IMPROVEMENTS IN AGRICULTURAL TRACTION ENGINES AND IMPLEMENTS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander John Paterson, of the City of Edinburgh,
Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AGRICULTURAL TRACTION
ENGINES AND IMPLEMENTS."
Sealed the 23rd November 1860, and dated the 29th May 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander John Patersou
'at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 29th May 1860.
I, ALEXANDER JOHN PATERSON, of the City of Edinburgh, Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
AGRICULTURAL TRACTION ENGINES AND IMPLEMENTS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, first, in the employment of "lazy-tongs" in con-
nection with agricultural operatious. I employ a set or sets of tongs, by
preference two, which are attached at one end to an engine, and at the other
end carry anchors or other gripping apparatuses for taking hold of the ground.
These lazy-tongs and anchors are worked by steam, or other power, in such
manner that while one anchor has hold of the ground, and the lazy-tongs
attached to it are contracting, the machine, to which the ploughs or other
implements are attached, is drawn along, and the other set of tongs is being
extended ready for its anchor to operate, so soon as the machine is drawn
up to the preceding one, and so on. Ploughs or other agricultural imple-
ments are connected to a suitable frame supported by wheels, and provided
with a guide or guide wheels. Screw-threaded shafts carrying nuts con-
Price 8d]

page_text: nected to the lazy-tongs, each having one-half of the thread cut the reverse
way to the other half, are fitted one above the other, and carry cog wheels
gearing into one another, but capable of being thrown out of gear and worked
separately when required. Each set of lazy-tongs carries a beam anchor and
wheel for supporting them. The screw shafts are driven by cranks, endless
bands, or otherwise. I prefer to employ two cylinders to work the lazy-tongs
and anchors, as well as to drive other parts of the apparatus. The outer
beam is not so wide as the inner, in order that the former may easily pass
beneath the latter. The number of joints to the lazy-tongs can be multiplied,
in order to increase the length of pull with the same length of axis.
Instead of the ploughs or other implements being fixed to the frame of the
machine, they may be fixed to the lazy-tongs in place of anchors.
My Invention consists, secondly, in a method of and apparatus for turn-
ing the machine at the headlands; this I accomplish by placing a block of
wood or metal beneath the axle or nave of one of the wheels, which block
is made to press on the ground by screws, or otherwise, by which meaus the
wheel is raised from the ground; on the guide wheel being properly placed,
and the other wheel being caused to revolve, the whole machine revolves on
a socket formed on the block.
My Invention consists, thirdly, in the construction of an agricultural
implement for turning the soil, consisting of two pieces of metal or other
material fixed at right angles to one another, or of a single piece formed
with sides at right angles to each other, such implement being made to
enter and pass through the soil, and afterwards to turn over and deposit its
contents in a reversed position. Several of these implements can be attached
to one machine, in order to cut several furrows at once.
Although I have only described the machine in this and in the first part
of this Specification as moving in one direction, yet the machine can be
made double-acting, by fitting apparatuses similar to those before described
at each end of the machine, by which arrangement the necessity of turning
the machine at the headlands will be avoided.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Alexander John Paterson, Her special licence that I, the said Alexander
John Paterson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Alexander John Paterson, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AGRICULTURAL TRACTION ENGINES AND IMPLEMENTS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander John
Paterson, my exécutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 afte the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander John Paterson, 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 thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in the employment of lazy-tongs in connection with
agricultural operations. I employ a set or sets of tongs, by preference two,
which are attached at one end to an engine, and at the other end carry
anchors or other gripping apparatus for taking hold of the ground. These
lazy-tongs and anchors are worked by steam or other power, in such manner
that while one anchor has hold of the ground, and the lazy-tongs attached to
it are contracting, the machine to which the ploughs or other implements are
attached is drawn along, and the other set of tongs is being extended ready
for its anchor to operate so soon as the machine is drawn up to the preceding
one, and so on. Ploughs or other agricultural implements are connected to a
suitable frame supported by wheels, and provided with a guide or guide
wheels. Screw-threaded shafts carrying nuts connected to the lazy-tongs,
each having one-half of the thread cut the reverse way to the other half, are
fitted one above the other, and carry cog wheels gearing into one another, but
capable of being thrown out of gear, and worked separately when required.

page_text: Each set of lazy-tongs carries a beam anchor and wheel for supporting them.
The screw shafts are driven by cranks, endless bands, or otherwise. I prefer
to employ two cylinders to work the lazy-tongs and anchors, as well as to
drive other parts of the apparatus. The outer beam is not so wide as the
inner, in order that the former may easily pass beneath the latter. The
number of joints to the lazy-tongs can be multiplied, in order to increase
the length of pull with the same length of axis. Instead of the ploughs or
other implements being fixed to the frame of the machine, they may be
fixed to the lazy-tongs in place of anchors.
Although I have only described the machine as moving in one direction,
yet the machine can be made double-acting, by fitting apparatuses similar
to those before described at each end of the machine, by which arrangement
the necessity of turning the machine at the headlands will be avoided.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a side elevation, and Figure 2
a plan, of an agricultural traction engine constructed in the mauner before
described.
a is the boiler of a portable locomotive engine, mounted in a frame
supported on bearing wheels b, 61, and provided with a guide wheel c. The
back part of the engine carries a frame d, to which ploughs e, e, or any other
implements for tilling the soil are connected; g, gl, are screw-threaded shafts
placed at or near the fore part of the frame of the engine, and one above the
other. Figure 3 shews in side view, and Figure 4 in plan, a pair of these
shafts detached, and their wheels and other appliances connected. The screw
thread on one side of each of the shafts is cut in the contrary direction to that
of the other, as shown in the Drawing. h, h¹, are nuts on the shafts connected
to the lazy-tong levers i, i, which are themselves attached to beams k, k¹.
These levers carry anchors l, l, to take into the ground, and wheels m, m², to
support them. n, n', are horizontal wheels in gear with a wheel not shown in
the Drawing, keyed on a shaft receiving motion from the engine. These wheels
are not susceptible of independent motion, but being keyed on the same shaft
move together as one wheel. The upper shaft g carries two bevil wheels o, o¹,
in gear with the wheel n, and the lower shaft g', two similar wheels p, p, in
gear with the wheel n'; q, q', are clutch boxes ou the shafts to regulate the
direction in which the shafts revolve. As the shafts g, g, revolve, the
nuts h, h, travel along them, and consequently cause the lazy-tongs to expand
and contract in such manner that when one set of tongs, say, the set i, is
extended, and the anchor is in the ground, the other set i¹ is closed ready to
be extended, in order to take its place in advance of the other, and grip the
ground in a similar manner, and so on. The upper beam k is made wider

page_text: than the lower one k, so that the latter may pass under the former easily.
In some cases I make use of a frame or frames extending from the front of
the engine, to act as guides for steadying the motion of the lazy-tong
levers and frames. The number of lazy-tong levers may be increased, as
well as the number of joints composing them.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim, the employment
of a set or sets of lazy-tong levers in combination with anchors and steam
or other power, for imparting motion to agricultural traction engines, sub-
stantially in the manner herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, 1, the said Alexander John Paterson, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of November,
One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
ALEX. J. PATERSON. (L.S.)