Improvements in Ploughs.
Year: 1887

page_text: Improvements in Ploughs.
1 ALEXANDER FERRIER Moss Side Laurence Kirk Kincardenshire N.B. Seed &
Implement Merchant do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows :-
:-
This invention applies to the class of ploughs commonly called Scotch ploughs.
They are constructed as follows. Two arms, with a short knee on cach, are welded or
morticed into the rear end of the beam, those knees or arms forms a suitable suport
or bearing to which the iron generally called the head which carries the share is
attached. The share has a long narrow taper socket, which fitis on the fore end of the
head, which is suitably formed for that purpose, the coulter is attached into a hole in
the beam with wedges.
The objects of the invention are to faciliate the opperations of ploughing to increas
the efficiency of ploughs particulary those which are now made or in use.
To simplify the construction of wearing parts of ploughs, and to reduce the cost of
their production.
As those ploughs are ordinary made there is no arrangment for balancing the
draught excepting by the bridel, and the wearing parts generally called the mould-
board, sideplate, soleplate, and share, are fitted and attached to the plough seperately
and specially. None of those so fitted or attached can be used on another ploughi
untill they are refitted and other bolt holes bored in them again particulary.
To faciliate the opperations of fitting, and boring holes in them, it is necessary
that the material of which they are made, should be soft metal; but it is important for
their working, wearing, and fitting, qualifications, that there should be a further
provision for balancing the draught, that these parts should not only be made of the
hardest or most durable material, but so constructed that they or any of them when
worn out, may be attached to the plough without the aid of a mechanic or skilled
labour.
To attain these results in a simple and efficient manner, I propose to dispense with
the iron called the head or the part which carries the share, and in its place, I use a
bracket or connecting piece and attach it firmly to the underside of the foreend of
the mouldboard and to the opposite side, and foreend of the said bracket or con-
necting piece, I attach securly with bolts, the sideplate, soleplate, and share respectively.

page_text: This share so attached with bolts, instead, of one attached with a socket, as used here-
tofor, can be used of a wider or broader size, with far more firmness and simplicity.
All those parts so constructed can be conveniently made of the hardest or most
durable metal with all the necessary holes cast in them and easy bolted together in
complete form as an independent piece, or a plough body, while the expensive share
hitherto used on those ploughs is dispenced with.
In making this plough body for attaching or using on the above description of
ploughs, I make a serious of slotes across the forcend of the bracket or connecting
piece, right behind the share. In one of these, I insert a strong bolt which attaches the
knee of the forearm of the beam, and on the upper side of the bottom part of the
rear end of the soleplate, I attach or mount au adjusting plate with a serious of holes
in it. In one of these, 1 insert a bolt which attaches the knee of the rear arm of the
beam. This adjusting plate which is sloted accross at both its ends, serves to maintain
the exact or set position of the rear end of the land side of the plough body for work,
and by the action of the usual expanding stay, which attaches the rear end of the
mould board to one of the handels, the fore end of the plough body may when the
front bolt is loose, be moved to the right or left as desired. To secure a vertical move-
ment washers or plates are provided which can be set under the knees of either the
fore or rear arm, as may be required.
By improving and using the ordinary expanding stay which attaches the rear end
of the mould board to one of the handels, and despencing with the head or iron which
carries the share, as referred to, I am enabled to attach or use a plough body, such as
described, on any of those ploughs, and which may be made in many ways to suit
notwithstanding their various sets, sizes, and dementions.
As those ploughs are generally used the rear end of the bottom part of the sole plate
often wears away befor the mould board or other parts are half worn.
To remidy this defect, or instead of attaching a new soleplate which does not fit nor
work well with a worn mould board, I make a short light heel cap, or piece of cast
iron or steel so constructed that it can be readily attached on the deficient worn part
of the soleplate, without disarranging any parts of the plough whatever. The sole-
plate assisted in this way may be used untill the mouldboard and other parts are all
worn out.
In ploughs which have the coulters attached in a hole in the beam with wedges the
coulter, or coulter shank is made flat on both sides, and almost fills the hole, so that it
may be readily fixed with light wedges, but when adjusting it to its various positions
towards the share, it often happens that the coulter, or coulter shank, is placed so close
to the side of the coulter lole that a wedge when required cannot be inserted or
driven.
To remidy this defect and secure a better command of the coulter without unduly
deminishing its size or stiffness, I propose to use a coulter made of iron or steel
channeled on both sides or of H section by this means a wedge whereever required
can be inserted or driven, above or below at both sides.
As a further improvement in the coulter, instead of making the knife flat or straight
from the cutting edge to the back as heretofore, I hollow it slightly along on both
sides, and to make it still further retain a thin cutting edge and what is most important
a substantial point, I make a channel near the back the size of which is calculated to
make the cutting part of the blade or knife wear away first, but always leaving a
sufficient portion of the solid part of the back to form a point thereon.
The channel which is made accordingly, I fill up with any adhesive substance, which
will harden sufficiently, to make the knife work clean.
This last mentioned device applies more particulary to coulters with detachable
knives which are usually made of cast iron and chilled.
Dated this 29th day of October 1887.

page_text: I ALEXANDER FERRIER of Moss Side Laurincekirk in the County of Kincardine
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention relates to that class of ploughs generally called "Scotch ploughs" which
have the socket of the share with head to correspond below the foreend of the mould-
board or a pair of arms with a short knee on each welded or morticed into the rear
end of the beam to which the iron or head which carries the share is attached, the
coulter being generally affixed in a hole in the beam with wedges.
The objects of this invention are to facilitate the operations of ploughing to
simplify the construction of the wearing parts, of Scotch ploughs and to reduce the
cost of their production.
In Scotch ploughs as hitherto constructed there is no arrangement for adjusting the
draught except by the bridle whilst the wearing parts, such as the mould-board, sole-
plate and share are attached to the plough specially, and in single pieces; none of
these so fitted can be used on another plough until they are refitted, and new bolt
holes bored in them, and to facilitate these operations the said wearing parts are made
of soft metal. It is important for the working, wearing and fitting qualifications of
"Scotch Ploughs" that there should be a further provision for adjusting or balancing
the draught besides that of the "bridle," and that the already referred to wearing
parts should be made of the hardest or most durable material and so constructed that
all or any of them when worn out may be removed and new pieces attached to the
plough without the aid of a mechanic or skilled labour.
To attain these results in a simple and efficient manner I adopt the arrangement of
plough shewn in the annexed drawings.
In order that my Invention may be properly understood and readily carried into
effect I will now proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a plough constructed according to and constituting
my present Invention.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
Figures 3 to 18 are details drawn separately for the better illustration of several of
the parts, figures 3 and 4 are respectively a side elevation and a plan of the front
adjustable connecting piece; whilst figures 5 and 6 are sections of the same taken at
the lines A. B. and C. D. respectively, figure 7 is a side elevation and figure 8 a
plan of the rear adjustable connecting piece; figures 9 and 10 are respectively a side
elevation and a plan of the sole plate, whilst figures 11 and 12 are similar views of
the heel cap figures 13 and 14, are front and edge views of the coulter shank and
blade; figure 15 being a cross section of the coulter shank through the line W X
and figure 16 a cross section of the coulter blade taken at the line YZ; figures 17
and 18 are side and end views of the mould-board stay clip and its adjuncts.

page_text: ik
or
In carrying out the objects of this Invention I dispense with the. "iron
"head" which carries the share in ordinary scotch ploughs and replace it with a
plough body composed and affixed in the following manner.
To the front adjustable connecting piece E, Figures 3 and 4, are bolted the sole-
plate F, Figures 9 and 10 share G, and mould-board H. The sole-plate F is made
with a high vertical land side f, thus dispensing with a side-plate, which is sometimes
used. The front adjustable connecting piece E, may be cast or otherwise made in
one piece with the mould-board H, or sole-plate F, but when it is used separately as
shewn on the annexed drawings it is preferably made of malleable cast with a straight
vertical land side like a share, the said land side e, being made sufficiently deep and
strong to hold the front of the sole-plate F, on its land side with two bolts, one being
inserted at a point a little behind the share whilst the other is placed further back and
passes through a lug el, at the rear end of the front connecting piece E. The share G,
and mould-board H, are bolted to the top of the fore-end e², of the front connecting
piece E, and the mould-board is still further secured to the same by a bolt which
passes through the lug e, at the rear end of the furrow side of the front connecting
piece E. The said front connecting piece E, as described occupies the space between
the lower part of the land side f, of the sole-plate F, and lower edge of mould-board H,
and should only project sufficiently behind tho share G to reach a strong position in
the aforesaid parts and afford ample space for several transverse slots e, through
which a bolt passes, binding the front connecting piece E, to the foot of the
fore-arm, of the plough, and at the same time allowing the fore-end of the body
to be moved to or from the land side of the plough as desired. The top of the front
connecting piece E, at the point of lattachment e, to the foot &, of the fore arm k', is
made nearly horizontal or at right angles to the land side of the sole-plate F, and
the aforesaid bolt, which passos through the slot e', is provided with a square head,
and a long nut. The bolt hole in the foot of the fore-arm, is round and placed
close enough to the side of the fore-arm ¹, to keep the long nut from turning in its
seat. When the mould board H, and front connecting piece E are bolted together
a recess is formed into which the fore-arm A, of the plough is set with its foot k on
one of the slots e, the long nut is then placed in position and the square headed bolt
which is inserted from the underside through the slot et, is screwed into the said nut,
thus firmly securing the foot of the arm A, to the front connecting picce E, and at
the same time allowing the bolt by means of its square head to be readily tightened
or slackened from the outside as desired. To give free access to this bolt and others
the bottom of the sole-plate F, is made specially narrow at its fore-end, as shown
at Figure 10.
The back adjustable connecting piece L, which is by preference made of malleable
cast is furnished with two or more transverse slots », at each end and perforated
between with square countersunk holes », arranged in a zig-zag manner as shewn at
Figure 8. The foot A³, of the rear arm of the plough is bolted to the top of the
back connecting piece L, which is similarly secured to the rear end of the base f¹, of
the sole plate F. In order to raise the back connecting piece L to the same height as
the rear end of the front connecting piece E (the foot &, of the fore-arm, being
level with that of the rear arm ³) a piece rather longer than the said back connecting
piece L has to be added to the upper side of the base f¹ of the sole-plate F, which
additional piece not only brings the top of the two connecting pieces level but, when
the base of the sole-plate F, becomes worn underneath renewable heel caps M
hereinafter referred to may be attached to it.. The said back adjustable connecting
piece L, is secured to the base f¹, of the sole plate F, by two countersunk bolts, one
at each end which pass through the square holes f2 of the base f¹, and the slots I of
the back connecting piece L. By means of the said slots l, the rear-arm k³, or back
connecting piece I, may be moved to or from the land side of the sole plate Fas
desired.
To attach the mould-board H, firmly at
ploughs of different sizes, or with higher or
expanding stay N. and clip P, are used, but
:
its rear end, so that it might be used on
lower handles the ordinary mould-board
in order that the said stay N, may be set

page_text: higher or lower two or more stay holes p, are drilled in the clip P. The said clip P
is secured to the handle Q, in the following manner. A square cap or thimble U
(having two notches on its open end to fit the top edge of the handle Q) is placed
over the bifurcated end of the clip P. A screwed pin t, is then passed through the
top of the cap u, into the square nut t¹, situated between the jaws p' of the clip P, and
under the projecting parts p² of the same. On screwing the pin t, into the nut ¹, the
clip P, is drawn up tight against the under side of the handle Q, whilst the bottom or
open end of the thimble u, is pressed against the top of the said handle Q. Instead
of fitting the knee n, of the said stay N, specially to suit the set of the mould board H,
it is made at right angles to the body of the stay N, and the point of attachment on
the mould-board H, is provided with a facing f, which is parallel with the knee n,
the handle Q, and the clip P. Referring now to the aforesaid plough body as described
it will be seen that with the foot k, of the fore-arm &³, bolted to the front connecting
piece E, and that of the rear arm 3, to the back connecting piece L, and the rear-
end of the mould board E, secured by a strong expanding stay N, to a clip P,
affixed on the handle Q, ample means are provided by the slots e, and 1, for adjusting
the balance of the draught. To give more land the fore-end of the plough body is
brought slightly out from the fore-arm &¹, of the plough, and to give less land the
rear-end of the body is brought slightly out from the rear arm 8. In this arrange-
ment it will be understood that the land side f, of the sole-plate F, is always close to
the land side of the plough, at least in front or rear.
To secure a vertical movement, washers or plates are provided, which may be set
under the feet and 2, of the fore and rear arms ¹ and ³, as required. All those
parts so constructed can be conveniently made of the most suitable material with all
the necessary holes cast in them and easily bolted together in complete form as an
independent piece. By the aforesaid means, I am enabled to use instead of the
"socket share" hitherto employed in the above description of ploughs, a share made
attachable with bolts as referred to, which can be used of a wider size with far more
firmness and simplicity, whilst the expensive share is dispensed with.
As those ploughs are generally used the rear end of the base of sole-plate F,
often wears off before its other parts, or the mould-board H, are half-worn, and a new
sole-plate does not fit nor work so well with an impaired mould-board. To remedy
this defect I make a short light heel cap M, of cast iron hollowed along on its upper
side or fitted to suit on the deficient worn part which is under the fore-end of the
back adjustable connecting piece L, to hold it securely. The base, of the sole
plate F is tapered slightly to its fore-end and made extra strong, as hereinbefore
referred to, thus when the said base fi, becomes worn underneath or its longitudinal
corners worn fully off, the said heel cap M, may be attached with a bolt which passes
through it, through the deficient worn part, and through the slot 1, in the fore-end
of the back adjustable piece L, the sole plate E, assisted in this way may wear out the
mould-board H. In ploughs which have the coulters attached in a hole in the beam
with wedges the coulter or coulter shank is made flat on both sides and almost
fills the hole so that it may be readily affixed with light wedges, but when adjusting
it to its various positions towards the share it often happens that the coulter shank
is placed so close to either side of the coulter-hole, that a wedge when required
cannot be inserted or driven. To remedy this defect and secure a better command
of the coulter without unduly diminishing its size or stiffness I make or use a coulter
shank R, of steel or iron suitably channeled on both sides or of H section, so that
whatsoever position in the coulter hole it may be, a wedge may be driven where-
ever required at both sides, and as a further improvement I bend the end to which
the blade or knife S, is attached about half its thickness to one side in the form of a
crank, and I raise or made at the end or on the side of the knife S, or ledge s¹, to fit
into the channel », on the side of the shank R, and attach it thereto as shewn at
Figure 14, with a bolt. Both sides of the knife S, may be fitted to suit both sides of
the shank R, thus when the shank R, is turned or reversed in the coulter hole four
vertical angles or positions are secured for the knife S. By these means the said
coulters may be used advantageously in the above ploughs with the improvements

page_text: before referred to. As an additional improvement in the above coulters, instead of
making the knife which is usually of cast iron straight and flat on both its sides,
1 make a knife S, with the wide part of the cutting portion reduced in thickness or
slightly hollowed on both its sides, and I make a narrow channel S³, inside or outside
near the back the size of which make the said reduced cutting portion wear off from
the solid part of the back, so that it may always retain a point, after the ordinary
narrow taper pointed part wears off.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
1 claim is.
First. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting my present
Invention substantially as described with reference to the annexed drawings.
Second. In scotch ploughs a share G attachable with bolts essentially as hereinbefore
described.
Third. A plough having a body with two adjustable connecting pieces E and L, or
their equivalents to which the feet and ², of the said plough are respectively
attached substantially as herein before described, and for the purpose specified with
reference to the annexed drawings.
Fourth. Making a sole-plate F, with a supplemental heel cap M, substantially as
described and for the purpose specified.
Fifth. In ploughs a bent coulter shank R. of "H" section or its equivalent, sub-
stantially as described and for the purpose specified with reference to the annexed
drawings.
Sixth. Making detachable coulter knives S, substantially as and for the purpose
specified with reference to the annexed drawings.
Dated this 9th day of July 1888
D. DRYSDALE AUSTIN,
Applicant's Agent.