IMPROVE- MENTS IN PLOUGHS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PLOUGHS."-A communication from abroad by Eugène Theodore
Donin of Panic in the Emnica of France Glass Manufacturer.
Sealed the 23rd August 1864, and dated the 26th February 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th February 1864.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS," a communication to me from abroad by Eugènc
Theodore Denin, of Paris, in the Empire of France, Glass Manufacturer, to
be as follows:—
This Invention relates to reversible ploughs, that is to say, to that class of
ploughs which are provided with two sets of turnfurrows, shares, and coulters,
worked alternately, and consists of a peculiar construction, arrangement, and
combination of the various parts of such a plough, whereby the most uneven
and difficult ground can be readily cultivated.
According to this Invention the beam of the plough is supported near its
front end in a vertically adjustable socket or bearing carried by guides on a
fore axle provided with a pair of small running wheels. The height of this

page_text: socket regulates the depth of furrow, and it is adjusted to any desired eleva-
tion by a vertical screw spindle for that purpose, the top of which may be
provided with guiding rings for the reins to pass through. Two coulters, the
one directed upwards and the other downwards, are fitted into the beam in
any well-known manner, and behind these are fitted to suitable plough bodies
the corresponding shares, turnfurrows, and other well-known parts con-
stituting that portion of a plough. There are thus two perfect ploughs
secured to one reversible beam, the turnfurrows being so arranged as to turn
the furrow the one to the right and the other to the left, thus enabling the
land to be ploughed "to and again." The draught chain is attached to a
hook which runs loose along a semicircular hoop or bow secured laterally to
the beam a littlo in advance of the coulters, and the chain thence passes over
the fore axle, and has attached to its front end a long slotted link which runs
freely along a metal bow connected rigidly to the front end of the beam, and
projecting laterally from the side thereof, so that on the reversal or turning of
the beam before commencing the return or back furrow the two bows or semi-
circular hoops will occupy a convenient position for the draught chain. The
apparatus employed for turning or reversing the plough, that is to say, for
bringing the upper ploughshare, coulter, and turnfurrow into action, and
taking the lower set of instruments out of action, consists of a lever pivotted to
the beam of the plough, and extending some distance behind the rear part of
the plough body. To the side of this lever is hinged a small bent handle,
which may be grasped simultaneously with the handle of the lever, and this
small bent handle is connected by a rod with a spring catch secured to the
fore part of the beam. This catch takes into one or the other, as the case
may be, of two notched stop plates fitted or formed one on each extremity of
the vertical slide herein-before referred to, which regulates the height of the
beam. So long as the catch is in one of these notches the plough is locked
in a certain position, and in order to reverse or turn the beam and its ploughs
it is requisite first to release the catch by pressing against the small ben
handle, after which the main lever is depressed, the plough previously in action
lifted from the ground, and the beam is then reversed or turned by the
attendant with the aid of the lever by a lateral pressure, thus bringing the
upper plough into action. The catch on being released falls into the notch in
the opposite stop plate, and the implement is ready for making the return
furrow.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th August 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's In: Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh
year of er reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the
said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or
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
Juvention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS," a communication to me from abroad
by Eugène Theodore Denin, of Paris, in the Empire of France, Glass Manu-
facturer, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them, should particu-
larly 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 imine-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, 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 fol-
lowing statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to
the letters aud figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
The said Invention relates to reversible ploughs, that is to say, to that
class of ploughs which are provided with two sets of turnfurrows, shares, and
coulters, worked alternately, and consists of a peculiar construction, arrange-
ment, and combination of the various parts of such a plough, whereby the
the most uneven and difficult ground can be readily cultivated.
According to this Invention the beam of the plough is supported near its

page_text: front end in a vertically adjustable socket or bearing, carried by guides on a
fore axle provided with a pair of small running wheels. The height of this
socket regulates the depth of furrow, and it is adjusted to any desired elevation
by a vertical screw spindle for that purpose, the top of which may be provided
with guiding rings for the reins to pass through. Two coulters, the one
directed upwards and the other downwards, are fitted into the beam in any
well-known manner, and behind these are fitted to suitable plough bodies the
corresponding shares, turnfurrows, and other well-known parts constituting
that portion of a plough. There are thus two perfect ploughs secured to one
reversible beam, the turnfurrows being so arranged as to turn the farrow, the
one to the right and the other to the left, thus enabling the land to be ploughed
"to and again." The draught chain is attached to a hook which runs loose
along a semicircular hoop or bow secured laterally to the beam a little in
advance of the coulters, and the chain thence passes over the fore axle, and
has attached to its front end a long slotted link which runs freely along a
metal bow connected rigidly to the front end of the beam, and projecting
laterally from the side thereof, so that on the reversal or turning of the beam
before commencing the return or back furrow, the two bows or semicircular
hoops will occupy a convenient position for the draught chain. The appa-
ratus employed for turning or reversing the plough, that is to say, for bringing
the upper ploughshare, coulter, and turnfurrow into action, and taking the
lower set of instruments out of action, consists of a lever pivotted to the beam
of the plough, and extending some distance behind the rear part of the plough
body. To the side of this lever is hinged a small bent handle, which may be
grasped simultaneously with the handle of the lever, and this small bent
bandle is connected by a rod with a spring catch secured to the fore part of
the beam. This catch takes into one or the other, as the case may be, of two
notched stop plates, fitted or formed one on each extremity of the vertical
slide herein-before referred to, which regulates the height of the beam. So
long as the catch is in one of these notches the plough is locked in a certain
position, and in order to reverse or turn the beam and its ploughs it is requi-
site first to release the catch by pressing against the small bent handle, after
which the main lever is depressed, the plough previously in action lifted from
the ground, and the beam is then reversed or turned by the attendant with the
aid of the lever by a lateral pressure, thus bringing the upper plough into
action. The catch on being released falls into the notch in the opposite stop
plate, and the implement is ready for making the return furrow.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall

page_text: refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Fig. 1 of the Drawings represents a side elevation of the improved plough;
Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan of the same; and Fig. 3 is a transverse
vertical section of the plough taken along the line 1, 2, and looking towards
the front end thereof.
Upon the beam A of the plough, supported by the wheels R, are fixed the
two mould boards and bodies B and B', to which are secured the two shares
C, C. Two coulters D and D', are fixed in a socket E at the proper height
for the depth of furrow to be made. The beam which in the Drawing is
represented as composed of wrought iron, and of a rectangular section, is
rounded at the front end, in order to turn in a socket F which forms a
portion of the front gear of the plough. This socket should be capable of
being raised or lowered as required, for which purpose the upper part of the
socket is cast with a cross bar F', guided by the upright guide bars G,
which are fixed to the axle of the wheels R. The screw g revolves in a
collar in the upper part of the guides G, and works in a nut f, which is con-
nected to the cross bar F' by straps or otherwise, so that on turning the screw
one way or the other by means of the rod, g', the plough will be raised or
lowered. The top end of the screw is provided with rings x, through which
the reins are passed. The draught chain H is connected at one end to a
hook h on the ring I, which is securely fixed to the side of the beam, and so
arranged that the book may readily adjust itself in its fresh position when the
beam is reversed or turned round. The other end of the draught chain ter-
minates in a long slotted link J, which follows the contour of the bow or arc k
forming part of a socket K securely fixed on the front end of the beam; T is
the draught hook. The socket K is placed at the desired angle, so that when
the plough is reversed or turned over the long link J shall always occupy its
proper position on the bow or are k. The apparatus employed for turning
over or reversing the plough consists of a lever handle M working on a centre
at m on the beam A. To this lever is hinged a small bent handle N, to the
tail n of which is connected one end of a rod O, the opposite end of which is
jointed to a hinged stop P. A spring r tends to force this stop P into the
notch s of one or other of the two pieces S, S', carried by the rising and
falling cross bar F. When the plough has arrived at the headland it is
necessary in order to turn it to press against the small lever N, so as to with-
draw or release the binged stop P from the notch in which it is maintained
by the spring, and to lower the handle M into the position shown by the red
lines in Figure 1. On elevating the plough, and applying a slight lateral

page_text: pressure or turn thereto, the overhanging weight of the parts above the beam
readily admits of the reversal of the plough. The stop P is then engaged
in to the opposite notch, and the plough is ready for making the return
furrow, its position being indicated by the red lines in Figure 2.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the general construction and arrangement of reversible plough as
herein-before described and illustrated by the Drawings.
Second, the peculiar combination of draught chain and link J with the
parts marked I and k, as and for the purpose bercin-before described.
Third, the peculiar combination of mechanism for locking the plough in
position, and for turning over or reversing the same at the headlands, as
herein-before described.
Fourth, the peculiar combination of parts for supporting and adjusting the
height of the fore part of the plough beam, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of August, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-four.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.s.)