Improvements in Seed and Manure Drills.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Apr., 1908
Complete Specification Left. 6th Oct.. 1896-Accented. 14th Nov. 1896
Complete Specification Left. 6th Oct.. 1896-Accented. 14th Nov.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Seed and Manure Drills.
I, WILLIAM BRENTON, of East Cornwall Iron Works, Polbathic, St. Germans,
in the County of Cornwall, Agricultural Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to seed and manure drills and comprises novel means for
adjusting the coulters relatively with the ground and for applying the required
pressure to the coulters so that they will work at the proper depth without
cumbrous weights and also means for putting the drill out of gear when required.
In carrying out my invention I mount in the frame of the drill a shaft carrying
a number of arms corresponding with the number of coulters; from the free end
of each of these arms depends a rod connected with the bar or lever carrying the
coulter in such a manner that, whilst the bar with the coulter is at all times free to
rise, it can only drop to a position corresponding to that of the depending rod, which
position is regulated by means of a lever, hereinafter referred to as the regulating
lever, on the shaft hereinbefore referred to. Around each of these depending rods
is a spiral spring which at one end presses against the arm to which the depending
bar is attached and at the other end upon the bar carrying the coulter and behind
the said coulter so that the spring always presses upon the top of the coulter bar
and this notwithstanding the height to which the coulter may be adjusted.
In some cases I provide for applying the pressure to the coulters from a bar
sliding in guides in the frame of the machine and supporting springs which bear-
upon the coulter levers, the pressure of the said springs being varied by means of
two levers bearing upon the ends of the said sliding bar.
The regulating lever by means of which the said shaft is operated is preferably
jointed so that it may be turned up or aside when the machine is out of gear.
The machine is put out of gear by means of a chain attached to a lever in
connection with the sewing spindles in the seed or manure box and to the shaft
carrying the lifting arms in such a manner that, when the said shaft is rotated, the
chain will be more or less wound around the said shaft and thus draw down the said
lever.
It will be understood that the said chain is provided with a certain amount of
slack to permit of adjusting the coulter without putting the seed or manure sowing
spindles out of gear.
11000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Seed and Manure Drills.
1, WILLIAM BRENTON, of East Cornwall Iron Works, Polbathic, St. Germans,
in the County of Cornwall, Agricultural Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to seed and manure drills and comprises novel means for

page_text: adjusting the coulters relatively with the ground and for applying the required
pressure to the coulters so that they will work at the proper depth without
cumbrous weights, and also means for putting the drill out of gear when required.
In carrying out my invention I mount in the frame of the drill a shaft carrying
a number of arms corresponding with the number of coulters; from the free end of
each of these arms depends a rod connected with the bar or lever carrying the
coulter in such a manner that, whilst the bar with the coulter is at all times free
to rise, it can only drop to a position corresponding to that of the depending rod,
which position is regulated by means of a lever, hereinafter referred to as the
regulating lever, on the shaft herein before referred to. Around each of these
depending rods is a spiral spring which at one end presses against the arm to which
the depending bar is attached and at the other end upon the bar carrying the
coulter and behind the said coulter so that the spring always presses upon the top
of the coulter bar and this notwithstanding the height to which the coulter may be
adjusted.
In some cases I provide for applying the pressure to the coulters froin a bar
sliding in guides in the frame of the machine and supporting springs which bear
upon the coulter levers, the pressure of the said springs being varied by means
of two levers bearing upon the ends of the said sliding bar.
The regulating lever by means of which the said shaft is operated is preferably
jointed so that it may be turned up or aside when the machine is out of gear.
The machine is put out of gear by means of a chain attached to a lever in
connection with the sowing spindle in the seed or manare box and to the shaft
carrying the lifting arms in such a manner that, when the said shaft is rotated, the
chain will be more or less wound around the said shaft and thus draw down the
said lever.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a drill having my improvements applied
thereto :
Figure 2 is a part plan of the same :
Figure 3 is a sectional side elevation illustrating a modifiention; and,
Figure 4 is a plan view of the arrangement shewn in Figure 3.
a is the frame of the drill which is mounted on travelling wheels band has
connected to it the draught shafts c. d, d are the coulters which are connected to
drag bars e, e pivoted at f, f to lugs or brackets g, g fixed to a draught bar h.
i is the seed box the sowing spindle of which is rotated from one of the driving
wheels through the medium of the gear wheels j, j and delivers seed or manure in
the usual manner through the funnels or pipes k. The said box is carried in the
frame a so that it is movable in its bearings to permit one end to be raised in order
to remove the gear wheel 1 out of engagement with the gear wheel ; and so stop
the rotation of the seed spindle.
in is the shaft carrying the arms n, n and o, o are the rods depending from the
said arms and at their lower ends passing through holes formed in the coulters as
shewn at p Figure 1, pins g, 9 being passed through the said rods heneath the
coulters so that when the said rods o, o are lifted the coulters will be correspondingly
moved. is the regulating lever fixed to one end of the shaft m and serving for
moving the arms n, n to correspondingly raise or lower the coulters, the said lever
being provided with a spring catch s adapted to engage with one or other of a series
of notches formed in a locking plate t and corresponding with different depths at
which the coulters are to work.
u, u are the springs surrounding the depending rods o, o and arranged between
the tops of the coulters and pins on the said rods o, the said springs exerting
enough pressure upon the coulters to retain them in their work under ordinary
conditions but allowing the coulters to lift independently of the rods in case they
meet with an obstruction.
vis a lever pivoted to the framing a and at one end connected to a lug w on the

page_text: shaft m by a chain w', whilst the other end projects underneath a trunnion carrying
one end of the seed box. When the regulating lever r is moved to lift the coulters
out of the ground the chain w' is pulled down and operates the lever v to lift the
seed box at the end adjacent to the wheel j sufficiently to disengage the said
wheel from the wheel j.
With the arrangement herein before described it will be obvious that by moving
the regulating lever r forward from the position shewn in Figure 1 the depth at
which the coulters work will be increased whilst when the lever is moved back so
that its catch euters the rearmost notch in the locking plate the coulters will be
raised out of work and the seed box at the same time lifted to disengage the
wheel from the wheel j.
It will be understood that the chain wl is provided with a certain amount of slack
to permit of adjusting the coulter without putting the seed or manure sowing
spindles out of gear.
In the arrangement hereinbefore described the shaft m carries as many lever
arms n as there are coulters. In some cases I modify this arrangement by attaching
the depending rods o, o to a bar the ends of which slide in guide slots y. y in
the frame a, as shewn in Figures 3 and 4, and I fix upon the shaft m only two
arms n, n designed to bear upon the top of the bar to prevent the same from
rising above the desired point in the slots y when the springs are compressed owing
to the coulters passing over some inequality. As in this modification the depending
rods o, o are not connected to the levers n, n I arrange chains z, z between a bar z¹
(carried between the two levers n, n) and the several coulters for raising and
lowering the same.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it understood
that I am aware of Knapp's Patent No. 21553 of 1892 and I make no claim to
anything therein described and claimed, but what I claim is :-
1. In a seed and manure drill wherein the depth at which the coulters work is
adjusted substantially in the manner described, the arrangement of the shaft
carrying the adjusting levers on the framing at the rear of the coulters, substantially
as described.
2. In a seed and manure drill having means substantially as described for adjusting
the height of the coulters, mechanism for throwing the seed spindle out of gear
when the coulters are lifted out of the ground, substantially as described.
3. The improvements in seed and manure drills herein before described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 5th day of October 1896.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant..