eight.
STEPHEN THOS OSMOND. (L.S.)