IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Burgess, of the firm of Burgess and Key,
of Newgate Street, in the City of London, Agricultural Implement
Makers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING
MACHINES."
Sealed the 5th January 1858; and dated the 7th July 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Burgess at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th July 1857.
I, WILLIAM BURGESS, of the firm of Burgess and Key, of Newgate Street,
in the City of London, Agricultural Implement Makers, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING
MACHINES," to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to effect a better separation than heretofore
between the cut crop and that which is left standing, and to deliver the
cut crop on to or towards the platform of the machine. And my Inven-
tion consists in the employment on that side of the machine which travels
close to the standing crop, of a revolving divider, and I prefer that divider
to be in the form of a cone or conical-shaped barrel, furnished or not
with a screw vane or screw vanes over the whole or only part of the
length thereof. The apex or point of the cone or barrel is placed towards
the front of the machine, and in advance of the knife or cutting apparatus.

page_text: My Invention also consists in constructing the divider boards in reaping
and mowing machines for cutting certain crops in such manner that part
thereof may be removed over the end of the finger beam, or may be formed
with a moveable flap. And I construct the reel vanes in such manner that
they may be made to expand and contract in the direction of their length, for
the purpose of enabling the vanes to pass as near as may be to the fingers,
and thus draw or direct short crops on to the platform.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Burgess in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th January 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BURGESS, of the firm of Burgess and Key, of Newgate Street, in the City of
London, Agricultural Implement Makers, send greeting.
WHEREAS IIer most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her reigu,
did, for Ierself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Burgess, Her special licence that I, the said William Burgess,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Burgess, my 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
REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Burgess, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 Burgess, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to bo
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that
is to say-

page_text: The object of my Invention is to effect a better separation than heretofore
between the cut crop and that which is left standing, and to deliver the
cut crop on to or towards the platforin of the machine. And my Inven-.
tion consists in the employment on that side of the machine which travels
close to the standing crop, of a revolving divider, and I prefer that divider
to be in the form of a cone or conical-shaped barrel, furnished or not
with a screw vane or screw vanes over the whole, or only part of the
length thereof. The apex or point of the cone or barrel is placed towards
the front of the machine, and in advance of the knife or cutting apparatus.
My Invention also consists in constructing the divider boards in reaping
and mowing machines for cutting certain crops in such manner that part
thereof may be removed over the end of the finger beam, or may be formed
with a moveable flap. And I construct the reel vanes in such manner that
they may be made to expand and contract in the direction of their length, for
the purpose of enabling the vanes to pass as near as may be to the lingers,
and thus draw or direct short crops on to the platform.
In order that my Invention may be clearly understood, I will now proceed
to describe the same more fully, with reference to the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a reaping machine with my conical
revolving divider applied thereto. A, A1, A2, are the Archimedian screws
which form part of the platform. These screws revolve in suitable bearings,
and receive their motion from the pulley B, which is fixed on the shaft of the
pinion and wheel C, C. The pinion C is geared into by a spur wheel D,
which is fixed on the same shaft as the bearing and main driving wheel E,
which rolls on the ground as the machine is drawn forward. F is the
revolving conical divider, for separating the cut from the standing crop. The
divider is mounted on a shaft G, the higher end of which revolves in a
bearing at H, and the lower end in a suitable bearing formed on or fixed to
the front end of the divider beam or point, which projects in front of the
sickle and fingers. The revolving conical divider F has a screw or screw
vanes I, made of plate iron or other suitable material, attached to its surface,
and is made to revolve so as to divide the corn to be cut from that which will
remain uncut, and likewise to throw the corn when cut on the platform.
Motion is given to the conical divider from a pulley J, which is fixed on the
reel shaft J, a belt J" is passed round this pulley and over a second pulley K,
which revolves on a stud fixed in the moveable beam or framework K'; a
third pulley L is fixed to the side of the second pulley K, and revolves on the
same stud. A strap or band is passed over the pulley L and over a fourth

page_text: pulley M, which is mounted on and revolves on a stud fixed in the framework.
This pulley has a bevel wheel N fixed to it, which gears into a corresponding
bevel wheel fixed on the conical divider shaft. The divider and shaft may be
set at any desired angle. The divider may be furnished or not with screw
vanes over the whole or only part of the length thereof.
My Invention also consists in constructing the divider boards in reaping
and mowing machines for cutting certain crops, in such manner that that part
which is over and forward of the end of the finger beam may be removed and
the space covered by a moveable flap. Figure 2 is a plan of the divider
board A, shewing the part cut away at A'. In Figure 3 this cut away part
is represented as covered by the flap B, which is centred on a pin at C. This
flap is kept in any desired position by the binding screw D, which passes
through a hole in the flap B, and through a curved slot E formed in the
divider board A. When short crops are to be cut, the flap B is placed in
the position shewn by the dotted lines a, the reel is lowered in the ordinary
manner, so as to bring the vanes thereof nearer to the finger beam or
platform, in order to allow the vanes to pass through the cut-away part A' in
the divider board A. The vanes are capable of being shortened or lengthened
as required, to enable them when revolving to draw or direct short crops on
to the platform.
The method of elongating or shortening the vanes in reaping and mowing
machines, constituting the third head of my Invention, is represented in
Figure 4, where A is the vane, which is fixed to the arms B, B, which are
passed through the axle and fixed therein in the ordinary manner. The ends
of the vanes, as at C, have slotted holes a, a, in the direction of their length
formed in them. Short pieces, as at D, having corresponding slotted holes
are applied to the ends of the vanes, as shewn, plates c, c, are then placed
across the vanes and there fixed; bolts or screws d are passed through the
holes and secured by nuts. To alter the length of the vanes, the nuts and
bolts are loosened and the vanes shortened or elongated by moving the
pieces D in the direction of their length, nearer to or farther from the arms
B, B, and there secured again by the nuts and screws. When using the
divider board A, the revolving conical divider is dispensed with, but the
reaping machines may be so constructed that either may be made use of
when desired.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First, the employment in reaping machines of a revolving divider, for the
purpose of separating from the crop the portion to be cut.

page_text: Second, the constructing of divider boards in reaping and mowing machines
in manner herein-before described.
And, third, the constructing of the vanes of reels employed in reaping and
mowing machines in such manner that they may be made to expand and
contract in the direction of their length, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Burgess, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of January, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-eight.
W BURGESS. (L.S.)