IMPROVEMENTS IN CUTTING AND REAPING MACHINES
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
RALPH ERRINGTON RIDLEY, of Hexham, in the County of Northumber-
land, Tanner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster the
Ninth day of February, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in
the fifteenth year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said Ralph Errington Ridley, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Ralph Errington Ridley,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Ralph Errington Ridley, my executors, administrators, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales,
and the town of Berwick upon Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN CUTTING AND REAPING MACHINES;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that I, the said Ralph Errington Ridley, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's

page_text: High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said Ralph Errington Ridley, hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are
fully described and set forth in and by the present specification thereof,
reference being had to the drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say:
My Invention consists, first, of a cutting machine suitable for cutting
corn, grass, and other standing crops by means of two sets of cutters or
blades, one set being stationary while the other set is moveable, so
arranged and worked as to partake of a motion similar to that of the
blades of shears or scissors:
.
And second, of a reaping machine of an improved construction, to be 1
worked in conjunction with my improved cutting machine, or with a
cutting machine of a different construction.
And the manner in which I construct my improved machine is as
follows:
Figure 1 is a plan of a machine for both cutting and reaping, con- a
structed according to my Invention; Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are
views of separate parts detached.
A, A, A, A, Figure 1, is a wooden frame; B, the main axle upon
which the frame hangs; C, C, are the driving wheels; D, is a spur
wheel fixed upon the driving shaft, and E, a pinion worked by the spur 2
wheel D; it is only partially seen, being under the spur wheel. The
pinion E, is keyed upon the shaft F, to which are also keyed two bevel
wheels G, G, which gear into the bevel pinions H, H; these bevel
pinions are fixed to short cranked axles I, I, which give motion to the
connecting rods J, J; the other extremities of the connecting rods s
have straps or eyes which fit on to the end of the lever K, as shown
at k, Figure 1. There is another lever on the other side of the machine,
which, being perfectly identical with the lever K, is not shown in the
drawing. The lever K, is in two pieces, united by a horizontal bolt
at L, which admits of its lower end having a perpendicular motion, 3

page_text: while it secures it from any looseness in its lateral motion. The
pivot M, is fixed upon the longer portion of the lever, and moves in a
boss fitted for it in the projecting flange N; this flange is cast upon
the sides of the machine, and is of sufficient strength to bear the resist-
ance of the lever. The lower end of the short lever is forked to fit a
pin upon the under side of the oscillating bar O, O, which extends
across the machine; the pin of this bar is seen at A, Figure 2.
There are screwed into the bar O, O, several bolts, as seen at B, Figure 2.
The tops of these bolts consist of short pieces turned true with square
collars and set nuts; the bolts screw into the oscillating bar, and the
nuts are used to fix them at any required height; the bar O, has a
lateral motion, and rests upon friction rollers which are beneath it, as
shown in Figure 7; these rollers revolve on axes screwed on to the
front plate (P) of the machine; the inner ends of the axes carry
upright pieces (r, r), Figure 7, to prevent the bar from moving out of
the straight line; slight projections (s, s) on the front plate secure the
bar on the other side. P, P, represents this front plate, part of it having
the knives upon it, and part clear, that its formation may be the more
clearly represented; it is provided with two arms, one at each end,
which bolt to projections on the end of the cast-iron frame to be
hereafter described; these arms are rounded on the top side at their
ends, but are left square on the under side. The plate P, rests upon
these square ends against the ends of the frames, and can be moved
upwards when required. The plate has projections, upon each of
which are fixed steel knives, cutters, or blades a, a, of the shape shown
in the Figure 1. It is best to fix these knives (which form the
stationary cutters) with small screws, the heads of which are counter-
sunk, so as to be flush with their tops, and in fixing them great care
should be taken to have them perfectly flush throughout, for should
they not be so the moving cutters (to be next described) will cut on
one side, but not on the other. On the plate P, and between the
projecting pieces (t, t), are circular holes for the pivots (v) of the
moving knives or cutters to pass through; these holes open into a square
chamber or recess u, Figure 3; these square recesses receive the
square head of a bolt or pivot v, and a small spiral spring, which rests

page_text: upon the heads of the bolts and the upper side of the recess or
chamber; the heads of the bolts are thus secured to prevent the
motion of the knives from turnin the bolt, and thus prevent the
knives from cutting. The bolt passes through the round hole, which
it ought to fit exactly, to the top of the front plate P, then through
the moving knife, and is made tight by a washer and nut. The
moving knives are shaped in their cutting part exactly like a scissor
blade, slightly curved to the point towards the stationary blades; if,
therefore, they were held firmly and rigidly by the bolt, they would
not move; if, on the contrary, they were loose at the pivot to allow
the curved part to rise, then they would cut at the points only. The
springs are made sufficiently strong to secure a pressure upon the
knives that will make them cut straw or grass while they yield to
allow the curved knife to rise, by which means the edges of the two
knives are kept in constant contact, and consequently cut throughout
their whole length. The spring yields in this machine exactly as the
hand does when using a pair of scissors. I have described and
represented a spring applied at the pivot of the moveable blade, but
with slight modifications it might be fitted to the fixed blade, and
might also be fixed at the base of either the stationary or moveable
cutters. The moving knives are triangular in the cutting part, and
at their base they have an oblong slot of sufficient breadth to fit the
pin on the bolt B, Figure 2, but longer, to allow for the curve
described by the knives during their lateral motion. Q, Q, Q, Q, are
two cast-iron frames, united at back by the bar L', L', of the frame A,
and at front by the plate P, P; the space between the sides of each
frame is about six inches; these frames are of the shape shown in
Figure 4, having a rise of twelve inches. R, I, R, R, are four small
wheels by which these frames Q, Q, Q, Q, and their dependencies, are
carried. The centres of the wheels are about eighteen inches distant
from each other, so that when the machine is crossing a furrow the
first wheels are moved over it without touching the earth until they
reach the edge on the opposite side, and then they bear the front of
the machine, and the others are carried over the furrow. By these
means the front of the machine does not move up and down when

page_text: passing over a furrow, but moves as evenly as when on level ground.
S, S, S, S, are guide rods on the inside and outside of each side of
the cast-iron frames; these guide rods are pierced with holes to
receive the ends of the axles of the wheels R, R, R, R. The axles
pass through a long aperture in the frames Q, and into the holes in
the guide rods. When the guide rods on the outside of one frame
and the inside of the other frame are moved in one direction, and
the other two guide rods in a contrary direction, the wheels R, R, R, R,
are placed in an oblique position, as shown by the dotted lines,
and the machine is forced round in whichever direction it is required.
This motion of the guide rods is obtained by a shaft passing under the
front of the wooden frame A from end to end, from which it is suspended
in strong bearings, and having four arms fixed on it, two in one direc-
tion and two in the opposite direction; to these arms are bolted the
guide rods, so that when the shaft is moved two guide rods move in one
direction and two in the opposite direction. The shaft is moved by
a long lever fixed to it, which passes backwards to the place where
the manager of the machine is sitting, on the back part of the frame A.
To secure the steady motion of the guide rods, slots are cut in them, and
a bolt passes through, screwing into the sides of the iron frames as at T,
with a set nut on the other side of the frame; the rods slide upon these
bolts, and are secured from bending outwards by the heads of the bolts.
U, U, are clutches which slide upon the axle B; they are prevented
from moving round, except when the axle moves, by a groove cut in
them, which fits a key fixed in the axle B. When the machine is re-
quired to travel without moving the cutters, these clutches are shifted
back from the large wheel, and when the cutters are to be set in motion
the clutches are moved towards the wheels, and fit into counterparts
fixed on the wheels. When the machine is cutting, and it is necessary
to turn it, the inside large wheel should be thrown out of gear, otherwise
it will not turn readily. On the end of the cranked axle I, which pro-
jects from beneath the front of the wooden frame A, but which cannot
be seen in the drawing, is a small spur wheel which actuates the
wheel Y. The wheel Y, is keyed on to the roller Z, round which pass
the pitch chains A, and A³, which also pass round the roller Z', so that

page_text: when Z is moved, Z', moves also. An endless belt is attached at each
end to the endless chain, and revolves with it in the direction of the
arrow, so that any corn or grass falling upon it will be carried towards
the centre of the machine. There are similar rollers, wheels, endless
chains, and endless belt on the other side of the machine, but they are
not shown in the drawing, in order that the levers beneath them may
be seen.
The belt on the other side moves in an opposite direction to
that which is shown, and of course moves towards the centre.
V, is a cam fixed on the axle F, shown in section in Figure 5. The
friction pulley c, presses against the outside of the rim of the cam, and a
similar roller against the inside, so that when the cam revolves a to-and-
fro motion is imparted to the bar W. This bar actuates the levers X, X,
and these levers, working on a pivot on the under side of the front of the
wooden frame A, give motion to a, board d, which slides upon two pieces
of angle iron e, e; these pieces of angle iron are fixed at one of their
ends to the iron frame Q, and at the other to a bar of iron f, fixed to the
frame A, and the front plate P; g, g, shewn separately on an enlarged
scale in Figure 6, are cross sections of two iron supports which are
bolted to the side of the frames; these iron supports are bent forward
until they come above the points of the fixed knives, and then they rise
twelve or fifteen inches; upon each of these supports are adjustable
bearings (w), which are fixed at any required height by a set screw. The
axle of a gathering wheel stretches from one bearing to the other; it is
five to six feet in diameter, and is made with six or eight slight arms;
the extremities of the arms are connected by pieces of thin deal, fixed
on with their edges parallel to the axle of the wheel. At one end of
the axle of the gathering wheel is a small pulley with projections upon
it, suitable for a pitch chain, and on the axle B, on the same side of the
machine is another pulley h, with similar projections, so that on a pitch
chain being passed over the two pulleys when the cutters are set in
motion the gathering wheel moves also. In order to raise the front or
cutting part of the machine, a chain is fixed to each side of the
plate P, P, which passes over a pulley fixed about six inches up the
iron supports g, g, of the gathering wheel, and backwards to two
pulleys q, q, placed on a shaft h', upon the front of the frame A. The

page_text: chains are fixed to the pulleys q, q, and a lever 2, is attached to the
axle h', which extends backwards to the reach of the manager, so that
by moving the lever the axle and pulleys move, and the chain pulls up
the front. The bearings of the lower end of the rollers Z, and Z', being
in bolts fixed in the front, would prevent the front from rising unless
some provision were made for them; to meet this the axles at the back
ends of the rollers are prolonged to allow them to slide through their
bearings i, i, which move upon their pivots to allow of the change in the
position of the axles: m represents a strong pole fastened at one end to
the frame A; it is about twelve feet long, and carries at its other end
a set of ordinary swingle or whipple trees, to which the horses are yoked
with their heads towards the machine. The machine operates thus:
when moved forward by the horses, the clutches V, V, are put into gear,
which causes the shaft B, to revolve, and along with it the spur wheel D;
this wheel moves the pinion E, upon the shaft F, by which the bevel
wheels G, G, are moved, and they give motion to the small bevel
wheels H, H, which, being fixed to the axles I, I, give motion to them
and to the cranks and the connecting rods J, J. These connecting
rods give to the levers K, a lateral oscillating motion, each revolution of
the crank producing a motion right and left, which is communicated to
the sliding bar o, and by means of the bolts projecting from it to the
moveable knives; each revolution of the crank makes the moveable
knives cut against both edges of the fixed knives. The speed at which
the knives move, and their length, should always be proportioned to the
size of the driving wheels; for example, I make the driving wheels four
feet in diameter, and proportion the wheels so that the bevel pinions H, H,
shall revolve eighteen times during the time the driving wheels move
once; this will enable the moveable knives to cut eighteen times against
each edge of the fixed knives, or in all thirty-six cuts. Now each knife
cuts four and a half inches, so that 4 times 36 gives 162 inches, while
the circumference of the wheel is only 150; there is therefore a sufficient
allowance for any surging of the wheels. The gathering wheel is about
six feet in diameter, and is driven by a pulley about ten inches in
diameter, fixed on the main shaft B. The pitch chain works over a
pulley of similar size upon the axle of the driving wheel, so that the

page_text: periphery of the gathering wheel must move one third faster than the
periphery of the driving wheel; this has the effect of bending the corn
towards the machine just at the time it is cut, and secures its falling
back upon the endless belts upon the rollers Z, and Z', and on the rollers
on the other side of the machine. For grass and short corn the
gathering wheel ought to have cight arms, but for long corn six arms
are sufficient. The corn or grass being cut, and laid upon the endless
belt, is carried by it into the centre of the machine, when it may be
allowed to fall on the ground, which it will do very regularly, the heads
all in one direction, or it may be allowed to fall upon the board d, and
upon its counterpart (which is not shewn). When these boards are
moved under the belts the corn falls to the ground in a bundle, and then
the boards close again to receive a fresh accumulation. The cam V,
makes six revolutions for each revolution of the driving wheels, conse-
quently the board & will move under the belt six times during each
revolution of the driving wheels. Each revolution moves the machine
over about 12 feet, so that each delivery of the boards will lay
down in a bundle the corn standing on a space 2 feet by six feet.
The endless belt should always be made to travel at the same speed
as the machine. To accomplish this, I make the rollers 23 inches in
diameter, in order that eighteen revolutions may carry over at
least 150 feet of the endless belt during each revolution of the driving
wheels.
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,-First,
the machinery for cutting and reaping herein-before described in the
general arrangement, combination, and adaptation of parts of which
the same consists: Second, the peculiar formation of the front
plate P, P, with its projecting pieces and hollow square recesses for the
reception of the spring and square head of the bolt on to which the
knives are to be fixed as herein-before described: Third, the use of
springs applied to the knives or blades of corn and grass cutting
machines whereby the edges of the blades are caused to cut throughout
their entire length: Fourth, the arrangements described for communi-
cating an oscillating motion to the cutter-bar 0, 0: Fifth, the arrange-

page_text: ments for raising the knives or blades of cutting machines herein-before
described: Sixth, the means herein-before described whereby cutting and
reaping machines are caused to pass over hollows and furrows without de-
scending into them: And last, the arrangements whereby corn or grass
after being cut is laid in continuous lines or in bundles within the frame-
work of the machine, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ralph Errington Ridley, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of August in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.
RALPH ERRINGTON RIDLEY. (L.S.)
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the Fifth day of August
in the year of our Lord 1852, the aforesaid Ralph Errington
Ridley came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and
acknowledged the specification aforesaid, and all and everything therein
contained and specified in form above written; and also the specifica-
tion aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made
for that purpose.