IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Philip Syng Justice at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th October 1877. A communication
from abroad by Joseph Ellicott Holmes, of Washington City, United States of
America.
PHILIP SYNG JUSTICE, of 27, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS." A communication
from abroad by Joseph Ellicott Holmes, of Washington City, United States of
America.
This Invention consists of improvements in ploughs to be actuated by animal,
steam, or other motive power.
The improvement consists in employing two or more metal cutting discs of proper
size and form, having central hubbs or studs, and mounted on a suitably arranged
frame; by which these cutting discs may be allowed freely to revolve and cut whilst
set at an angle varying from thirty to forty-five degrees, or thereabouts, according
to the requirements of the soil from the line of draught when the plough is being
propelled. The rims of these cutting discs or flanges form what is called the "land
side" of the plough at an angle of about forty-five degrees, and are arranged, so
that by pressing upon a lever, or rotating a screw through a nut convenient to the
seat of the operator, they may be pressed into the soil to the required depth; as
the line of draught in the horse plough is above the centres of these discs, the
natural tendency of the draught is to make them penetrate the ground when the
plough is propelled forward.
The great advantages resulting from my arrangement are, that more than double
the amount of land can be thoroughly ploughed in the same time, and with the same
power than can be ploughed by any other plough in use, whilst at the same time.
the soil is more entirely broken up and pulverized by the use of my plough.
And in order that the said Invention may be properly understood I will proceed
to describe the same by reference to the annexed Drawings.
Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section.
Figure 2 is a plan; A is the main frame, to which is attached the circular axle.
D, on which the driving wheels b, b, are placed; the sqace O is left for a vertical
roller

page_text: The under part of the circular axle is flanged down at g; to the outside of this
flange is fitted a ring K, K, which is kept in place by the lower ring 1, l.
The under frame C is rivetted to the ring K, and the back part of this under frame
is supported by a castor wheel F, which is made to swivel on its centre pin M by
ordinary means, not shewn in the Drawing; when this castor wheel C moves laterally
it carries with it the under frame C; the plough disc3 h, h, h, h, h, h, which move
together about the centred space O, thus allowing the whole carriage to turn in a
small area.
The arms or draw bars i are hinged beneath the under frame C at J,
their under ends being attached to the diagonal. bar R, which can be raised or
lowered at the hinges J as a centre, by a nut and screw, as shewn at S, or other
known means, and attached to the under frame C; the whole may be propelled by
the steam cylinder n, and a pinion R on the crank shaft p, gearing into an internal
wheel attached to the inside rim of the driving wheels B; h, h, h, h, h, h, represent
six dish-shaped rotary wheel plough shears and discs mounted on the diagonal bar
R, R, and capable of revolving in a vertical plane inclined to the land side at an
angle of about thirty-five to forty degrees to the line of draught.
The rims of these wheel ploughs are flanged from the land side at an angle of
about forty-five degrees to their axes, as shewn in the Drawing, forming a cutting
edge at the periphery.
I prefer, when these wheels are large, to make them with radial spokes and open
centres, as shewn, but they may be made solid in dish form.
The cutting or ploughing wheels h consist of a flanged rim having a perfectly
smooth face or surface presented to the land side. These plough wheels I make of
steel or other suitable metal.
It will be perceived that the machine is not supported upon the ploughing disc
or shears, but upon the driving wheels B, B, and the castor wheel F, and that the
ploughing wheels are vertically adjustable in relation to the truck or carriage,
so that they may be lifted clear of the ground when the plough is not in
operation.
I also apply this rotary ploughing disc to a horse plough in sets of two or more
to each frame. The discs are easily elevated or depressed by a land lever; the
whole is drawn by being attached to an axle upon which are two carrying wheels,
one of which runs in the furrow, and the other on the land side. A castor wheel
runs in the furrow behind the driver's seat; the disc is forced into the ground by
reason of the draught in such plough being in the rear of the discs, and sonie
six inches above their centres, thus pushing down upon it as well as drawing it for-
ward.