Improvements in Self-moving Steam Engines for Agricultural and. other Purposes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd June, 1896-Accepted, 25th July, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
.
:
Improvements in Self-moving Steam Engines for Agricultural and.
other Purposes.
I, THOMAS COOPER of The Elms, Kings Lynn, in the County of Norfolk,
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 :-
This invention has reference to self-moving steam engines required to work on
inclines, such as steam diggers, traction engines, or road rollers, the object being to
provide means for raising the fore carriage, so as to maintain the boiler, and tho
water therein, in a horizontal plane, or nearly so, when descending a hill, at the
same time permitting the steering wheels to be turned or locked through a greater
angle than is practicable with chains attached to the axle in the usual manner.
In carrying out my invention, I mount the front of the boiler on a lifting device
or ram supported upon the axle of the steering wheels of the engine, and actuated
preferably by water under boiler pressure.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Fig. 1 is a sectional front elevation, shewing my invention, and
Fig. 2 is a side view.
A is the boiler, and B is the axle of the steering wheels. Midway upon the
axle B is mounted the plate c of a casting secured to the axle by the transverse
pivot b, which passes through through the lugs b' on the casting and the axle B.
cand e c² are two pairs of lugs carried by the plate c, which straddle the axle B, for
the purposes of steering, as hereafter explained. The casting, of which the plate c
forms the base, comprises the piston Cof the ram. This piston C stands upright
upon the middle of the plate c, and its head fits into the cylinder D, which depends
open-ended from beneath the boiler A. Water from the boiler is admitted above
the piston-head into the cylinder thro' the pipe a, provided with the three-way
cock a', which, besides admitting water at boiler pressure, also permits its escape
from the cylinder D by the pipe a to the feed-water tank, or cuts off both the
supply and exhaust, and fixes the piston and cylinder at any point, by holding the
water in the latter.
The casing of the cylinder D contains an oil reservoir E, which communicates,
through the screw valve e, with the interior of the cylinder just above the stuffing
box d, through which the piston works. The cylinder casing carries also a pair of
brackets for the shaft of the steering pinion F, which pinion is, as shewn, of
considerable length, so as to remain in gear with the teeth of the steering wheel g,
as the pinion moves up and down with the cylinder D, when the ram is in operation.
The steering wheel 9 forms part of an annular casting G bolted onto the base
plate c before mentioned.
The position of the ram shewn in the drawings gives to the boiler the lowest
position it is able to take. The cock a', as drawn in Fig. 1, is turned to admit water
to the cylinder D, so as to raise the boiler, drawing with it the cylinder. The
valve e being suitably adjusted, oil with which the piston is surrounded escapes from
beneath the piston head, gradually from the cylinder into the reservoir, thereby
controlling and steadying the action of the ram. The same effect may be secured
by providing for the admission of boiler pressure above and also below the piston, as
required. The weight of the boiler is, however, generally sufficient to return it to
its lowest position, when the pressure above the piston is removed, and therefore it

page_text: is only necessary to control the lifting action of the.ram in one direction, which may
be readily done by the dash-pot arrangement I have shown.
The steering of the engine is effected when the boiler is at any elevation, by the
long pinion F and the annular casting G. The latter being rotated in the desired
direction, communicates its motion to the plate c, which; by the lugs c c and c² 2,
turns the axle B, and the steering wheels therewith.
It will thus be seen that the boiler of the engine may, by means of pressure in the
boiler, be set so as to neutralize the incline up or down which the engine may be
working, thereby maintaining the water level, or practically so.
It is obvious that the positions of the cylinder and piston may be reversed, although
the shown arrangement is the most convenient for general use.
Having now, particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be perforined, I declare that what I
claim is :-
In steam cultivators and other self-moving engines required to work on inclines,
the employment of a lifting and steering device arranged beneath the fore carriage,
and actuated in the. manner described with reference to the drawings, & for the
purpose, set forth.
Dated this 00-1 1 CT 100c