IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM AND OTHER MULTIPLE FURROW PLOUGHS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Greig and George Greig, both of the Steam
Plough Works, Leeds, in the County of York, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM AND OTHER MULTIPLE
FURROW PLOUGHS."
Sealed the 29th April 1878, and dated the 22nd November 1872.
i
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Greig and
George Greig at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 22nd November 1872.
We, DAVID GREIG and GEORGE GREIG, both of the Steam Plough
Works, Leeds, in the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM
AND OTHER MULTIPLE FURROW PLOUGES," to be as follows:-
In the construction of steam and other ploughing implements carrying
two or more ploughs it is desirable that the different ploughs should be
capable of adjustment so as to produce a different width of furrow.

page_text: Heretofore this has been effected by shifting the ploughs so as to bring
them nearer to or further from one another either by shifting them
laterally across the frame of the implement, or if the ploughs are fixed
one behind the other on an angular or inclined beam of the frame by
shifting them nearer to or further from one another along such beam.
According to this Invention in place of thus shifting the position of
the ploughs upon the frame we connect each of the ploughs to the frame
in such a manner that the plough line of each plough can be set at any
angle desired to the central line of the frame in place of being always
_maintained in one position relatively thereto as heretofore.
When the ploughs are set inclined to the frame of the implement the
frame will, as the ploughs enter the land, be caused to incline to the line
of draught in one or other direction according to the angle to which the
ploughs are inclined, and as the ploughs are set one behind the other
upon the frame the width of furrow will accordingly be increased or
diminished.
To effect the inclining of the ploughs relatively to the frame, wedges
may be placed between the skife and the beams, to which they are
attached, or other means of adjustment may be applied for readily altering
the direction of the plough line of each plough.
In the case of balance ploughs, where two sets of ploughs are carried
at the opposite ends of a frame supported at its centre on a pair of wheels
of comparatively large diameter, and where, consequently, the distance
between the leading plough and centre of the wheels must be greater
than the distance between the several ploughs, we suspend the frame by
which the ploughs are carried in such a manner that it may be shifted
sidewise relatively to the wheels, so that the furrow turned by the
leading plough may always be maintained of the same width as the
furrows turned by the other ploughs.
In some cases where the ploughs are carried by an angular or inclined
beam and the width of furrow is adjusted by moving the ploughs nearer to
or further from one another along such beam, we form the frame with a
second angular or inclined beam parallel with the first beam, and between
the two we place movable stays which can be slid to and fro and be fixed
to them in any position desired; these movable stays carry the coulters,
and also have the forward part of the skifes connected to them, whilst

page_text: the back part of the skifes are carried by, and can be slid along the
rearmost angular beam.
By this means the ploughs can be set at any desired distance apart
from one another by shifting the ploughs together with the cross stays
nearer to or further from one another, whereas heretofore the stays of
the frame to which the angular beam was attached limited to some
extent the position in which the ploughs could be attached to it.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said David Greig and George Greig in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 22nd May 1878.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wė, DAVID
GREIG and GEORGE GREIG, both of the Steam Plough Works, Leeds,
in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-sixth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said David Greig and George Greig, Her special
license that we, the said David Greig and George Greig, our execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said David
Greig and George Greig, our 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 King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM AND
OTHER MULTIPLE FURROW PLOUGHS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said David Greig and George Greig, our executors, or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and
seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said David Greig, on behalf of myself and
the said George Greig, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
that is to say :—
5
In the construction of steam and other ploughing implements carry-
ing two or more ploughs, it is desirable that the different ploughs
should be capable of adjustment so as to produce a different width
of furrow. Heretofore this has been effected by shifting the ploughs
so as to bring them nearer to or further from one another, either by 1
shifting them laterally accross the frame of the implement, or if the
ploughs are fixed one behind the other on an angular or inclined
beam of the frame, by shifting them nearer to or further from one
another along such beam.
According to this Invention in place of thus shifting the position 1
of the ploughs upon the frame we connect each of the ploughs to the
frame in such a manner that the plough line of each plough can be
set at any angle desired to the central line of the frame, in placo
of being always maintained in one position relatively thereto, as
'heretofore.
2
When the ploughs are set inclined to the frame of the imple-
ment the frame will as the ploughs enter the land be caused
to incline to the line of draught indicated by the cutting point in
one or other direction according to the angle to which the ploughs
are inclined, and as the ploughs are set one behind the other upon 2
the frame the width of furrow will accordingly be increased or
diminished.
To effect the inclining of the ploughs relatively to the frame wedges
may be placed between the skife and the beams at either of the bearings
where they are attached, or screws or other means of adjustment may 3
be applied for readily altering the direction of the plough line of each
plough.
In the case of balance ploughs where two sets of ploughs are carried
at the opposite ends of a frame supported at its centre on a pair
of wheels of comparatively large diameter, and where consequently 3
the distance between the leading plough and centre of the wheels

page_text: must be greater than the distance between the several ploughs, we
suspend the frame by which the ploughs are carried in such a manner
that it may be shifted sidewise relatively to the wheels, so that the
furrow turned by the leading plough may always be maintained of
the same width as the furrows turned by the other ploughs.
In the Drawings hereunto annexed, Figure 1 shews 'a side view
and Figure 2 a plah view of a balance plough, constructed as above
described; Figure 3 is a transverse section of the same..
Figure 4 shew's on a larger scale the manner in which the ploughs
are attached to the angular or inclined beam of the frame; the arrange-
ment shewn in this Figure is the plan we prefer to adopt for connecting
the ploughs to the frame in such a manner that the plough line of
each plough relatively to the frame can readily and quickly be
changed, but as before stated other arrangements for carrying out
this part of our Invention may be adopted. In the arrangement
shewn at Figure 4, the back part of the body or frame a which
carries the skife and other parts of the plough rests upon the bottom
flange of the inclined beam b, and is retained by a 'bolt c which
passes somewhat loosely through the beam to allow of the angle
at which the plough is set relatively to the beam being somewhat
varied, as indicated by the dotted lines. When the plough is turned
into the position shewn by the dotted lines a wedged is interposed
between the skife and the beam, and the skife and beam are then
bolted together in the manner shewn at Figure 5.
All the ploughs are connected to the frame in the same manner so
that they can be set at any desired angle to the beam, and according as
they are inclined more or less to the central line of the frame in the
manner shewn by the dotted lines in the Drawing so will the end of the
frame carrying the set of ploughs which are for the time being in
action be caused to incline more and more away from the-furrow line,
thus making the furrows of increased width.
At Figure 3 is shewn the manner in which the balance frame is
suspended to allow of its being shifted sidewise relatively to the wheels.
For this purpose it is made capable of being shifted sidewise along the
5 bottom bar e of the frame, which carries the axles of the wheels, and it
can either be maintained in a central position upon this bar by loose

page_text: washers or filling pieces f being placed on either side of it between it
and the standards of the frame e, or the balance frame can be shifted
sidewise along the bar e, and the filling pieces ƒ be then both placed on
one side of it as shewn by the Drawing.
In some cases where the ploughs are carried by an angular or inclined 5
beam and the width of furrow is adjusted by moving the ploughs
nearer to or further from one another along such beam, we form the
frame with a second angular or inclined beam, parallel with the first
beam, and between the two we place movable stays which can be slid
to and fro, and be fixed to them in any position desired; these movable 1
stays carry the coulters and other parts of the ploughs. By this means
the ploughs can be set at any desired distance apart from one another
by shifting the ploughs together with the cross stays nearer to or
further from one another, whereas heretofore the stays of the frame to
which the angular beam was attached limited to some extent the position 1
in which the ploughs could be attached to it.
Figure 6 shews a plan view of a balance plough constructed as above
described. a, a, are the two angular or inclined beams parallel with
one another; b, b, are the movable stays placed between them, and
carring the ploughs as above stated. It will be seen that these stays 2
can be slid along the inclined beams, and fixed to them at any desired
distance apart from one another by keys and locking bolts.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention and the manner
of performing the same, we would have it understood that what we
claim as our improvements in the construction of steam and other 2
multiple furrow ploughs is,-
1. The construction of multiple furrow ploughs in such manner that
the width of furrows can readily be altered from time to time by
varying the angle at which the ploughs are fixed relatively to the frame,
substantially as herein described.
2. Also in balance ploughs, in which the width of furrow can be
thus altered mounting the balance frame in such a manner that it can
be shifted sidewise relatively to the wheels, substantially as herein
described.
30
3. The construction of multiple furrow ploughs with two parallel 35
inclined beams, and with movable stays placed between them, and

page_text: carrying the ploughs so that the ploughs can be set at any desired
distance apart from one another.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Greig, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of May, in the year of our
Lord, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
DAVID GREIG. (L.S.)