IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING MACHINES
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Smith, of Stamford, in the County of
Lincoln, Agricultural Implement Maker, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING MACHINES."
Sealed the 11th December 1852, and dated the 1st October 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Smith at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st October 1852.
I, HENRY SMITH, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING MACHINES" to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the application to reaping machines of
certain improved arrangements of apparatus, whereby the gathering in
and the cutting of corn or other agricultural produce, whether "laid" or
otherwise, will be readily accomplished, and the delivery of the cut
corn or other produce on to the ground in equal quantities will be
greatly facilitated.
The Invention consists, firstly, in a novel construction and arrange-
ment of knives and other contrivances for cutting the produce. Instead
of using a reciprocating knife, as heretofore, or rotating sickle-teeth
wheels, I employ a series of rotating star-shaped cutters, which lap over
each other, so as to present a continuous cutting edge to the corn or
other agricultural produce. On the driving side of the implement a

page_text: shield or guard is placed, for the purpose of lifting the laid produce on
the land side of the swathe, and bringing it into a proper position to be
cut, whereby the loss occasioned by the severing of the ears of corn from
the stem is avoided. This shield has somewhat the appearance of the
mould board and share of a common plough; its forward point, which
precedes the cutters, being bent down towards the ground, and its
hinder part rising to a line a little above the line of cutters. Imme-
diately above the cutters and the shield a reel furnished with tines is
mounted; this reel stretches across the machine, and receives a rotary
motion from the running wheel of the implement, whereby it is caused
to gather in the corn, and bring it under the action of the knives. The
corn or other produce when cut falls on to a platform, the hinder edge
of which is furnished with a rotating friction roller, for assisting the dis-
charge of the cut produce on to a second platform.
The Invention consists, secondly, in the employment of certain
apparatus for discharging the cut produce. The discharge is effected at
the side of the machine, and by means of a reciprocating rake acting in
a vertical plane at right angles to the course of the implement. This
rake may be mounted so that its stem or stems will work in a sliding
socket or sockets, and sweep over the platform. In that case, when
arrived at the end of its course, it may be raised by a fixed guide, and
traversed over such guide, so as to keep its tines clear of the platform
until it has attained its furthest backward position. Instead of the rake
having a reciprocating motion, it may have a continuous rotary motion
imparted to it by means of a winch handle, or by gearing or straps
connected with the running wheel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Smith, in the Great Seal Patent Office, on
the 1st April 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
HENRY SMITH, of Stamford, in the County of Lincoln, Agricultural
Implement Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of October, in the year of our

page_text: Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the sixteenth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Henry Smith, Her especial licence that I, the said
Henry Smith, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Henry Smith, 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 law-
fully 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 REAPING MACHINES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Henry Smith, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Smith, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement; reference being had to the drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):
This Invention relates to certain novel arrangements of mechanism,
designed, First, for the purpose of gathering in or bringing to the
action of cutting tools or knives of reaping machines, corn or other
standing crops which are required to be reaped; second, for cutting
the same when properly presented; and, thirdly, for effecting the
discharge of the reaped produce in given quantities at intervals, instead
of continuously. The mode of effecting these objects is shown in several
views of the accompanying drawings. In sheet I. Fig. 1, is a plan
view of a reaping machine constructed according to this nvention.
Fig. 2, is a longitudinal sectional elevation taken in the line 1, 2, of
Fig. 1 and Fig. 3, is a partial cross section taken in the line 3, 4,
of Fig. 1. In these Figures a, a, is a rectangular framing for carrying
the driving gear, and to it the draught horses are attached. b, is a

page_text: large running wheel, on the axle of which a cog-wheel c, is also mounted,
Into this wheel a pinion d, keyed to a horizontal shaft e, gears. This
shaft e, turns in journals carried by the main framing a, and serves as an
axle for a set of speed pulleys f, and a bevel wheel g. Gearing into the
bevel wheel g, is a bevel wheel h, which is keyed to a vertical shaft
i, having its bearings in a bracket and cross-piece attached to the
framing a. This shaft terminates in a square socket which fits loosely
on to a square spindle, forming the axle for a chain pulley j, which lies
in the line of a series of star-shaped knives k, and is intended (through
the medium of an endless chain 1,) to give motion to the same, when
rotated by the shaft i. Attached to the framing a, is the frame n, of a
platform or table m, for receiving the reaped produce. A segment
slot is made in the fore part of the frame n, of this table, to receive a
screw bolt which projects from the framing a, and by means of a binding
nut holds the two frames together in any required relative position; the
frame is supported at its other side by means of a running wheel n
In front of the adjustable platform or table m, the knives k, are set.
The mode in which they are mounted, and the details of their con-
struction, are shown in the detached views, Figures 4, 5, and 6; Fig. 4,
being a plan view shewing three knives of the series; Fig. 5, being
a front elevation with the box that contains the driving gear in section,
and Fig. 6, a section at right angles thereto. 0, is a plate extending
*
across the front of the platform, and secured at both ends to the frame
n. Its forward end is turned up at right angles, and thus it forms a
kind of box, suitable for receiving the chain l, and the chain wheels p,
which gear into the links thereof, and prevent these parts from being
clogged by the indraught of straw or weeds. The chain wheels p,
are secured to studs, which form the axles of the knives k, and they are
arranged at such distances apart that the knives will lap over each
other, as shewn in the drawing, and thereby present a continuous cutting
surface to the crop. Immediately above the rotary knives a straight
blade %, is fixed, forming an edge for the knives to cut against. This
blade is bolted to a plate r, which is itself firmly secured to the forward
edge of the platform m. s, s, are fingers which precede the knives for
the purpose of guiding the corn or other produce up to them, and of

page_text: assisting in retaining it while the cut is being effected. These fingers
have a return flange, which passes under the plate or box o, and is
firmly secured thereto by bolts. The chain 1, passes from the pulley j,
in a zigzag direction over the chain wheels p, to the end wheel p*,
which is made somewhat larger in diameter than the wheels p, in order
that it may return the chain in a direct line to the pulley j. The
platform frame n, is provided, at the side nearest the driving gear, with
a shield t, the object of which is to raise any of the standing crop that
may have been "laid" or beaten down by rain, wind, or other casualty,
and to hold it up to the proper action of the knives, whereby the loss
occasioned by the severing of the ears of corn from the stem will be in
great part avoided. This shield is made of thin sheet iron, and has
somewhat the appearance, in plan view, of the mould board and
share of a common plough; its forward point, which precedes the
cutters, being bent down towards the ground, and its hinder part rising
to a line a little above the line of the rotary knives. Fitted to the
underside of this shield is a roller, which runs along on the ground, for
the purpose of preventing the point of the shield from entering the
ground when it meets with a ridge or mound of earth. To allow of the
point of the shield rising and falling according to the irregularities of
the surface, the shield may be jointed, as shewn at Fig. 2. If thought
desirable, a shield may also be fitted to the other side of the frame n.
Situate above the forward end of the platform m, is a reel or set of
rotating arms u, for gathering in the standing corn, and bringing it into
contact with the knives, and afterwards laying the corn when cut upon
the platform. This reel has a hollow axle, which is supported by a
central rod v, affixed to and projecting at right angles from a fixed
perpendicular shaft w, which forms a support for a hollow axle a. Both
extremities of this axle a, are provided with bevel pinions, which gear
respectively, the one into a pinion on the hollow axle of the reel, and
the other into a pinion keyed to a short shaft y. On this shaft y, a set
of speed pullies, is mounted, and a band passes from these to the
pullies f, on the shaft e; as, therefore, this shaft c, is rotated by the
revolution of the running wheel b, caused by the forward progress
of the machine, the pullies f, will give rotary motion, through the

page_text: e,
pullies z, to the shaft y, which, through the bevil gearing at the opposite
end of the shaft x, will cause the reel or arms u, to revolve, and
sweep the corn as it is cut on to the platform. This movement of
the reel will take place (as will be understood on inspecting Fig. 3,)
simultaneously with the rotation of the knives, which are driven, as has
already been explained, by transmitting the rotary motion of the shaft
to the spindle of the chain pulley j: Supposing the corn under opera-
tion to be gathered in by the rotating reel, and laid upon the platform,
it is required to discharge the cut corn at intervals, in order that it may
be gathered up with ease, and bound into sheaves: this I effect, either
through the medium of a second or tail platform, which will admit of
the produce being discharged laterally, or by causing it to fall directly
on to the ground from the back end of the platform m.
For this pur-
pose (whether the tail platform be used or not) I mount at the hind
end of the platform m, a roller 1, the axle of which passes through the
two frames n, and a, and connects them together; and to this roller I
give an intermittent axial motion by the following means:-On the
hollow axle a, (see Figs. 1, and 2,) a cam 2, is mounted; and embracing
the cam is one end of a double forked lever 3, which rocks on a centre
pin 4, carried by a bracket from the framing a.
lever embraces a driving strap 5, which passes over a fast and loose
pulley 6, and thence to a fast and loose pulley 7, on the shaft of the
roller 1. The fast and loose pullies 6, are mounted on a shaft 8, sup-
ported in bearings on the framing a, and driven by a pinion 9, on that
shaft gearing into the cog-wheel c, on the axle of the running wheel b;
when, therefore, the strap is upon the fixed pullies, the roller 1, will rotate,
but when thrown off either of these pullies, the axial motion of the
roller will be suspended. This will take place once for every revolution
of the axle x, which, by bringing the cam 2, to bear against one or
other of the friction bowles of the lever 3, will cause that lever to rock
and shift the position of the driving strap on the pullies 6. In order to
admit of the adjustment of the knives to any given height from the
ground, I provide the following contrivance: 10, 10, is a rocking
cranked rod, supported in bearings on the framing a, and extending
from one side to the other of the frame n, under the platform. This
The other end of this

page_text: rod serves to carry a bent arm 11, which is fixed firmly thereto, and
forms the axle for the small running wheel n*. At its opposite end this
rod carries a lever 12, to which a rod 13, having a threaded end, is jointed.
The threaded end of this rod 13, passes through an eye fixed to the
framing a, and it is provided with a tightening nut. When, therefore,
it is required to let down the knives to a lower level, the binding nut
which secures the frames a, and n, together at their forward end is
first loosened, and the nut on the rod 13, is then slackened. The for-
ward end of the frame n, together with its platform and knives, will
then drop (turning on the axle of the roller 1, as its centre of motion,)
in a degree proportionate to the traverse of the nut on its rod. When
the knives have attained the required level, the binding nut on the con-
necting bolt at the fore part of the frames is then screwed up tight, and
the two frames are held firmly together. In order to elevate the knives,
it is only necessary to loosen this nut, and to draw up the rod 13, by
means of its nut. This movement of the rod 13, will cause the cranked
rod 10, to rock in its bearings in the framing a, and thereby lift the
frame n, with its platform and knives; the top of the wheel n*, acting as
a bearing for the extremity of the cranked rod, of which the fixed lever
11, may be considered as a continuation: It will be understood, that as
the elevation of the platform is capable of being increased or diminished,
it will be necessary to provide means for the proper action of the reel
under all circumstances. To effect this, the arms of the reel are made
capable of elongation and contraction, by reason of the slot and bolt
arrangement shewn at Fig. 2: I also provide for the raising and
lowering of the axle of the reel, by forming the hollow axle x, in two
parts, which lock together, and between which a short piece of tube, as
at a, Fig. 2, may be inserted, when the axle of the reel is required to
be elevated. The top bevil pinion of the axle x, will thus be raised,
and the shaft v, which carries the hollow axle of the reel, may be fixed'
to the shaft w, in such a position as to insure the proper action of the
bevil pinions of the two hollow axles.
The Figures in Sheet II, of the drawings shew a mode of effecting
a side delivery of the corn or other cut produce, by the use of a second
platform or tail-board. Fig. 1, is a side elevation of the parts employed

page_text: for this purpose. Fig. 2, is a plan view; and Fig. 3, an end view of
the same.
a, a, is the platform, which is attached to the frame n, of
Sheet I, immediately behind the roller 1, and at a lower level than the
platform m. As, therefore, the cut produce collects on the platform m,
it is discharged by the intermittent action of the roller 1, on to the tail
platform a. I would here remark, that in place of the fixed inclined
platform m, I propose in some cases to employ an endless travelling
cloth, or travelling bands, which may be actuated by the roller 1, and so
made to discharge the produce at intervals, either on to a second plat-
form, or on to the ground. The tail platform a, is supported by
running wheels b, c, from the former of which the motion is obtained by
actuating the sweeps or rakes to be presently mentioned. d, d, d, is a
rigid frame, extending above and around the platform, for the purpose
of carrying the shafts of the rakes, and the parts for actuating
the same. e, is a horizontal shaft, supported in suitable bearings
above the platform; and keyed thereto are the arms of a pen-
dent rake f, which is intended to sweep the cut produce for-
ward from the side towards the middle of the paltform. g,
is a horizontal shaft, also working in bearings at the upper part of the
frame d, and carrying a second rake h, which will take the cut produce
from the middle of the platform, and discharge it on to the ground. These
movements of the rakes are effected in the following manner: the
shaft 9. carries a fast and loose pulley i, from which a driving strap
proceeds to a drum k, mounted on a short shaft l, which carries a bevel
pinion m, in gear with a bevel wheel n, on the axle of the running
wheel b. As, therefore, the machine is drawn forward to cut the corn
or other produce, the wheel b, will rotate, and cause the revolution of the
shaft I, with its rake h. On the shaft g, a cam o, is mounted; and bear-
ing against this cam is the short arm of a rocking lever p, which is
supported by a stud from the frame d. The other end of this lever is
furnished with a friction roller, which bears against an arm q, keyed to
the shaft e. The rotation, therefore, of the shaft g, will, by means of th
cam o, cause the rocking lever p, to throw up the arm g, whereby the
rake f, on the shaft e, will be driven forward. When the longest radius
of the cam has passed the end of the lever 2, the longer arm of th a

page_text: lever will descend, and the rake f, will then be free to fall back to its
quiescent position. I would here remark, that instead of the mechanism
just described for rendering the rakes self-acting, I may find it desirable,
in some cases, to discharge the corn or other cut produce from the tail
platform in heaps suitable for being bound up into sheaves, by the use
of a winch handle or other similar contrivance, actuated by the attendant.
In that case, it may be more convenient to give the discharging rake a
reciprocating instead of a rotary motion.
Having now described my Invention of improvements in reaping
machines, I wish it to be understood, that under the above in part re-
cited Letters Patent, I claim,-First, the arrangement of fixed and rotary
knives or cutting edges, for cutting corn and other standing crops, and
also the mode of working the rotary knives, as above explained, and
shewn in the drawings. Secondly, I claim the use of a shield or shields,
as explained, for raising the "laid" corn or other produce, and bringing
it under the action of the knives. Thirdly, I claim effecting the dis-
charge of the cut produce from the platform m, or its equivalent, by
means of a roller whose action upon the cut produce shall be intermittent.
Fourthly, I claim the means whereby I am enabled to adjust the eleva-
tion of the knives, as herein-before described. Fifthly, I claim the mode
of mounting, and constructing the reel, to admit of its adjustment and
radial expansion, as above explained with reference to the drawings.
And lastly, I claim the application to reaping machines of the recipro-
cating and rotary rakes, for effecting the lateral discharge of the cut
produce from such machines.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Smith, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
HENRY SMITH. (L.S.)