IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR STEAM CULTIVATION
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Greig and Thomas Benstead, both of the Steam
Plough Works, Leeds, in the County of York, Engineers, for an Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR STEAM CULTIVATION."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Greig and Thomas
Benstead at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st October
1880.
DAVID GREIG and THOMAS BENSTEAD, both of the Steam Plough Works,
Leeds, in the County of York, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
STEAM CULTIVATION.'
Our Invention refers to the anchors used in steam cultivation by wire rope
traction.
Various methods have hitherto been employed for preventing a self moving
anchor from travelling forward when it ought to be stationary, and for permitting
or causing this forward motion at the proper moment.
The pull of the ploughing rope, which is the motive power for moving the anchor,
acts not in the direction of the beadland, but really in a diagonal direction across
the field, being the resultant of the two strains in the directions of the ropes passing
round the anchor.
We so arrange the anchor that when it is desired to remain at rest, the axle of
its disc wheels may be placed parallel to the diagonal strain, whilst on the other
hand, when it is desired that the anchor should advance, we cause the axle to be
turned into a position at right angles to the direction in which the anchor should
move along the headland." We effect this change in the position of the axle
automatically by a stop or ball attached to the ploughing rope near the implement.
This ball strikes a moveable arm on the anchor, which acting on the axis of the
discs, turns them into the direction for advancing along the headlaud. Then the
ploughing rope still moving on, pulls the anchor ahead as far as required. When
the motion of the rope is reversed, the stop before getting free of the arm pulls
it back to its former position, thereby making the further motion of the anchor
impossible.

page_text: It is inconvenient that the forward motion of the anchor should take place whilst
the implement is still in motion. To avoid this, I fix a small drum on the
implement which carries a few yards of the two ploughing ropes wound on so that
when one is paying out the other is coiling itself on the drum. This drum is
prevented from revolving by a catch which can be thrown in and out by the
ploughman. When the stop on the rope which effects the anchor motion is near
the anchor this catch is released and the drum and rope liberated. This allows
the implement to remain stationary whilst the anchor is pulled forward.
As soon
as the engine is then reversed, the small drum revolves in the opposite direction,
and the rope ends are again coiled up as they were before.
In adjusting the width of ploughing, we arrange the middle frame of the multiple
furrow plough to shift laterally to and from the furrow wheel, so as to adjust in
this way the width of the first furrow, whilst the width of the other furrows is
adjusted by shifting the plough bodies upon the frame by wedges or otherwise.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said David Greig and Thomas Benstead in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 1st April 1881.
DAVID GREIG and THOMAS BENSTEAD, both of the Steam Plough Works,
Leeds, in the County of York, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
STEAM CULTIVATION.'
"
Our Invention refers to the anchors used in steam cultivation by wire rope
traction.
Various methods have hitherto been employed for preventing a self moving
anchor from travelling forward when it ought to be stationary, and for permitting
or causing this forward motion at the proper moment.
•
The pull of the ploughing rope, which is the motive power for moving the anchor,
acts not in the direction of the headland, but really in a diagonal direction across
the field, being the resultant of the two strains in the directions of the ropes passing
round the anchor.
We so arrange the anchor that when it is desired to remain at rest, the axle of
its disc wheels may be placed parallel to the diagonal strain, whilst on the other
hand when it is desired that the anchor should advance, we cause the axle to be
turned into a position at right angles to the direction in which the anchor should
move along the beadland. We effect this change in the position of the axle
automatically by a stop or ball attached to the ploughing rope near the implement.
This ball strikes a moveable arm on the anchor, which acting on the axis of the
discs, turns them into the direction for advancing along the headland. Then the
ploughing rope still moving on, pulls the anchor ahead as far as required. When
the motion of the rope is reversed, the stop before getting free of the arm pulls it
back to its former position, thereby making the further motion of the anchor
impossible.

page_text: It is inconvenient that the forward motion of the anchor should take place whilst
the implement is still in motion. To avoid this we fix a small drum on the
implement which carries a few yards of the two ploughing ropes, wound on so
that when one is paying out, the other is coiling itself on the drum. This drum is
prevented from revolving by a catch which can be thrown in and out by the
ploughman. When the stop on the rope which effects the anchor motion is near
the anchor, this catch is released, and the drum and rope liberated. This allows the
implement to remain stationary whilst the anchor is pulled forward. As soon as
the engine is then reversed, the small drum revolves in the opposite direction, and
the rope ends are again coiled up as they were before.
In adjusting the width of ploughing we arrange the middle frame of the multiple
furrrow plough to shift laterally to and from the furrow wheel so as to adjust in
this way the width of the first furrow, whilst the width of the other furrows is
adjusted by shifting the plough bodies upon the frame by wedges or otherwise.
In order that our said Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows in plan our improved anchor before, and (in dotted lines) after the
advance along the headland, and the plough is also shown in the position it
occupies whilst the movement of the anchor takes place.
The main pulley A of the anchor is carried by a frame on suitable wheels with
discs as employed in the ordinary self moving anchor.
The main axle B is in our anchor centred so as to admit its turning readily from
90 to 45 degrees of inclination to the centre line of the anchor.
There is an arm C which also turns independently round the main centre O,
and is connected with axle B by means of the two rods D and D¹ and the beam E.
The arm C is so formed as to admit of its connections being reversed when the
plough works on the other side of the anchor. At the outside of the arm C is a
catch F.
H is a circular plate which carries two guards G, G, and is bolted to axle B.
At the end of the ploughing rope is a ball I. This ball strikes the catch F
attached to the arm C and turns the arm round the centre O. The movement of C
is transmitted through the rods D, D', and the beam E to the axle B, which is thus
turned into a position perpendicular to the centre line of the anchor frame. The
anchor is thus made ready to advance. A further movement of the axle is
prevented by a suitable stop, but as the rope is still going on the anchor advances
now by the direct pull of the rope until the engine is stopped. The anchor is
thus brought into the position indicated by the dotted lines. As the arm C is
moved forward by the ball I, the catch F slips under the guard G and so is caused
to close over the ball I, which it holds tightly as long as the guard prevents it
from opening out again.
Now the engine is reversed and the rope moves in the opposite direction, the
ball I is drawn back, and being still firmly held by the catch F and so connected
with the arm C it turns the axle B again into its inclined position. By this time
the catch F slips out of the guard G, and when out the ball is released and the
anchor left in a working position as before. An anchor may be similarly arranged
with a pair of axles capable of being turned to an oblique position.
In order that the plough may be at rest whilst the anchor is moving, a pulley
is provided on the plough, as shown in Figure 1 and also in Figures 2 and 3,
which are respectively a portion of a side view and a transverse section of the
plough.
The pulley M on the plough contains a few yards of rope, and is held in its
position by a catch which can be released by the ploughman. By doing this when
the plough is close up to the anchor, the motion of the rope is allowed to go on

page_text: whilst the implement remains stationary. Thus the whole power of the engine can
be brought to bear on the anchor alone.
Another part of the Invention relates to the means for adjusting the multiple
furrow ploughs to vary the width of the first furrow.
This cannot very
conveniently be done by shifting the plough body on the frame as the width of the
other furrows are adjusted; we therefore make the frame or beam of the plough to
shift laterally on the plough middle.
The beam P, P, of the plough frame which rest on the plough middle N, N, is
shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3. By turning a nut on the horizontal bar the
plough frame is shifted laterally against the plough middle and thereby the width
of the first furrow is altered. The nut, as is seen in Figure 3, is held in a fork
fixed upon the plough middle.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention and the manner of
performing the same, we wish it to be understood that we do not confine ourselves
to the exact details given, but what we claim is,-—
First. Constructing the anchor in such manner that the axle or axles can be
turned upon the anchor frame into a diagonal position, placing thereby the wheels
and discs so that the strain of the rope has no tendency to move them forward.
Second. Constructing the anchor in such manner that the axle or axles may be
turned by a ball upon the hauling rope to set it for advancing and for resisting
the strain of the rope.
Third. The means by which the implement is allowed to be stationary whilst
the anchor is moved by the hauling rope.
Fourth. Constructing multiple furrow ploughs so that the beam or middle frame
may be shifted laterally upon the plough middle to alter the width of the first
furrow.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Benstead, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.