IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HORSE RAKES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Boby, of Bury St. Edmund's, in the
County of Suffolk, Agricultural Implement Maker, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HORSE RAKES."
Sealed the 9th October 1868, and dated the 15th April 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Boby at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th April 1868.
I, ROBERT BOBY, of Bury St. Edmund's, in the County of Suffolk,
Agricultural Implement Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HORSE RAKES," to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of parts, whereby when
the rake is full of collected material the power of the horse is employed
to raise the tines and liberate the material. To attain this end I connect
the shafts or draught irons through link bars with a pair of arms made
fast to the axle of the running wheels of the machine and mount the
tines on a transverse round bar carried in front of the axle by pairs of
arms also affixed to the axle, but at right angles to the first-mentioned
pair of arms. In order to make the shafts or draught irons adjustable

page_text: with respect to the arms on the axle (with the view of setting the tines
properly to their work) they are coupled to the link bars by the inter-
vention of two pairs of clamped interlocking discs. From a transverse
bar forming part of this coupling projects rearwards an arm, upon which
is pivoted a hand lever carrying a catch at its lower end. Upon this
catch rests the horizontal arm of a crank lever made fast to the axle at
about the middle of its length, the other arm of which crank lever
stands up in the form of a handle readily accessible to the attendant.
So long as the rake is required to gather the crank lever is held in
position by the pendent catch lever, and the pull of the horse serves
merely to traverse the rake over the field. When however a sufficient
amount of material is gathered by the tines the attendant disengages the
catch lever, and the pull of the horse then causes the axle to rock, and
the arms carrying the tines will then be depressed and caused to throw
up the tines clear of the collected material. The readjustment of the rake
is effected by the attendant seizing the handle of the crank lever, and
pulling it over until the catch lever again engages with the crank lever.
Instead of the rake being thrown into action by the attendant an attach-
ment on the running wheel, or the nave of the wheel may act upon the
said lever or equivalent mechanism, and depress the tines ready for
work.
The machine may also be made entirely self-acting by suitably
adiusting the various lovers and catches
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Boby in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 2
15th October 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
BOBY, of Bury St. Edmund's, in the County of Suffolk, Agricultural
Implement Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her 8
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Robert Boby, Her special licence that I,
the said Robert Boby, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or 3

page_text: such others as I, the said Robert Boby, 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 lawfully might make, use, exercise, the vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF HORSE RAKES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Robert Boby, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Robert Boby, 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 Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :—
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of parts, whereby when
the rake is full of collected material the power of the horse is employed
to raise the tines and liberate the material.
The way in which I attain this end will be understood by referring to
the accompanying Drawing, in which Fig. 1 represents a side elevation
of a horse rake constructed according to my improvements.
The shafts or draught irons a, a, are connected through link bars b, b,
with a pair of arms c made fast to the axle d of the running wheels of
the machine. The tines e are mounted on a transverse round bar f
carried in front of the axle d by pairs of arms g also affixed to the axle d,
but at any convenient angle to the first-mentioned pair of arms c. In
order to make the shafts or draught irons a adjustable with respect to
the arms c and g on the axle (with the view of setting the tines e
properly to their work) they are coupled to the link bars 6 by the inter-
vention of two pairs of clamping discs or surfaces h, seen best in plan
view, Fig. 2, of one of the shafts. From a transverse bar i forming part
of this coupling projects rearwards an arm i', upon which is pivotted a
catch lever j. Upon this catch lever rests the horizontal arm of a crank
lever k made fast to the axle d at about the middle of its length. This

page_text: lever is connected by a link k¹ to a lever provided with a handle
readily accessible to the attendant. So long as the rake is required to
gather the crank lever ¹ is held in position by the pendent catch lever j,
and the pull of the horse serves merely to traverse the rake over the
field. When however a sufficient amount of material is gathered by the
tines the attendant disengages the catch lever j by means of the chain j¹,
and the pull of the horse then causes the axle d to rock, and the bar f
carrying the tines will thus be depressed and caused to throw up the
tines into the position shewn by dots, and thus clear it of the collected
material. The readjustment of the rake is effected by the attendant
seizing the handle of the crank lever l, and pulling it over until the
catch lever again engages with the crank lever b. Instead of the rake
being thrown into action by the attendant an attachment on the running
wheel or the nave of the wheel may act upon the levers % and g, and
lower the tines ready for work.
Having now described my. Invention of "Improvements in the
Construction of Horse Rakes," and having explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect,-
I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid,
the arrangement of parts herein set forth, or any mere modification
thereof, for raising the tines of horse rakes and releasing the collected
material therefrom by the forward progress of the horse.
Second. I claim the use and adaptation of the concentric clamping
disc joint h for regulating the position of the tines.
Third. I claim the arrangement and adaptation of the catch lever for
supporting and holding the collecting tines.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Boby, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Thirteenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
J. T. STANILAND,
Bury St. Edmund's.
ROBERT BOBY. (L.S.)
3