MENTS IN LAWN MOWERS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Whitmore Carr of the City County and State
of New York in the United States of America for an Invention of IMPROVE
MENTS IN LAWN MOWERS communicated to him from abroad by Messieurs
Carr and Hobson Limited of New York aforesaid
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Whitmore Carr at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th November 1883.
GEORGE WHITMORE CARR of the City County and State of New York in the
United States of America IMPROVEMENTS IN LAWN MOWERS A communication
to me from abroad by Messieurs Carr and Hobson Limited of New York, aforesaid
The Invention has for its object improvements in lawn mowers and consists
Firstly of an improved method of mounting and fixing the handle whereby it can
be readily shipped and unshipped and can be used either for driving the machine
when the latter is in use or for turning the machine over and running it away
without giving motion to the rotary cutter or wiper when the machine is travelling
to and from its work. For this purpose I employ a forked spring handle provided
at its ends with studs on axes which enter holes formed for them in the frame of
the machine. Stops and guides are fixed to the frame in order to prevent the
handle falling too low when the machine is in use, and to retain the studs or axes
of the handle in their holes or bearings and removeable spring pins or other stops
are placed in holes in the frame to prevent the accidental unshipping of the handle
and at the same time to act as fulcra against which the handle can act when it is
desired to reverse the machine for the purpose of running it to and from its work
without giving motion to the rotary cutter or wiper, at which latter time it will
run on its driving wheels but in the reverse direction.
The invention consists Secondly of improvements in the construction of the
rotary cutter or wiper.
For this purpose according to one construction the steel blades or cutters are
fixed in the cast iron heads and intermediate support (if any) by casting, the steel
blades being fixed in position in the moulds and the metal for the heads and
intermediate support being run in amongst them.
ED 077

page_text: According to another arrangement the steel blades or cutters are formed in pairs
and of solid steel properly shaped and cut or slotted half across in a direction from
one side of the machine to the other, one pair of blades being cut from the one side
and the other from the other side the required number of these double blades are
slidden together, so as to interlock with each other and the cast iron heads are
made of such form as to slide into position upon the ends of the said blades and to
extend inwards a suitable distance so as to afford the required support and
strength.
The invention consists Thirdly in fixing the cross bar and the back regulating,
roller by a single bolt at each end.
For this purpose I form each of said bolts long enough to receive the nut by
which the cross bar or frame is fixed in position and to pass through the bosses of
the arms carrying the regulating roller, which arms are fixed in position on such
bolts by a second pair of nuts. The bosses of the arms are provided with teeth or
projections to fit into other teeth or projections formed on the framing so that the
said arms can be turned around said bolts for adjustment of the regulating roller.
The invention consists Fourthly in a novel construction of gear for giving motion
to the rotary cutter or wiper when the machine is at work and for throwing said
rotary cutter or wiper out of gear when the machine is drawn backwards. For
this purpose the pinion on the end of the rotary cutter or wiper is driven by
internal teeth formed on the inside of the driving wheel, said pinion is formed
hollow and with teeth to act in combination with a double sliding ratchet tooth
which is placed in a slot cut transversely through the axis of the rotary cutter or
wiper the said parts are formed to drive in one direction and to slip in the other.
The invention relates Fifthly to means for regulating the position of the fixed
blade or cutter in relation to the rotary cutter or wiper.
For this purpose the cross bar carrying the fixed blade or cutter is capable of
being turned within certain limits upon the bolts connecting the same to the side
frames of the machine and each end of the said cross bar is acted upon by two
screws, one acting upwardly and the other downwardly so that by screwing one of
these screws in, and the other out, the cross bar is caused to turn slightly on its
pivotal bolts for adjustment, and is at the same time firmly held in its adjusted
position.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said George Whitmore Carr in the Patent Office on the 15th May
1884.
GEORGE WHITMORE CARR of the City County and State of New York in the
United States of America "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAWN MOWERS" (A Communication
to me from abroad by Messieurs Carr and Hobson Limited of New York aforesaid)
The invention has for its object improvements in lawn mowers and consists
Firstly of an improved method of mounting and fixing the handle whereby it can
be readily shipped and unshipped and can be used either for driving the machine
when the latter is in use or for turning the machine over and running it away
without giving motion to the rotary cutter or wiper when the machine is travelling
to and from its work-For this purpose I employ a forked spring handle provided
at its ends with studs or axes which enter holes formed for them in the frame of
the machine-Stops and guides are fixed to the frame in order to prevent the
handle falling too low when the machine is in use and to retain the studs or axes
of the handle in their holes or bearings and removeable spring pins or other stops
are placed in holes in the frame to prevent the accidental unshipping of the handle
and at the same time to act as fulcra against which the handle can act when it is
desired to reverse the machine for the purpose of running it to or from its work
without giving motion to the rotary cutter or wiper at which latter time it will
run on its driving wheels but in the reverse direction
The invention consists secondly of improvements in the construction of the
rotary cutter or wiper-For this purpose according to one construction the steel
blades or cutters are fixed in the cast iron heads and intermediate support (if any)
by casting, the steel blades for such purpose being fixed in position in the moulds
and the metal for the heads and intermediate support being run in amongst them
According to another arrangement the steel blades or cutters are formed in pairs
and of solid steel properly shaped and cut or slotted half across in a direction from
one side of the machine to the other one pair of blades being cut from the one side
and the other from the other side; two of these double blades are slidden together
so as to interlock with each other and the cast iron heads are made of such form as
to slide into position upon the ends of the said blades and to extend inwards a
suitable distance so as to afford the required support and strength.
The invention consists Thirdly in fixing the cross bar and the brackets carrying
the back regulating roller by a single bolt at each end-For this purpose I form
each of said bolts long enough to receive the nut by which the cross bar or frame.
is fixed in position and to pass through the bosses of the arms carrying the
regulating roller which arms are fixed in position on such bolts by a second pair of
nuts The bosses of the arms are provided with teeth or projections to fit into
other teeth or projections formed on the framing so that the said arms can be
turned around said bolts for adjustment of the regulating roller and then securely
fixed in the required position by the nuts and the teeth or projections
The invention consists Fourtbly in a novel construction of gear for giving motion
to the rotary cutter or wiper when the machine is at work and for throwing said
rotary cutter or wiper out of gear when the machine is drawn backwards-For
this purpose the pinion on the end of the rotary cutter or wiper is driven by
internal teeth formed on the inside of the driving wheel, said pinion is formed
hollow and with teeth to act in combination with a double sliding ratchet tooth
which is placed in a slot cut transversely through the axis of the rotary cutter or
wiper the said parts are formed to drive in one direction and to slip in the other

page_text: The invention relates Fifthly to means for regulating the position of the fixed
blade or cutter in relation to the rotary cutter or wiper-For this purpose the
cross bar carrying the fixed blade or cutter is capable of being turned within
certain limits upon the bolts connecting the same to the side frames of the machine
and each end of the said cross bar is acted upon by two screws one acting upwardly
and the other downwardly so that by screwing one of these screws in and the
other out the cross bar is caused to turn slightly on its pivotal bolts for adjustment
and is at the same time firmly held in its adjusted position
And in order that the said invention may be more clearly understood and
readily carried into effect I will proceed aided by the accompanying drawings more
fully to describe the same
Figure 1 is a side elevation and Figure 2 is a plan of a lawn mower constructed
according to the present invention and showing the same in the position for work--
Figure 3 is a side view of the same showing the handle turned over and the rotary
cutter or wiper raised off the ground whereby the lawn mower is enabled to be
run on its driving wheels without giving motion to the rotary cutter or wiper-
Figure 4 is a sectional elevation drawn on the line 1. 1. of Figure 2-Figure 5 is a
corresponding plan partly in section Figure 6 is an exterior view of parts as seen
by looking in the direction of the arrow x Figure 2 the driving wheel being
removed and the pinion and parts acting therewith to drive the rotary cutter or
wiper being shown in section-Figure 7 is a horizontal section of the driving gear
on the side of the machine corresponding with Figure 5-Figures 8 and 9 are
details of parts shown at Figure 7-Figure 10 is a vertical elevation of parts
showing the method of fixing the cross bar and the brackets for the regulating
roller and Figures 11. 12 and 13. are respectively a side view partly in section an
end view and a detail view of one method of constructing the rotary cutter or
wiper Figures 4 to 10 are drawn to double the scale of the other figures.
The framing of the machine is constructed of two side frames a connected
together by a cross bar b to which the fixed cutter c is attached-The side
frames a. a are bored to receive the cross shaft d on which are mounted the driving
wheels e. e which latter are.formed with internal teeth to take into and drive the
pinions ff giving motion in the manner hereinafter described to the rotary cutter
or wiper g―The side frames a. a are also formed with bearings to receive the ends
of the axis g¹ of the rotary cutter or wiper g and the caps a' of such bearings are
held in position by screws a' and lock nuts a such screws passing through lugs or
projections a on said side frames a. a.
In carrying the first part of the invention into effect I employ a forked spring
handle h provided at its ends with outwardly projecting studs or axes h¹ which
enter holes formed for them in the side frames a. a-Stops and guides a³ and a®
are fixed to the side frames a. a in order to prevent the handle h from falling too
low when the machine is in use and to retain the studs or axes h¹ in their holes or
bearings and removeable spring pins ax or other stops are placed in holes in the
side frames a. a to prevent the accidental unshipping of the handle h and at the
same time to act as fulcra against which the handle h can act when it is desired to
place the machine in the position shown at Figure 3 for the purpose of running it
to and from its work without giving motion to the rotary cutter or wiper g at
which time it will run on its driving wheels e in the reverse direction to that
adopted when the machine is at work.
The second part of the invention consists of improvements in the construction of
the rotary cutter or wiper g-According to one method of construction, see
Figure 2, the steel blades or cutters g are fixed in the cast iron heads g³ and
intermediate support g³ by casting; the steel blades g for such purpose being fixed
in position in the moulds for forming the heads g' and intermediate support g³ the
metal being run into such moulds and thereby forming such parts upon the steel

page_text: blades.g whereby the steel blades. g and the heads g and intermediate support g³
are firmly connected together.-According to another arrangement as shown at
Figures 11 and 12 the steel blades or cutters g are formed in pairs and of solid
steel properly shaped and cut or slotted half across in a direction from one side of
the machine to the other one pair of such blades being cut from the one side and
the other from the other side; two of these double blades are slidden together so
as to interlock with each other and the cast iron heads g² are made of such form as
to slide into position upon the ends of the said blades g and to extend inwards a
suitable distance as shown so as to afford the required support and strength such
heads g' may be fixed in position on the blades g by keys pins or other suitable
means or they may be cast in position on the blades as described with 'respect to
the rotary cutter or wiper shown at Figure 2
According to the third part of the invention. the cross bar b and the back
regulating roller i are fixed to the side frames a a by a single bolt or screw a at
each end For this purpose each of said bolts or screws a² is formed long enough to
receive the nut as by which the cross bar or frame b is fixed to the side frames a
and to pass through the bosses of the arms a carrying the regulating roller i
which arms are fixed in position on such bolts a7 by a second pair of nuts a¹º.
The bosses of the arms a are provided with teeth or projections all to fit into other
teeth or projections a¹ formed on the side frames a so that by slackening the
nuts at the said arms a' can be turned around the bolts or screws a' for adjustment
of the regulating roller i and then securely fixed in the desired position by the
nuts a¹º and the teeth or projections all a¹2
The fourth part of the invention consists of a novel construction of gear for
giving motion to the rotary cutter or wiper g when the machine is at work and for
throwing it out of gear when the machine is drawn backwards-For this purpose
the pinion on each end of the rotary cutter or wiper g is formed hollow and with
teeth f¹ to act in combination with a double sliding ratchet tooth 9 which is
placed in a slot cut transversely through the axis g¹ of the rotary cutter or wiper g
the teeth f¹ and the ratchet tooth g' are formed so as to drive the rotary cutter or
wiper g when the pinion f is revolving in one direction but to slip when the
pinion is revolved in the contrary direction-By employing the above arrange-
ment of slip gear at each end of the rotary cutter or wiper g not only are the
actions above described obtained but the machine is enabled to turn in any
direction with ease and without any stoppage to the rotation of the rotary cutter
or wiper g.
The fifth part of the invention relates to means for regulating the position of the
fixed blade or cutter c in relation to the rotary cutter or wiper g. For this purpose
the cross bar b is capable of being turned within certain limits upon the bolts or
screws a connecting the same to the side frames a and each end of the said cross
bar b is formed with an arm b¹ which is acted upon by two screws b³ ³ the one b³
acting to force such arm 6' upwardly and the other b³ to force it downwardly for
which purpose the screw b' is screwed through a lug or projection a" on the side
frame and acts upon the arm 6' whilst the screw b³ is screwed through the arm. 6¹
and acts against a projection a" on the side frame, thus by screwing one pair of
these screws in and the other out the cross bar b is caused to turn slightly on its
pivotal bolts a7 for adjustment and is at the same time firmly held in its adjusted
position.
The side frames a are made with rings as to fit closely the interior of the driving
wheels e and the pinions fare enclosed in boxes as shown so as to keep dirt and
the cut grass out of the gearing.
Having thus described the nature of the said invention and the mode in which
the same is carried into effect I would have it understood that what I claim is,
First The peculiar construction and combination of parts for connecting the
handle to the machine substantially as herein shown and described and for the
purpose stated.

page_text: * Second-Casting the heads and intermediate support in position on the blades
or cutters of the rotary cutter or wiper substantially as herein shown and
described.
Third Constructing the blades or cutters of the rotary cutter or wiper of solid
steel slotted and fitted together and provided with cast iron heads substantially as
herein shown and described.
Fourth. The method of fixing the cross bar and the back regulating roller to
the side frames by a single bolt or screw and a pair of nuts at each end of the said
bar together with the means for adjusting the position of said roller substantially
as herein shown and described.
Fifth The peculiar construction of gear to give motion to the rotary cutter or
wiper in one direction and to slip in the contrary direction substantially as herein
shown and described and;
Sixth The peculiar means for regulating the position of the fixed blade or
cutter in relation to the rotary cutter or wiper substantially as herein shown and
described.
In witness whereof I the said George Whitmore Carr have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Nineteenth day of April One thousand eight hundred and
eighty four
GEORGE WHITMORE CARR (L.S.)