Improvements in Swath Turners.
Year: 1898

page_text: Wath Turners
We, EDWARD CHRISTOPHER BLACKSTONE, Engineer, and RICHARD EDWARD
WATTS, Draughtsman, both of Rutland Works, Stamford, in the County of
Lincoln, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:--
This invention relates to swath turners of the kind described in the Specification
of former Letters Patent No. 12609 of 1891, the object of the present invention
being to simplify the construction of the apparatus and thereby render it more
efficient in operation.
According to the present invention we suspend the oscillating forks from the
two ends of a beam carried upon a suitable support and we operate the said forks
from a shaft driven from the wheels of the machine through the medium of suitable
gearing and carrying a three-throw crank (or eccentrics may be used if desired),
one of the said cranks being connected to the beam in such a manner that as the
driving shaft is rotated the beam will be oscillated, whilst the other two cranks,
which are of equal lengths and placed on opposite sides of the driving shaft are
connected by rods with the shanks of the forks. With this arrangement as the
crank shaft is rotated, the oscillating forks will be brought alternately to the
ground and then raised again and whilst in contact with the ground moved more
or less in the transverse direction of the machine in order to turn over the swaths.
Dated this 16th day of July 1898.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Swath Turners.
We, EDWARD CHRISTOPHER BLACKSTONE, Engineer, and RICHARD EDWARD
WATTS, Draughtsman, both of Rutland Works, Stamford, in the County of
Lincoln, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
This invention relates to swath turners of the kind described in the Specification
of former Letters Patent No. 12609 of 1891, the object of the present invention
being to simplify the construction of the apparatus and thereby render it more
efficient in operation.
According to the present invention we suspend the oscillating forks from the

page_text: two ends of a beam carried upon a suitable support and we operate the said forks
from a shaft driven from the wheels of the machine through the medium of suitable
gearing and carrying a three-throw crank (or eccentrics may be used if desired),
one of the said cranks being connected to the beam in such a manner that as the
driving shaft is rotated the beam will be oscillated, whilst the other two cranks,
which are of equal lengths and placed on opposite sides of the driving shaft, are
connected by rods with the shanks of the forks.
To enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a plan view of a swath turner provided with our improvements; and
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation looking in the direction of the arrow, Figure 1.
" is the frame of the apparatus and b, b are the main travelling wheels on the
axle c and adapted to drive the said axle by means of pawls engaging with ratchet
boxes d, d fixed to the axle.
e is the oscillating heam which is mounted in a bracket f on the frame a, and g
is the crank shaft from which the said beam receives its movement, the said shaft
having fixed upon it at one end the bevel pinion h which engages with a bevel
wheel on the main axle c. This wheel is loosely mounted upon the shaft and
adapted to be placed in operative connection with it through the medium of a
clutch box capable of sliding upon the said shaft by means of a feather and
adapted to be engaged with and disengaged from the corresponding teeth upon
the wheel by means of the lever k.
1, m, n are the three cranks formed in the shaft g, the crank 7 having a shorter
throw than the cranks m and » and being connected with the beam, or with an arm
thereon, by means of a rod o, whilst the cranks m, n are connected by the rods p, p
with the shanks q, q of the oscillating forks r, r upon the ends of the oscillating
With this arrangement it will be understood that as the crank shaft
is rotated the oscillating forks r, will be brought alternately to and lifted from
the ground, the said forks, whilst in contact with the ground, being moved more or
less in the transverse direction of the machine in order to turn over the swaths.
beam c.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. In a swath turner, mounting the oscillating forks upon the ends of an oscil-
lating beam, the said beam and forks receiving motion from cranks upon a crank
shaft, substantially as described.
2. The manufacture and use of the improved swath turner herein before described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
G. F. REDEERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicants.