AN IMPROVED HAY TEDDING MACHINE
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International
Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVED HAY TEDDING MACHINE."-A communication from
abroad by Lyman Hall Tasker, of Boston, Massachusetts, United
States of America.
Sealed the 25th May 1869, and dated the 22nd March 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 22nd March 1869.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office,"
No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN IMPROVED HAY TEDDING MACHINE," a commu-
nication, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to that class of hay speaders or tedding
machines in which series of tedder forks or teeth are hung upon a rotary
frame, which frame is mounted upon a wheel carriage the forward
movement of which rotates the tedder frame, bringing each set of teeth
successively into operation upon the grass or hav over which the carriage

page_text: is driven. The said Invention consists primarily in such an organization
of the mechanism of these rotary tedders as shall impart or cause to be
imparted to each set of forks or teeth (arranged in an open rotary frame)
a motion in excess of their rotative motion, which acceleration of move-
ment being given to tliem as they come into contact with the hay adds
to the effectiveness of the forks or teeth in tossing or spreading the hay.
The carriage frame axles are mounted upon the draught wheels. The
tedder frame is made up of heads connected by rods. These heads turn
loosely on a stationary shaft, the ends of which are supported upon
brackets. On each or either draught wheel is an internal gear wheel,
the teeth of which mesh into a pinion on the stationary shaft, this
pinion being at one end of a quill at whose other end is a pawl which
engages with the teeth of a ratchet on the adjacent head. As the tedder
is drawn forward the pawl rotates the ratchet and tedder frame, while
when the movement of the carriage is reversed the pawl either slips over
the ratchet teeth or is thrown out of connection with the ratchet, the
tedder frame remaining stationery with respect to the carriage. The
rods are arranged concentrically to the axis of the heads but just inside
them; the stationery shaft is crooked or has arms the outer ends of
which are connected by a portion of the shaft. Upon each rod is pivoted
a set of tedder forks or teeth which turn upon the rod, each fork having
a loop or a short arm to which a link is jointed, the other end of the
link turning loosely upon the shaft. The location of the shaft excen-
trically to the axis of rotation of the fork rods is such that as the forks
or teeth of each set in their rotation approach and pass over the ground
they will sweep forward with a motion in acceleration of their rotative
motion. The fork tines are preferably coiled around the rods, and act
not only by their accelerated movement but by their spring movement to
impel the hay. To prevent the hay from clogging around the heads and
between the heads and carriage frame each head is surrounded and pro-
tected by a cylindrical shield, this shield being fastened to the frame in
any suitable manner and preventing all tendency to clog. Instead of
arranging the tedder forks to sweep forward by the mechanism, as
described, the rods may project through and turn in the heads, and have
crank arms on their outer ends, the pins from which project into rotary
disks or wheels having retative movement eccentric to the rotative
movement of the tedder frame, the forks or teeth in such case being fixed
to the rods. To adjust the height of the tedder mechanism the frame
may be hung so as to rise and fall relatively to the main frame, and to

page_text: have a hand lever so arranged as to enable the driver to raise or lower
the tedder frame, and fix it in position as regards height. The teeth of
the ratchet are on the inner surface of the flange, making an internal
ratchet. The impelling pawl is hung upon an arm projecting from a boss
fixed to or forming part of the rotary cap or pawl plate, this pawl plate
being mounted and turning on the stationery shaft on which the ratchet
wheel also turns. On this shaft within the ratchet case or cylinder is a
loose disk or collar near whose perimeter is a slot into which a pin
projects from the pawl, the said slot being inclined, so that by turning
the collar in one direction the pin is forced outward pressing the
impelling face of the pawl up into the ratchet teeth, while by turning
the collar in the opposite direction the pin is forced inward. On the
opposite side of the shaft the collar carries a stud or projection. Through
the pawl plate a slot is made, through which slot passes the shank of a
screw having a thumb nut on its outer end and on its inner end a head,.
which when the screw shank is moved up to the inner end of the slot
will rotate in a path within the stud or without striking the said stud,.
while when the screw shank is moved to the other end of the slot the
head in its rotation strikes the stud and rotates the collar with it. Now:
when the head and the stud are thus in contact and the pawl plate is.
rotating in the forward direction the pawl and collar will rotate together,
the rotation of the collar being caused by contact of the stud with the head,
and no relative rotative movement can take place between the pawl plate
and the collar. Consequently the pawl pin will be kept at the bottom
of its slot, and the pawl will be kept from engagement with the ratchet
teeth, while if the pawl plate rotates in the opposite direction the
inclination of the slot itself will hold the pawl away from the ratchet
tecth, the pawl being under all circumstances thus held out of contact
with the ratchet teeth by the incline in the back movement of the pawl
plate. If the screw shank be pushed to the inner end of its slot, and the
ratchet plate rotates in the forward direction, the head will pass inside
the stud without touching it, and the rotation of the pawl plate rela-
tively to the collar will cause the pin to run up the incline, thereby
forcing the pawl up into engagement with the ratchet teeth. The
ratchet case is fixed to and projects from one of the heads of the tedder
frame, and the pawl plate or disk is fixed to and projects from the sleeve.
or quill which bears the pinion.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 21st September 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Consulting
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake,
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 of
"AN IMPROVED HAY TEDDING MACHINE," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 per-
formed, 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 KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing forming a part of this Specification:-
This Invention relates to that class of hay spreaders or tedding machines
in which series of tedder forks or teeth are hung upon a rotary frame,
which frame is mounted upon a wheel carriage the forward movement
of which rotates the tedder frame, bringing each set of teeth successively
into operation upon the grass or hay over which the carriage is driven.

page_text: The said Invention consists primarily in such an organization of the
mechanism of these rotary tedders as shall impart or cause to be
imparted to each set of forks or teeth (arranged in an open rotary
frame) a motion in excess of their rotative motion, which acceleration
of movement being given to them as they come into contact with the
hay adds to the effectiveness of the forks or teeth in tossing or spreading
the hay.
The Drawing represents a tedder embodying the said Invention.
A shews the machine in plan; B is an end elevation, and F is a
sectional elevation of the same; a denotes the carriage frame, the axles
of which are mounted upon the draught wheels b; c denotes the tedder
frame made up of heads d connected by rods e. These heads turn
loosely on a stationary shaft f, the ends of which projecting beyond
the heads outwardly are supported upon brackets g. On each or either
wheel is an internal gear wheel h the teeth of which mesh into and
drive a rotary pinion i turning loosely on the shaft f, this pinion i
being at one end of a quill k at whose other end is a pawl which
engages with the teeth of a ratchet m on the adjacent head d (sec
views C, D, and E). As the tedder is drawn forward the pawl engages
with and rotates the ratchet and with it the tedder frame, while when
the movement of the carriage is reversed the pawl either slips over
the ratchet teeth or is thrown out of connection with the ratchet, the
tedder frame remaining stationary with respect to the carriage a.
The rods e are arranged concentrically to the axis of rotation of the
heads d but just inside of them. The shaft f is crooked or has arms o
the outer ends of which are connected by the portion p of the shaft
extending through the tedder frame, the shaft p being out of line with
the axis of rotation of the heads d. Upon each rod e is pivoted a set
of tedder forks or tedder teeth q which turn upon the rod, each fork
having a loop r or a short arm extending from it, to which loop or
arm one end of a link s is jointed, the other end of the link turning
loosely upon the shaft p. The location of the shaft p eccentrically to
the axis of rotation of the fork rods is such that as the forks or teeth
of each set in their rotation approach and pass over the ground they
will sweep forward with a motion in acceleration of their rotative
motion, this sweeping motion being produced by reason of the increase
of distance between the shaft p and the rod upon which the forks are
hung as they pass down and rearward. This movement of the tedder

page_text: rod away from the shaft p operates through the links which connect
the forks to the shaft to bring the forks from a position nearly in
line with or between two adjacent rods to a nearly radial position.
As the forks pass up above the hay they fall back again from their
projected position, causing all hay which would otherwise adhere to
them to fall therefrom. The fork tines are preferably coiled around
the rods and act not only by their accelerated movement but by their
spring movement to impel the hay. To. keep the hay from clogging
around the heads and between the same and carriage frame each
head is surrounded and protected by a cylindrical shield, this shield
being fastened to the frame in any suitable manner and preventing all
tendency to clog. Instead of arranging the tedder forks to sweep
forward by the mechanism as described the rods may project through
and turn in the heads and have crank arms on their outer ends the
pins from which project into rotary disks or wheels having rotative
movement eccentric to the rotative movement of the tedder frame, the
forks or teeth in such case being fixed to the rods, but the arrangement
shewn is preferred. To adjust the height of the tedder mechanism
the frame may be hung to rise and fall relatively to the main frame
and may have a hand lever so arranged as to enable the driver to raise
or lower the tedder frame and fix it in position as regards height.
The mechanism preferred for throwing the tedder frame into con-
nection with the driving pinion in the forward movement of the carriage
and out of connection therewith in the rearward movement of the said
carriage is shewn at C, D, and E. C shews the interior of the pawl
and ratchet case, the outer or pawl plate being so broken away as to
clearly shew the arrangement of the parts, the pawl being in engage-
ment with the ratchet teeth; D is a similar view with the parts
adjusted to prevent the engagement of the pawl and ratchet teeth
in either direction of rotation of the pawl; E is a cross section on the
line x, x; m denotes the ratchet wheel, the teeth of which are on
the inner surface of the flange making an internal ratchet; denotes
the impelling pawl hung upon an arm d¹ projecting from a boss e
fixed to or forming part of the rotary cap or pawl plate f¹, as seen
in the Drawing, this pawl plate being mounted and turning on the
shaft in which the ratchet wheel m also turns. On the shaft
within the ratchet case or cylinder is a loose disk or collar h¹ near
whose perimeter is a slot into which a pin k projects from the pawl

page_text: said slot being inclined, so that by turning the collar in one direction
the pin is forced outward pressing the impelling face of the pawl up
into the ratchet teeth, as seen at C, while by turning the collar in the
opposite direction the pin is forced inward carrying the end of the
pawl into the position seen at D, in which position the pawl will rotate
without engaging with the ratchet teeth. On the opposite side of the
shaft the collar carries a stud or projection A, as seen at C and D.
Through the pawl plate f¹ a slot m¹ is made, through which slot passes
the shank of a screw n¹ having a thumb nut o¹ on its outer or screw
threaded end, and on its inner end a head p', which when the screw
shank is moved up to the inner end of the slot m¹ (as seen at C) will
rotate in a path at the inner side of the stud or without striking
said stud, while when the screw shank is moved to the other end of
the slot (as seen at D) the said head in its rotation strikes the stud
and rotates the collar h with it, as will be readily understood. Now
when the head p¹ and the stud are thus in contact, as seen at D,
and the pawl plate is rotating in the direction denoted by the arrow
(the pawl pin k¹ being at the inner end of slot ) the pawl and collar
will rotate together, the rotation of the collar being caused by contact
of the stud with the head p¹, and no relative rotative movement
can take place between the pawl plate and the collar. Consequently
the pawl pin k¹ will be kept at the bottom of its slot and the pawl
will be kept from engagement with the ratchet teeth, while if the
pawl plate rotates in the opposite direction the inclination of the slot
itself will hold the pawl away from the ratchet teeth, the pawl being
under all circumstances thus held out of contact with the ratchet teeth
by the incline in the back movement of the pawl plate. If the screw
shank be pushed to the inner end of its slot, as seen at C, and the
ratchet plate rotates, as denoted by the arrow at C, the head p¹ will
pass at the inner side of the stud without touching it, and the rotation
of the pawl plate relatively to the collar will cause the pin k¹ to run
up the incline 2, thereby forcing the pawl up into engagement with
the ratchet teeth, as seen at O. It will thus be seen that the use of a
spring to hold the pawl against the ratchet teeth is avoided, that the
pawl must always and positively be carried into engagement with the
teeth in the forward rotative movement of the pawl (when the parts are
adjusted for such engagement), that the pawl will always be drawn
out of engagement when the same is moving in the opposite direction,
and that by a simple adjustment of the screw pin n¹ the pawl may

page_text: be disengaged from the ratchet wheel whenever it is desirable for the
pawl to rotate without effecting corresponding movement of the ratchet.
All wear upon the pawl by its slipping over the ratchet teeth is thus
prevented as well as the clatter resulting from such slipping movement.
There is no spring to break as in other ratchet and pawl mechanisms,
and the arrangement is simple, reliable, and inexpensive. The ratchet
case is fixed to and projects from one of the heads of the tedder frame,
and the disk f¹ is fixed to and projects from the sleeve or quill k which
bears the pinion i.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and shewn how the same may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, I claim, a rotary
tedder mechanism in which the forks or teeth have a positive movement
relatively to the tedder frame, so that as they rotate they operate against
the hay and are released from or release the hay, substantially as
described.
Also a ratchet and pawl mechanism by which the pawl engages with
and drives the ratchet by the forward movement of the carriage and is
thrown out of contact with the ratchet in the reverse movement of the
carriage, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.
Witness,
TATEICOT
THO. N. PALMER,
Clerk to Messrs. Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.