IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR MOWING GRASS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International
Patent Office," Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting En-
gineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR MOWING
GRASS." A communication from abroad by William Sprague, of
South Kingstown, Rhode Island, United States of America.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lako
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
and Declaration, on the 3rd February 1870, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," Southampton
Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINES FOR MOWING GRASS," and have petitioned Her Majesty to
grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal
Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that it

page_text: has been communicated to me from abroad by William Sprague, of
South Kingstown, Rhode Island, United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare that the following Complote Specification, under my hand and.
seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, 5
and in what manter the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing making a
nant of this Specification

page_text: I
and turn in; underneath this long boss E they are cast two lugs c, c, to
which a shield or protector F is hinged by a pivot at d, the said shield
or protector; in addition to its protection to the crank wheel b, serving.
as a support for the swivel shank c of the coupling arm G, so that the
said coupling arm, while capable of rocking or rolling in the piece F,
has also a motion with the piece F on its pivot pin d, such two motions
being at nearly right angles to each other. The inner shoe H, which
carries the finger bar and cutting apparatus and the several appliances
used in connection with the cutting apparatus, is hinged to the coupling
bar or arm G by the lugs f and respectively on cach, through which
the pivot pins. % pass. On the coupling arm is cast a lug i, into
which the point j of the raising, lowering, or holding lever I takes for
raising, lowering, or holding the cutting apparatus into any desired
position, it having a spring locking lever / connected with it, which
takes into one of the notches of the keeper m pendent from the frame,
and on which keeper the lever I is adjustable by a slot and set screw, as
at n. The clutch or ratchet and pawl boxes are made and connected
with the axle and wheels as follows:-The ratch portion J is secured to
the axle B, and the pawl plate K is secured to the heel of the hub of
the wheel by means of recesses 1 cast or made in the hub, and corre
sponding projections 2 cast or wrought upon the pawl plate K, so that
the latter can be dropped upon the former, and there held without
finishing and fitting claborately, as heretofore done. It is obvious that
the projections and depressions may be reversed, and any suitablo
number of them used without changing the character of the Invention.
When the wheel and the pawl plate thus united are slipped upon the
journal of the axle the pawls o connect with the ratchet teeth p, and
the plate itself closes or forms a top to the ratch-box, thus making
the parts snug and protecting them from dirt and injury. The driver's
scat L is secured to the rear of the box frame C by a support passing
partially around the rear of the box and secured at q, and by a strap"
passing around the said support horizontally, and fastened to the frame
at 8.
The toothed wheels in the box frame work as follows:-The
wheel 3. is fast on the main axle, and always turns with the axle. From
this main wheel 3 motion is transmitted-through the wheels 4, 5, 6, 7,
and 8 to the crank shaft and thence to the cutters. The toothed wheel 4
can be caused to slide upon its shaft by a clutch levert projecting through
the box frame, and there is a clutch or semi-clutch on the hub of the
wheel 4 that works in connection with a similar semi-clutch on the hub

page_text: of the wheel 5, which is fast upon its shaft, so that when the wheel 4 is
moved away from the wheel 5 by the clutch lever all the toothed wheels
beyond the wheel 4 arc motionless. When the said wheel 4 is moved
the other way motion is transmitted through all of them and to the
cutters. A drag chain u runs from the pole M to and connects with the
coupling arm G, and a second drag chain may extend from the
coupling arm, and be fastened to an arm projecting laterally from
thic pole. These chains relieve the coupling arm of much strain, par-
ticularly in turning the machine.
Having thus fully described the Invention, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and shown how the same may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practise, I claim,—
First. The combination of the coupling arm with the hinged supporting
piece F, whereby the said coupling arm can swing with and also roll
independent of the said supporting piece, substantially as and for the
purpose described.
Second. Also the combination of the clutch plates K with the hubs of
their respective wheels, when united thereto by recesses 1 and projec-
tions 2, and when the said plates form one of the enclosing ends of
the spring pawl and ratchet chambers, substantially as described and
represented.
In witness whercof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this Third day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
H. J. GEDGE,
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)
Clerk to Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Southampton Buildings,
London.