IMPROVEMENTS IN HARROWS AND RAKES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Sharpe, of Hanwell Park, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARROWS AND
RAKES."
Sealed the 3rd October 1862, and dated the 8th April 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Sharpe at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th
April 1862.
I, BENJAMIN SHARPE, of Hanwell Park, in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARROWS
AND RAKES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object "Improvements in Harrows and Rakes."
In constructing a harrow suitable for harrowing grass lands, for distributing
manure thereon, and also for harrowing other land, a bar with wheels at its
ends is used in front of the implement; to this bar shafts or suitable means for
attaching a horse are applied; behind the bar three frames of teeth are applied,
they being connected to the bar by suitable links. These frames of teeth are
each made in two halves, hinged to each other and to a plate or frame, having
as many holes as there are teeth in the frame, so that by lifting either of the
two sections of which a harrow is formed, the teeth are moved up through the
holes of the plate or frame, which retains its position, by which means the
several teeth will be caused to deposit any accumulation they may have

page_text: gathered.
Behind these harrows there are three or other number of parallel
bars at a distance apart, connected to each other at the ends by chains, and
behind each bar is a chain, the ends of which are fastened to the ends of the
bars, the chains being somewhat longer than the bars, so that while the bars
retain their straight positions the chains assume curved lines as they are drawn
over the land.
In order that the teeth of horse rakes may from time to time be caused to
deposit the accumulation of materials raked up by them, a cam or projection
is applied on one of the wheels, which in its rotation acts on a lever, which
causes the teeth to be lifted and held off the land until they have deposited
their accumulation on to the land. In some cases a horse rake is made with
four sets of teeth, the arius of which are connected with the bar or axle of the
wheels, such arms radiating from such bar or axle, and the teeth of each set
may be so arranged as to be turned back on hinges or axes, so as for a time
to be out of action whilst other sets of the teeth are in action, or all the sets
of teeth may be in action at one time. In using a horse rake thus constructed,
the sets of teeth which for the time are not turned out of action come
into work in succession, and they are released and allowed to go out of
action by projections on the wheels or otherwise, so that when one set of teeth
have for a time accumulated hay or other matters on the land, that set of teeth
will be released and will go out of action, whilst the next set of teeth will come
into position below the bar or axis, and will be retained until by the rotation of
the wheel this set becomes free to go out of action in a similar manner to the
first-mentioned set.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Benjamin Sharpe in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th October 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
SHARPE, of Hanwell Park, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Leiters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Benjamin Sharpe, Her special licence, that I, the said Benjamin Sharpe, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Benjamin
Sharpe, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree

page_text: 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 HARROWS AND
5 RAKES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Benjamin
Sharpe, my executors or administrators, 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 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 Benjamin Sharpe, 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
thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in harrows and rakes. In
constructing a harrow suitable for harrowing grass lands, for distributing
manure thereon, and also for harrowing other land, a bar with wheels at its
ends is used in front of the implement; to this bar shafts or suitable means
for attaching a horse are applied; behind the bar three frames of teeth are
applied, they being connected to the bar by suitable links. These frames of
teeth are each made in two halves, binged to each other and to a plate or
frame, having as many holes as there are teeth in the frame, so that by lifting
either of the two sections of which a harrow is formed, the teeth are moved
up through the holes of the plate or frame, which retains its position, by
which means the several teeth will be caused to deposit any accumulation
they may have gathered. Behind these harrows there are three or other
number of parallel bars at a distance apart, connected to each other at the
ends by chains, and behind each bar is a chain, the ends of which are fastened
to the ends of the bars, the chains being somewhat longer than the bars, so
that whilst the bars retain their straight positions the chains assume curved
lines as they are drawn over the land.
.
In order that the teeth of horse rakes may from time to time be caused to
deposit the accumulation of materials raked up by them, a cam or projection
is applied on one of the wheels, which in its rotation acts on a lever, which
causes the teeth to be lifted and held off the land until they have deposited
their accumulation on to the land. In some cases a horse rake is made with
four sets of teeth, the arms of which are connected with the bar or axle of the
wheels, such arms radiating from such bar or axle, and the teeth of each set

page_text: may be so arranged as to be turned back on hinges or axes so as for a time to
be out of action whilst other sets of the teeth are in action, or all the sets of
In using
a horse rake thus con-
teeth may be in action at one time.
structed, the sets of teeth which for the time are not turned out of action come
into work in succession, and they are released and allowed to go out of action 5
by projections on the wheels or otherwise, so that when one set of teeth have for
a time accumulated hay or other matters on the land, that set of teeth will be
released and will go out of action, whilst the next set of teeth will come into
position below the bar or axis, and will be retained until by the rotation of the
wheel this set becomes free to go out of action in a similar manner to the first- 1
mentioned set.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a plan of a harrow suitable for harrowing grass land, and
for distributing manure thereon; Figure 2 shows a side elevation of one of
the frames of teeth used in constructing this harrow. a is the front bar, having
wheels b, b, at its ends; a horse is connected to this bar at the points c, c.
Behind the bar a are three frames of teeth d, d, d; each of the frames of
teeth d is composed of two parts, which are hinged at d¹, d', where they are
connected to an under open plate or frame e, which has as many holes through
it as there are teeth in the frame d, so that either half of a frame d may be
lifted and so as to have the teeth of such half cleared by their rising up through
the holes in the plate or frame e. In order to fasten the frame d to the frame
or plate e, when they are closed together, the lever turn-buckles f, f, are used,
which turn on upright pins fixed to the frame or plate e, so that when the
two lever turn-buckles of a frame or plate e are turned towards each other
and connected or linked together by a short chain, the frame d and its plate e
will be retained shut together; these frames d are connected by short links
to the bar a, as shown. 9 is another bar, connected to the bar a by chains at
the ends; h is a chain, the ends of which are attached to the ends of the bar
g. In the Drawing there are three such bars g and chains h behind the
bar a, the bars g being parallel with the bar a. The number of bars g and
chains h may be varied.
Figure 3 shows a side elevation, and Figure 4 a plan of a horse rake
constructed according to my Invention. In the arrangement shown in the
Drawings there are four sets or bars of rake teeth, but the number of bars
may be varied. a, a, are the wheels, the central parts of the spokes in

page_text: Figure 3 being omitted; b, the shafts; c. c, the framing to which they are
fastened; d is the bar or axle, which is fixed to one of the wheels a, whilst
the other wheel a turns freely on the other end of such shaft or axle; e, e,
are sets of teeth which are fixed to bars f*, which are carried by radial
arms f, f. The bars to which the teeth are fixed are arranged to turn back
on hinges so as to be out of the way when desired. In Figure 3 two sets of
teeth are shown to be in action, whilst two sets are turned back on their
hinges. g. 9, are levers, which act as stops to catch projections on the ends of
the central bar f¹, to which the radial arms f are fixed, and thus retain the
central bar (which moves freely on the bar or axis d) from rotating, and so
long as the levers g have hold of projections f¹, the rake which is for the time
raking up the crop will be drawn along the land until the cams h come under
and lift the levers g, which will free the central bar f¹ and allow it to turn on
the axis d, and thus will each rake e in succession come into position to rake
up the crop and go out of position and deposit what it has collected. The
ends of the levers g are guided by the pins g¹.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any
of the mechanical parts separately, but what I claim is,
First, the combination of parts herein described with reference to Figures 1
and 2.
And, secondly, I claim the combination of parts herein described with
reference to Figures 3 and 4.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Sharpe, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
T
בזנו ל-CTT
D. SHART
(t.c.)