IMPROVEMENTS IN EXPANDING HORSE HOES AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Crispus Cottis and William Cottis, junior, both of Epping,
in the County of Essex, for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN EXPANDING
HORSE HOES AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS."
Sealed the 18th Wohnw 1070 and Anbad the 9th November 1877
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Crispus Cottis and William
Cottis at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th November
1877.
CRISPUS COTTIS and WILLIAM COTTIS, junior, both of Epping, in the County of
Essex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN 'EXPANDING' HORSE HOES AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL
IMPLEMENTS."
Our Invention relates to improvements in what are known as "expanding" horse
hoes and other agricultural implements, such as drag harrows and scarifiers similarly
constructed, the usual form being a> frame with a hinge joint at the front or apex,
and suitable devices for expanding the frame and securing it in position.
The object of our Invention is to enable the side hoes to be readily set in their
proper position, that is to say, pointing in a direct line forward (after the frame of
the machine has been expanded or contracted to suit the width of the rows between
which it is required to hoe), and to be securely fixed, so that they cannot twist or turn
in work.
Our Invention consists in clamping the stalks of the hoes, as hereafter described,
against curved surfaces provided on the sides of the arms of the the implement frame,
so that by shifting the hoes slightly forward or backward along these curved
surfaces, they may be adjusted to point in the direction required. This method of
securing the hoes admits of their stalks being of the ordinary square, flat, or other
angular form in cross section (instead of the round form hitherto used for the
purpose of this adjustment), which is a great advantage, inasmuch as the hose
cannot twist aside in the hardest work, and they are free to be adjusted vertically

page_text: to regulate the height of the implement frame to suit the crop, which cannot be done
in the case of the round stalks as at present constructed.
According to our Invention, we either form the frame with semicircular, or nearly
semicircular curvatures in the direction of its length (one, two, or more in number,
according to the number of hoes); or instead of semicircles they may be entire
circles; or we provide loose blocks formed each with a curved surface for the hoe
stalk to be fixed against, and a flat or other surface to fit against the frame, upon
which the blocks may be adjusted at various distances apart to suit requirements.
The curved surfaces may in either case have vertical grooves for the angular edges
of the hoe stalk to engage in to retain the hoe firmly in position.
The hoe stalk is securely fixed against the curved surface, which may be either
concave or convex, by means of a metal clip embracing the frame and the hoe stalk,
and a set screw, or an eye bolt, or other suitable fastening. When fixed against a
convex surface, it may be necessary to interpose between the hoc stalk and the said
surface a key, having one side flat, and the other hollow, with sharp edges to take
into the grooves in the convex surface. When using looso blocks, these are pro-
vented by studs or otherwise from slipping along the frame. The stalks, in which
are mounted the hind wheels that support the back part of the implement, may be
similarly secured to the frame.
The expanding movement of the implement is effected by means of two curved
toothed racks connected to the side arms of the frame, with a pinion between them
gearing with both, and operated by a crank handle, the racks being secured in any
position in which they may be placed by a clip above and below, tightened up by
nuts on the axis of the pinion as hitherto.
The improvement herein consists in serrating the top and bottom surfaces of the
racks, and the corresponding surfaces of the clips, so as to prevent the possibility of
slipping under the most severe strain.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Crispus Cottis and William Cottis in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 28th May 1878.
CRISPUS COTTIS and WILLIAM COTTIS, junior, both of Epping, in the County of
Essex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN 'EXPANDING HORSE HOES AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL
IMPLEMENTS."
Our Invention relates to what are known as "expanding" horse hoes, and other
agricultural implements, such as drag harrows and scarifiers similarly constructed;
the usual form being a shaped frame, with a hinge joint at the front or apex,
and suitable devices for expanding the frame and securing it in position.
The object of our Invention is to enable the side hoes (or other implements,
according to the kind of machine to which the Invention is applied) to be readily
set in their proper position, that is to say, pointing in a direct line forwards (after
the frame of the machine has been expanded or contracted to suit the width of the
rows of plants between which it is required to hoe), and to be securely fixed, so that
they cannot turn or twist in work.
Our Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawings as applied to a
horse hoe.
]
Figure 1 represents a perspective view, and Figure 2 a plan, of a hoe provided
with our improvements.
Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, represent the several improvements in detail and about
full size
Our Invention consists in clamping the stalks of the hoes against curved surfaces
provided on the side arms of the implement frame, so that by shifting the hoes
slightly forward or backward along these curved surfaces they may be adjusted to
point in the direction required. This method of securing the hoes admits of their
stalks being of the ordinary square, flat, or other form, in cross section (instead of
the round form hitherto used for the purpose of this adjustment), which is a great
advantage, inasmuch as the hoes cannot twist aside in the hardest ground, and they
are free to be adjusted vertically to regulate the height of the implement frame to
suit the crop.
According to our Invention we either form each of the side arms A of the imple-
ment frame with one, two, or more semicircular curvatures B, one for each hoe C,
whose stalk c is securely fixed against the inside or outside curved surface b by
5 means of an iron clip D embracing the part B of the frame A, and provided with
holos & for the hoe stalk c to pass through, and a set screw E working through a
nut or female screw in the clip D, and pressing by its point against the frame, as
clearly shown in clevation in Figure 3, and in plan in Figure 4.
Instead of a clip D and set screw E an eyo bolt and nut, or any other suitable
O fastening, may be used. By this means the angular corners of the stalk care
pressed tightly against the curved surface b, so that it cannot be shifted by a
twisting strain. For further security the surface b may be serrated with vertical
grooves, as at b, for the corners of the stalk c to engage in. By loosening the
screw E the stalk may be readily adjusted in a different position, as shewn in
5 dotted lines in Figure 4. Instead of semicircles B they may be entire circles (as
shewn also in dotted lines, Figure 4) for the sake of strength.
Instead of forging or casting the arms A of the frame with curved portions, as
shewn in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, the arms A may be straight, and loose blocks B' with
a concave or convex curved surface to fix the hoe stalk against, and a flat surface
to fit against the frame A, as shewn in Figures 5 and 6, be employed. By using
these loose blocks B' any desired number of them may be fixed on the arms A, and
b' are studs
they may be adjusted at various distances apart to suit requirements
on the blocks B¹ fitting in holes in the frame A (or vice versa) to prevent the blocks

page_text: slipping. The curved surfaces of the blocks are also serrated or vertically grooved,
as at b.
When the hoe stalk o is fixed against a convex surface, as at Figure 6, it may be
necessary to interpose between the hoe stalk c and the curved surface b a key F
having one side f flat, and the other ƒ' hollow, or curved and serrated to correspond
and engage with the surface b.
The stalks, in which are mounted the hind wheels that support the back part of
the implement, may be similarly secured to the frame. B³ in Figure 2 are curved
portions of the arms A for this purpose.
The expanding movement of the implement is effected by means of two curved
racks G, G, Figures 1, 2, 7, and 8, connected to the side arms A, and having a
pinion H between them, and gearing with both, said pinion being fixed on an axis I
mounted in the beam or centre bar A¹ of the frame, and rotated by a winch handle K.
L is a clip embracing the two racks, and screwed down tightly upon them by a nut
M screwing on the axis I.
Our improvement in this device consists in serrating the surfaces g of the racks,
and the corresponding surfaces 6 of the clip (as shewn in Figure 8, "which is a cross
section on line 1-1, Figure 7), so as to prevent the possibility of slipping under the
most severe strain.
Having described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of performing the
same, we declare that what we claim as our Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. In expanding horse hoes and other agricultural machines referred to, clamping
or securing the stalks of the hoes or other implements (or of the wheel stalks or
standards) against curved surfaces formed on or affixed to the expanding arms of the
franie, substantially as shewn and described, for the purpose specified.
Second. In an expanding horse hoe or other agricultural machine, as above
described, the use of loose blocks having curved surfaces for the stalks of the hoes
or other implements to be clamped against, the said blocks being adjustable
along the machine frame, substantially as shewn and described for the purpose
specified.
Third. Serrating the curved surfaces against which the stalks of the hoes or other
implements are fixed, substantially as shewn and described.
Fourth. The combination of the curved part B of the arm, the clip D provided
with a set screw E, and the stalk c, all constructed substantially as shewn and
described for the purpose specified.
Fifth. The combination of the straight arm A, the loose block B', the clip D, the
set screw E, and the stalk c, all constructed substantially as shewn and described,
for the purpose specified.
Sixth. Serrating the surfaces of the quadrant racks G and the clip L, substan-
tially as and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Crispus Cottis, for myself and on behalf of
the said William Cottis, junior, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
Twenty-eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-eight.