IMPROVEMENTS IN MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Kearsley and George Kearsley, both of
Ripon, in the County of York, Agricultural Engineers, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES."
Sealed the 20th November 1868, and dated the 27th May 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Kearsley and
George Kearsley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 27th May 1868.
We, HENRY KEARSLEY and GEORGE KEARSLEY, both of Ripon, in the
County of York, Agricultural Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES,'
to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in constructing grass mowing and reaping
machines in the following manner, that is to say :-
Upon the axle of the travelling wheels of the machine which support
the framework thereof we fix a spur wheel which gears into a spur
pinion; this said spur pinion is cast fast to a spur wheel and runs

page_text: on a movable iron stud which allows the machine to be thrown in
and out of gear by an eccentric lever. The above-mentioned spur
wheel gears into a spur pinion that is cast fast to a bevil wheel and
runs on the main axle and in the same direction, thereby saving a
great amount of friction. A bevil pinion is fixed on the crank shaft
and gears into the bevil wheel, thus we derive the moving power acting
on the cutting knife. The whole of this gearing or wheels and the
shafts are incased or covered in a neat metal frame which keeps all
dust and dirt from getting among the wheels and axles. The lifting
apparatus is attached to the guide bar and joint bar in the following
manner-We have an ordinary lever and chain attached to an iron
quadrant, which latter is attached to the joint bar by a double stud and
bolt. A short slotted lever attached to the guide bar by a single stud
and bolt is provided with a notch, and a corresponding notch is formed
in the end of the joint bar, the notch in the joint bar forming a fulcrum
of the lever to work upon. The quadrant passes through the slotted
lever, and thus should the outer end of the guide bar be in a grip or
hole the driver can lift the outer end of the guide bar perfectly level
the moment the inner end of guide begins to move, and he can
further lift the guide bar sufficiently high to clear either cut or standing
grass, or any other obstruction.
Another part of our Invention is the peculiar shape of the guider..
We make the guider with a step or notch in it next the guide bar; this
step or notch in the guider forms part of the guide bar for the knife back
to work in; by this step or notch in the guider we get a larger slanting
edge under the guider in front of the guide bar, which prevents the soil
or dirt from accumulating in front of the guider under the knife, and
allows the stubble of the cut grass to brush the soil and dirt away
under the guide bar.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Kearsley and George Kearsley in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 27th November, 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HENRY
KEARSLEY and GEORGE KEARSLEY, both of Ripon, in the County of
York, Agricultural Engineers, send greeting.
.3

page_text: .
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Henry Kearsley and George Kearsley,
Her special licence that we, the said Henry Kearsley and George
Kearsley, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as we, the said Henry Kearsley and George Kearsley, our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MOWING AND REAFING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said Henry Kearsley and George Kearsley, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or or one of our,
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, 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 KNCW YE, that we, the said Henry Kearsley and George
Kearsley, 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 in writing, and on
reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, that is:
to say :-
This Invention consists in constructing mowing and reaping machines
in the following manner:-
Upon the axle of the travelling wheels of the machine which support the
framework thereof we fix a spur wheel which gears into a spur pinion;
this said spur pinion is cast fast to a spur wheel and runs on a moveable
iron stud which allows the machine to be thrown in and out of gear by
an eccentric lever. The above-mentioned spur wheel gears into a spur
pinion that is cast fast to a bevil wheel and runs on the main axle and
in the same direction, thereby saving a great amount of friction. A'
bevil pinion is fixed on the crank shaft and gears into the bevil
wheel, thus we derive the moving power acting on the cutting knife;'

page_text: The whole of this gearing or wheels and the shafts are incased or covered
in a neat metal frame which keeps all dust and dirt from getting
among the wheels and axles. The lifting apparatus is attached to the
guide bar and joint bar in the following manner :-We have an ordinary
lever and chain attached to an iron quadrant, which latter is attached
to the joint bar by a double stud and bolt. A short slotted lever
attached to the guide bar by a single stud and bolt. is provided with a
potch, and a corresponding notch is formed in the end of the joint bar,
the notch in the joint bar forming a fulcrum for the lever to work upon.
The quadrant passes through the slotted lever, and thus should the
outer end of the guide bar be in a grip or hole the driver can lift the outer
end of the guide bar perfectly level the moment the inner end of the
guide bar begins to move, and he can further lift the guide bar
sufficiently high to clear either cut or standing grass or any other
obstruction.
Another part of our Invention is the peculiar shape of the guider.
We make the guider with a step or notch in it next the guide bar; this
step or notch in the guider forms part of the guide bar for the knife
back to work in; by this step or notch in the guider we get a larger
slanting edge under the guider in front of the guide bar, which prevents
the soil or dirt from accumulating in front of the guider under the
knife, and allows the stubble of the cut grass to brush the soil and
dirt away under the guide bar.
Such being the nature and object of our said Invention for "Improve-
ments in Mowing and Reaping Machines," we will now proceed to
describe more in details the manner in which the same is to be or may
be performed or carried into practical effect; and in order that the
same may be distinctly understood we have annexed hereunto a Sheet
of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures
and letters of reference corresponding with those in the following
explanation thereof, that is to say:-
.
Fig. 1 is a plan, Fig. 2 a side elevation, and Fig. 3 a front elevation of
a mowing and reaping machine constructed according to one portion
of our Invention; Figs. 4 & 5 illustrate our mode of arranging the
gear for actuating the cutting knife; Figs. 6 & 7 represent our improved
slotted lever and quadrant for lifting the guide bar; Fig. 8, our improved
guider for the back of the knife to work in; and Figs. 9 & 10 shew part
of the machine with the addition of a front travelling wheel.
:

page_text: In this reaper or mower the frame a being of cast iron (or any other
material, which may be varied so long as the mode of arranging the
other parts in combination therewith is retained) is mounted upon two
large travelling wheels b, as shewn in Figs. 1, 2, & 3, or upon three or
more wheels, as shewn in Figs. 9 & 10. The front travelling wheel 6°
being in advance of the cutting bar thereby enables the machine to
pass over deep furrows or high ridges without altering the height of
the cut, and also takes off all weight from off the horse's neck. The
two large travelling wheels b have spikes or hobs cast on the periphery
to prevent them from sliding when used in cutting grass or corn, and
upon the axis on which they revolve are secured by means of pins or
keys one or more ratchet wheels c, the pawls x being kept down on
them by means of a spring or other contrivance, and being secured to
the wheels 6 by bolts or other fastenings. When the machine is drawn
forward by this means motion is imparted to the spur wheel & which is.
keyed or pinned on the main axle t (Figs. 4 & 5), and gearing into the
pinion e having a hollow tube upon which the wheelf is cast, and is
made to revolve upon the stud u (Figs. 4 & 5), thence gearing into the
pinion g, and having a hollow tube upon which is cast the bevilled
wheel. In the hollow tubes described there is a provision for carrying
oil or other lubricating substance. The bevil wheel h gears into the
pinion i which is keyed on the shaft (Figs. 4 & 5), at the other end
a crank or eccentric wheel k is secured, which receives the end of the
connecting rod m, in which is a hollow tube to retain a sufficient
quantity of oil, and at every revolution of the eccentric the required
quantity will flow to keep the end lubricated; the other end of con-
necting rod ni passes into the eye of the cutting knife. The dotted
lines n, n, show a stay or support secured to the framework a at the
back part of the machine and to the finger beam o and joint bar 7 to
keep the finger beam o in its proper position. The lever j (Figs. 1 & 3)
has its axis or fulcrum at y on the frame a which carries the crank
lever, to which is attached the chain and quadrant q, which passes
through a slotted lever p connected to the finger beam o, the quadrant q
being attached to the joint bar 1, as shewn in (Figs. 1 & 7); by this
arrangement the driver sitting on the seat (Figs. 2 & 3) can lift up
the finger beam o to pass over cut grass or other obstructions. The
lever 8 having at the lowest extremity an eccentric or cam working on
an iron stud u (Figs. 4 & 5), on which the wheels e and f revolve;
enables the driver to stop the motion of the machine by moving the

page_text: lever from 1 to 2, as shewn by dotted lines in Fig. 2. The track
clearer y' (Fig. 1) being placed at any angle less than a right angle
removes the cut grass or grain to allow a clear track for the horses in
returning a second time round the uncut grass or grain. The machine
may be drawn by horse or other power by a pole or shafts 10, as shewn
at Fig. 1.
The first part of our Invention is illustrated by Figs. 4 & 5, and
consists of gear wheels arranged as follows:-Firstly, a spur wheel d
fixed on the main axle t; secondly, a spur pinion e and spur wheel f
cast fast together and running on an iron stud ; thirdly, a spur
pinion and bevil wheel h cast fast together and running on the
main axle t, and in the same direction; and, lastly, a bevil pinion i
fixed on a crank shaft, all gearing together as herein-before described.
The whole of this gearing and the shafts are incased or covered in a
neat metal frame a, which keeps all dust and dirt or other substance
from getting among the wheels and axles.
l
The second part of our Invention is illustrated by Figs. 6 & 7 on
the accompanying Sheet of Drawings. The lifting apparatus is attached
to the guide bar o and joint bar in the following manner :-We have
an ordinary lever j and chain r attached to an iron quadrant 9; the
iron quadrant g is attached to the joint bar by a double stud and
bolt. The short slotted lever p is attached to the guider bar o by a
single stud and bolt. There is a notch a¹ in the lever p, and a corre-,
sponding notch b¹ in one end of the joint bar 1; the notch b' thereby
forms a fulcrum for the lever p to work upon. The quadrant q passes
through the slotted lever p, and thus should the outer end of the guide
bar be in a grip or hole the driver can lift it perfectly level the moment
the inner end of the guide bar begins to move, and he can further lift
the guide bar sufficiently high to clear either cut or standing grass, or
any other obstruction.
Another part of our Invention is the peculiar shape of the guider,
as shown in Fig. 8. We make the guider c¹ with a step or notch f¹
in it next the guide bar. This step or notch f¹ in the guider forms
part of the guide bar for the knife back to work in; by this step or notch.
in the guider we get a larger slanting edge e¹ under the guider in front
of the guide bar, which prevents the soil or dirt from accumulating in
front of the guider under the knife, and allows the stubble of the cut.
grass to brush the soil and dirt away under the guide bar.

page_text: Having now described the nature and object of our said Invention
for "Improvements in Mowing and Reaping Machines," together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried
into practical effect, we would remark, in conclusion, that we claim,―
Firstly. The novel and peculiar arrangement of the working gear for
actuating the cutting knife, substantially as shewn in the Drawings and
herein-before described.
Secondly. The novel and peculiar arrangement of the slotted lever p
and quadrant q for lifting the guide bar, substantially as shewn and
described.
And, thirdly. The placing of the step or notch f¹ in the guider for
the back of the knife to work in, substantially as shewn and herein.
before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Henry Kearsley and George
Kearsley, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-
fourth day of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-eight.