IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES
Year: 1862

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Jules Martin, at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 26th
June 1862.
I, JULES MARTIN, of Route de Bordeaux, Périgueux, in the Empire of
France, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to improvements in reaping and mowing machines;
and consists in accumulating the motive power in one or more springs, by
which means the cutters are caused to operate with equal speed and effect
whatever may be the rate of speed at which the machine is driven. In
machines at present in use the grass or corn is cut by means of a recipro-
cating knife or knives, the efficacy of which depends entirely on the speed.
and the regularity with which it is driven, while by my improved
arrangement the crop is cut by means of a series of blades cutting on one side.
only, and actuated by one or several springs, which are placed in tension by.
the motion of the machine, which springs produce the cutting action of the
knives. Instead of the ordinary gearing for changing a rotary to a recipro-
cating motion, I mount cams on one of the driving wheels a few inches within
the rim, these cams act in one end of a bent lever, and the other end of
which draws the knife bar longitudinally, and thereby producing tension of the
springs, the fixed points of which latter are near the knife bar, or it may be
on the frame. The end of this lever, by the effect of the spring or springs,

page_text: acts in such manner on the knife bar as to rapidly draw it transversely each
time that one of the cams shall have become freed from contact with the lever.
In this manner the rapid motion of the cutters in cutting is rendered com-
pletely independent of the speed of the machine, and is regulated according
to the power of the springs, while at same time the running wheel is used for
transporting the machine from one point to another, as also for producing the
tension of the springs necessary to the the cutting action. The apparatus may
be fixed on a frame, and is furnished with a hand wheel for raising and
lowering the cutters to enable them to pass over obstacles, and to regulate
the height at which they are required to operate. The form of the cutters I
adapt to the speed at which the machine is moved, and to the reciprocating
motion of the cutter bar in such manner that the grass or other crop which
is not cut at the first stroke, cannot be broken down or run over by the
machine when the spring is put in tension for the next stroke. For this
purpose I make the angle between the cutting edges and the line of motion
of the machine much more acute than usual, and restrict the motion of the
cutter bar to an extent less than the breadth covered by each cutting edge.
The points of the cutters are further constantly protected by the fingers on
the finger bars never passing beyond the limits of the breadth of the fingers.
The principal advantages of my improved machine are, 1st, that I dispense
with the ordinary gearing, there is consequently an entire absence of friction;
2ndly, perfection of work is ensured whether the machine moves slow or fast,
regularly or irregularly; 3rdly, considerable economy in the cost of con-
struction; 4thly, great strength, as the centre of gravity of the apparatus is
over the axle itself; 5thly, the cutters are easily regulated, certain in their
action, and completely independent of any jerking movement of the draught
animals; 6thly, the apparatus is readily thrown in and out of gear, and its
position regulated by means of the hand wheel; 7thly, the cutters may be
adapted to the inclination of the ground, which renders it thereby especially
suitable for use in hilly districts; 8thly, the choking of the cutters is
effectually prevented; 9thly, from the simplicity of the mechanism the machine
may be rendered as light as desired; 10thly, the machine may be made.to
perform in a second as many cuts as necessary, the cuts may also be in both
directions.