Improvements in Digging, Pulverizing, Potato Raising, and other Ploughs.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd June, 1887
Complete Left, 23rd Feb., 1888
Complete Accepted, 13th Apr., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Digging, Pulverizing, Potato Raising, and other
Ploughs.
I THOMAS CORBETT of Perseverance Iron Works Shrewsbury in the County of
Salop Agricultural Implement Makor do hereby declare the nature of this Invention
to be as follows:-
. My invention has reference principally to such ploughs as may have rotary harrows
connected to them but part of the improvements constituting my invention are also
applicable to ploughs of any kind with or without rotary harrows.
Instead of employing a single rotary harrow consisting of a series of radial prongs
or. spikes I employ several of the said rotary harrows situated parallel to each other
and working on the same spindle or axis. And instead of causing the harrow to
rotate in a vertical plane inclined to the path of the plough I make the harrow rotate
in a vertical plane parallel to the path of the plough. In place of making the radial
prongs rotate on a single axis or spindle I sometimes employ two or more parallel
shafts or spindles and arrange one set of rotating radial prongs on one shaft and
another set or sets on the other shafts. In this case I prefer to make the prongs on
one shaft work in the spaces between the prongs on the other shafts. In some
cases I employ discs either plain on their edges or serrated in place of the prongs
described.
The said prongs or discs may take their motion by travelling over the furrow slice
turned over by the share and mould board or they may have an independent rotary
motion communicated to them by a travelling wheel working on the sole of the last
furrow taken by the plough in either of which cases the tines of the harrows penetrate
the soil moved by the share and breast and thoroughly pulverize it and thereby
make a perfect seed bed at one operation.
The spindle or axis on which the harrow or harrows rotate is carried by a bracket
fixed to the inner side of the mould board. The part of the bracket connected to the
mould board is horizontal or nearly horizontal and the end carrying the spindles or

page_text: axes is vertical. Each of these parts or arms has a slot in it and by means of screw
pins and nuts the spindles or axes of the harrow can he adjusted both horizontally
and vertically. The said spindles or axes are further supported by a cross horizontal
stay fastened to the tail of the plough. This stay consists of a slotted bar having
clip and screw nut adjustment.
I fix the wheel boxes of the plough to the horizontal cross bar passing through the
fore end of the beam of the plough by means of fastenings fitted with two loop screws
and nuts. This fastening consists of two loops with screwed shanks fitted with nuts
through which loops the horizontal bar and vertical stems carrying the wheels pass.
The said bar and stems engage in recesses above and below the said loops and when
the screw nut on the screwed shank of the loop is tightened the said bar and
stems are drawn tightly into the said recesses in which it takes a very firm bearing.
The connecting of the wheel stems or standards of the plough to the cross bar
carrying them by means of the double loop screw fastening described may be applied
to ploughs generally as well as to ploughs having rotary harrows.
My improvements may be applied to either single double or treble furrow ploughs
or potato raising ploughs.
Da C T100

page_text: I THOMAS CORBETT of Perseverance Iron Works, Shrewsbury in the County of
Salop Agricultural Implement Maker, 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 reference principally to such ploughs as may have rotary harrows
connected to them but part of the improvements constituting my invention are also
applicable to ploughs of any kind with or without rotary harrows.
Instead of employing a single rotary harrow consisting of a series of radial prongs
or spikes employ several of the said rotary harrows situated parallel to each other
and working on the same spindle or axis. And instead of causing the harrow to
rotate in a vertical plane inclined to the path of the plough I make the harrow rotate
in a vertical plane parallel to the path of the plough. In place of making the radial
prongs rotate on a single axis or spindle sometimes employ two or more parallel
shafts or spindles and arrange one set of rotating radial prongs on one shaft and
another set or sets on the other shafts. In this case I prefer to make the prongs on
In some
one shaft work in the spaces between the prongs on the other shafts.
cases I employ discs either plain on their edges or serrated in place of the prongs
described.
The said prongs or discs may take their motion by travelling over the furrow slice
turned over by the share and mould board or they may have an independent rotary
motion communicated to them by a travelling wheel working on the sole of the last
furrow taken by the plough in either of which cases the tines of the harrows penetrate
the soil moved by the share and breast and thoroughly pulverize it and thereby make
a perfect seed bed at one operation. The spindle or axis on which the harrow or
harrows rotate is carried by a bracket fixed to the inner side of the mould board.
The part of the bracket connected to the mould board is horizontal or nearly horizontal
and the end carrying the spindles or axes is vertical. Each of these parts or arms
has a slot in it and by means of screw pins and nuts the spindles or axes of the
harrows can be adjusted both horizontally and vertically. The said spindles or axes
are further supported by a cross horizontal stay fastened to the tail of the plough. This
stay consists of a slotted bar having clip and screw nut adjustment.
I fix the wheel boxes of the plough to the horizontal coss bar passing through the
fore end of the beam of the plough by means of fastenings fitted with two loop screws
and nuts. This fastening consists of two loops with screwed shanks fitted with nuts

page_text: through which loops the horizontal bar and vertical stems carrying the wheels pass.
The said bar and stems engage in recesses above and below the said loops and when
the screw nut on the screwed shank of the loop is tightened the said bar and stems
are drawn tightly into the said recesses in which they take a very firm bearing.
The connecting of the wheel stems or standards of the plough to the cross bar
carrying them by means of the double loop screw fastening described may be applied
to ploughs generally as well as to ploughs having rotary harrows.
My improvements may be applied to either single, double or treble furrow ploughs
or potato raising ploughs.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation and Figure 2 in plan a plough containing a
rotary harrow and fastenings for the wheel boxes of the plough constructed according
to my invention the said harrow being rotated by its travelling over the furrow slice
turned over by the share and mould board.
Figure 3 represents in front elevation and Figure 4 in end elevation the rotary
harrow and its supporting and adjusting parts drawn to a larger scale; Figure 5
represents one of the parts of which the harrow is built up drawn to the same scale
as Figures 3 and 4; Figure 6 represents in front elevation (partly in section) and
Figure 7 in end elevation a modification of the harrow and Figures 8 and 9 represent
details or parts of the harrow separately; Figure 10 represents in plan two com-
pound harrows arranged on parallel shafts or axes and Figure 11 represents an
arrangement for connecting the separate tines or prongs to the boss of the harrow.
Figuro 12 represents in side elevation and Figure 13 in plan an arrangement for
giving an independent rotary motion to the harrow from a travelling wheel working
on the sole of the furrow; Figure 13A reprosents a part of the same.
Figure 14 represents in plan the wheel fastenings and Figure 15 a back elovation
of the same drawn to a large scale.
Figure 16 represents one of the loops and screw stoms of the fastening detached.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the
drawings.
I will first describe the rotary harrow.
The rotary harrow constructed according to my invention consists of sets of
radial prongs or tines or single harrows marked a, a constituting a compound harrow
the several radial prongs or tines of which the compound barrow is composed being
situated parallel to each other and rotating in a vertical plane parallel to the path of
the plough. The prongs or tines of the single harrows are either fixed to the boss b
by casting the boss upon their inner ends as represented in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
and 7 or the prongs or tines are fixed by screws and screw nuts to the boss as
illustrated in Figure 11 so that a broken prong or tine may be readily replaced by a
new one. The several radial prongs or tines of the compound harrow are not situated
opposite one another but the prongs or tines of one single harrow are situated a little
in advance of the prongs or tines of the next single harrow (see Figures 6 and 7)
and so on through the whole series of single hrrrows. A screw like arrangement. of
the prongs or tines of the several single harrows is thereby obtained as seen in the
front clevation Figure 3 and end elevation Figure 4 so that every part of the soil
moved by the share and breast of the plough is by the rotation of the compound
harrow in turn operated upon and the said soil thus thoroughly pulverized and a
perfect seed bed made at one operation.
The several single harrows forming the compound harrow are supported adjusted
and made to rotate together in the following manner and best seen in Figures 3, 6, 7,
8 and 9.
c is a cross spindle or shaft fixed by the screw and screw nut at d to the vertical
bare carried by the bracket f, f2 on the slotted stay bar or piece g secured to the
tail h, h of the plough by the adjustable screw hooks i, i working in the slot in the
said stay bar. On the said spindle or shaft ca sleeve having a hexagonal (or other
angular) figure externally is fitted and turns loosely. The said hexagonal loose

page_text: sleeve is represented separately in Figure 9. On the rotating sleeve k the several
single harrows a, a are by a sliding end motion arranged in the manner herein before
described and represented in the drawings the interior of the bosses b of the single
harrows having a figure corresponding to the exterior of the sleeve k (see Figure 5).
The bosses b of the several harrows abut against one another and the said harrows
are fixed in their places on the sleeve k by the fixing cap secured to the shaft c.
By means of a second cap m at the inner end of the shaft c the entrance of dust or
dirt between the sleeve and shaft is prevented. The horizontal position of the shaft c
carrying the compound harrow and its position on the tail of the plough is adjusted
by the slotted cross stay or piece 9 and the adjustable hooks i, and the vertical
position of the said shaft c is adjusted by fixing the part of the bracket carrying the
vertical rode to the part of the bracket fixed to the horizontal cross stay or piece g
by means of the clip and screw nut fastening at n. The toothed faces of the two
parts of the bracket prevent any change in the position of the adjusted shaft by
the shaking of the plough.
In order to prevent the soil operated upon by the harrow from being thrown
laterally into the last furrow made by the mouldboard I use a guard p at the back of
the said harrow the said guard being fixed by screws and screw nuts at q to the ends
of the cross stay p² fixed on the vertical bar e carrying the harrow. The distance of
the guard p from the bar e may be adjusted by means of the screws and nuts at 7.
The horizontal slotted stay bar g supports the cross rail g which prevents the reins
of the horses from passing on to the rotary harrow.
When from the nature of the soil being worked it is desirable to separate the single
harrows of the compound harrow to a greater distance apart than that represented in
Figures 2 and 3 I place between the bosses of the single harrows, collars or distance
pieces 3 one of the said collars being represented in Figure 6 and separately in
Figure 8.
Should the soil being worked require to be cleaned of switch or other matter
which necessitates a forking action instead of a pulverizing action in the harrow the
position of the prongs or tines of the several harrows constituting the compound
harrow are reversed on the sleeve & or turned in the opposite direction to that repre-
sented; that is, the several single harrows are so arranged on their sleeve that the
concave sides of the pointed ends of the prongs or tines are presented to and act upon
the soil.
Instead of supporting the shaft carrying the sleeve and compound harrow from the
tail of the plough as represented it may be supported in addition by a bracket fixed
to the inner side of the mould board.
When two (or more) compound harrows are combined in the same plough two
(or more) shafts or spindles are supported from the tail of the plough or tail and
mouldboard in the manner represented in Figure 10; that is to say, the vertical bar e
carries side arms e²e which support the two shafts of the parallel harrows the prongs
or tines of the harrow on one shaft working in the spaces between the prongs or tines
of the harrow on the other shaft. The guard
in this modification is extended so a
to lie at the back of both of the harrows.
Figure 12 represents in side elevation and Figure 13 in plan a plough provided
with a rotary harrow, the said harrow having independent rotary motion.communi-
cated to it from the travelling wheel of the plough; Figure 134 represents in end
elevation partly in section the arrangement for adjusting the height of the harrow.
ris the travelling wheel of the plough from which wheel an independent rotary motion
is communicated to the harrow through the chain wheels sand and driving chain u.
The smaller chain wheel is fixed to the spindle of the harrow which spindle is
supported in adjustable bearings, working in fixed brackets a on the tail a² of
the plough; hh are collars on the spindle v. The adjustable bearings ², are raised
and lowered by the quadrants of the said bearings and are fixed in their
adjusted positions in the fixed brackets, by the fixing screws and screw nuts
at, By means of the adjusting arrangement described and represented the

page_text: height of the spindle and the harrow from the ground can be adjusted. By the
introduction of a lever in connection with the spindle or axis of the harrow the same
can be raised out of the soil when turning the plough at the headlands.
In place of single harrows to form a compound harrow, a compound harrow may
be composed of a series of discs arranged and fixed side by side on the sleeve of the
spindle, the said discs being either plain on their edges or serrated.
I will now describe with reference to Figure 1, 2, 14, 15 and 16 my improved
fastenings for adjusting and fixing the wheels of ploughs.
a is the horizontal cross bar passing through the fore end of the beam a³ of the
plough as best seen in Figure 2; a' are the vertical stems carrying the wheels a³, a
of the plough. As the arrangement for adjusting and fastening each of the wheels a
to the cross bar a' and the vertical stem a to the wheel box is alike I will only describe
that applied to one of the said wheels.
Each fastening consists of two loops a and a situated at right angles to one
another and on opposite sides of the wheel box c², each loop being provided with a
screwed stem d which is passed through a hole in the wheel box
and is secured in
its place by the fixing nut d³. Through the loop a' the horizontal cross bar a² passes
and through the other loop a the vertical stem a of the wheel a³ is passed. The
wheel box c is provided with slots at c c for the cross bar a² to lie in and also with
slots eat right angles to the slots c, c* for the stem at of the wheel a to lie in.
Tho said wheel box is also provided with vertical recesses e and c7 on opposite sides
for the loops a' and a respectively of the fastening to take into.
When the screw nut is tightened on the screwed shank d² of the loop a or a the
cross bar a² or the wheel stem a' is drawn into its recesses in the wheel box in which
recesses it has a very firm bearing and the said cross bar or wheel stem is fastened
very securely in its place.
When it is wished to adjust the stem a of the wheel a³ on the cross bar a² it is
only necessary to loosen the screw nut 3 of the loop a when the said loop a' and the
wheel box can be moved on the said cross bar and refastened in its adjusted position
by driving home the screw nut d³ and when it is wished to adjust the vertical height
of the wheel a the screw nut d³ of the loop a is loosened and the released stem a
may be moved the required distance in its loop a and refixed by driving home the
screw nut of the said loop aⓇ.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that I claim
as my invention of "Improvements in digging pulverizing potato raising and other
ploughs."
First The construction and the combination with ploughs of a compound rotary
harrow or of two or more compound rotary harrows working on parallel shafts or
spindles the compound rotary harrow consisting essentially of a series of single
harrows situated parallel to one another and arranged side by side preferably on an
angular sleeve turning loosely on a horizontal shaft or spindle carried at the tail of
the plough the prongs or tines of the several single harrows of which the compound
harrow is composed being arranged preferably in a screw like direction on the loose
sleeve for the purpose and substantially as herein before described and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawings whether the compound harrow or harrows be rotated
by travelling over the furrow slice or have independent rotary motion communicated
to it or them: Also the use of discs either plain or serrated on their edges in place
of sets of prongs or tines.
Secondly The combination with a rotary compound harrow or harrows of a guard
for preventing the soil operated upon by the harrow or harrows from passing into the
last furrow made by the plough substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings.
Thirdly The combination with a travelling wheel bearing on the sole of the last
furrow made by the plough of the arrangement of parts herein before described

page_text: and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings for giving an independent rotary
motion to the compound harrow and for lifting and adjusting the height of the said
harrow.
Lastly The construction and combination of the parts of fastenings for the wheels
of ploughs herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings,
that is to say, double loop screw fastenings for connecting the wheels to the horizontal
cross bar at the fore end of the beam of the plough consisting essentially of a box
fitted with two loops having screwed stems and fixing screw nuts the said loops being
situated at right angles to one another and on opposite sides of the wheel box, the
said wheel box being provided with slots and .recesses for receiving the cross bar and
wheel stem and loops substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated this Tivanty_00cond day of February 1888