IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HAKKU
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Cooper, of St. Margaret's Green, Ipswich,
in the County of Suffolk, Agricultural Implement Maker, for the Inven-
tion of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HAKKU
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Cooper at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th September 1863.
I, JOHN COOPER, of St. Margaret's Green, Ipswich, in the County of
Suffolk, Agricultural Implement Maker, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HARROWS," to
be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of beam
harrows, and has for its object an increase of strength in the parts subject to
the greatest strain when the implement is in use.
In harrows constructed in the ordinary manner a number of holes are
punched or drilled through the beams which carry the teeth, and these teeth
or tines are shanked down at the top, so as to pass through the holes thus
formed in the beam, to which they are secured by nuts or rivets. By this con-
struction both the beam and the teeth are weakened. To obviate these objec-
tions I propose to construct harrows without drilling or piercing any holes in
the beams, and without reducing or shanking the tine or teeth heads, as
follows:-
First, I propose to construct the tines or teeth with mortice heads or eyes,

page_text: so that the beams pass through them full size, and I also propose to mortice
the ledge bars, so as to fit over the tine heads in such a manner that a portion
of the slot or mortice in the tooth or tine head projects sufficiently above to
receive a cotter or split key, which on being passed through is opened to
prevent it from shifting, and thus secures the tine or tooth beam and ledge
bar nearly as firmly together as if they were in one piece.
Secondly, I propose to form a mortice at the top of the tooth or tine, and to
secure it by a screw or nut.
Thirdly, I also propose to form a tooth or tine, with a groove or notch at
the top, and to secure it to the beam by a cross key or pin.
Fourthly, I make use of a double beam, through or between which the
head of the tine or tooth is passed and securely fastened thereto, and to the
cross or ledge bar by a cotter, key, or pin, as before described; or in lieu of a
double beam last described, I propose to use loose eyes, and bolt them to the
beams.
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said John Cooper in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th April 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
COOPER, of St. Margaret's Green, Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk,
Agricultural Implement Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said John Cooper, Her special licence that I, the said
John Cooper, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said John Cooper, 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF HARROWS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Cooper, 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

page_text: in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the sanie to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office on or before the Nineteenth day of
April, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Cooper, 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, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to that class of barrows which are commonly known
as beam and tooth harrows.. In harrows of this kind, when constructed in the
ordinary manner, the beams are weakened by a number of holes which are
made therein for embracing or holding and securing the teeth or tines, con-
sequently a beam of extra size and weight is required to give the necessary
strength. Again, in the ordinary mode of fitting or forming and fixing the
teeth or tines to these beams, the heads of the said teeth are shanked down
at the very part where the greatest strength is required, and consequently the
whole tooth (or the harrow) is thus materially weakened.
: The improvements which constitute this Invention consist, first, in making
the beams perfectly solid throughout, dispensing with the old fastening, or
drilling any holes therein; I thus attain increased strength without in-
creasing the size and weight of the iron.
Secondly, instead of shanking down the head I somewhat increase its size,
and form it with a mortice head to receive the solid har entire. I make this
mortice of the same width as the beam, but so much deeper as will allow a
split key to be driven into it above the cross bar, the cross bar being also
pierced to allow the mortice tooth head to pass through it. Now, supposing the
parts to be thus formed, they are fitted and fastened together in the following
manner, i.e., the beams having been bent or curved as required, the mortice-
headed teeth are threaded thereon and passed along to their proper positions ;
.the cross bars are then dropped over the teeth heads, and on the split keys
being then driven in above the whole, the parts are firmly fixed together, no
drilling, piercing, or nuts and screws being required. The tines thus formed
are not liable to break off at the shank and be lost, as is frequently the case
from the ordinary mode of construction, which weakens them at that point
where they have to sustain the greatest amount of strain when at work.
The beams at the same time are stiffened by the tine heads, which act as
strengthening collars, thus giving greater power with a beam of less size and
weight of iron.
Another modification of this principle of construction consists in forming

page_text: the mortice-headed teeth or tines with a screw on the top of the head, so that
the parts when fitted can be all secured by nuts.
In order to afford facility for removing and replacing a tooth singly I
make the head in the shape of a fork by cutting out the part (of the head)
immediately above the mortice, or rather by extending the mortice or groove
right through from the under side where, the beam rests to the top, the open
sides or fork heads in this case may be either pierced crossways, and a split
key be driven in, as before mentioned, or the ends may be reduced and
screwed, and the whole fastened with double nuts.
The forms of the parts, modes of construction, and various modifications
above enumerated, are intended to be illustrated upon the Drawings hereto
annexed, and to which the following explanation applies.
EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figs. 1 and 2 are intended to shew the first herein-before mentioned
improved construction. Fig. 1 is a side view, and Fig. 2, a sectional front
view, both shewing the same parts lettered with similar letters. a, the beam;
b, the tine or tooth; c, the mortice head; d, the cross bar; e, the split key or
wedge.
I may here observe that instead of making the mortice head solid it may
be split, and the part a may be fitted in and fastened with the pins, screws,
or dowels y, y, these parts being removable when it is required to take off
and replace a single tooth. When the head is simply split the pins y, y, may
in some cases, such as in very light harrows, be sufficient for keying up without
the solid part being fitted in therewith.
Figs. 3 and 4 represent in the same way the improved parts when formed
with the screw head and nut fastening. f is the beam; 9, the tine; h, the
mortice head and screw; i, the cross bar; k, the fastening nut.
Figs. 5 and 6 shew the same main parts of the improved harrow again,
and are intended to illustrate more particularly the cross or transverse key
fastening., is the beam; m, the tine; o, the groove; p, the cross bar;
9, the split key. It will be seen that in this case the two forks of the head
are pierced transversely to the direction of the beam, and I then in some
cases instead of using separate split keys for each tooth introduce one long
key passing through the whole.
Having thus stated the nature and object of my said Invention, and
explained and described the means of carrying out the improvements in
practice, and illustrated the forms and modes of construction which I propose

page_text: to employ, I hereby further declare that I do not absolutely restrict myself
to the precise arrangement shewn upon the Drawing, as other modifications
in the details may be made while the improved principle of construction
remains the same and is identical with that herein set forth, and which I
conceive to be thereby sufficiently illustrated for all practical purposes.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Cooper, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of March, A.D. 1864.
JOHN COOPER. (L.S.)