MACHINES FOR TRENCHING LAND FOR DRAINING PURPOSES
Year: 1884

page_text: I ALFRED ACHURCH of Great Stukeley in the County of Huntingdonshire
Farmer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
"to be as follows:-
MACHINES FOR TRENCHING LAND FOR DRAINING PURPOSES
To dispense with manual labour to a very great extent in trenching land for
draining purposes.
The implement will be constructed of a frame from which two cutters will work,
each taking a deeper part than the first, and adjusted to the required depth by an
arrangement shown in drawing.
There will also be attached to the two cutters, a spout to each, which will carry
the soil to the surface. There will be three wheels to carry frame, the forward one
for stearing and so arranged that a man can sit on back of implement and steer at
convenience.
The cutters used are made of cast-steel six inches wide x 3/8 thick, and brought
round so as to form a scoop, as shown in cutter D Fig 2-round the back part of
each cutter is rivetted a sheet-steel spout E and F which carries the cut soil to
surface of trench.
The beam H which carries the two cutters is formed of two side frames
12" deep x 1" thick with distance pieces in between so as to allow the spout E
to deliver its soil through the centre of beam H, and so on to the side of trench.
The two shanks that form each cutter are bolted on one each side of beam, and
so each cutter is bolted firmly on the sides of beam H.
The cutters are adjusted to the required depth by the drum L which is driven by
a chain-wheel off shaft K.
The druin B has a few turns of rope and when wishing to terminate trench is
run out by taking a clutch pin out of drum B which allows the engine to take in
all its rope, and so cause the drum B to revolve and drive the chain-wheel which
is cast on the side of drum B.
The drum B has a flange cast in the centre, so as to allow room for the return
rope to be taken on to drum H as the other is being run out.
The clutch has a strong worm-wheel cast on the side and when in gear stops the
drum B from revolving as the Implement is being drawn along, and also when the
attendant wishes to give a rise or fall to trench can do so by turning the worm
handle that is arranged close to the attendants seat.
Dated this 9th day of June 1884
ALFRED ACHURCH,
Great Stukeley, Huntingdonshire.

page_text: "
I ALFRED ACHURCH of Great Stukeley in the County of Huntingdon,
Farmer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINES FOR TRENCHING LAND FOR DRAINING PURPOSES and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
This invention relates to improvments in machines for trenching land for draining
purposes the object of the invention being to dispense with manual labor in the
said operation to a great extent and the invention consists in a peculiar construction
and arrangement of cutter or cutters whereby the soil when cut is conducted upwards
and is discharged on to the side or sides of the trench and in the employment of a
worm and worm wheel so arranged as to allow of the said cutter or cutters being
adjusted to any required height so as to give any required rise or fall to the depth
of the trench.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same
by reference to the accompanying drawings in which figure 1 sheet 1 is a side
clevation and figure 2 sheet 1 is a plan of a machine for trenching land for draining
purposes constructed according to my invention and shewing my improvements as
applied to a machine having a single steering wheel in the front thereof; figures 3
and 4 sheet 1 are front elevations of the cutters when two of such cutters are
employed. Figures 5 and 6 sheet 2 are similar views to figures 1 and 2 sheet 1,
but shewing my improvements as applied to a machine having a pair of steering
wheels in the front thereof; figure 7 is a front elevation of figure 5. Similar letters
in all the figures represent similar or corresponding parts.
In carrying out my invention which I will first describe by reference to figures
to 4, I construct the trenching machine or implement of a frame a, to which I pivot
at b two arms or beams c and d; to the said arms or beams at a¹, I fix the shanks
of the cutters e and f, the foremost e of which is arranged as shewn in figure 1 to
cut at a less depth than the hinder one f; these cutters are preferably made of cast
steel and are curved so as to form a kind of scoop as shewn in figure 2; round the
back part of each of the cutters e and fat the lower ends thereof I rivet or other-
wise suitably fix a spout or conduit g and h made by preference of sheet steel and
extending backwards and upwards to a suitable distance in the rear of and above
the frame of the machine; the upper ends i of the said spouts g and h are curved
in such a manner as to direct and deposit the soil on to each side of the trench as
it is cut by the cutters e and f, and conducted upwards by the spouts g and h; to
each of the beams c and d I attach at j a chain k, which chains are attached to and
pass round drums 1, on a shaft m carried on uprights n fixed on the frame a, of the
machine; on the shaft m, of the drums l, is fixed a chain wheel o; in the front
part of the frame a, of the machine on a fixed shaft p, is loosely mounted a drum q,
on which is wound a short length of the rope r, coming from the engine and by
which the machine is drawn along; on one end of the drum q, is fixed a chain
wheelt round which and round the chain wheel o passes an endless chain u which
serves to raise and lower the cutters e and f; on the shaft p at the other end of the
drum q is a worm wheel v and worm w operated by a hand wheel a near the seat y
for the attendant of the machine; the drum q and worm wheel v are provided with
a clutch which is operated by means of a clutch fork b¹ and lever handle c¹
pivotting at d; the worm wheel v, when engaged with the drum q by the said
clutch prevents the drum from revolving and allows of the machine being drawn

page_text: along by means of the rope r, from the engine; the drum q can however be caused
to rotate by operating the worm w and worm wheel v. The machine is steered by
means of a worm wheel c¹, on the pivot f¹ of the front wheel g¹ in which worm
wheel gears a worm h¹ operated by a hand wheel near the attendant's seat y;
jare the bind wheels of the machine.
By this construction of machine when it is required to put the same in operation
for forming a trench the beams c and d and cutters e and f being in their raised
position as shewn in dotted lines at figure 1, the drum q is engaged with the worm
wheel by means of the clutch z; the attendant from his seat y then lowers the
cutters and f by means of the hand wheel x, by turning which in the proper
direction the worm wheel v, drum q and chain wheels and o will be operated so
as to let out the chains k from the drums and thereby lower the cutters to the
required depth; the drum q, in revolving will have wound on itself a short length
of the rope r, and the machine being drawn along, the cutters e and f will enter
the ground and will cut the trench in the manner shewn in figure 1 the cutter c,
cutting in advance and at a less depth than the cutter f; as the trench is cut the
soil will be forced up the spouts or conduits g and h and will be deposited on to
each side of the trench as shewn in figures 3 and 4, A representing the soil which
has been cut from the trench; the attendant can at any time increase or diminish
the depth of the trench by operating the hand wheel x; when it is desired to
terminate the trench the clutch z, is disengaged when the drum q, will be free to
rotate and the engine continuing to haul on the rope r, the chain wheels t, and o
will be driven in an opposite direction to that hereinbefore described and the
cutters e and f. will thereby be raised out of the ground and the engine will be
allowed to take in all its rope; the machine is then drawn backwards by the return
engine into position to commence cutting another trench the clutch a, is then again
engaged and the cutters will be held in their raised position until the machine is
again required to be operated.
When the inachine is constructed with a pair of steering wheels as shewn in
figures 5, 6, and 7, I arrange the drum q, and worm wheel v with their axis vertical
and in this case I provide a rope pulley k¹ on the same shaft and round which
passes the rope from the drawing engine; the chain k for raising the cutters passes
round a wheel or drum , on the beams c and d over the wheel or drum l, and
round the drum q, which can be engaged by means of clutches.z and 21 either with
the worm wheel v, or with the rope pulley k. When the machine is at work the
drum q, is engaged with the worm wheel v, and the cutters are adjusted by
operating the same in the manner hereinbefore described when referring to figures 1
to 4. When it is desired to raise the cutters out of the ground the drum q is
engaged with the rope pulley which will then wind the beams and cutters up
out of the ground; the machine is steered by means of chains m¹ from the axle of
the steering wheels gl and passing over the shaft f' operated by the worm wheel c¹
and worm h¹ from the hand wheel i¹.
A great advantage arising from the use of cutters constructed according to my
invention is that the bottom of the trench is cut of a V shape which allows of the
tiles being kept in a uniform position until the trench has been filled in.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. Constructing the cutters of machines for trenching land of a scoop like shape
as and for the purpose described and shewn in the drawings.
2. Arranging the cutters of a machine for trenching land in such a manner that
the rearmost cutter cuts at a greater depth than the foremost cutter substantially
as hereinbefore described.
3. In a machine for trenching land for draining purposes the combination with a
cutter or cutters constructed as described and shewn of a spout or spouts or conduits
for delivering the cut soil on one or both sides of the trench substantially as
hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying drawings.

page_text: 4. In a machine for trenching land for draining purposes the employment of a
worm and worm wheel arranged to operate suitable mechanism whereby the cutters
can be adjusted to any required depth substantially as hereinbefore described and
represented in the accompanying drawings.
5. In a machine for trenching land for draining purposes the combination with a
worn and worm wheel of a drum adapted to engage with the said wheel for
adjusting the cutters by hand and to be disengaged therefrom for the purpose of
allowing the cutters to be raised out of the ground upon the termination of an
operation by the engine employed for drawing the same along substantially as
herein before described and represented in the accompanying drawings.
6. The improved machine for trenching land for draining purposes hereinbefore
described and represented in figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
7. The improved machine for trenching land for draining purposes hereinbefore
described and represented in figures 5, 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 23rd day of January 1885.
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicant.
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicant.