THE APPLICATION OF JOINTED OR ARTICULATED TRACTION APPARATUS TO VARIOUS AGRICULTURAL MACHINES, AND PARTICULARLY TO MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES,
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Edward Gedge at the.
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the:
27th May 1873.-A communication from abroad by Louis Paguelle.
de Larret, of No. 64, Faubourg St. Martin, Paris, France.
I, WILLIAM Edward Gedge, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "THE APPLICATION OF JOINTED OR ARTICULATED
TRACTION APPARATUS TO VARIOUS AGRICULTURAL MACHINES, AND PARTICULARLY TO
MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES," a communication to me from abroad by
Louis Paguelle de Larret, of No. 64, Faubourg St. Martin, Paris,
France, to be as follows:-
:-
The attention of makers of mowing and reaping machines has hitherto
been engrossed by the main parts of the work to be done, that is to say,
the cutting of the upright stalks near the root, and the laying of
these cut stalks,
;

page_text: The method of putting the horses or other animals to these machines
has remained as imperfect, as primitive, although its defects have been
long felt.
Some attempts have been made, but unsuccessfully, and these
machines have remained what they were, that is to say, the pole
forming part of the machine. This mode of construction had the
following defects, a part of the weight of the machine and of the pole.
was borne by the horses used to work it, and further, the turning of the
machine was very inconvenient, and the resistance met with often
resulted in the breakage of the pole.
The object of this Invention is to modify the system of traction of
mowing, reaping, and other agricultural machines of analogous descrip-
tion, in such a manner as to exempt them from the above defects, and
permit their being turned on the same spot without difficulty and with-
out experiencing shocks or great strains.
Further, that the weight of the machine and of the pole shall cease to
be supported by the animals who will no longer be subject to discomfort
and to a useless expenditure of their muscular powers. This result is
obtained by the transformation of rigid traction into articulated or
jointed traction, that is to say, by separating the pole from the remainder a
of the machine, and by making a forc-carriage intended to support the
weight of the machine, this arrangement permitting the turning of the
machine upon itself without fear of breaking the pole under the effort of
the horses, the strain being always in the direction of its length.
This Invention therefore consists in the novel application of this kind
of traction to agricultural machines, such application giving the advan-
tages above set forth.
The transformation of rigid traction into articulated or jointed
traction may be operated as follows:-The pole (or the shafts) which
have hitherto been solidly fixed to the machine will under this improved
system be detached therefrom, and be set upon a pair of wheels (or even
upon a single wheel) intended to support it. This arrangement makes
of this part of the machine a sort of fore-carriage completely independent
of it, as will be seen upon reference to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawing. An iron rod or bolt E firmly fixed upon the axle uniting the 3
two wheels B upholds the pole G, and serves at the same time for
hooking on the end of the long beam or perch C of the machine. It

page_text: thus acts as the pole bolt of a coach leaving full freedom of rotation to
the fore-carriage. The wheels B of this fore-carriage are of a height to
pass under the beam or perch of the machine, their distance from which
will be just sufficient to prevent their coming in contact with the roller
of the saw or cutter, whatever may be the position of this latter. The
axle D which unites these wheels should be as short as possible, and have
an arched form permitting the length of the rod or pole bolt E to be
lessened. The rod or bolt E is firmly fixed to the axle by its lower end,
and has at its upper part a shoulder upon which rests the splinter bar F
and the pole G, it also passes above this latter to receive the end of the
beam or perch of the machine, a nut or a pin secures the entire arrange-
ment. The pole which is now entirely independent of the machine is
firmly fixed to the pole pin either by iron arms fixed on each side the
axle or by a more simple method, that is to say, by having at the end of
the rod or bolt E a square part, which passes through the splinter bar
and the pole in a hole of the same shape, whereby all rotation of
these two pieces around the bolt E will be prevented. An iron plate
fixed on the pole and also traversed by the bolt preserves the shape of
this piece. A sector G made of a band or hoop of iron fixed to the end
of the pole permits the beam or perch of the machine always to find a
fulcrum, whatever direction may be given to this pole. The swing trees
which are placed at the two ends of the splinter bar may be fixed by
simple bolts, this mode of fitting avoiding an extension produced by the
hook system, which is more inconvenient than useful.
It will be understood that the arrangements above described are only
given as example, and that they may be infinitely changed while
retaining the principle of this Invention.