IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM MACHINERY FOR CULTIVATING LAND bes
Year: 1884

page_text: We, JAMES RALPH, of Donhead St. Mary, in the county of Wilts, Schoolmaster,
and JAMES STEPHEN TALBOT of Donhead St. Mary, Wilts, Engine Fitter do hereby
declare the nature of our invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM MACHINERY
FOR CULTIVATING LAND to be as follows:-
"
The machine consists of an iron frame mounted on wheels, carrying a small
steam engine in advance of two hinder driving wheels. Behind the driving wheels
will be suspended the cultivating tools, (scarifier, plough, &c.,) raised and lowered
by chains working over pulleys.
The machine will be propelled when not in working by a worm on the crank
shaft of the engine, driving a worm-wheel on the axle of the two hinder wheels;
when working it will be propelled either by the above means, or as follows:-
On the other end of the engine shaft there is also a worm working a worm-
wheel fixed to a drum turning on a vertical shaft. Somewhat in advance of the
drum is a horizontal guide pulley on each side of the frame. A stationary wire
rope is stretched across the field secured at each end by an anchor. Between these
anchors is the machine with the wire coiled half way round the drum, and over
one of the guide pulleys to escape the machine. The working of the engine will
thus pull the machine forward. At the end of the bout by reversing the action of
the engine, and suitably steering, the machine will be turned, and thus the rope
will be released from the first pulley, and the other end will pass over the second,
allowing the machine to advance in the opposite direction, the anchors being moved
as required. To prevent the rope slipping on the drum, a slightly tapering groove
will be turned out in its bed to receive the wire, so that the greater the strain the
greater the bite.
If the area under cultivation requires less than the whole of the wire it can be
shortened by the following means:-The front of the anchor consists of a cast-iron
cylinder perforated to receive the rope through it, and having also a tapering
key-bed. Through this cylinder the wire passes, and is fixed with a movable
tapering key, the strain thus tightening it. The spare rope is wound round a
pulley at the back of the anchor.
The steering is done by a hand-wheel near the engine turning a worm which
drives a worm-wheel fixed on the vertical shaft carrying the drum, the vertical
shaft being bolted to the front axle.
JAMES RALPH.
JAMES S. TALBOT.

page_text: We, JAMES RALPH and JAMES STEPHEN TALBOT of Horse Hill Lane, Shaftes-
bury do hereby declare the nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM
MACHINERY FOR CULTIVATING LAND" and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This invention refers to such steam machinery for cultivating in which the
machine or carriage having the cultivating tools, scarifiers, plough or other
implement applied thereto is by a steam engine on the carriage propelled up or
down along a stationary wire rope which by some suitable anchor appliance is
fixed at each end of the field to be cultivated, and in which by suitable clutch gear
the steam engine is also used to propel the carriage along a common road or
otherwise when not working.
And in order that our invention may be fully understood we will describe the
same with reference to the accompanying drawings of which Figure 1 is a part
sectional side view of the machine, Figure 2 a plan, Figure 3 an end view of the
front steering road wheels and section through the winding drum, and Figure 4
a vertical transverse section through the carriage framing near the hind road
wheels. Figure 5 is a side view and Figure 6 a plan of a detail.
A is the iron frame of the machine on which is mounted the steam boiler B with
cylinder C fixed thereon and with other usual parts of engine, arranged in advance
of the two hind driving wheels D. E is the crank shaft of the engine having a
worm or endless screw for transmitting the motion to the axle F of the driving
road wheels D whereby the machine may be propelled or transported along a road
when not at work in the field. If we use such worm wheel gearing it is of
importance that the worm and worm wheel be made true in a lathe so as to avoid
great loss by friction. Or as we have shown it here we transmit the motion from
the engine crank shaft to the axle F by means of bevil gearing. For this purpose
a bevil wheel E¹ is mounted on the crank shaft E so as to slide along a feather
thereon and capable of being thrown into gear with
bevil wheel G fixed on a
vertical spindle G resting in a lower step bearing G³ (which is clamped round the
hind axle F so that the latter can turn freely therein) and in an upper bearing G
which is clamped round the crank shaft E so that the latter can turn freely
therein. On the vertical spindle G is also fixed a bevil wheel G' which gears into
a bevil wheel F1 fixed on the hind axle F.
From the other end of the crank shaft E motion is transmitted to a winding
drum H¹ (which is mounted loosely on a vertical spindle H) by means of worm
and worm wheel or as here shown by bevil pinion E' mounted on the crank
shaft E so as to slide along a feather thereon and capable of being thrown into gear
with a bevil wheel H2 on the winding drum H. On this latter is coiled the
stationary wire rope the ends of which are fixed to an anchor at each end of the
field. To prevent the rope from slipping on the drum H¹ a slightly tapering
groove His turned into it to secure the wire rope so that the greater the strain
the greater the bite. The machine has the wire rope coiled about three quarters
round the drum H' and over one of the guide pulleys I or I' which are mounted

page_text: H
on spindles K and K¹ respectively. It will be observed that the spindle K is placed
slightly slanting for the purpose of allowing the wire rope to clear part of itself
when the machine at the end of a bout is turned round to advance in the opposite
direction. In order to give the pulleys I I' a positive motion and thus avoid slip
of the wire rope we may as shown form the winding drum with two grooves
and H above the groove H³ for the wire rope, and connect these parts by endless
chains or bands or ropes with the pulleys I I. Guide pulleys may be provided to
prevent the chains from chafing against each other. The vertical shaft H is
supported in an upper clamping block A¹ held between the two upwardly cranked
front ends of the frame A, while the lower end of the drum spindle H is in a
clamping block U held by two downwardly extending arms or stays A³ which are
bolted to the framing A. The spindles K K' are supported by arms or stays L L'
and M M which are bolted respectively to the lower clamping block U of the
drum spindle H and to the framing A. There is also a cross girder N bolted to
the block A' at the end of the frame A for giving additional support to the upper
ends of the spindles K K¹.
The steering is done by a hand wheel O the spindle of which carries a worm 0¹
which gears into a worm wheel P fixed on the upper end of the vertical spindle H.
This latter is connected to the axle Q of the front wheels Q¹ in the usual manner
for steering. The driver and the steersman stand on the platform R where they
are within reach of the steering wheel O and of the various usual engine reversing
lever and other handles and taps on engine and boiler, and also within reach of the
handles for clutching in and out the drum driving gear and the road travelling
gear. S is a lever for effecting this latter and is for this purpose connected to the
fork ended clutch rods T and T the fork ends of which operate between flanges on
the bevil pinions E¹ and E³. The pinion E¹ can gear with the bevil wheel G¹ for
the purpose of propelling the machine along the road when not at work. The
pinion E can gear with the bevil wheel H³ on the winding drum H for the
purpose of winding the machine up and down the field when at work cultivating.
V is an ordinary reversing lever for the engine. The cultivator tines W or other
cultivating implements may as here shown be fixed in a frame W₁ by means of
keys W. The frame W¹ is suspended from the main frame A by links W³ and is
by means of chains X connected to drums X¹ X' on a shaft X" on which is fixed a
spur wheel X'. This latter gears into a pinion Y on a spindle provided with hand
wheel Y and ratchet wheel Y' with pawl lever Y³ as shewn in Figures 1 and 2.
Or as shewn in Figures 5 and 6 the hand wheel Y¹ is dispensed with and we use
instead à pa wl lever Z which is mounted on the spindle of the pinion Y and has
a pawl tooth which takes into the pawl wheel Y
At the end of a bout the engine is reversed by the handle V and the machine
turned round by means of the steering wheel O. The wire rope will thus be
released from one guide pulley say I, and the other end will pass over the other
guide pulley say I', allowing the machine to advance in the opposite direction, the
anchor being moved as required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
First: A machine for steam cultivating having the cultivating implements
arranged at back of but on the machine itself and having one end of the engine or
driving shaft adapted to transmit the motion by worm wheel gear or bevil wheel
gear to a hind wheel axle for self propelling, and, the other end of the driving shaft
adapted to transmit motion by worm wheel gear or bevil wheel gear to a horizontal
winding drum for winding the machine along a wire rope attached at each end to
an anchor at opposite ends of the field clutch gear being provided for throwing
into gear either the self propelling gear or the winding gear, and the winding down
being mounted loosely on the locking or steering gear post which carries the front
wheel axle substantially as described.

page_text: I
Second: A machine for steam cultivating having the engine arranged in advance
of the hind wheels and with its shaft adapted to drive either the gear for
propelling the hind wheels or the drum for winding the machine along a stationary
wire rope fixed at each end, the cultivating implements being suspended in rear of
the machine substantially as described.
Third-The combination of the shafts and axles and the framing as shewn on
the drawings.
Fourth-The general arrangement and combination of parts above claimed as
shown on the drawing.
Dated this Ninotoonth Ja
100x
BREWER & JENSEN,
For the Applicants.