IMPROVEMENTS IN HAY RACKS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Andrew Bruce, of Leamington, in the County
of Warwick, and George Hallen Cottam, of St. Pancras Iron Works
Old St. Pancras Road, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HAY RACKS."
Sealed the 10th May 1861, and dated the 14th November 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Andrew Bruce
and George Hallen Cottam at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 14th November 1860.
We, JAMES ANDREW BRUCE, of Leamington, in the County of Warwick,
and GEORGE HALLEN COTTAM, of St. Pancras Iron Works, Old St. Pancras
Road, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HAY RACKS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in hay racks. For these
purposes hay racks are each made with a grating at top through which the
hay is drawn by the horse or other animal. This grating is moveable on axes
or hinges by preference at the back, but it may be at the front or end. The
fronts of a hay rack may consist of a curved or straight grating, or otherwise,
but it is preferred to be a curved grating. In order to raise the hay in the rack
constantly up to the top grating a moveable grating is used, or in some cases
two moveable.gratings, and whether one or two be used, each is mounted at or
near its upper end on axes or hinges near the upper part of the rack, and it
is preferred that such axes or hinges should be at the back or ends of the
rack; when using.only one grating to a hay rack the construction preferred
consists in a rack made with curved bars in front curved to the radius of the

page_text: moveable grating, and at the top a flat or curved grating is applied composed
of straight or curved bars, and the parts are so arranged that the moveable
grating within the rack is constantly acted on by a weight or weights on chains
passing over pulleys, or acted on by springs or otherwise in such manner
as to tend constantly to move the moveable grating on its axes or hinges,
so as to bring it into a horizontal position under the top grating. And
in order that the moveable grating may be retained at its lowest position when
the rack is filled with hay, and until the top rack is shut down, a catch or stop
is used, which retains the moveable grating down to its lowest position when
once pressed there, and the top grating is suitably put into communication or
connection with such stop or catch, so as to act on and remove it when the
top grating is being shut or fixed down, and in like manner may the ordinary
horizontal gratings now and heretofore employed be retained down at their
lowest positions till released by the shutting or fixing down the upper or top
gratings of hay racks. In constructing hay racks with two moveable gratings
it is preferred they should be at the two sides of. the rack, and each made
capable of movement on axes or hinges at its upper end near the top grating
of the rack, and such moveable gratings are arranged to intersect each other,
and so that when down at their lowest position they stand at an angle to each
other and to the top grating, and when at their highest position they may both
come to a horizontal position or nearly so under the top grating. The two
moveable gratings are constantly raised by means of weights on cords, or chains
over pulleys, or otherwise, and in order to allow such moveable gratings to
descend when the rack is about to be filled, it is preferred to arrange the
top grating in such manner that when it is opened it may be put in com-
munication or connection with such weights, and to cause them to be lifted
when the top grating is opened, and to keep them raised till the top
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Andrew Bruce and George Hallen Cottam in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th May 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
ANDREW BRUCE, of Leamington, in the County of Warwick, and GEORGE
HALLEN. COTTAM, of St. Pancras Iron Works, Old St. Pancras Road, in, the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign; did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said James Andrew Bruce and George Hållen Cottain, Her special licencè
that we, the said James Andrew Bruce and George Hallen Cottam, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we; the said James
Andrew Bruce and George Hallen Cottam, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, should át 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
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HAY RACKS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said James Andrew Bruce and George Hallen Cottam,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or
their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or theni,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the samo
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 George Hallen Cottam, on behalf
of myself and the said James Andrew Bruce, 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 hay racks. For these
purposes hay racks are each made with a grating at top, through which the
hay is drawn by the horse or other animal. This gráting is moveable on axes,
or hinges by preference, at the back, but it may be at the front or end. The
front of the hay rack may consist of a curved or straight grating, or otherwise,
but it is preferred to be à curved grating. In order to raise the hay in the
rack constantly up to the top grating a moveable grating is used, or in some
cases two moveable gratings, and the grating (or each of them, if two are
employed) is mounted at or near it's upper end on axes or hinges near the
upper part of the rack, and it is preferred that such axes or hinges should be
at the back or ends of the rack. When using only one grating to a hay rack
the construction preferred consists in a rack made with curved bars in front
curved to the radius of the moveable grating, and at the top a flat or curved
grating is applied composed of straight or curved bars, and the parts ȧré' sö
arranged that the moveable grating within the rack is constantly acted on
by a weight or weights on chains passing over-pullies, or acted on by springs

page_text: or otherwise in such manner as to tend constantly to move the moveable
grating on its axes or hinges, so as to bring it into a horizontal position under
the top grating. And in order that the moveable grating may be retained at
its lowest position when the rack is filled with hay, and until the top rack is
shut down. a catch or stop is used which retains the moveable grating down to
its lowest position, when once pressed there, and the top grating is suitably put
into communication or connection with such stop or catch, so as to act on
and remove it when the top grating is being shut or fixed down, and in
like manner may the ordinary horizontal gratings now and heretofore em-
ployed be retained down at their lowest positions till released by the shut-
ting or fixing down the upper or top gratings of hay racks. In constructing
hay racks with two moveable gratings it is preferred they should be at the two
sides of the rack, and each made capable of movement on axes or hinges at its
upper end near the top grating of the rack, and such moveable gratings are
arranged to intersect each other, so that when down at their lowest position
they stand at an angle to each other and to the top grating, and when at their
highest position they may both come to a horizontal position, or nearly so,
under the top grating. The two moveable gratings are constantly raised by
means of weights, or cords, or chains over pullies, or otherwise, and in order to
allow such moveable gratings to descend when the rack is about to be filled;
it is preferred to arrange the top grating in such manner that when it is opened
it may be put in communication or connection with such weights, and cause
them to be lifted when the top grating is opened, and keep them raised till the
top grating is again closed or fastened down.
And in order that our said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed,
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan; Figure 2, a front view, partly in section; and Figure 3,
a transverse section of a hay rack, constructed, according to our Invention,
with a single moving grating, as first herein-before mentioned.
a; a, is the casing of the rack; 6 is the rack plate, to which the front curved

page_text: hay; it is pivotted at its upper end at g', g', to the sides d, d, of the rack; his
a weight, which tends constantly to draw the moving grating into a borizontal
position, and to press the bay against the top grating f; a spring or springs
may be substituted for this weight, if preferred. When it is required to supply
the rack with hay the top grating f is unbolted and raised, and the moving
grating g is pushed down and secured by the bolt h, the end of which enters a
hole in the bottom bar of the moving grating; the bay is then put into the
rack, and the top grating fclosed down and bolted; this grating as it descends
by means of a curved arm f² acting on the head of the bolt h raises it, and
sets the moving grating 9 free to press the bay upwards, as required.
A method similar to that above described of locking the moving grating
whilst feeding the rack may be employed in racks having moving gratings
rising and falling horizontally, such as heretofore have been constructed, and
as is described in the Specification of a former Patent granted to one of us,
and dated 27th April 1853, No. 1020.
Figure 4 is a front view; Figure 5, a plan; and Figure 6, a transverso
section of another arrangement in which two moving gratings are employed.
a is the casing of the rack; b is the rack plate; c, c, is the fixed front
grating; d, d, the moving gratings, turning on pivots at their upper ends, as is
shewn; e, e, are weights, which are attached by cords to the lower ends of the
moving gratings d, so as to tend to draw them into a horizontal position under
the top grating f, which, as the Drawing shows, is pivotted at f¹, f, to the
rack or manger; plate springs may be substituted for the weights c, e, if pre-
ferred. The front rail of the top grating ƒ has cords g, g, connected with it,
each passing over two small pulleys h, h, and down through a hole in one of
the weights e; i, i, are small weights attached to the further end of the
cords g. To feed this rack with hay the top grating f is raised, and with it
the weights i, i; as these ascend they come against the larger weights e, e,
and lift them also, so as to cause the moving gratings d, d, to fall and make
room for the hay; when the hay is introduced the top grating is closed down
again, and the moving gratings rise so as to press the hay upwards.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Hallen Cottam, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
GEORGE HALLEN COTTAM. (L.S.)