IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING MACHINES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
. man, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING MACHINES."-A
communication from abroad by Jacob William Schuckers, of the City of
New York, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th November 1866.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING MACHINES," to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the sickle-driving mechanism of
reaping machines, whereby several important results are obtained, to wit, the
finger bar and sickle are placed in a balanced state so that they may be raised
with facility whenever required, and allowed to conform readily to the inequalities
of surface over which they may pass; the sickle-driving mechanism also
favors the draught of the machine, and possessing the advantage of throwing
the sickle bar out of action automatically whenever the machine is backed.
The carrying wheels are placed loosely on their axle, and fitted to one wheel

page_text: within the framing is a concentric toothed rim; over the axle is bent a bar
or extended saddle which is secured firmly thereto, so that the two may rock
together. The rear part of the bar or saddle extends back of the axle in an
inclined position, and to its extremity the finger bar is secured at right angles to
the saddle bar. The front part of the saddle forms a forked-radius bar, and serves
to carry a cam which is composed of a drum, the periphery of which is fitted
with a double set or series of oblique wings or flanges, one set or series having
a reversed position to the other. A space is left between the two sets sufficiently
wide to admit of a friction roller passing between them. On the cam shaft a
pinion is keyed which gears into the toothed rim of the inner carrying wheel,
and communicates motion from that wheel to the cam as the machine is drawn
along. The friction roller is mounted at one extremity of a rock lever, which
lever has for its fulcrum a pin projecting down from the saddle bar; the rear
end of this rock lever is connected by a link to the sickle bar. The rotation
of the cam imparts a reciprocating motion to the sickle bar, and the friction
roller of the rock lever will always remain in gear with the cam or will not
become casually disconnected therefrom while the machine is in work or is
being drawn along, but in backing the machine the roller will at once be
thrown out of gear with the cam either to the right or the left of the same,
according to which wing or flange of the two sets or series acts at the moment
against the roller; this is an important feature as it effectually prevents the
contingency of the sickle bar working during a retrograde movement of the
machine.
Another advantage of the Invention consists in the balancing of the finger
bar and sickle, which is done by the cam, the weight of which at the front
end of the saddle bar nearly coincides with the weight of the finger bar and
sickle at the rear end of the saddle bar; hence the finger bar and sickle bar
may be readily raised whenever required by means of a hand lever attached
to the saddle bar, and the finger bar will readily conform to the inequalities
of surface over which it may pass.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th May 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting..

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special licence that I, the said Alfred Vincent
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and 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 Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
REAPING MACHINES," being a communication to me from abroad, upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 Alfred Vincent-Newton, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to improvements in the sickle-driving mechanism of
reaping machines, whereby several important results are obtained, to wit, the
finger bar and sickle are placed in a balanced state so that they may be raised
with facility whenever required and allowed to conform readily to the inequalities
of surface over which they may pass; the sickle-driving mechanism also
favors the draught of the machine, and possesses the advantage of throwing the
sickle bar out of action automatically whenever the machine is backed, so that
there cannot be any motion of the sickle during a retrograde movement of the
former.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of a
reaping machine illustrating the present improvements, the section being.
taken in the line x, x, of Fig. 2, which is a plan or top view of the machine.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two Figures.
A represents the main frame of the reaping machine arranged as a..
mower; this frame consists of cross bars a, a, connected to thills b, b;. B repre-
sents the axle of the machine on which the wheels C,. C, are placed loosely,..

page_text: one wheel C being between the thills 6, b, and having a toothed rim. C*
attached concentrically to it as shewn clearly in Fig. 1, which rim constitutes
the wheel; C, the driving wheel; D represents an arm which is bent over the
axle B, and fits it like a yoke; this bent arm is secured to the axle by a pin
or bolt c, the rear part d of the arm D extends back of the axle in an inclined
position, and to its extremity the finger bar E is secured at right angles to
the arm.
The front part d¹ of the arm D extends forward of the axles in an
inclined position, and is forked to receive a cam F; this cam is composed of
a drum e having wings or flanges on its periphery for the purpose to be
presently explained. The shaft of the cam F has its bearings in the forked.
termination of the part d¹ of the arm. The finger bar may be braced or
stayed from the axle B by a bar G, the rear end of which is attached to the
axle B. On the shaft f. of the cam F a pinion H* is keyed, which gears into
the toothed rim C* of the wheel C, and communicates motion to the cam as
the machine is drawn along. The periphery of the cam wheel e it. will be
seen is fitted with a double set or series of oblique wings or flanges 9, 9¹, one
set or series 9 having a reversed position to the other set or series g¹, as shown
clearly in Fig. 2. The wings or flanges 9, 9¹, are not in contact, the rear
end of one set or series not extending to the front ends of the other set or
series, but a space h is left between them sufficiently wide to admit of a
friction roller i of a rock lever H to pass through, and after being acted upon
by one wing or flange to be acted upon by the succeeding one. The rock
lever H is secured by a rivet bolt ; to the rear part d of the arm D; the rear
end of this rock lever is connected by a link I to the sickle bar J. The front
end of the rock lever is bent down, or has a pendent pin attached on which
the roller is fitted. The rotation of the cam imparts a reciprocating motion
to the sickle bar; and the friction roller of the rock lever will always remain
in gear with the cam, or will not become casually disconnected therefrom
while the machine is in work or is being drawn along, but in backing the.
machine the roller i will at once be thrown out of gear with the cam
either to the right or the left of the same according to which wing or flange
of the two sets or series acts at the moment against the roller i. This is an
important feature, as it effectually prevents the contingency of the sickle bar
working during a retrograde movement of the machine.
Another advantage of the Invention consists in the balancing of the finger
bar and sickle bar, which is done by the cam F, the weight of which at the
front end of the arm D nearly coincides with the weight of the finger bar and
sickle at the rear end of the said arm; hence the finger bar and sickle bar
may be readily raised whenever required by means of a lever K. attached to

page_text: the arm D, and the finger bar will readily conform to the inequalities of
surface over which it may pass.
Another advantage of the Invention consists in the tendency of the cam F
to favor the draught of the device, or lighten or ease the same, a result due
to the position of the cam in front of the axle and at the front part of the
toothed rim, the gravity of the cam having an inclination to favor the rotation
of the wheel C. By the above-described arrangement the cutting apparatus
operates equally well with the bar at any height, and when the bar has been
raised to pass over an obstruction the sickle moves with even increased velocity
in its descent, so that on again striking the grass the cutting apparatus is in
full operation and no choking can occur, as is so frequently the case with
machines which must be thrown out of gear when the bar is raised and again
thrown in gear when the parts are returned to their working position.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements in
Reaping Machines," and explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent I claim,—
First, the cam arrangement for imparting a reciprocating motion to the
sickle bar, and arresting that motion automatically when the machine is backed,
substantially as described.
Second, I claim the yoke or bent arm D employed to so connect the finger
bar E and cam F that the latter will partially counterbalance the former.
Third, I claim the combination and relative arrangement of the raising
lever K, yoke D, cam F, and finger bar E to facilitate the elevation of. the
cutting apparatus, and adapted to be raised to any height without throwing
it out of gear.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Seventh day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)