IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON- STRUCTION OF REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Manwaring, of Banbury, in the County of
Oxford, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES."
Sealed the 23rd March 1866, and dated the 8th November 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Manwaring at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th November 1865.
I, WILLIAM MANWARING, of Banbury, in the County of Oxford, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
My improvements refer to the mode of clearing a track for the main
driving wheels of reaping and mowing machines through the crop previously
cut, and of laying the said crop in swathe, and it consists in the following
modifications of the ordinary track clearer, or of the concave divider, according
to my Patent, dated the Sixteenth of June, Eighteen hundred and sixty-three.
I make the track clearer wholly or partially of bars, one or more of which
trail or nearly trail on the ground, and the remaining or lateral bars, which
replace the ordinary track clearing board, incline backwards, upwards, and
away from the standing crop, and I prefer that the uppermost bar should
form the greatest angle with the standing crop, the trailing and lateral bars

page_text: forming with each other an acute angle or concave, as shewn respectively
(approximately) in the two following sketch views of the ends of the bars.
The bars are connected at the points furthest from their extremities, and
the whole is binged directly or indirectly to the cutter bar in any convenient
The effect of this arrangement is to throw aside and more or less
completely to turn over into swathe the cut crop, the friction of the stems or
stubble projecting upwards through the trailing bars, and the comparatively
small surface presented by the open as compared with the ordinary solid
lateral portion of the track clearer, prevent the crop being dragged forward. A
portion may be solid instead of the whole being sparred, but in this case the
crop will not be delivered with the same facility. I am aware that sparred
track clearers have been made before, but their construction differs essentially
from the one which I have described as my Invention.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Manwaring in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th May 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MANWARING, of Banbury, in the 'County of Oxford, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Manwaring, Her special licence that I, the said William
Manwaring, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Manwaring, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES," upon the condition

page_text: (amongst others) that I, the said William Manwaring, 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 William Manwaring, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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:-
My improvement consists in the mode of clearing a track for the main
driving wheels of reaping and mowing machines through the crop previously
cut, and of laying the said crop in swathe, and it consists in the following
modifications of the ordinary track clearer, or of the concave divider, ac-
cording to my Patent dated the Sixteenth of June 1863. I make the said
track clearer wholly or partially of bars, one or more of which trail or nearly
trail on the ground, and the remaining or lateral bars (which replace the
ordinary track clearing board commonly used in mowing machines) incline
backwards, upwards, and away from the standing crop, and I prefer that the
uppermost bar should form the greatest angle with the standing crop, the
trailing bars and lateral bars forming a more or less acute angle with each
other when viewed in section. The bars are connected together by an angle
plate at the cutter bar, which plate is hinged directly or indirectly to the
cutter bar in any convenient manner. The effect of this arrangement is to
turn aside and more or less completely to turn over into swathe the cut crop,
the friction of the stems or stubble projecting upwards through the trailing
bars, and the comparatively small surface presented by the open as compared
with the ordinary solid lateral portion of the track clearer, prevent the crop
being dragged forward. I am aware that sparred track clearers have been.
made before, but their construction differs essentially from the one I have
described as my Invention.
Referring to the Drawings which are annexed for the better understanding
of my improvement, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my improved
track clearer in position.
A is the cutter bar of the machine, which cutter bar is similar to that
commonly used in reaping machines; B is the corn divider for separating the
grain to be cut from the standing crop; C is the plate and hinge, by means
of which the track clearer is attached to the cutter bar; e, f, g, h, and i, are

page_text: the bars which form the track clearer; of these I prefer to make h and i,
herein-before called trailing bars to distinguish them from the lateral bars
e, f, and g, of steel, in order that they may better resist the tendency to bend,
which results from being drawn over the land at a considerable angle with the
line of draft.
Figure 2 is a plan of the track clearer in position, showing approximately
the angle which it makes with the cutter bar, this angle by preference being
not less than sixty degrees. In this Figure A represents the cutter bar;
B, the corn dividing shoe; C, the hinge; and e, f, g, the lateral and trailing
bars of the track clearer. Figure 3 is a section through the line x, x,
exhibiting approximately the positions of the lateral and trailing bars with
respect to each other. The trailing bars a, b, are made by preference of
steel, and they form a return or a more or less acute angle with the lateral
bars c, d, and e.
Having now described my Invention, and the manner in which the same is
performed, what I claim is, the use of a hinged track clearer, composed of
iron, steel, or other spars or bars, and constructed substantially as herein
described and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the
said William Manwaring, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Third day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
WILLIAM MANWARING. (L.B.)