IM- PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Howard, of Bedford, in the County of
Bedford, Agricultural Implement Maker, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES."—A
communication from abroad by James Shorkley Marsh, of Lewisburg,
in the State of Pennsylvania, United States of America.
Sealed the 22nd February 1867, and dated the 21st December 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Howard at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 21st
December 1866.
I, JAMES HOWARD, of Bedford, in the County of Bedford, Agricultural
Implement Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES," to
be as follows:-
This improved machine, whether adapted simply for mowing grass or for
reaping corn, is provided with two main carrying or driving wheels between
which is a table or frame supported by the main axle. The gear work for
actuating the sickle bar, the draught pole, the driver's seat, and the levers
which couple the grain platform with the carriage are all connected with the
table; these levers are connected to the central table or frame by a hinge or

page_text: loose coupling, one lever passing across the front and the other across the
rear end of the table, and respectively in front and rear of the inner driving
wheel. The outer ends of these levers are connected by a hinge joint with
what is called the "drag bar," and thus while the lateral position of the drag
bar is maintained by these levers the bar is free to rise and fall to suit the
irregularities of the work; to this drag bar the finger bar and the grain
-platform are rigidly attached. The drag bar levers are capable of being acted
upon by hand levers for the purpose of raising and -lowering those levers,
and thus altering the angle of inclination and the height of the cutting
apparatus.
When the machine is used as a mower (the raking apparatus and grain
platform being then detached) the drag bar from being free to turn on its
hinge joints will allow of the finger bar being raised at right angles with the
driving wheels for convenience of transport. The grain platform when
attached is carried by two castor wheels, one on either side thereof and in a
line with each other; by means of these wheels the height of the platform can
be adjusted, in conjunction with the regulating lever attached to the forward end.
of the drag bar.
The raking apparatus is carried on the grain platform, and consequently
rises and falls with it independently of the driving wheels. For the purpose
of ensuring the proper strength at the part of the machine where the strain of
the raking apparatus is taken an arched casting is provided; this casting
spans the finger bar, and through it the sickle bar works, one leg of the
casting being secured to the drag bar and the other to the grain platform.
On the top of this arched standard a crown wheel is pivotted for carrying
the rakes; this crown wheel receives through an endless chain and gearing a
continuous rotary motion as the machine moves forward from one of the
driving wheels.
On the top of the arched standard an annular casting with
cam surfaces is fixed, and the rake arms which are hinged to the upper side
of the crown wheel are as the crown wheel rotates moved over the cam surfaces
and in regular succession lowered into the standing grain, and after having
swept off the sheaf from the platform are again raised, and so. on in
succession. The rake bars carrying the teeth which remove the cut corn
from the platform are. hinged to the carrying arms, and they are held in
position by a spring catch. This arrangement allows of the teeth of any one
of these bars being turned out of the way when required, and the toothed
bar will thus become a simple gatherer. This arrangement is serviceable when
the machine.is used in light crops. The rake arms are connected together
in pairs by tie rods adjustable in length in order that the arms in their rocking

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Howard in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st
June 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HOWARD, of Bedford, in the County of Bedford, Agricultural Implement
Maker, send greeting. .
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Howard, Her special licence that I, the said James Howard, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James
Howard, 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 THE CON-
STRUCTION OF MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES," being a communication from
James Shorkley Marsh, of Lewisburg, in the State of Pennsylvania, in the
United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said James Howard, my executors or administrators, by an instrument 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 perforined, 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 James Howard, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
.
This Invention relates to a novel construction of reaping machine (con-
vertible at pleasure into a mower) in which the finger bar and cutter bar
are adjustable by a hand lever accessible to the driver while on his seat,

page_text: and in which an economy of power is obtained in the working of the raking
apparatus, while at the same time that apparatus and the platform follow
the movements of the finger bar and maintain the same relative position to
each other.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a plan view of the improved
machine fitted as a reaper; Fig. 2 is a front elevation, and Fig. 3 is a side
elevation of the same.
This improved machine, whether adapted simply for mowing grass or for
reaping corn, is provided-with-two main-carrying-or driving-wheels A, A',.
between which is a table or frame B supported by the main axle C. The
gear work for actuating the sickle or cutter bar, the draught pole, the
driver's seat, and the levers which couple the grain platform with the carriage
"are all connected with the table or frame B; D, D', are levers connected at
'one end to the central table or frame B by a hinge or loose coupling. The
lever D passes across the front, and the lever D¹ across the rear end of the
table, and respectively in front and rear of the inner driving wheel A. The
outer ends of these levers are connected by a hinge joint with the drag bar E,
thus while the lateral position of the drag bar is maintained by these levers
the bar is free to rise and fall to suit the irregularities of the surface of the
field which is being reaped. To the rear end of this drag bar E the finger
bar F and the grain platform G are rigidly attached, this is seen' best at
Fig. 8, which shows a strap piece a made fast by screw bolts to the platform
and by other bolts to the finger bar and drag bar. The drag bar lever D is
connected by a link 6 to a bell crank hand lever c which stands up within
convenient reach of the driver, and works over a notched segment plate d
affixed to the draught pole and which serves by means of a spring carried by the
lever to hold that lever at any required position. This arrangement is for the
purpose of raising and lowering the drag bar and thereby altering the angle of
inclination and the height of the cutting apparatus which is connected therewith.
When the machine is used as a mower (the raking apparatus and grain
platform being then detached) the drag bar from being free to turn on
its hinge joints will allow of the finger bar being raised at right angles
with the driving wheels for convenience of transport or travelling. The
grain platform G when attached as shewn in the Drawing is carried by two
castor wheels 9, g, one on either side thereof and in a line with each other; by
means of these wheels, which form a fulcrum for the rocking of the platform,
the height of the platform and the finger bar, which it carries at its front
edge (by means of metal straps bolted to its opposite ends) can be adjusted in
conjunction with the regulating lever D and its bell-crank lever attachment..

page_text: The raking apparatus is carried on the grain platform, and consequently
rises and falls with it independently of the driving wheels. For the purpose
of ensuring the proper strength at the part of the machine where the strain
of the raking apparatus is taken an arched casting H (see Fig. 3) is
provided; this casting spans the finger bar, and through it the sickle or cutter
bar I works, one leg of the casting being secured to the drag bar and the
other to the grain platform by screw bolts and nuts which are withdrawn to
allow of the removal of the platform and raking apparatus when the
machine is required to be used simply as a mower or to facilitate transmission
from place to place. On the top of this arched standard H a crown wheel K
is pivoted for carrying the rakes L; this crown wheel is cast with raised
ribs (see Fig. 1), at its back forming recesses for receiving the ends of a set
of, say, four rake arms; these arms are secured by fulcrum pins to the ribs and
are free to rock thereon in order that after they have passed in a horizontal
position over the platform to sweep the cut corn therefrom they may rise out
of the way into a vertical position. These movements are effected by means
of an annular cam shaped casting M made fast to the top of the arched
standard H, as therefore the rake arms L (which are hinged as before
mentioned to the crown wheel) are carried round by the rotation of the
crown wheel K the cam surface M will lower in regular succession the
rakes into the standing grain, and after they have severally passed over the
platform sweeping off the cut corn therefrom raise them again to their
elevated position, rotary motion is transmitted to the crown wheel K in the
following manner :-The running wheels A, A¹, are loose upon their axle,
but keyed to the axle near the hubs of the wheels are ratchet wheels N into
the teeth of each of which a pawl N¹ pendent from an arm of the wheels
takes. The pawls are kept up to their work by means of a spring, and so
long as the machine moves forward the pawls will drive round the axle, but
when the machine is backed the pawls will slip their ratchet teeth, so also
when turning the machine, one wheel will remain quiescent and serve as a
fulcrum while the other is moving round to its place; keyed onto the axle C
outside the inner wheel A is a chain wheel O from which an endless chain
passes to a second chain wheel O¹, attached to which is a bevil pinion in
gear with the crown wheel K. The forward notion therefore of the machine
will set the raking apparatus in action. One or more of the rake arms are
provided with tines or teeth and the arms are connected together in pairs by
tie rods P adjustable in length. This arrangement admits of the arms in
their rocking movement balancing each other, and thus the power that would
otherwise be required to raise the rakes to the elevated' position is materially

page_text: diminished. The reciprocating motion of the sickle or cutter bar is obtained
from an internal spur wheel Q keyed on the axle C; into the teeth of this
wheel gears a spur pinion cast on the boss of a bevil wheel R which is mounted
on a stud axle affixed to the hinder end of the table or frame B. This wheel R
drives a pinion S, the axle of which turns in bearings on the frame B; keyed
to the outer end of this axle is a small fly wheel T carrying a crank pin, and
it is by the connection of this crank pin through the rod U with the sickle
bar that the requisite reciprocating motion is given to the sickle bar; V is
the draught pole, and W_the_seat_for_the_driver.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of improvements in the
construction of mowing and reaping machines as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, and explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent, I claim,-
First, adjusting the angle of the finger and sickle or cutter bars and
altering the height of cut through the action of the drag bar as above
described.
Secondly, mounting the raking apparatus of two-wheel reaping machines
on the grain platform coupled with an adjustable drag bar in the manner and
for the purpose above described.
Lastly, balancing the hinged rake bars as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Howard, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twentieth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
JAMES HOWARD
JAMES HOWARD
(1.S.)