Improvements in Turn Over Rakes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 17th May, 1892-Accepted, 18th June, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Turn Over Rakes.
I STEPHEN TELFORD of Barrowford, Athy, County Kildare, Ireland
Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
My invention has for its object to provide a self balancing turn over rake which
can be turned over without the exertion necessary to effect this, being exerted by
the attendant. According to my invention the rake bar carrying the prongs or
tines is provided with a ratchet wheel or with ratchet wheels or with a disc or with
discs, having teeth, or projections thereon, to engage with a spring pawl or with
spring pawls, or equivalent engaging devices, carried on a frame under the control
of the attendant and mounted loosely on the rake bar so that by the attendant
slightly raising this frame the points of the prongs or tines will be caused to engage
with the ground, and then by the pull of the horse or other draught power on the
rake the positions of the tines will be reversed and the rake balance itself without
any further assistance from the attendant.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood 1 will describe it
with reference to the accompanying drawings the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in both the figures.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a turn over rake constructed according to my
invention and Figure 2 is a transverse section shewing clearly one of the ratchets
and spring pawls by which the prongs or tines are maintained in operating position
and by which the said prongs or tines may be caused to engage with the ground
when required.
A is the bar or tube to which the steel prongs or tines a may be fixed in any
convenient or suitable manner. This bar or tube A is mounted so as to be capable
of turning in bearings B in the frame C to which the draught horse or other
hauling power is connected to draw the rake over the field. Fixed to, or formed
on, the bar A, are two discs, or collars D, having on their peripheries ratchet
teeth or projections b with which engage spring pawls c carried on a frame E
mounted loosely on the bar A and extending to the rear thereof beyond the
prongs or tines. The frame E is connected by a chain d or the like to the
frame C so as to cause the spring pawls c to engage with the teeth or projections
to prevent the operating tines from rising above the ground when at work and
also to enable the attendant by raising the rear end of the frame E to cause the
points of the operating tines to engage with the ground when the rake is
required to be turned over. The frame E may be provided at the rear with
a handle the height of which above the ground may be adjusted as required
according to the height of the draught horse or the like by shortening or
lengthening the chain d between the frames C and E. When a sufficient quantity
of the cut crop is gathered on the rake the attendant by means of the handle
raises the rear frame E whereupon by reason of the spring pawls e carrying the
ratchet teeth or projections b on the discs D the bar A is caused to partially turn
in the bearings B and cause the points of the tines a to engage, or catch, in the
ground so that by the continued pull of the horse or other draught power ou the
rake the bar A will, make half a revolution in its bearings and thereby discharge
the gathered crop and reverse the positions of the tines; those which were in action
being turned out of action and those which were out of action being brought into
operating position and retained in this position by the spring pawls c engaging the
teeth or projections b on the sides of the discs or collars D diametrically opposite to
those previously engaged by the said pawls. The rear frame E is of sufficient

page_text: weight to ensure the spring pawls remaining in position to engage the teeth or
projections 6 when the rake is turned over. It will thus be seen that the rake is
self balancing and that it is turned over by the horse or other draught power. The
parts of the rake subjected to the greatest wear are the discs D as they have
rubbing contact with the ground when the rake is at work these discs may therefore
if desired be made in parts and detachable from the bar. A for renewal or repairs
or the wearing parts inay be chilled so as to ensure increased resistance to wear.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting a self balancing turn-
over rake substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the
accompanying drawings.
2. In a turn-over rake a toothed disc or ratchet wheel or toothed discs or ratchet
wheels fast on the bar which carries the prongs or tines, in combination with a
spring pawl or spring pawls or equivalent engaging devices capable of being brought
into gear with the discs or wheels to cause the points of the prongs or tines to
engage or catch in the ground so that by the continued pull on the rake it will
automatically turn over and balance itself substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. In a turn over rake the combination with a ratchet wheel or ratchet wheels on
the bar to which the prongs or tines are fixed of spring pawls or equivalent devices
for engaging with the teeth of the ratchet wheels the said engaging devices being
carried on a bar or frame hinged or centered to the rake bar and connected to the
draught bar or frame by a chain or the like so as to admit of the bar or frame
carrying the pawls or engaging devices being raised to give a partial rotation to
the rake bar substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
Dated this 16th day of May 1892.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.