AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF HORSE RAKE
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Howard, of Bedford, Agricultural Imple-
ment Maker, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF HORSE
RAKE."
Sealed the 8th November 1859, and dated the 25th May 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Howard at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th May 1859.
I, JAMES HOWARD, of Bedford, Agricultural Implement Maker, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF
HORSE RAKE," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to simplify the construction of horse rakes,
and to increase their efficiency; to this end I mount each tine independently
on a common fulcrum rod as heretofore (which rod extends from end to end
of the frame), and I prolong the heads of the tines beyond their fulcrum.
Over these extended ends or heads I mount a bar, which is carried by bracket
arms that have the tine fulcrum rod as their fulcrum, and this bar I unite by
connecting rods to the raising or hand lever. When therefore the hand lever
is depressed by the attendant, the bar is caused to bear upon and depress the
prolonged ends or heads of the tines, and thereby lift the points of the tines
from the ground. The depressing bar is supported or borne up above the
heads of the tines, whilst the implement is in operation by a spring or clip,
and thus the tines are left free to adjust themselves to great irregularities in

page_text: the surface of the land. For changing the position of the tine fulcrum rod,
and thereby adjusting the inclination of the points of the tines, I propose to
connect the main frame of the implement to the shafts by bracket arms which
are intended to rock on centre pins in the shaft irons. The extremities of
_these_bracket_arms are formed into segment racks, which-gear-with-pinions
on a horizontal axle having its bearings in the shaft frame; by turning this
axle in its bearings the bracket arms will be rocked, and thus the tine fulcrum
rod may be raised or brought nearer the ground as required, thereby altering
the inclination of the points of the tines with respect to the ground, or instead
of segment racks and pinions the adjustment may be effected by equivalent
mechanical appliances.
these bracket_arms are formed into segment racks, which-gear-with-pinions
on a horizontal axle having its bearings in the shaft frame; by turning this
axle in its bearings the bracket arms will be rocked, and thus the tine fulcrum
rod may be raised or brought nearer the ground as required, thereby altering
the inclination of the points of the tines with respect to the ground, or instead
of segment racks and pinions the adjustment may be effected by equivalent
mechanical appliances.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Howard in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th November 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HOWARD, of Bedford, Agricultural Implement Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said James Howard, Her special license that I, the said
James Howard, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said James Howard, 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 IM-
PROVED CONSTRUCTION OF HORSE RAKE," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said James Howard, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Howard, 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 fol-

page_text: lowing statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
The object of this Invention is to simplify the construction of horse rakes,
and at the same time to increase their efficiency; to this end I mount the
fulcrum rod which carries the tines on a rocking frame that may be operated
by a hand lever at the side of the implement to adjust the dip of the tines,
and for the purpose of raising the tines from the ground to discharge the
gathered produce, I combine with the rock frame a presser bar, which
working on the rear or extended ends of the tines will raise them from the
ground.
33
By making these
the fulcrum rod,
In front of the
In the accompanying Drawing, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my
improved horse rake; and Figure 2 is a partial plan view of the same. a, a,
is a rectangular frame of iron strengthened by tie rods a*, a*;. the pieces
which form the sides of the frame are fitted with stud axles to receive the
carrying wheels b, b. The forward ends of these side pieces have a "return
or crooked head (as shewn at Figure 1), for the purpose of carrying the tine
fulcrum rod c, which is bolted securely thereto, and extends across the frame.
On this rod I mount the tines d loosely, prolonging the heads thereof, and
forming them with a loop, which gives them each a double bearing on the
rod, and thus increases their stiffness, and prevents them from swaying
laterally on their rod. The tie rods a* I bolt at their hind ends to the bind
bar of the frame a, and their fore ends, which I form of a crank shape, I
secure to the frame by a rod extending across the frame.
with a cranked termination I am enabled to give stiffness to
using their pendent ends as bearings or supports for the rod.
tine heads I mount an angle bar e, which is carried by bracket arms f, f, that
are mounted loosely on and supported by the fulcrum rod c. This bar e
I connect to a hand lever g, which has as its fulcrum an adjustable centre pin
in a central bracket i attached to the shafts of the implement. The connection
between the lever g and bar e is effected by means of a rod g*, and the
bracket arms ex, which are bolted to the front of the bar e. By reference to
Figure 1 it will be seen that the bar e overlies the heads of the tines; when
therefore it is required to raise the tines from the ground, it is only necessary
to depress the hand lever g, which will force down the bar e, and lift the tines
to any required height, as shewn by the red lines in Figure 1. Immediately
the pressure is removed from the hand lever the weight of the tines will bring
them again to the ground, and their heads pressing on the under side of the
bar e, will throw it up into position; a spring k bolted to the front part of
the framing, and bearing upon the bar, serving to retain it in the proper

page_text: position. To ensure the discharge of the collected produce from the tines
when they are raised, fixed bent rods 1, 1, are employed to intercept the
produce when raised by the tines. These rods 1, 1, are set at intervals in lines
parallel with the tines, and secured at their forward ends by an eye formed
therein to the rod c, and their rear ends by bolts to a slotted-bar-m, which-is-
clamped to the frame a, and capable of receiving a vertical adjustment thereon.
In order to adjust the rock frame a to any desired angle from the horizontal,
suitable for obtaining (by the changing of the position of the fulerum rod c)
a proper inclination for the points of the tines, I connect this rock frame to
the shaft n by bracket arms o, o, which rock on centre pins in the shaft irons
P, p; the extremities of these bracket arms are formed into segment racks,
which gear with pinions on a horizontal axle q, having its bearings in the
shaft irons. A hand lever or wrench applied to one end of this axle will cause
it to revolve or turn in its bearings, by which means the bracket arms will be
rocked, and the fore part of the frame raised or lowered as required.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of an improved construc-
tion of horse rake, and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect,
I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent,
I claim the application to horse rakes of the means herein-before described
-for-adjusting the inclination of the points of the tines and throwing them out
of action.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Howard, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
JAMES HOWARD. (L.S.)