IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
HUCKVALE, of Over Norton, in the County of Oxford, Farmer, send"
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-fifth day of February, in the third year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Thomas Huckvale, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and autho-
rity, that I, the said Thomas Huckvale, my exors, admors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Thomas Huckvale, my exors, adññors, 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 PLOUGHS;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Thomas Huckvale,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately 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
Thomas Huckvale, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-

page_text: tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say)-
The first part of my Invention relates to a mode of constructing ploughs
with double shares, so formed that each portion of the share at one time acts
as an ordinary share. and at other times as a coulter; such double share
moving with a mould-board on an axis, whereby. in using such ploughs the
earth of the furrow will be moulded or thrown in the same direction in pro-
ceeding up and down the field. And in order to give the best information
in my power, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto annexed, first
observing that the same letters are used in all the Figures to indicate similar
parts.
_ DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a left-hand side elevation of a plough, having my improvements
applied thereto. Figure 2 is a plan thereof. Figure 3 is a back view of the
plough. Figure 4 is a back view of a mould-board shewn separately. And
Figure 5 is a back view of the double share shown separately.
The construction of the framing of ploughs being well understood, and the
modes of connecting horses or oxen thereto being various and also well under-
stood, it will not be necessary to enter into any description thereof in this my
Specification, but confine my explanation to the improvements which constitute
the Invention. a is the double share, one portion or half thereof standing at
right angles to the other half; hence, when one half is horizontal and acting
as an ordinary share, the other half of the share will be vertical and be acting
as a coulter. 6 is an axis, securely affixed in the angle of the hollow
mould-board c, c, as is shewn in the Drawing, and the axle b; b, moves
in bearings e, e, carried by the beam or body of the plough. f is a crank
handle, by which the share and mould-board are turned from the position in
which it is now working into the position shewn by the dotted lines in the
various Figures of the Drawing. The front end of the axis 6 enters into a
recess formed or cast in the back of the share, and the crank handle is affixed
to the back axis b, the crank handle being supported when moved from left
to right or from right to left by the chain g. h is a whipple-tree so con-
structed as to enable me to encrease or decrease the width of the furrow, and
which also enables me, when two horses are used of different strength, to
equalize their power of draught. I would remark, that I consider this appli-
cable to all ploughs where two horses are used. In using a plough having this
first part of my Invention applied thereto, supposing that it is desired to turn

page_text: the earth or mould towards the left hand, the Drawing shows the parts cor-
rectly placed for that purpose; and when the plough. has arrived to the end
of the land and is turned round, and. the share and mould-board. turned in
such manner that the portion of the share which has been working horizontally
is made to assume a vertical position next.to act as a coulter, and the part of
the share which before was vertical and acted as a coulter is placed horizontal
next to act as a share during the return cut of the plough, which will be so
worked that the earth will be turned over or moulded in the same direction
as the previous earth was turned over, notwithstanding the plough will..be
moving in an opposite direction.
Having thus described the nature of this part of my Invention,. I would
have it understood that what I claim is, the mode herein described .of.con-
structing ploughs, by having double shares and mould-boards.on axes.as herein
described.
Another part of my Invention relates to the construction of a share, which
performs at once the operation of share and coulter, and enables me to dis-
pense with the use of the ordinary coulter.
Figures 6 and 7 represent this part of my Invention. is the part of the
share i, which performs the operation of a coulter. And I would remark,
that I do not claim the use of this construction of share when used in con-
junction with an ordinary coulter for draining purposes.
'
Another of my improvements relates to a mode of applying the shoe or foot
to ploughs, by which the heel and mould-board may be raised or lowered to
give the necessary pitch or dip to the plough. This part of Invention is
my
shown at Figure 7 and 8. j, j, are the shoes or feet applied to the heel of
the plough and mould-board, and turning on axes j¹ at one end, and raised
or lowered by a screw or other means applied to the other end.
Another part of my improvements in ploughs relates to a mode of levelling
land. Figures 9 and 10 show a plan and side view of a plough constructed
according to this part of my Invention. A is the axle, carried by the
wheels B, B. C is a share or blade attached by means of the hook and
eyes C', C', to the axle A, by which the mould is collected and afterwards
deposited in the furrows. D, D, are handles applied to the share or blade C,
which are held by the ploughman, and by which he is enabled to regulate the
quantity of mould removed. E, E, are the shafts for the horse.
Another of my improvements relates to a paring plough, and that is
so constructed that the three first slices are cut by the shares F, F, F,
Figures 11 and 12 in the Drawing, and turned over on the three slices which

page_text: the shares G, G, G, will cut. The work when completed will be left in ridges,
with the sword sides of the slices facing each other.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Huckvale, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty.