IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING OR. MOWING MACHINES
Year: 1863

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Brigham and Richard
Bickerton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 22nd September 1863.
We, JOHN BRIGHAM and RICHARD BICKERTON, of the Town and County
of Berwick-on-Tweed, North Britain, Implement Makers, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING OR. MOWING
MACHINES," to be as follows, that is to say:-
:
This Invention relates to the arrangement and construction of the mecha-
nical details connected with what is termed the "delivery" of reaping and
mowing machines, that is to say, with that portion of the machine by means
of which the crop is divided, and brought within the range of the cutters, and
is then gathered into separate quantities sufficient to form sheaves..
Under one modification or system of arrangement the main shaft of the
machine, which carries at one end the main bearing wheel, has its other
extremity projecting through a bracket piece, which is bolted to the framing..
On the free end of the shaft is keyed a bevel wheel, which gives motion to a
corresponding wheel keyed on a short vertical shaft, the foot of which is carried:
in a bracket bolted to the side of the framing. The upper end of this shaft.
projects out through the bracket piece before referred to, and has keyed to it
a cross piece formed of four arms diverging equilaterally from the central boss,
and having the outward end of each arm turned in an upward direction. A
hole is formed in each of the upwardly turned parts to admit of the ends of
two horizontal shafts passing through them, the two shafts being arranged

page_text: crosswise and in planes so as to clear each other in their rotatory movement.
Each of the horizontal shafts has keyed to it an iron bar, which is bent
so as to clear the upwardly turned ends of the cross piece whilst the two
extremities are bent in a downward direction, and have attached to each an
arm or lever that extends in an outward direction as each arm comes round
over the platform of the machine. As these arms rotate they are caused
to ascend whilst passing the outer side of the machine, and to descend
to a horizontal position when moving over the platform. The downward
and horizontal movements of these arms serve to divide the corn or other
crop into portions, and to direct these portions towards the cutter. One
of the arms is furnished with teeth on its under side, and this arm is
made to sweep very near to the surface of the platform, so as to clear it at
intervals of the cut crop lying thereon. The quantity swept at short
intervals from the platform in this manner being sufficient to form a sheaf,
which is afterwards tied up by the person who follows the machine for that
purpose. The differential movements of the arms are obtained by means of
pawls or pendant hooks fitted to the extremities of the two horizontal shafts
before referred to. These pawls as they traverse round with the motion of the
shafts are raised at one portion of their revolution by means of a segmental
guide, which is fastened to the bracket piece beneath the shafts. This
segmental guide is formed of a curved piece of metal with its ends sloping
downwards to the bracket piece. The pawls as they are carried round rise up
the incline, traverse round the guide, and then descend; this motion causes
the arm that is for the time being on the outer side of the machine to rise up
in the air whilst the other one descends and presses the crop towards the
cutter.
Another mode of arranging the delivery portion of the machine is, in lieu
of placing the shaft of this motion in a vertical position as before described,
to arrange it in an angular direction, and by preference pointing a little
towards the front of the machine. To this shaft are fitted four bent arms
somewhat similar to those referred to in the former modification. These
arms are arranged so that as the shaft rotates they carry the standing crop
towards the cutter, the fourth one serving to sweep the platform clear of the
cut portion of the crop, and deposit it upon the ground in readiness to be tied
up into a sheaf.