IMPROVEMENTS IN HARROWS
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS. SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
FINLAYSON, of 4, Regent's Street, Cheltenham, in the County of Gloucester,
M.D., send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-first day of April, in the first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Robert. Finlayson, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Robert Finlayson, my exors, adñiors, and assigns,
or such others as I the said Robert Finlayson, my exors, admors, or assigns,"
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARROWS;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Robert
Finlayson, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled
in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Robert Finlayson, do hereby declare, that the nature of my said Invention,

page_text: and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say:-
These improvements are confined to six heads, namely,―
The first consist in an improved construction of the frame of the fore wheel
turning on a pin in its staff, so as to insure the wheel running fair behind the
muzzle of the harrow in turning, &c.
The second is an improved mode of connecting the staff of the fore wheel
with the lever at the required length, to render the leverage power complete in
raising the tines out of the ground, or allowing them to enter at the required
depth.
The third consists in the altered form of the tines, rendering them stronger,
with two outrigger tines added at little additional expence.
The fourth, in the altered situation and mode of adjusting the hindermost
wheels.
The fifth consists in the application of the outrigger tines to work or remain
at rest, at pleasure.
And the sixth, in the application of cast-iron hose, when wanted, to the
grubber drill or harrows.
Figure No. 1 represents one of my grubber harrows, the frame and cross
bars of which are generally made of wrought iron, but they may be made of
cast iron or wood. The cross bars support a peculiar sort of tines, shewn at
Figures 4 and 5. The first is called the dinotherium giganteum tine, from its
form being taken from the front teeth of that extinct animal; and the second is
called the outrigger tine, from its position at the outside of the shoulder of the
frame. These tines are placed before the cross bars, and pass through them
from before backwards, instead of passing through the cross bars from below
upwards. From this circumstance, as well as from the curved form of the tines,
the vegetable matter they meet with in the progress of the harrow through
the soil is pressed upwards and thrown off at A, and thus the harrow is enabled
to clear itself from root, weeds, &c. The depth at which the first row of tines
work is adjusted by the regulating lever. This lever has its short arm
attached to the front of the frame at B, and its long arm extending backwards
to be within reach of the attendant behind the upright frame or guide at C.
The lever, a little behind its attachment with the frame, passes through a'
mortice in the staff of the fore wheel at D, on which it acts as its fulcrum ;
and it is evident, when the handle of the lever C is moved downwards between
the upright spring or guide from E to F, the frame will be raised, and the

page_text: tines thrown out of the ground; and when the lever is raised to the top of the
guide to E, the tines will be working at the greatest depth. The fore wheel:
and its frame turns on a pin inserted into its staff at G, in such a manner as
to insure the wheel running fair behind the muzzle of the harrow in turning
&c.; and the staff of the fore wheel is so connected with the lever as to allow
it to be lengthened or shortened at pleasure, so as to render the leverage
power complete. In soft land, when one wheel is apt to sink or clog, two
wheels may be used instead of one; in that case the frame of the fore wheel
works on an axle between the two wheels at H. The depth at which the last
row of tines are required to work is regulated by a revolving handle annexed
to the axles, and fixed by a pin going through this handle into the quadrant
dial placed at the inside of the wheels. By the simple movement of this
handle upwards or downwards the. hindermost wheels are brought nearer.
to or removed further from the frame, in order to enable the tines to work at
the requisite depth. Besides this simple mode of adjustment, the hindermost
wheels are placed more forward at the sides of the frame than in the original
harrow, which renders it stiffer, an object of great value in working strong
land. The outrigger tines are fixed at the outside of the frame of the
shoulder of the harrow I; they may be put to work or remain at rest, according
to the strength of the cattle or stiffness of the soil.
..
My cast-iron hose, shewn at Figure 6, are made to fit the tines of the
grubber harrow or drill harrow. They can be put on at pleasure when the
object is to cut the weeds under the surface. By their use, time and expence
is saved in shifting the tines.
Figure No. 2 represents a smaller form of my grubber harrow, suited to the
strength of two horses in light land, or to four in very strong land. The
diminished size of the implement gives it great additional strength. The
frame of this harrow is made a little different from No. 1, as will be observed
in the Drawing; but the impliment in every other respect is adjusted alike
and agrees with the description of No. 1.
Figure No. 3 represents my horse-hoe or drill harrow. It has seven tines, the
front one in the form of a duck-footed coulter. It is so regulated as to work
at the required depth or width between the drills of turnips or potatoes; and
it is admirably adapted for cleaning the furrows of foul land of couch or other
root weeds where they cannot be reached with the harrow. In that case a
single horse going up one furrow and down another is the best method of
working it. The cast-iron bose, shewn at No. 6, may be put on at pleasure
when working between the drills of turnips or potatoes.

page_text: The cast-iron hose, and improvement in the form of duck-footed_coulter,.is
all I claim as new in this drill harrow.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Finlayson, have hereunto set my:
hand and seal; this Third day of August, One thousand eight hundred