IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Post Lawrence, of Worship Street, Finsbury, in the
County of Middlesex, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES." A communication from abroad by Charles
J. F. Wilkins, of Windsor, Nova Scotia, Dominion of Canada.
Sealed the 5th March 1880, and dated the 21st October 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Post Lawrence at the.
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st October 1879.
JOHN POST LAWRENCE, of Worship Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex,
Merchant. "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES." [A communi-
cation from abroad by Charles J. F. Wilkins, of Windsor, Nova Scotia, Dominion
of Canada.]
The Invention communicated to me relates chiefly to improved means for
communicating motion to the knives of reaping and mowing machines.
In carrying out the Invention two spur wheels of different diameters are mounted
on the axle of the driving wheels, such spur wheels gearing with pinions cast on the
side of a spur wheel revolving on a suitably placed shaft, which is prevented from
turning by means of a set screw; the latter spur wheel gears with a pinion cast on
the nave of a disc or cam wheel revolving on a shaft, which is also prevented from
turning by means of a set screw. This disc or cam wheel has a corrugated groove
round it in which revolves a roller on a pin or tooth on the side of a slide, the said
groove having two turns to the right and two turns to the left, so that one revolution
will give two full strokes to the cutters. The cutter bar and slide are connected
together by a short pitman.
If it is necessary to give a quicker stroke to the cutters, a sliding clutch is moved
to the right until the teeth thereof meet the teeth of the larger of the two herein-
before described spur wheels, whereby the smaller wheel is freed and allowed to
turn on its axis. If it is desired to throw both wheels out of gear the sliding clutch
is moved a short distance to the right or left by means of a lever, so as to allow the
teeth on the clutch to revolve between the teeth of the two spur wheels, the
Prine G1

page_text: clutch passing through the hub of the larger wheel, the other being pivotted on
the axle.
In combination with the cutter bar and lever is a chain, and the seat and spring
are bolted on the top of the pole. To raise the cutters and keep them in a horizontal
position, the upper end of the lever is moved in a backward direction, but to raise
the outer points of the cutters so that they may pass a tree or other obstacle, the
driver presses a foot lever pivoted on the main frame against an iron clasp (which
prevents the main frame on which the cutter bar is hinged from rising), the upper
end of the lever being at the same time forced in a backward direction. The axle is
covered by a pipe; the pole is attached to the main frame.
Instead of two spur wheels on the axle, as hereinbefore described, only one may
be employed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Post Lawrence in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st
April 1880.
JOHN POST LAWRENCE, of Worship Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex,
Merchant. "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES." A communi-
cation to me from abroad by Charles J. F. Wilkins, of Windsor, Nova Scotia.
Dominion of Canada.
The Invention communicated to me relates chiefly to improved means for
communicating motion to the knives of reaping and mowing machines.
In carrying out the Invention two spur wheels of different diameters are mounted
on the axle of the driving wheels, such spur wheels gearing with pinions cast on
the side of a spur wheel, revolving on a suitably placed shaft which is prevented
from moving by means of a set screw; the latter spur wheel gears with the pinion
cast on the nave of a disc or cam wheel revolving on a shaft, which is also prevented
from moving by means of a set screw. This disc or cam wheel has a corrugated
groove round it, in which revolves a roller on a pin or tooth on the side of a slide,
the said groove having two or other number of turns to the right, and two or other
number of turns to the left, so that one revolution will give two or other number of
full strokes to the cutters. The cutter bar and slide are connected together by a
short pitman.
If it is necessary to give a quicker stroke to the cutters a sliding clutch is moved
to the right until the teeth thereof meet the teeth of the larger of the two herein-
before described spur wheels, whereby the smaller wheel is freed, and allowed to
turn on its axis. If it is desired to throw both wheels out of gear, the sliding clutch
is moved a short distance to the right or left by means of a lever so as to allow the
teeth on the clutch to revolve between the teeth of the two' spur wheels, the clutch
passing through the hub of the larger wheel, the other being pivotted on the axle.
In combination with the cutter bar and lever is a chain, and the seat and spring
are bolted on the top of the pole. To raise the cutters and keep them in a horizontal
position the upper end of the lever is moved in a backward direction, but to raise
the outer points of the cutters so that they may pass a tree or other obstacle, the
driver presses a foot lever pivotted on the main frame against an iron clasp (which
prevents the main frame on which the cutter bar is hinged from rising), the upper
end of the lever being at the same time forced in a backward direction. The axle
is covered by a pipe or sleeve; the pole is attached to the main frame.
Instead of two spur wheels on the axle, as herein before described, only one may
be employed.
But to make the Invention communicated to me better understood, I will proceed
to describe the same by reference to the accompanying Drawing.
Figure 1 is a plan, and Figure 3, a side view shewing the improvements as
applied to a mowing machine where only one spur wheel is employed on the main
axle.
A, A, are the driving wheels, and Z, Z, clutches or ratchets on the axle of same;
B is the spur wheel on the axle A' of the driving wheels A, A, and gearing with the
pinion C; E is the spur wheel on the axle of the pinion C, gearing with the pinion F;
the pinion C and wheel E revolve on the shaft Y, and the pinion F is cast on the
nave of the disc or cam wheel G, which revolves on the shaft X.
The said disc or cam wheel G has a corrugated groove L round it in which the
roller I revolves on a pin or tooth on the side of the slide H, the said groove L having
two turns to the right and two to the left, so that one revolution of the disc or cam
wheel G will give two full strokes to the cutters. Although in the Drawing the

page_text: groove L is shewn as having two turns to the right and two to the left, it will be
understood that a greater or less number of turns may be employed.
J is the short pitman connecting the cutter bar K and the slide H together.
It will thus be seen that the roller I, working on the pin in the slide H, will have
a lateral motion given to it by the revolving cam wheel G, and this oscillation will
be communicated to the knives.
Figures 4 and 5 are enlarged details of the arrangement where two spur wheels
on the main axle are employed, showing the manner in which the speed of revolution
of the cam wheel G may be modified, and also the method employed for throwing
the machine out of gear. In these Figures B and B are the two spur wheels of
different diameters, on the axle of the herein before described driving wheels A, A.
C and D are the pinions cast on the side of the spur wheel E; Mis the sliding
clutch, the part N of which passes through the hub of the spur wheel B*; L' is the
lever for operating the clutch M; if it is necessary to give a quick stroke to the
cutters this is effected by sliding the clutch M' to the right by means of the lever L³
until the teeth on the clutch M meet the teeth on the side of the wheel B, and free
the wheel B, allowing it to revolve on the axle on which it is mounted. A slower
stroke is obtained by sliding the clutch M* in the opposite direction to that herein-
before described, until the teeth on the clutch M', meeting those on the side of the
wheel B4, free the wheel B', allowing it to revolve on the axle; the pinion C₁ gears
with the wheel B, and the pinion D gears with the wheel B¹, both these pinions
being cast on one side of the wheel E, shewn in Figure 1; the axles X and Y are
kept tightly in their places by means of set screws.
The machine is thrown out of gear by sliding the clutch M' such a distance to
the right or to the left as will free both of the wheels B* and B14, and thus allow
the teeth on the clutch M to revolve between them.
In Figure 3, N is the pole by which the machine is drawn; O is the chain which
is attached to the cutter bar K, Figure 1, and to the lever P; R is the driver's seat,
and spring bolted on the top of the pole N; if it is necessary to raise the cutters
and keep them in a horizontal position, the upper end of the lever P is moved in a
backward direction, but if it be necessary to raise the outer points of the cutters so
. that they may pass over any obstacle, the driver presses the lever U with his foot
against the iron clasp W (which prevents the main frame, on which the cutter bar
is hinged, from rising), the upper end of the lever P being at the same time forced
in a backward direction; the lever U is pivotted on the main frame by the bolt V,
shewn in Figure 1.
Figure 7 is an enlarged side view of a detail shewing the pipe or sleeve which
covers the axle of the driving wheels A, A, and the pole N is attached to the main
frame as shewn at T. Figure 13 represents a modification of the clutch M*, which
is made use of when only one spur wheel B is used.
I will now describe Figure 2, which is a plan view of the improved machine,
arranged as a reaper and mower. A² is a bevelled pinion on the end of the shaft of
the wheel C (Figure 1), which pinion A² gears with the pinion B2 on the end of
the shaft C2; E is a band wheel, which revolves on the shaft C2; D2 is a friction
wheel keyed on the end of the shaft C2; F2 is the band attached to the wheel E²,
and to the slide G2; H2 is a flat iron bar on which the slide G2 slides; J³ is a band
wheel, and K2 is a band attached to the same, and to the slide G2; L is a lever
which works in combination with the levers M2 and N2, and the rollers O, O, which
rollers run in a groove on the hub of the band wheel E³. When the driver presses
the lever L² with his foot, it slides the wheel E2 against the leather ring Q2 on the
side of the friction wheel D2, and it will thus be seen that as the wheel D2 is keyed
on the shaft C, the wheel E2 must then revolve with the wheel D², and in revolving
will draw the rake I² to the right, thus sweeping the cut grain off from the platform
on to the ground between the reaper platform and the driving wheel of the mower;
as soon as the driver allows the lever L² to spring back, the wheel E³ is freed from
contact with the friction wheel D², and is thus allowed to revolve on the shaft C*;

page_text: when the slide G² and rake I are drawn to the right, the band attached to the band
rim S2 and to the spring R2 is wound around the band rim S2, thus drawing down
the end of the spring R2; when the wheel E2 is freed from contact with the friction
wheel D, the spring R2 (being strong enough to slide the rake head I back to that
side of the grain platform nearest the standing grain), springs back to its normal
position, sliding the rake I2 and slide G2 back to that side of the platform.
Tis a roller under which the band F2 runs.
Figure 6 is a perspective view shewing the front and one side of the reaper
platform. A is a reel or beater for throwing the cut grain onto the platform; B® is
a shoe for separating the standing grain; C is a chain passing round the chain rim
on the wheel He, and the wheel I, on the end of the reel A; De is an iron upright
for regulating the height of the reel A; J6 is an iron shoe with a slot in the end of
it for regulating the inclination of the upright Lº.
Figure 8 is a detached view of the rake head with teeth; Figure 9 is, a detached
sectional view of part of the rake head and side timber of the reaper platform G6,
shewing the manner in which the teeth are hinged on the rake head I2; Figure 10
shews the position of the rake teeth when returning (under the grain on the
platform) to the right of the grain platform; the rake teeth are raised into an
upright position by the lower end of the teeth L10 striking the side timber of the
platform Go
V6, V6, V6, (Figure 6), are iron rods to prevent the straws of the grain from being
displaced by the rake head when returning, and also to lessen the friction of the
grain on the platform.
Figure 11 is a detached enlarged view shewing the construction of the main
brace of the machine, whereby a canting lever may be worked and the finger bars
canted to pick up lodged grain or grass.
A is a top sectional view of the brace C"; D" is a part of the frame; B¹¹ is a
lever for canting the lever and knife head; Figure 12 is a perspective view shewing
an arrangement for keeping a space free from straws, to allow the teeth on the rake
head I2 to rise up from a horizontal to a vertical position.
A is a rake head pivotted on the supports F12, F12, when the returning rake
head I slides over the lever E12 (which lever is pivotted at G12, and connected by
means of wire to the turn knee D¹²), it forces the lever downwards, and the knee Dis
is thereby drawn down, thus bringing the teeth on the rake head A12 into the
position shewn by the dotted lines; C is a spring connected by means of a wire to
the end of the tooth B12, and it will be seen that when the rake head I2 is drawn
from off the lever E¹², the spring C2 will spring downwards, thus bringing the
teeth and rake head into the positions shewn in the drawing.
Having thus described the Invention communicated to me, and the best means
I am acquainted with for carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood
that what is claimed and desired to be protected by the herein in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
Firstly. The employment in reaping and mowing machines, of the two spur
wheels B and B of different diameters, in combination with the pinions C and D*
of different diameters, spur wheel E, and disc or cam wheel G, substantially as
herein before described and represented in the Drawing, or the modification in which
only one spur wheel is employed.
Secondly. The slide H, in combination with the pitman J, roller I, and disc or
cam wheel G, substantially as hereinbefore described and represented in the
accompanying Drawing.
Thirdly. The combination of the lever U with the clasp W, and main frame
of the machine, substantially as herein before described and represented in the
Drawing.
.
Fourthly. The combination of the sliding clutch M on the axle with the wheel
B, B, or B, sliding through or working in the said wheels, substantially as herein-
before described and represented in the accompanying Drawing.

page_text: Fifthly. The clutch M' having a projecting rim or wheel cast on one end of the
Baid clutch with teeth or ratchets on one or both sides or faces to catch in or lock
with ratchets or teeth on the sides of the wheels B, B*, or B, substantially as herein-
before described and represented in the accompanying Drawing.
Sixthly. The combination of the short pitman J with the slide H and cutter bar
or knife head, substantially as hereinbefore described and represented in the
accompanying Drawing.
Seventhly. The method hereinbefore described of giving a reciprocating motion
to the knives by the employment of the disc or cam wheel G and slide H, arranged
and operating substantially as hereinbefore described and represented in the
accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Post Lawrence, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.