IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Bernhard Samuelson, of Banbury, in the County of
Oxford, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING
MACHINES."
Sealed the 7th December. 1860, and dated the 8th October 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Bernhard Samuelson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th October 1860.
I, BERNHARD SAMUELSON, of Banbury, in the County of Oxford, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
HARVESTING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
My Invention has reference to those harvesting machines in which the crop
when cut by reciprocating knives; falls upon a platform or other supporting
surface or surfaces, such, for instance, as an apron, bands, screws, or cylinders.
It consists in mounting what I will call such platform machines (as dis-
tinguished from those having merely a beam) upon at least two bearing
wheels placed at right angles or diagonally to the path of the implement and
to one side of, and by preference rather more forward than the cutting
apparatus, such wheels need not, but I prefer that they should be of equal
diameters and both or only one may form part of the driving gear. By
this means I obtain an arrangement, which leaves little or no weight to be
borne by any wheel or wheels, which may be placed in any other position with

page_text: respect to the platform or its equivalent, and I thereby diminish the side
draught and facilitate the turning of such machines. Indeed when adopting
a light platform or its equivalent I can dispense with all except the two main
bearing wheels. I am aware that platform machines have been constructed
with a fore or steerage wheel near or under the pole, and consequently on the
same side as the main driving wheel, but a second wheel in that position does
not assist in forming a lateral base from which the platform may be supported,
and does not therefore come within the scope of my Invention.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Bernhard Samuelson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd April 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BERNHARD
SAMUELSON, 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 October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Bernhard Samuelson, Her special licence that I, the said Bernhard
Samuelson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Bernhard Samuelson, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Bernhard Samuelson, 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 In-
vention, 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 Bernhard Samuelson, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, 'and in. what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say:-
My Invention has reference to those harvesting machines in which the crop

page_text: when cut by reciprocating knives falls, upon a platform or other supporting
surface or surfaces, such for instance, as an apron, bands, screws, or cylinders.
It consists in mounting what I will call such platform machines (as distinguished
from those which have merely a beam) upon at least two bearing wheels
placed at right angles or diagonally to the path of the implement and to one
side of, and by preference rather more forward than the cutting apparatus. Such
wheels need not, but I prefer that they should be of equal diameter, and both
or one only may form part of the driving gear. By this means and by the
arrangements hereafter described I effect this important object, namely, that
little or no weight need be borne by any wheel or wheels, which may be
placed in any other position with respect to the platform or its equivalent, and
I thereby diminish the side draught and facilitate the turning of such machines.
Indeed, when adapting a light platform or its equivalent I can dispense with
all except the two main bearing wheels. I am aware that platform machines
have been constructed with a fore or steerage wheel near or under the pole,
and consequently on the same side as the main driving wheel, but a second
wheel in that position does not assist in forming a lateral base from which the
platform may be supported, and does not therefore come within the scope of
my Invention.
In carrying out my said Invention, I prefer to adopt either of the three
following modes of mounting platform reapers upon two bearing wheels.
Firstly, I attach the finger beam, or platform or their continuation rigidly
by bolts or any other known contrivance, at any desired elevation to the
hinder part of the framing, which contains the driving gear, or to a bracket.
depending from such framing so that the line of such finger beam whilst so.
fixed shall always be in the same direction relatively to a line connecting the
bearing points of the two bearing wheels.
:
.
Or, secondly, I attach such finger beam or platform, or the continuation of
either to a stay rod, the other end of which is pivotted to the back of the
framing in such manner that this stay rod shall be as nearly as possible
parallel with the connecting rod, which drives the cutters, and in this case,'
I provide a removable strut by interposing which between the finger beam-
and the platform on the one hand, and such stay rod on the other hand, the
platform can be prevented from declining downwards at the off end from the:
position to which it may be intended to confine it. In this way I am enabled
to throw the weight of the platform either wholly or partially upon the two
bearing.wheels...
..
:
Or, thirdly, I prolong the platform (the finger beam or its continuation may
serve as such prolongation) towards the near side of the back of the gearing.
}

page_text: frame, and I hinge or pivot such prolongation to such frame or to any pro-
jection from it, and I secure the finger beam or platform in a line relative to
a line made by the two bearing points of the two bearing wheels above-men-
tioned by means of removable bolts or other known fastenings at or near the off
side of the gearing frame or to any projection therefrom.
Figures 1, 2, and 3, in the accompanying Drawings represent respectively
the plan, back or hinder elevation, and end view of the first mode. The same
letters in all the Figures refer to the same parts.
; ' ,
A, A', are the two bearing wheels; B is the framing, which contains the
driving gear; b, in Figures 1 and 3, being the hinder part of such framing';
C is a bracket depending from the framing, and D is the finger beam ; d, in
Figures 1 and 2, being the continuation of the same; e, e', is the line of the
finger beam shown relatively to the line f,f', connecting the bearing points of
the two bearing wheels; E is the platform, and F, the off wheel.
Figure 4 represents the back or hinder elevation of the second mode of
effecting my object; D being the finger beam; G, the back stay; and H, the
removable strut; M is a chain or its equivalent, which may either be attached
to the strut (when rigidity is desired), or to the back stay, beam, or platform,
or to their continuations, and which may be lengthened or shortened at will by.
being wound round a pulley or drum, so as to encrease or diminish the
distance between the platform and the back part of the framing.
Figure 5 represents the back or binder view of the machine, showing the
third mode of connecting the platform, finger-beam, or the continuation of
either of them; I being the point at which it is hinged or pivotted; and K,
the off side of frame or projection from such frame to which the platform;
finger-beam, or continuation is made rigid by removable bolts or other known
fastenings; Figure 6 is an end view of the same. The second and third plans
enable me to fold up the platform when the machine is required to pass through
narrow spaces.
For details of a convenient mode of arranging driving gear for a harvester
with two bearing wheels, see that adopted in Newton's Patent, dated 20th.
July 1857.
. I do not confine myself to the preceding modes of carrying out my Invention,;
nor do I claim mounting platform harvesting machines upon two main bearing.
wheels, but what I do claim is,-
Firstly, connecting the platforms rigidly with the framing of such machines
having two bearing wheels at right angles or nearly so to the forward path of
the machine.
Secondly, the attachment of platforms directly or indirectly to such machines.

page_text: by means of a back stay or its equivalent, either with or without a movable
strut or its equivalent.
Thirdly, connecting such platforms to such framing directly or indirectly
by means of a hinge or pivot towards the near side, and by bolts or other
removable fastenings at or towards the off side of the framing, which contains
the bearing wheels.
In witness whereof, I, the said Bernhard Samuelson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Second day of April in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
JAMES SAMUELSON,
8, Jubilee St.
Everton,
Liverpool.
BERNHARD SAMUELSON. (LS.)