IMPROVE- MENTS IN MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William McIntyre Cranston, of No. 77, Upper
Thames Street, in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES."-A communication from
abroad by Walter Abbott Wood, residing at Hoosick Falls, New York,
United States of America.
Sealed the 27th December 1864, and dated the 16th July 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William McIntyre
Cranston at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
.Petition, on the 16th July 1864.
I, WILLIAM MCINTYRE CRANSTON, of No. 77, Upper Thames Street, in
the City of London, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in mowing and reaping
machines. For these purposes the innermost end of the cutter bar is attached
to and supported on a shoe as heretofore; this shoe is attached by two pin
joints to two projections on a lever, the hinder end of which is capable of rising
and falling where it embraces the axle of the machine, there being a slot in
the lever to admit of this movement. The fore end of the lever has a wheel
or roller resting on the ground, and the lever with its shoe is attached to the
hand lever for raising it by a chain. In addition to the shoe being attached
by two pin joints to the lever, it is further connected by a short lever, the

page_text: outer end of which is pin jointed to projections on the upper surface of the
shoe; this short lever has a notch on its upper edge, a little beyond where
its end is pin jointed to the projections on the shoe. The end of the short lever
next the machine has a hole through it to admit of a pin being passed through
it and through projections on the lever to which the shoe is attached. Or the
pin may be passed through the projections on this lever, and over the short
lever, so as to admit of the short lever sliding between the two projections
and under the pin. On the upper edge of the short lever there is a second
notch near the hole, which, when the short lever is slid in a short distance,
and the end of the short lever is raised by a chain at the end of another or
band lever, such notch will embrace the pin and allow of the inner end of the
short lever pivotting on the pin; or the short lever may be slid further
inwards so as to bring the first-mentioned notch to embrace the pin. By these
means the cutter bar and shoe may be caused to assume varied positions in
respect to the framing of the machine, and when at work the cutter bar will
be able more effectually to act, notwithstanding irregularities of surface.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William M°Intyre Cranston in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 14th January 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MCINTYRE CRANSTON, of No. 77, Upper Thames Street, in the City of London,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William McIntyre Cranston, Her special licence that I, the
said William McIntyre Cranston, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William M°Intyre Cranston, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES," &
communication to me from abroad by Walter Abbott Wood, a person resident
at Hoosick Falls, New York, United States of America, upon the condition

page_text: (amongst others) that I, the said William M°Intyre Cranston, 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 William McIntyre Cranston, 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 thereof; that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in mowing and reaping
machines. For these purposes the innermost end of the cutter bar is attached
to and supported on a shoe; as heretofore, this shoe is attached by two pin
joints to two projections on a lever, the hinder end of which is capable of
rising and falling where it embraces the axle of the, machine, there being a
slot in the lever to admit of this movement. The fore end of the lever has a.
wheel or roller resting on the ground, and the lever with its shoe is attached
to the hand] ✓r for raising it by a chain. In addition to the shoe being.
attached. wo pin joints to the lever, it is further connected by a short
lever, the outer end of which is pin jointed to projections on the upper surface
of the shoe. This short lever has a notch on its upper edge, a little beyond.
where its end is pin jointed to the projections on the shoe. The end of the
short lever next the machine has a hole through it to admit of a pin being
passed through it and through projections on the lever to which the shoe
is attached. Or the pin may be passed through the projections on this lever,
and over the short lever, so as to admit of the short lever sliding between the
two projections and under the pin. On the upper edge of the short lever
there is a second notch near the hole, which, when the short lever is slid in a
short distance,. and the end of the short lever is raised by a chain at the end of.
the other or hand lever, such notch will embrace the pin and allow of the
inner end of the short lever pivotting on the pin; or the short lever may be
slid further inwards so as to bring the first-mentioned notch to embrace the
pin. By these means the cutter bar and shoe may be caused to assume varied
positions in respect to the framing of the machine, and when at work the
cutter bar will be able more effectually to act, notwithstanding irregularities
of surface..
And in order that this Invention may be more fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.

page_text: Figure 1 shows a side view of so much of a reaping or mowing machine as
will enable me to describe this Invention; Figure 2 is a front view of the
same; and Figure 3 is a plan.
In these Figures a, a, represent the wheels of the machine, which turn on.
the axis b, motion is given to the knife in the ordinary manner, and the parts.
for working the same are not shewn in the Drawings, they being of the usual
construction. c* is the cutter bar, which at its end nearest the machine is.
attached to and supported by the shoe c, on which are the projections c', c³, these
projections are pin jointed or otherwise attached to two other projections d', d,.
formed on the under side of the lever d, which is carried at its back end by the
axis 6 of the machine, its front end is supported and carried by the small roller
or wheel e, which, when the machine is at work rests on the surface of the
land; this lever is further attached to the frame of the machine by the metal
bar d. The lever d is capable of rising and falling on the axis b, it being made
for this purpose with a slot, as is clearly shown in Figure 1. In addition:
to the two projections c', c', there are two other projections c, c³, formed on
the shoe c, to which is pin jointed the short lever f, which passes.between two
other projections d³, d², formed on the upper side of the lever d, and under a
pin d passed through the two projections d³, d; the lever f at its other ends
is attached to the hand lever 9 by the chain g.. On the upper edge of the.
lever fare formed two notches, the upper one f¹, when the leverf is slid in a
short distance and its end raised by the hand lever g and chain g¹, embraces.
the pin d³, and renders the cutter bar c* perfectly rigid in respect to the
lever d. When it is desired to transport the machine on a common road, the
cutter bar is raised into the position shown by red lines in Figure 2, the lever f
slides further through between the projections d³, d, until the pin d³ is
embraced by the notch få, and the hand lever g is further depressed until the
catch i passes over the staple k on the hand lever g, the cutter bar will then
remain raised until the catch i is again released; the cutter bar may then be
lowered into a position to resume work. If it be desired to make the cutter
bar stationary, the pin d' is passed through a hole f³ formed in the lever for.
that purpose.
Separate views of the lever fare shown full size in Figures 4. By these
means the cutter bar and shoe. may be caused to assume varied positions in
respect to the framing of the machine; and when at work the knife and cutter
bar will be able to move more effectually notwithstanding the unevenness of
the land, over which the machine may be working.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of this Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim the combination
herein described for carrying, raising, and lowering the cutter bar and parts
connected therewith.
In witness whereof, I, the said William M°Intyre Cranston, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
W*. M. CRANSTON. (L.S.)