IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Donaldson Brown, of Mains of Turin,
in the County of Forfar, North Britain, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES."
Sealed the 10th November 1868, and dated the 12th May 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Donaldson
Brown at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 12th May 1868.
I, WILLIAM DONALDSON BROWN, of Mains of Turin, in the County
of Forfar, North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES," to be
as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention which relates to improvements in reaping and mowing
machines consists, in the first place, of an arrangement of mechanism
for regulating the speed of the fans and rake by which the corn is
supplied to and delivered from the reaper. This is effected by placing
on the axle of the drum on which the machine is supported two pitch
wheels hung loose, either of which may be thrown into gear by means

page_text: 2b
of a clutch sliding on a feather on the axle of the drum. Each of
the pitch wheels is connected by means of a pitch chain with a pitch
wheel on a second motion shaft, one of the wheels being smaller and
the other of larger diameter, so that according as the small or large
wheel is thrown into gear a greater or less speed is obtained. On the
end of the second motion shaft a bevil wheel is fitted gearing into a
bevil wheel fitted on the lower end of an inclined shaft, and to the
upper end of the inclined shaft a bracket having four arms is fixed;
to three of the arms there are fixed fans or boards for bringing forward
the corn to the cutters. To the fourth arm a rake is attached for
delivering the corn from the platform after it is cut. The fans and
rake are connected to the arms on the inclined shaft by metal rods
having long slot or eye formed at one end, so that by sliding the
eye along the bolts by which the rods are attached to the arms the
diameter of the planes of revolution of the fans and rake are increased
or diminished at pleasure. Instead of actuating the inclined shaft
by means of bevil wheels, as herein-before described, a universal joint
may be applied to connect the second motion shaft to the inclined
shaft. To facilitate the delivery of the cut corn from the platform
and relieve the rake of the strain thrown on it during delivery, the
platform is hinged behind the finger bar, and the back of the platform
is depressed each time the rake comes round the corn. This is effected
by means of a disc or cam placed on the inclined shaft, and revolving
in contact with a pulley hung on a lever, and connected by other levers
or cranks to the delivery platform; a recess or notch is formed in
the edge of the disc or cam into which the pulley rises during each
revolution, causing a depression of the other end of the lever, which
movement is communicated to the platform by the lever or cranks to
which it is connected. The cutting knives are actuated by means of
a toothed periphery attached to the drum on which the body of the
machine is supported. A pinion hung loose on an inclined shaft
supported on an adjustable frame gears into the toothed periphery on
the drum, and is thrown into gear by means of a clutch sliding on
the inclined shaft. The platform and finger bar is attached to the
front end of the adjustable frame, which is linked to a lever placed
along side of the frame, so that by raising the lever the height of
the cutting knives from the ground may be regulated and lifted
while the machine is being transported between different localities.
This lever also actuates a cranked lever which withdraws the clutch

page_text: and throws the cutting knives out of gear, so that the knives are both
lifted and thrown out of gear at the same time by raising the lever,
and when the lever is lowered so as to bring the knives into position
for cutting the clutch is pushed into gear by means of a coiled spring
on the shaft.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Donaldson Brown in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 11th November 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
DONALDSON BROWN, of Mains of Turin, in the County of Forfar, North
Britain, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-first
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Donaldson Brown, Her special license
that I, the said William Donaldson Brown, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Donaldson
Brown, my executors, administrators, or 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 AND MOWING MACHINES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Donaldson Brown, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Scal 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 Donaldson Brown, 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, reference being had to the accom-

page_text: panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon,
that is to say:-
My said Invention which relates to improvements in reaping and
mowing machines consists, in the first place, of an arrangement of
mechanism for regulating the speed of the fans and rake by which the
corn is supplied to and delivered from the reaper. This is effected by
placing on the axle of the drum on which the machine is supported
two pitch wheels hung loose, either of which may be thrown into gear
by means of a clutch sliding on a feather on the axle of the drum.
Each of the pitch wheels are connected by means of a pitch chain with
a pitch wheel on a second motion shaft, one of the wheels being smaller
and the other of larger diameter, so that according as the small or
large wheel is thrown into gear a greater or less speed is obtained. On
the end of the second motion shaft a bevel wheel is fitted gearing into
a bevel wheel fitted on the lower end of an inclined shaft, and to the
upper end of the inclined shaft a bracket having four arms is fixed; to
three of the arms there are fixed fans or boards for bringing forward
the corn to the cutters. To the fourth arm a rake is attached for
delivering the corn from the platform after it is cut. The fans and
rake are connected to the arms on the inclined shaft by metal rods
having a long slot or eye formed at one end, so that by sliding the
eye along the bolts by which the rods are attached to the arms the
diameter of the planes of revolution of the fans and rake are increased
or diminished at pleasure. Instead of actuating the inclined shaft by
means of bevel wheels, as herein-before described, a universal joint may
be applied to connect the second motion shaft to the inclined shaft.
To facilitate the delivery of the cut corn from the platform and relieve
the rake of the strain thrown on it during delivery, the platform is
hinged behind the finger bar, and the back of the platform is depressed
each time the rake comes round. This is effected by a disc or cam
placed on the inclined shaft, and revolving in contact with a pulley hung
on a lever, and connected by other levers or cranks to the delivery
platform; a recess or notch is formed in the edge of the disc or cam
into which the pulley rises during each revolution, causing a depression
of the other end of the lever, which movement is communicated to the
platform by the lever or cranks to which it is connected. The cutting
knives are actuated by means of a toothed periphery attached to the
drum, on which the body of the machine is supported. A pinion hung

page_text: loose on an inclined shaft supported on an adjustable frame gears into
the toothed periphery on the drum, and is thrown into gear by means
of a clutch sliding on the inclined shaft. The platform and finger bar
are attached to the front end of the adjustable frame, which is linked
to a lever placed alongside of the frame, so that by raising the lever
the height of the cutting knives from the ground may be regulated and
lifted while the machine is being transported between different localities.
This lever also actuates a cranked lever which withdraws the clutch, and
throws the cutting knives out of gear, so that the knives are both lifted
and thrown out of gear; at the same time by raising the lever, and
when the lever is lowered so as to bring the knives into position for
cutting the clutch is pushed into gear by means of a coiled spring.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood
I now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or
manner in or under which the same is or may be used or practically
carried into effect, reference being had, for the sake of more complete
elucidation, to the letters and figures upon the explanatory Sheet of
Drawings, which I have hereunto appended, that is to say:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2 a plan of an improved
reaping machine according to this Invention.
A is the framing of the machine, and B the drum or wheel on which
it travels, on the side of which a toothed periphery C is bolted which
gears into the pinion D and actuates the shaft E which operates the
cutting knives F by means of the connecting rod G actuated by the
crank disc H; on the axle I of the drum B two pitch wheels J, K, are
fitted loose, either of which may be thrown into gear by the clutch L
which is operated by the lever M; these are connected by means of
pitch chains N, N', with the pitch wheels O, P, fixed on a second
motion shaft Q, from which motion is communicated by the bevel
wheels S to the angle shaft R which carries the arms T, to which is
attached the fans or boards U for bringing forward the grain to the
cutters, and the rake V for delivering the grain from the sparred plat-
form W after it is cut; to facilitate this operation and relieve the
rake V of part of the strain thrown on it the platform W is hinged
5 behind the finger bar, as shown on Figure 3, and is depressed at the
back side each time the rake V comes round. This is effected by an

page_text: eccentric pulley or cam 7, Figures 2 and 3, fixed on the inclined shaft R,
and revolving in contact with a pulley b carried on a lever c which is
connected by a rod d to a crank e fixed on the axis of the hinged
platform W; a part of the periphery of the cam a is made concave, and
as the shaft R revolves the concave part of the cam a permits the
pulley 6 to rise once during each revolution, and the platform W is
thereby lowered as shown, while the rake passes over it, and as soon as
it has passed the convex surface of the cam a raises the platform into
the position shown dotted on Figure 3. The fans U and the rake V
are adjusted by means of the slotted rods f, by which they are attached
to the arms T. The speed of the fans and rake may be altered at
pleasure without stopping the machine, so that the sheaves may be as
nearly as possible the same size in all parts of the field; for instance
where the crop is heavy the pitch wheel J is thrown into gear by means
of the clutch L, so as to give a high speed to the shaft R; and where
the crop is light the attendant withdraws the clutch L from the pitch
wheel J, and throws the pitch wheel K into gear, by which means the
speed of the shaft R is reduced. The platform and finger bar are
attached to the framing A, Figure 1, which is attached to a lever g by
a link, so that the attendant may regulate the height of the cutting
knives from the ground by raising the lever and fixing it by a set pin
inserted in one of the holes in the hanging bar i, Figure 1. The cutting
knives are also thrown out of gear by the lever g operating a cranked
lever which withdraws the clutch and throws the pinion D out of
gear; and when the lever g is lowered for work it is thrown into gear
by a spiral spring which pushes forward the clutch k. The parts of
the machine which are subjected to much strain are intended to be
constructed of malleable cast iron, thereby insuring greater durability
and strength.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in or under which the same is or may be used or practically
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me
by the hercin-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The arrangement and construction of fans and sheaf delivery
as herein-before described and shown at T, Figures 1 and 2 on the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, or any mere modification thereof.

page_text: Second. The mode of varying the speed of fans and sheaf delivery
by means of regulation wheels actuated by pitch chains, as herein-before
described and shown on the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Donaldson Brown, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of November,
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.