AN IMPROVED REAPING AND MOWING MACHINE
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Gedge, of the firm of John Gedgo.
and Son, No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex,.
Patent Agent, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED REAPING AND MOWING
MACHINE." A communication from abroad by Victor Emile Douat;
Duchataux, of Maretz, Department of the Marne, France.
Sealed the 19th November 1861, and dated the 12th June 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Gedge
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th June 1861.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of the firm of John Gedge and Son, No. 11,.
Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do
hereby declare the nature of the said. Invention for "AN IMPROVED REAPING
AND MOWING MACHINE," communicated to me from abroad by Victor Emile
Douat Duchataux, of Maretz, Department of the Marne, France, to be as
follows:-
This machine will consist, firstly, of a fore or traction part carrying all the
parts by which locomotion is given to the machine and those by which move-
ment will be communicated to the several parts of the apparatus. This fore
part or carriage will be supported on a large cast-iron wheel and strong roller.
The shaft carrying this large wheel will have a toothed wheel in its centre,.
which toothing into another wheel will set at work simultaneously a double
arrangement of conical pinions, the first of which will act on the crank of the

page_text: saw hereafter mentioned, and the other set at work the apparatus hereafter
mentioned for laying the sheaf. The large wheel above mentioned will be the
main motor and support of the whole traction, out of the line of which it will
be placed so that the efforts concentrated on this wheel will counterbalance
the resistance offered by the crop, and these two opposing forces will act
simultaneously upon the hook of the shaft or pole, and as this-hook will be
moveable along a strong iron band it is moved from place to place, so that all
the parts of the machine will equilibrise each other and the machine be
naturally drawn in a direction parallel to the crop. It is also proposed so to
arrange the several parts that the machine may be considerably reduced in
volume when it is to be transported to a distance, and that the several trans-
missions of movement may be arrested at will.
Secondly, of a sort of drum or capstan formed of a shaft carrying six spokes
at each end united by cross pieces, the shaft resting upon supports at either end.
Slots will be cut in the supports in order that the shaft may be raised or
lowered to suit the height of the crop. The object of this drum (which will
be at the side or rear of the fore or carriage part of the machine) will be
to incline the ears of the cereal towards the machine. Motion will be com-
municated to it from the fore part by a band passing over two pulleys.
'
Thirdly, of a divider or pointed piece, which curving inwards, towards the
part of the crop which is to be cut, will penetrate deeper into the crop than
the saw, and completely separate the part to be cut from the rest of the crop;
and immediately behind this divider a partition extending to the extreme rear of
the machine will rise to the height of the ears of the cereal.
Fourthly, of the saw, which will be formed of three blades superposed; and
which will cut the straw as near the ground as possible.. The two narrowest
will be of one piece in their entire length; the upper one on the contrary will
be composed of a series of fragments (which may be easily replaced when
used up). This upper blade, which will form the active part of the saw, will
present in all its length sloping pieces in form of sickle, the summits of which
will be about three inches apart, an the entire developement of which be
toothed with a graver. The saw will be supported in front of a strong piece.
of wood by long cast-iron teeth or stone fenders, the summit of which will
leave about three inches between them. The crank on its side will also move,
with a radius of three inches, so that for each turn of the crank, each of the
spaces between the stone fenders or drivers will have been traversed four times.
by the saw. Saw guards will also be provided between the stone fenders, and.
then it will become impossible for even the smallest stone to come in contact
with the saw.

page_text: Fourthly, the formation of the sheaf: The stalks cut by the saw and
inclined by the drum will fall upon an endless cloth, which moving from front
to rear elevates them immediately to its upper part; but at the same time they
will be submitted to the action of three bands or straps, which will force them
firstly to assume an oblique position, and then draw them to an inclined plane,
which will deposit them in regular sheaves (the ears outwards) immediately.
behind the fore part of the carriage. It will be understood that all the
apparatus acting upon the cereals is at the side and rear of the fore part of
the machine, which acts as motor of the rest and traction part, the inclined
plane only being in the rear of the fore part, a slight space for deposit of
the sheaf being between the rear of the fore part and the front of the inclined
plane.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Gedge in the Great Seal Patent Offico
on the 7th December 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD GEDGE, of the firm of John Gedge and Son, No. 11, Wellington
Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth-year of
Her reign,. did, for Herself,. Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Edward Gedge, Her special licence that I, the
said William Edward Gedge, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Edward Gedge, 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, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED REAPING AND MOWING MACHINE,'
(a communication to me from abroad by Victor Emile Douat Duchataux, of
Maretz, Department of the Marne, France,) upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Edward Gedge, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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,

page_text: '
!
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 William Edward Gedge, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 forming part of this my Specification, and to the figures and letters
of reference placed thereon..
The general characteristics of this machine are, folding so as to present but
little breadth when moving along paths, laying what I have termed sheaf in
the Provisional Specification, but which I desire here to explain as laying the
cut grasses or cereals in long rows upon the ground, by means of an apparatus
following, or an extension of the platform or apron which receives the cut
stalks, and lastly, increasing the power of the saw or cutter by the special
arrangement of its governing parts.
This machine is composed; firstly, of a frame forming the fore carriage,
which carries the principal organs by which the transportation of the entire
apparatus is facilitated, and those which transmit motion to all its parts;
secondly, of a sort of drum or open bar cylinder, intended to bend or incline
the ears of the grain towards the machine; thirdly, of a divider, which
separates and isolates from the rest of the crop the quantity or slice to be cut
by the saw; fourthly, of a saw or cutter arranged to cut the stalks as near
the soil as possible; fifthly and lastly, of a platform or apron, so placed as to
gather the cut stalks, and furnished with an apparatus which lays them in
regular rows by the side of the track.
Figure 1. is a lateral elevation of the machine; Figure 2, plan; and
Figures 3, 4, and 5, details of construction.
I will first describe the fore carriage, transmission of motion, and reduction
of the dimensions of the apparatus.
The machine is supported by two large cast-iron wheels R and R', and by
three rollers G, G, G", to which the form of castors (such as are used for
furniture) are given, so that they may without difficulty turn in every direction.
The wheels R and R' are roughed to give them greater adhesion when
travelling. The wheel R' turns loose on its spindle, but the wheel R is fixed
on the shaft A, which about its middle carries a toothed wheel P, which
by means of a pinion P¹ moves simultaneously an arrangement of conical
pinions a, b, and the small rag wheels and chains 7, 1. The conical pinions a, b,
act on the eccentric c and on the rod d of the saw. The wheel r, by means of

page_text: its rag chain, is in communication with a second wheel 7, which sets in motion
the several apparatus intended to lay the cut stalks for sheaf; the large
wheel R is, therefore, the essential motor of the machine, and bears all the
traction. The jacket or cylinder, on which is fixed the toothed wheel P, turns
loosely on the shaft A, and only commands the pinion P¹, when it is itself
acted upon by the clutch e, worked by the lever f¹. For the attainment of
this end, the shaft A will be cut into two parts, or it will be hollow in part of
its length. In reaping and mowing machines the tractive power is applied to
draw the entire apparatus in an exactly parallel direction with the slice of the
crop which is attacked by the saw; but the crop opposes a greater or lesser
resistance, and the result of these two opposing powers may always be repre-
sented by a line more or less oblique, but directed towards the crop, and the
driver finds it difficult to keep his horses in the proper direction. To obviate
this inconvenience the main wheel R is placed without the line of traction,
so that the effort concentrated on this wheel counterbalances the resistance
offered by the crop. The position of the pole T is variable, and is regulated
whenever a new field is to be reaped, being placed at a point which will cause
the tractive power and the resisting power to equipoise reciprocally, and the
machine bé naturally drawn in a direction parallel to the crop. For this
purpose a series of boles are pierced at suitable distances apart in the front
beam or cross piece T' of the fore carriage. The pole is fixed in one or other
of these holes by the bolts x and keys or pins y. The beam or cross piece T
gives it stability, and facilitates its removal from one position to another.
Special arrangements have been provided to facilitate the transportation
of the machine to long distances, by reducing it to the smallest possible
size, and providing the means of suspending the transmission of power at will.
For this purpose the shaft or axle A is cut at K by a toothed clutch, which
permits the isolation of the two wheels R and R', as above stated; when the
parts by which the power is transmitted cease to act, the saw L is at the same
time removed, together with the cone C and the jointed chain, which when
mounted unites the two wheels and r³, the buttress or support y is unhooked,
the apron is folded, following. the line 1-2, Figure 2, the platform is turned,
pivoting on the hinge h (Figure 2), and the entire apparatus assumes the
position indicated in Figure 2, by the dotted lines. It will be understood that
for working, the platform must be brought back to its original position and
fixed unchangeably to the fore carriage. The buttress or support y is provided
for this object, and an iron elbow 1, to which the principal support of the plat-
form ff, is attached by bolts and pins or keys.
I will now describe the apparatus by which I bend the ears of grain. towards

page_text: the machine, the divider,. and the formation and working of the saw. The
drun or open bar cylinder B is formed of six or more cross pieces mounted on
the same shaft B'; it is fitted on two supports, the one g (on the side of the
fore carriage) being straight, and the other g¹ (placed exteriorly) being bent.
Hooks are placed on these supports, and permit the drum to.be.raised or
lowered if required. It, is set in motion by a band passing over the two
pullies N, N. The divider X penetrates into the crop a depth of twenty
inches or more in advance, of the saw or cutter. The point of the. divider is
not placed on the prolongation of its axis, but a little outside or without it, so
that the roller G may not press down the crop. The divider is composed of
three branches, the middle one being slightly élevated abovo the two others,
as shewn at Figure 1. The saw L is composed of two (or three) blades
superposed and attached by rivets. The narrowest is of one piece throughout
its length; the upper blade on the contrary is composed, as those of ordinary
saws, of a series of fragments, which may be easily replaced when worn out.
This upper blade, which really forms the active part of the.saw, presents in its
entire length a series of curves in form of sickle, the points of which are about
three and a quarter inches apart, and the entire developement of which is
toothed with a graver. The saw is supported in front of a strong iron piece J
by long teeth or stone fenders or drivers O, between the points or extremities
of each of which will be a space of about three and a quarter inches. Tho
crank also moves with a radius of three and a quarter inches, so that for cach
turn of the crank each of the spaces between the stone fenders will be
traversed four times by the saw.
Lastly, it is necessary to remark that. between the stone fenders are the
points i, forming the saw guard, of which Figure 2 indicates the position.
These pieces have a breadth of less than half an inch, but are of much greater
thickness; they efficiently protect the saw, rendering contact with even very
small stones impossible; whereas in other machines the saw is exposed to
contact with stones of two and even four inches in diameter, and is soon notched.
The saw guard affords the further advantage of forming a species of counter-
blade, and facilitating the section of the stalks. A special arrangement has
been adopted for communicating motion to the saw. Instead of attaching it
directly to the extremity of the connecting rod, it is acted upon by a bent or
elbow lever (Figure 3), pivoting at d', and commanded by the eccentric c.
The saw may thus work with perfect regularity, and above all with a very
slight expenditure of power.
Lastly, I will describe the laying of the sheaf or row of cut grass or cereal,
and the platform and apron of the machine. The stalks cut by the saw and

page_text: brought down by the drum or open bar cylinder, fall upon the endless cloth C¹,
which, moving from front to rear, immediately raises them to its upper part,
where they fall upon a platform beneath, but at the same time they are:
submitted to the action of the three straps or bands E, E', (Figure 2), which:
first makes them assume an oblique position, and then draws them towards
their extremities E', finally depositing them in regular rows (otherwise laying
for sheaf) behind the fore carriage, the cars laying out from the track. The-
cone C, placed on the axle of the roller O', is intended to render this work more
regular and easy... The endless cloth moves over the rollers O¹ and O"; and the
bands or straps over reeded rollers n, placed at their extremities. It has been
previously explained that these parts are worked by the two wheels and i¹,
and a rag chain. The roller O" works the roller O', and consequently the
pinions t and toothed gearing t (Figure 1), the which set in motion the three!
bands or straps E, E¹. To meet the atmospheric influences which frequently
distend or contract the endless cloth, the roller O" is so arranged that it may
be made to approach or retire from the principal roller 01. Again, the cloth:
or web is held by wheels, and articulated or jointed chains, which prevent its
varying. The stretching of the straps or bands may also be similarly com-
pensated by the extending apparatus shewn, Figure 5: That the action; of the!
bands may be more efficacious, they are armed throughout their length with a
large number of small pyramids m, of walnut wood or of metal, and an inch
or so in height. These pyramids are fixed-by strong flat-headed screws, which,
penetrate into their bases, and cannot hinder the rotary movement of the bands,
or straps. Beneath the platform will be seen a slide or box V, which receives
any grain which may fall upon the cloth. This application is of great
importance, and secures to the machine above described an evident superiority
over all other reapers and over the scythe or reaping hook itself. Lastly, the
ears which might from' their length be drawn on so as to pass the bands E, E',
are partially upheld by the metal. apron or plate. M, M'. This metal apron or:
table is hinged to the platform F so as to facilitate moving the machine when
not in use, by folding the two parts, that M' on the folding part F of the plat-
form F, and M on the fixed part F of the said platform. The apron or table
M, M', being thus folded on the platform, the part F¹ of this latter lowers
down also by hinge on the part F, to facilitate changing the position of the
5 machine by the aid of the hinge or of the pivot h. To contribute towards this
last movement of the machine the rollers or casters G, G¹, G, are fixed on a
pivot Z, so that they may move in all directions; the roller G need make but
three-fourths of a revolution on its pivot Z, whereas the two others accomplish
an entire revolution.

page_text: Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and the means by
which I carry it into practical effect, I would observe that I do not confine
myself to the precise details herein given and shewn in the Drawing, as such
may be variously modified without departing from this Invention; and that
I claim,
Firstly, the mode of putting to the team, or position and arrangement of the
pole combined with the position of the main motive wheel, by which the march
of the machine in a parallel line with the crop is facilitated.
Secondly, the arrangement of the shaft, which may, at will, by the aid of
a clutch, play the part of a driving shaft or of a simple axle.
Thirdly, the general arrangement of the machine, which permits its different
parts to be folded on each other, in order to reduce its breadth to that of the
fore carriage.
Fourthly, the method of constructing, fixing, and transmitting power to the
saw and the eccentric, which permits it to act four times over the same space
for each turn of the crank with very little expenditure of power.
Fifthly, the addition of the saw guards.
Sixthly, the combined action of the endless cloth, the cone, the straps and
bands, and folding table, by which the laying of the rows of cut grass or cereal
is effected.
Lastly, the exclusive use of a box or slide to receive the whole of the grain-
which may escape from the ear; the whole essentially as herein-before-
described and illustrated in and by the annexed Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Gedge, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of December, in the year.
of our Lord Oue thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
W. E. GEDGE.
(L.S.)