IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HORSE RAKES
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edward Howell and Thomas Hardy
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the
17th December 1866..
We, EDWARD HOWELL and THOMAS HARDY, both of Poole, in the County of
Dorset, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HORSE RAKES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in certain improved combinations of mechanism in
the construction of horse rakes whereby much of the manual labour hitherto
required for raising the teeth of the rake for the purpose of relieving them of
the matters which they have accumulated is avoided and dispensed with, whilst
the teeth are enabled to rise and fall so as to adapt themselves to any inequalities
of the ground over which they are working.
The arrangement for raising the teeth of the rake by manual power in
accordance with this Invention is as follows:-A lifting bar is, placed trans-
versely beneath the teeth, and is raised by the action of a spiral spring which
is extended or compressed by means of a hand lever, which latter acts upon
jointed levers connected with the spring and with the transverse
a series
lifting bar.
The nature of these arrangements will be clearly understood by reference to
the accompanying Drawing.
A is a hand lever by which the bar B is actuated; the latter is connected
with the stop piece C; D is a toothed rack attached to the bar carrying
the spring; E is a flat bar connecting the rack with the lifting bar F. In
the Drawing the rake tooth G is represented as being down in working

page_text: position, the spring being compressed within the cup H. Upon the hand
lever A being raised the stop piece C which has hitherto pressed against the
rack and kept it in position is removed whilst the tension of the spring acts
upon the rack, and the flat bar E thus raising the lifting bar, and by means
of the joint d bringing the rack towards the pinion I which is driven by the
carriage wheel. The pinion gears into the rake and assists in releasing the
spring. A small catch is shewn at e, which is employed for holding the flat
bar E to the rack. The teeth having been thus raised and relieved of their
load, the several parts are restored to their original position by depressing the
hand lever, whereby the stop piece C is drawn down and the rack and flat
bar E straightened, the transverse lifting, bar being thereby lowered and the
spring compressed, the rack being at the same time removed from the pinion.
The length of the levers by which the lifting bar is raised is so proportioned
that when the teeth are in position for work the lifting bar, shall be at such
a distance therefrom as to allow the teeth to have so much play.as will enable
,them to accommodate themselves to any inequalities of the ground.
Another portion of this Invention consists in certain arrangements by means
of which the teeth are lifted at any given intervals of time for the purpose of
discharging the accumulated load without any attention from the person in
charge of the rake; this is effected by means of a disc fixed on the spindle .J,
on the face of which disc is a spiral groove running from the centre to the
circumference thereof, or instead of the disc a circular boss is fixed to the
spindle J, on the face or circumference of which is a spiral groove running
horizontally from end to end. In the said groove, whether in the disc or in
the circular boss, is fitted a moveable stop. The spiral groove acts on the end
of a lever, which lever is connected with the stop piece C, thus releasing the
spring and thereby raising the lifting bar and teeth. The arrangements last
described are not shewn in the Drawing, but will be readily understood by
reference thereto. The distance over which the rake shall travel before being
relieved of its load will be regulated by the moveable stop in the disc or circular
boss before mentioned. The spindle J is driven by the motion of the carriage
wheel, of which K is the centre, such motion being communicated by gearing
or endless bands.