IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO THE TILLING of Land
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Howard, of Bedford, Ironfounder, and George
Williams Baker, of Woburn, in the County of Bedford, Farm Bailiff to
His Grace the Duke of Bedford, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO THE TILLING of Land."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Howard and
George Williams Baker at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 22nd May 1856.
We, JAMES HOWARD, of Bedford, Ironfounder, and GEORGE WILLIAMS
BAKER, of Woburn, the County of Bedford, Farm Bailiff to His Grace the
Duke of Bedford, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO THE TILLING OF
LAND," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the ploughing of land both by
steam and horse power. We will first describe the improvements which relate
solely to steam ploughing, and afterwards speak of certain details of con-
struction which are applicable to ploughs, whether actuated by horse or steam
power.
In ploughing by steam, we propose to use turn-wrest ploughs, and to attach

page_text: any convenient number by chains or cords to a travelling frame, which is drawn
forward by means of a wire rope or chain, that passes over guide pullies set
at opposite corners or other parts of the field, and thence proceeds to the
winding on and off barrels of the engine. The chains or cords from the several
ploughs pass to their respective pullies, which are mounted loosely on a shaft
extending from end to end of the draw frame, and are held fast when required
by clutch boxes operated by levers. This shaft acts simply as a draw bar until
the frame has traversed a given portion of the field, the frame then stops and
an axial motion is given to the shaft to wind up the plough chains, and thus
to bring the ploughs to a line with each other at the end the furrow. As the
ploughs come severally up to line, the clutch boxes of their respective pullies
are thrown out of action by a stop on the plough chain, and the forward motion
of the ploughs is consequently arrested. When all have come up to line,
the travelling frame and ploughs are turned round to repeat the ploughing
operation in the opposite direction. To keep the pull on the frame central at
starting, the ropes from the engine are passed over traversing guide pullies,
which move along the frame, shifting the position of the drag points until all
the ploughs are brought into action; or by carrying the guide pullies forward
and setting them centrally the traversing of the pullies may be dispensed with.
To compensate for the one-sided pull which occurs when one or more ploughs
have reached the end of their course, a friction piece or skid attached to the
frame is brought in contact with the ground, and thus the frame is prevented
from turning. The guide pulleys over which the propelling rope or chain
passes we provide with a spherical boss, which fits a spherical projection on
their axle. A slight oscillating movement is thus allowed to these pullies, to
permit of their self adjustment to suit the direction of the strain. The axles of
the pullies we propose to fix in position by means of a kind of corkscrew
anchor or holdfast.
'
To assist in the laying of the rope or chain upon the windlass we propose to
use rotating guides. In cases where the engine is made to travel over the field
with the ploughs in action, we propose to connect them to pullies, as above
described, but mounted on an axle at the tail of the locomotive engine.
The turn-wrest ploughs which we propose to employ are fitted with handles
as usual, and to each plough frame is attached two mould boards and shares,
made right and left handed. These mould boards and shares, which are
connected together, swing upon a common centre set in the upper part of the
frame, and they thus admit of the one rising out of its place while the other is
being brought into position for work. The tightening up and slackening of.
the necks carrying the shares and mould boards is effected by a screw at the

page_text: hinder part of the frame, fitted with a double collar to receive the forked ends
of the necks. The screw when turned will bind the neck against the fore end
of the plough frame, the abutting edge of which is made V-shaped, or other-
wise formed, to ensure the locking of the abutting parts. The adjustment of
the draft of each plough is effected by the ploughman, through a rod which
terminates near the handles of the plough, and which will when moved cause
the traverse of the hake (through the medium of a rack, or wheels, or screws),
to which the draft chain is attached.
In order to reverse the position of the land and furrow wheels, the stems
are, toothed, and, by means of pinions gearing into the teeth, and driven by rods
continued to the plough handles,' the wheels are raised and lowered, as required,
either singly or simultaneously; singly if applied to ordinary ploughs; simul-
taneously if to turn-wrest. Or, instead of. this arrangement, the stems of the
two wheels may be tapped, and a spur wheel with a tapped boss fitted on eacli
and gearing into each other. A pinion on a rod continued to the plough.
handles, by gearing into one of these wheels, or another mounted on the
beam, will permit of the simultaneous rise of one wheel and depression of
the other; or the stems may carry a screw, on which a tangent wheel driven
by a worm works, for effecting the like object.
For the purpose of adjusting the wheels laterally to increase or diminish the
breadth of the furrow, we fit the sliding arm which carries the wheel stem
with a screw that lies parallel therewith. This screw carries a nut which is.
embraced by a forked piece, the lower end of which drops into a slot in the.
plough beam made to receive it. By turning the nut, a lateral motion will bé
given to the screw, and consequently to the sliding arm which carries the wheel
stem.
These improvements in the construction of the plough are applicable where
animal propulsion as well as steam power is employed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Howard and George Williams Baker in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 22nd November 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME,, we, JAMES
HOWARD, of Bedford, Ironfounder, and GEORGE WILLIAMS BAKER, of Woburn,
in the County of Bedford, Farm Bailiff to His Grace the Duke of Bedford,
5 send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
James Howard and George Williams Baker, Her special license that we, the
said James Howard and George Williams Baker, our executors, adminis-
trators, and, assigns, or such others as we, the said James Howard and
George Williams Baker, 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 MACHINERY OR APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO THE TILLING OF
LAND," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said James Howard
and George Williams Baker, by an instrument in writing under our hands
and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, 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 KNOW YE, that I, the said James Howard (on behalf of myself
and of the said George Williams Baker) do hereby declare the nature of our
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference
being bad to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say) :-
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the ploughing of land, both by
steam and horse power. We will first describe the improvements which relate
solely to steam ploughing, and afterwards. speak of certain details of con-
struction which are applicable to ploughs, whether actuated by horse or steam
power.
In ploughing by steam, we propose to use turn-wrest ploughs, and to attach
any convenient number by chains or cords to a travelling frame, which is draw
forward by means of a wire rope or chain, that passes from a central chain
pulley carried by the frame, and over guide pullies set at opposite corners or
other parts of the field, and thence proceeds to the winding on and off barrels
of the engine.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 shews in plan view, Fig. 2 in
sectional elevation, and Fig. 3 in partial front view, the travelling draught

page_text: frame, through which the pull of the engine is imparted to the ploughs; which
are attached to and follow in the rear of that frame. The frame is made of
cast iron, and supported on four running wheels, and it is contracted in breadth
towards the forward end, where a system of guide rollers is provided for guiding
the draw rope to the engine. The chains or cords from the several ploughs
a, b, c, d, pass to their respective pulleys a*, 6*, c*, and d*, mounted loosely on
a shaft e, extending from side to side of the draw or draught frame, and
turning in bracket bearings attached to the under side of the frame. The
pullies a, b, c, d, are severally held fast when required by clutch boxes f;
operated by hand levers g. In advance of the shaft e is a shaft h, mounted in
a line therewith in bearings attached to the under side of the frame A. To
this shaft ha double chain pulley i is keyed, to receive the taut and slack,
ends of the draught chain, which is connected to the windlass barrels of the
engine. k, l, are clutch boxes, mounted at opposite ends of the shaft h, and
sliding over a feather on that shaft; these clutches take into stops formed on
the inner face of the sides of the frame A, and by that means hold fast' the
shaft h. The clutch box k carries a cogged wheel m, which at certain periods
of the operation of the machine gears into a wheel n, keyed on to the shaft e
for the purpose of driving that shaft, and causing it to wind up the plough
chains; and the clutch box also carries a cog wheel, which gears into an
intermediate pinion o, in gear with a pinion p on the shaft e. This arrange-
ment permits of the shaft h driving the shaft e always in the same direction,
whether the shaft h be revolving to the right or the left hand. Hand levers are
provided, as shewn at Fig. 1, for working these clutch boxes and their cog
wheels into and out of action. The shaft e acts simply as a fixed draw bar
until the frame A has traversed a given portion, say, the length or breadth of
the field to be ploughed, it being held fast by one or other of the sets of gearing
wheels just described. The progress of the draught frame being then stopped;
the shaft h is released by the sliding back of the clutch box which held it fast,'
and the shaft is then free to turn by reason of the drag of the taut end of the
draught chain on the central pulley i. When the shaft h is thus set rotating,
an axial motion is imparted, through the gearing m, n, or o, p, to the shaft e;
which then winds up the plough chains a, b, c, d, as the clutches of their pulley
are thrown into action, and the several ploughs are thus brought in succession
into a line with each other at the end of the furrow. As the ploughs come
severally up to line, the clutch boxes of their respective pulleys are thrown out
of action, either by band, or by a stop 9 on the plough chain striking against
an arm or projection g* on the clutch box lever, and the forward motion of the
ploughs is consequently arrested. When all have come up to line, the travelling

page_text: frame and ploughs are turned round, to repeat the ploughing operation, in the
opposite direction. The fore wheels of the frame A are carried by a swivel
frame B, connected thereto by a swivel pin; a steering lever C, connected to
this frame B, extends backwards beyond the rear of the frame A; the
attendant can, therefore, by means of this lever, not only guide, the forward
movement of the ploughs,, but also turn the frame A at the end of the furrow,
the continued drag of the taut chain effecting the movement with comparative,
ease when thus assisted, by the steering lever. The taut end of the drag chain.
passes to the engine between a set of guide pullies r, r, mounted on the swivel
frame, B, and thus the chain is retained in a central position. To compensate
for the one-sided pull, which occurs when one or more ploughs have reached
the end of their course, a friction piecé or skid attached to the frame. is brought
in contact with the ground, and thus the frame is prevented from turning, or.
the like effect will be produced by locking one of the wheels. We do not
propose to give the foremost plough a greater lead, than, say a plough's length
in advance of the next, succeeding plough, and so on, through the series.
The guide pullies which we employ at distant parts of the field for receiving
and guiding the propelling rope or chain we provide with a spherical boss,
which fits a spherical projection on their axle. This construction of guide
pulley, is shewn in section at and side view, Figs. 4, wherein a is a metal strap
which carries the spherical axle b of the grooved pulley c; the spherical portion.
of this axle is embraced by a boss d, formed in two halves, and bolted to the
pulley c. A hook on the strap a permits of the pulley being held fast .by an
anchor, as usual in such cases; a slight oscillating movement is thus allowed
to, the pulley to permit of its self-adjustment to suit the direction of the strain.
To assist in the laying of the rope or chain upon the windlasses we propose to
use rotating guides. In cases where the, engine is made to travel over the field
with the ploughs in action, we propose to connect them to pullies as above-
described, but mounted on an axle at the tail of the locomotive engine; under
such circumstances the travelling frame A is of course dispensed with.
The construction of turn-wrest plough which we propose to employ is shewn
at Figures 4 and 5; Fig. 4* being a side view, and Fig, 5 a plan, of so much
of the plough as will serve to explain the first part of our improvements in
ploughs, which improvements form the second head of our Invention. The
plough is fitted with handles as usual, and to the plough frame are attached
two mould boards a, a, and two shares b, b, made right and left handed; these
mould boards and shares are connected together, and are so mounted as to be
able to swing round upon a common centre c, which forms part of the plough
beam, and they thus admit of the one mould board with its share rising out

page_text: of the working position, while the other is being brought down to the position
for working ready to turn a fresh 'furrow," when the return-motion of "the
plough commences. The tightening up and slackening of the neck-framed,
carrying the shares and mould 'boards, is effected by a screw'e' at the chinder
part of the plough frame, which works in a cross head f, attached to side rods,
extending rearwards from a split collar g, that embraces the plough beami h.
The screw when turned will by means of the rods g force and bind the neck
frame against a collar on the plough beam, the abutting edge of which is made
V-shaped, or otherwise formed, to ensure the locking of the abutting parts.
The adjustment of the draught of each plough is effected by the ploughman
through a rod which terminates near the "handles of the plough, and which
will when moved causes the traverse of the hake (through the medium of a
rack, or wheels, or screws); to which the draught chain is attached. In order
to reverse the position of the land and furrow 'wheels, 'the stems of the wheels
are formed with rack teeth, as shewn at Figures 6 and 7, and by means of
pinions i, gearing into the teeth, and driven by rods continued to the plough
handles, the wheels 1, 1, are raised and lowered as required, either singly or
simultaneously; singly if applied to ordinary ploughs, but simultaneously when
connected to turn-wrest ploughs; or, instead of this arrangement, the stems
of the two wheels may be threaded, and a spur wheel with a tapped boss fitted
on cach stem and gearing into each other. A pinion on a rod continued to
the plough handles, by gearing into one of these tapped wheels, or another
mounted on the beam, will permit of the simultaneous rise of one wheel and
depression of the other; -or-the stems may carry a screw, on which a tangent
wheel driven by a worm works, for effecting the like object. For the purpose
of adjusting the wheels latérally to increase or diminish the breadth of the
furrow, we fit the sliding arm m'(see Fig. 6) which carries the wheel stem
with a screw n that lies parallel therewith. This screw carries a nut o, which
is embraced by a forked piece p, the lower end of which drops into a slot in
the plough beam 9 made to receive it; by turning the nut o, a lateral motion
will be given to the screw, and consequently to the sliding arm, which carries
the wheel stem. These improvements in the construction of the plough, it
will be obvious, are applicable where animal propulsion as well as steam power
is employed.
Improvements in
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of
Machinery or Apparatus applicable to the Tilling of Land," and explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be understood that
under the above in part recited Letters Patent we claim,—
First, attaching ploughs or other implements of tillage by ropes or chains

page_text: to pullies mounted on a travelling or draught frame, or at the tail of a loco-
motive engine, and fitted so as to remain at rest while the frame or its equiva-
lent (with the ploughs attached and in operation) is traversing the field, but
capable of being rotated to bring the ploughs up abreast of each other, as
explained.
Secondly, mounting the guide pullies on a ball and socket joint in order to
permit of their receiving a slight oscillating motion, and accommodating them-
selves to the drag, of the ropes or chains leading to the engine.
Thirdly, the application to turn-wrest ploughs, having right and left handed
mould boards, of right, and left handed shares, and fitting the same together
with the mould boards on a swinging neck frame, which is capable of being
held fast as described.
Fourthly, the means described for regulating the hake or draught of ploughs,
whereby the ploughman is enabled to alter the hake while the plough is in
- motion.
Fifthly, the modes described for raising and lowering the wheels and enabling
the ploughman to regulate the depth of the furrow while the plough is in
motion.
And, lastly, the adaptation of the lateral screw as explained, for the purpose
of altering the width of the furrow.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Howard, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twentieth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
JAMES HOWARD. (L.S.)