IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN PLOUGHING AND TILLING LAND
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Wilson Murray and George Mingay
Garrard, both of the Banff Foundry, Banff, North Britain, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN
PLOUGHING AND TILLING LAND."
Sealed the 15th October 1869, and dated the 5th August 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Wilson Murray
and George Mingay Garrard at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 5th August 1869.
We, GEORGE WILSON MURRAY and GEORGE MINGAY GARRARD, both
of the Banff Foundry, Banff, North Britain, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS
EMPLOYED IN PLOUGHING AND TILLING LAND," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in means or apparatus
employed in ploughing and tilling land, and consist, firstly, in so
arranging double furrow ploughs that they may be lighter in draught,
F

page_text: ploughs as ordinarily arranged.
In carrying out this Invention two ploughs are employed attached to
a double beam or frame, which is so arranged as to be capable of adjust-
ment to admit of the ploughs being placed at a suitable distance apart
longitudinally, and of their adjustment to regulate the width of the
furrows to be cut. The distance between the ploughs and consequently
the width of the furrows is regulated by a rack and pinion, aided by a
guide or guides forming part of the frame, and provided with tightening
screws to retain the respective portions of the double beam or frame
and consequently the ploughs in the position required. The combined
plough is carried on two wheels, aided by a sole or side plate attached
to the mould board of the "after" plough. The wheel at the front
of the plough, carried by a cross bar from head of the plough, is
arranged to act as a steering as well as a supporting wheel, and it is
controlled to guide the plough by a handle or lever extending from
the front to the rear of the plough, which handle or lever is by hinge
joint and jaw connected to the upper end of an upright spindle or shaft,
to which is affixed the axle of the guiding wheel. The vertical shaft
passes through an eye in the cross bar, and both eyes of the jaw clipping
the cross bar eye, and it is adjustable vertically in the eyes by a cotter.
The cross bar is capable of adjustment in the head of the plough. The
second wheel is attached to one end of a lever, which is capable of
movement on an axis carried by the framing of the combined plough.
This axis may be affixed to the framing with capability of adjustment.
The lever is so arranged as to bring its wheel nearly to the centre
(longitudinally) of the entire plough, and with its wheel serves to lift
the plough off or lower it on to the ground as required; and for this pur-
pose one end of it is extended to the rear of the plough in position to be
easily operated by the ploughman, and it is capable of being fixed in
any required position by means of a segmental piece or tongue supported
by the framing. A spring lever is affixed on the side of this lever
carrying the second wheel in such position that one end of the spring
lever may be acted upon by the ploughman at the same time he takes
hold of the lever carrying the wheel, in order to release the other end of
the spring lever from one or other of the series of notches or holes in the
.segmental piece or tongue, into one or other of which it is forced when
released by means of its spring, thereby retaining the lever in the

page_text: required position. The axle of the second wheel is held, with capability
of adjustment, in a slot in the end of the lever by which it is supported.
Ploughs thus constructed will be found to be lighter in draught than
ordinary double furrow ploughs, and by employing a sole or side plate.
to the "after" plough the furrow last cut is prevented from being filled
or partly filled when ploughing loose soils, by which means greater
uniformity of depth to the furrows and greater steering power are
obtained than is the case when a front or steerage wheel (travelling in
the furrow previously cut) rises at every partial falling in of a furrow.
The Invention relates, secondly, to the substitution of a subsoil
apparatus instead of the "fore" plough to subsoil the furrow made by
the after plough in the last "bout." The subsoil apparatus is so
arranged as to be capable of being brought into or out of use at pleasure.
For this purpose it is supported to turn on an axis carried by a bracket
from the main framing. It is brought into or out of position by means
of a lever (to which it is connected with capability of adjustment), which
is connected to a rod or link, which by pin joint is attached to one end
of an L lever, the other end of which is provided with a handle in
position to be acted upon by the ploughman when required. A stop or
guide acts to retain the subsoil apparatus in position. With this com-
bination of plough and subsoil apparatus an additional supporting wheel
may be used instead of the sole or side plate. By arranging apparatus as
last described the treading of the horses in the subsoiled furrow is avoided,
and great economy of power and general convenience to the farmer are
obtained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Wilson Murray and George Mingay
Garrard in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 2nd February 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
WILSON MURRAY and GEORGE MINGAY GARRARD, both of the Banff
Foundry, Banff, North Britain, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give

page_text: and grant unto us, the said George Wilson Murray and George Mingay
Garrard, Her special licence that we, the said George Wilson Murray
and George Mingay Garrard, 'our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said George Wilson Murray and George
Mingay Garrard, our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN PLOUGHING AND
TILLING LAND," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
George Wilson Murray and 'George Mingay Garrard, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands
and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said George Wilson Murray and
George Mingay Garrard, do, hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say:
This Invention relates to improvements in means or apparatus
employed in ploughing and tilling land, and consists, firstly, in so
arranging double furrow ploughs that they may be lighter in draught,
more uniform in their work, and more easily steered than double furrow
ploughs as ordinarily arranged.
In carrying out this 'Invention' two ploughs are employed attached to
a double beam or frame, which is so arranged as to be capable of adjust-
ment to admit of the ploughs being placed at a suitable distance apart
longitudinally, and of their adjustment to regulate the width of the furrows
to be cut. The distance between the ploughs and consequently the
width of the furrows is regulated by a rack and pinion, aided by a guide
or guides forming part of the frame, and provided with tightening screws
to retain the respective portions of the 'double beam or frame and
consequently the ploughs in the positions required. The combined

page_text: 3
plough is carried on two wheels, aided by a sole or side plate attached
to the mould board of the "after" plough. The wheel at the front of
the plough is carried by a cross bar from the head of the plough, and is
arranged to act as a steering as well as a supporting wheel, and it is
controlled to guide the plough by a handle or lever extending from the
front to the rear of the plough, which handle or lever is by hinge joint
and jaw connected to the upper end of an upright spindle or shaft, to
which is affixed the axle of the guiding wheel. The vertical shaft passes
through an eye in the cross bar, and both eyes of the jaw clipping the
cross bar eye, and it is adjustable vertically in the eyes by a cotter. The
cross bar is capable of adjustment in the head of the plough. The second
wheel is attached to one end of a lever, which is capable of movement
on an axis carried by the framing of the combined plough. This axis
may be affixed to the framing with capability of adjustment. This lever
is so arranged as to bring its wheel nearly to the centre (longitudinally
of the entire plough), and with its wheel serves to lift the plough off or
lower it on to the ground as required, and for this purpose one end of it
is extended to the rear of the plough in position to be easily operated by
the ploughman, and it is capable of being fixed in any required position
by means of a segmental piece or tongue supported by the framing. A
spring lever is affixed on the side of this lever carrying the second wheel
in such position that one end of the spring lever may be acted upon by
the ploughman at the same time he takes hold of the lever carrying the
wheel, in order to release the other end of the spring lever from one or
other of a series of notches or holes in the segmental piece or tongue, into
one or other of which it is forced when released by means of its spring,
thereby retaining the lever in the required position. The axle of the
second wheel is held with capability of adjustment in a slot in the end
of the lever by which it is supported. Ploughs thus constructed will be
found to be lighter in draught than ordinary double furrow ploughs, and by
employing a sole or side plate to the "after" plough the furrow last cut
is prevented from being filled or partly filled when ploughing loose soils,
by which means greater uniformity of depth to the furrows and greater
steering power are obtained than is the case when a front or steerage
wheel (travelling in the furrow previously cut) rises at every partial

page_text: Figure 1 is a side view, Figure 2 a plan, and Figures 3 and 4 detai
views of a double furrow plough arranged according to the first part of
our Invention. In each of the views similar parts are marked with the
same letters of reference.
a, a, represents a double beam or frame, which is formed in two parts
A and A', to which are attached the plough bodies B and B₁; c is a
pinion carried by a bracket c¹ from the beam or frame A, which takes
into a rack formed on the bracket carried by the frame A'; d, d', are
guides, which form part of the beam or frame a, a, which by the aid of
tightening screws d' and the cotter and buckle d³ serve to retain the
respective portions of the frame a in their proper relative positions. By
turning the pinion c in either direction as required the distance apart of
the frames A and A¹ and consequently the width of the furrows to be
cut will be varied; e and fare supporting wheels, which by the aid of
the sole or side plate 6' attached to the plough body B serve to carry the
plough. The supporting wheel e is carried by a cross bar e from the
head of the combined plough. The wheel e is arranged to act as a
steering as well as a supporting wheel, and it is controlled to guide the
combined plough by means of a handle or lever e¹, which is by hinge

page_text: joirt e and jaw e³ connected to the upper end of an upright spindle or
shaft e, to which is affixed the axle e of the wheel e. The vertical
spindle or shaft et passes through eyes es, es, forming part of the jaw e³,
and also through an eye e' in the cross bar es, which eye e' is received
between the eyes e³, es, of the jaw e; the spindle or shaft is adjustable
vertically in the eyes es, e³, and e7 by means of a cotter e°. The cross
bar e is adjustable, as shown, in the head of the plough. The wheel fis
attached to one end of a lever f, which is capable of movement on an
axis f carried by the framing a. The lever f¹ in the arrangement
shown is arranged to bring its wheel f nearly to the centre longitu-
dinally of the entire plough, and by means of its wheel
serves to raise
the plough off or lower it on to the ground, as required, and for this
purpose the end of the lever f¹ is extended to the rear of the
plough in position to be easily operated by the ploughman, and it is
capable of being fixed in any required position by means of the seg-
mental piece or tongue f supported and carried by the bracket f* from
the framing a. f is a spring lever affixed on the side of the lever f¹ in
such position that its end fe may be depressed at the time that the
ploughman takes hold of the lever f', and in so doing the end f' of the
lever f will be removed from one or other of the series of notches or
holes f in the segmental piece or tongue f*, into one of which the
end of the lever f' is forced when released by means of the spring f',
thereby retaining the lever f in the required position. The axle f10 of
the wheel is held with capability of adjustment in the slot f" in the
end of the lever f¹.
Figure 5 represents a side view, and Figure 6 a plan view of a plough
arranged according to the second part of my Invention. According to
this arrangement a subsoil apparatus G is substituted for the fore
plough B', which is so arranged as to subsoil the furrow made by the
after plough A in the last "bout." The "subsoiler" g is supported, with
capability of turning, on an axis g₁ carried by a bracket g' from the
framing a. The "subsoiler" g is brought into or moved out of position
by means of the lever g³, which is connected, with capability of adjust-
ment, to a rod or link g', which by pin joint is connected to one end of
the lever g³, the other end of which is provided with a handle g* in
position to be acted upon by the ploughman when required. h is a stop
or guide, which serves to retain the "subsoiler" in position when in

page_text: operation; i is an additional supporting wheel, which may be employed
instead of employing the sole or side plate to the after plough B.
Figure 7 shows a side view, Figure 8 a plan, and Figures 9, 10, 11, 12,
and 13 detail views of a slight modification of this part of the Invention.
In this arrangement the subsoiler g, in place of having affixed to it the
lever g³, is provided with an arm k, on the end of which is formed a loop or
guide k¹, which is provided with a notch or catch to receive the lever 1.
When the subsoiler g is to be lowered into the earth the lever is placed
into the notch 2 (as shown by red lines in Figure 9), and the end of
the lever is raised, thereby depressing the subsoiler g; but so soon as
the subsoiler g is in operation it will be held in position by the resistance
offered to it in its passage through the earth, the end of the lever
will then be lowered, as shown, out of the way of the steering lever e¹
when in operation. The red lines m represent a stiffening or strength-
ening bar, which may be used when ploughing or tilling heavy land;
i and are additional supporting wheels, which may be used if required.
In either arrangement the same frame and parts connected therewith
may be employed as a double furrow plough or as a combined plough
and "subsoiler" by removing the respective parts of the "fore" plough
or the "subsoiler," as the case may be, and applying a plough body or a
"subsoiler" as required. It will also be seen that the "subsoiler" in each
case is adjustable to depth below the bottom of furrow, and that it is capable
of being moved into or out of operation whilst the plough is at work, by
which means great saving of time is obtained by enabling the plough-
man to suspend the operation of subsoiling at places where the same is
not wanted, and recommence the same at pleasure. It will also be seen
that the lever f¹ is used to lift the combined plough and subsoiler out of
the ground at the "land's end."
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and means which
we have found to answer in carrying the same into effect, we would have
it understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details
shown and described, as the same may be varied without departing from
the peculiar character of our. Invention; but what we do claim is,--
First. The arrangement or combination of means or apparatus for
ploughing and subsoiling land with an implement used at other times as
a double furrow plough, substantially as described.

page_text: Second. We claim the arrangement or combination of means by which
he combined plough and subsoiler is carried on wheels, substantially as
hown and described.
Third. We claim the arrangement or construction of the steering jaw.
Fourth. We claim the construction of the slot f" in the lever f¹.
In witness whereof, we, the said George Wilson Murray and George
Mingay Garrard, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this 28th
day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy.
GEORGE WILSON MURRAY.
(L.S.)
GEORGE MINGAY GARRARD. (L.S.)