IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES.
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Bernhard Samuelson and William George Manwaring,
both of Banbury, in the County of Oxford, Engineers, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES.'
Sealed the 28th April 1876, and dated the 18th February 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Bernhard Samuelson and
William George Manwaring at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 18th February 1876.
BERNHARD SAMUELSON and WILLIAM GEORGE MANWARING, both of Banbury, in
the County of Oxford, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES."
This Invention relates to improvements in certain details of harvesting machines,
the object being to remove some difficulties attendant on their manufacture, to faci-
litate the replacement of broken or worn-out portions, and to improve the action of
the machine.
The fingers of harvesting machines we propose to manufacture by preference of
forged steel, which however requires to be and is of such a quality as to be capable
of being hardened when brought to shape. This hardening process has hitherto had
the effect of rendering the guard or cross piece of the finger (in front of the cutter
bar) so brittle that it would not unfrequently break in the hands of the workinen
employed in fitting up the machine, or when it is subsequently in use in the
field.
In order that the guard shall possess the requisite toughness we propose to intro-
duce into or between the steel bars that are to compose the finger a cross piece of
wrought iron or mild steel of suitable proportions, and in the proper position to
form the guard. When therefore the metal is wrought into shape, and submitted to
the hardening process, the guard will (from the nature of the material of which it is
composed) have no tendency to become brittle.
Instead of casting the driving wheel, as heretofore, in one piece (which plan
through the unequal contraction of the metal is liable to produce unsound work) we
cast the wheel in three parts, viz., 1st, the rim ; 2nd, the ring of teeth; and 3rd, the
arms and nave separately, providing thereon lugs for connecting the parts together
by screw bolts or rivets. This arrangement admits of the arms and nave or the
gearing or the rim being replaced at little cost when worn or broken.
As a modification of the above the rim of the wheel and the ring of teeth may be

page_text: cast in one piece, and connected to the arms by means of screw bolts or rivets passing.
through lugs provided to receive them.
In order to raise laid crops, so that they may be properly cut or reaped, it has
been our practice to employ so-called "corn lifters," which are substantially pro-
longed fingers having a joint in front of the knife, so that the prolongation can
touch the ground (without the risk of the point running into the soil), and is con-
sequently at liberty to creep under the crop. These corn lifters are wedge shaped,
and by their form gradually raise the crop towards the knife. We have hitherto
attached them to the finger beam, but corn lifters have also been attached on the
top of the finger beam, either without the removal of a finger, or else notched, so
that the finger is housed beneath or within them.
Our improvement consists in removing a finger and attaching a corn lifter in its
place, which is jointed in front of the knife, and is placed like a finger upside down.
The knife therefore runs underneath the surface of the corn lifter, against which it
cuts, and we prefer that there should not be any guard vertically below the knife
like that which is usual in ordinary fingers when the fingers are so placed that the
knife runs under the surface against which it cuts.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Bernhard Samuelson and William George Manwaring in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 17th August 1876.
BERNHARD SAMUELSON and WILLIAM GEORGE MANWARING, both of Banbury,
in the County of Oxford, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES."
This Invention relates to improvements in certain details of harvesting machines,
the object being to remove some difficulties attendant on their manufacture, to
facilitate the replacement of broken or worn-out portions, and to improve the action
of the machine.
The first head of our Invention has reference to the fingers of harvesting machines.
These we manufacture by preference of forged steel, which however requires to be
and is of such a quality as to be capable of being hardened when brought to shape.
This hardening process has hitherto had the effect of rendering the guard or cross
piece of the finger in front of the cutter bar so brittle that it would not unfrequently
break in the hands of the workman employed in fitting up the machines or when it
is subsequently in use in the field.
Now the object of the first head of our Invention is to remove this objection, and
in order that the guard shall possess the requisite toughness we propose to introduce
into or between the steel bars that are to compose the finger a cross piece of wrought
iron or mild steel of suitable proportions, and in the proper position to form the
guard in front of the knife or cutter bar. When therefore the metal is wrought
into shape and submitted to the hardening process the guard will (from the nature
of the material of which it is composed) have no tendency to become brittle; or
instead of making the bars from which the fingers are formed entirely of steel we use
for that purpose a faggotted bar having iron or mild steel in the centre and steel
sides. Between these faggotted bars we introduce a cross piece of wrought iron or
mild steel, as in the former case, by which means the cutting edges of the finger
when hammered out will be capable of being hardened, while the other parts of the
finger retain the requisite toughness.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 represents in plan view the finished finger;
Fig. 2 is a side view of a finger made from a faggot of iron and steel; and Fig. 3 is
a cross section of the same taken in the line of 1, 2, of Fig. 2.
The steel introduced into the faggot from which this finger is forged becomes
under the forging process a veneer or coating to the iron, which forms the core of
the finger. This is clearly illustrated at Fig. 3, where a, a, represent the steel
coating, and b the core of iron. When the slit is made in the finger for the passage

page_text: of the cutters square edges of hard steel will be presented by the steel coating a, a,
to the cutting sections, whilst the guard in front of the cutter bar is of wrought
iron or soft steel. When the finger is made entirely of hard steel, with the
exception of the cross piece of iron or soft steel, the finger will shew in cross section
corresponding to that of Figure 3 the same character of metal throughout as indicated
in the section 30, which is taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 2a, that Figure being sup-
posed to represent a finger made of hard steel, and a cross piece of wrought iron or
mild steel after our first described method, and this same character of metal will be
preserved throughout the finger, except at the sectioned part marked c, c, in the
plan views, Fig. 1 and Fig. 2a, which sectioned part consists of iron or mild steel,
and constitutes the tough guard or cross piece.
Figs. 1 and 2 shew the hard steel bars with the cross piece of wrought iron or
mild steel previous to their being wrought into shape under the hammer or stamp.
In these Figures d, d, indicates the hard steel, and c, e, the wrought iron or mild
steel from which the cross piece is formed.
Figs. 1 and 2 shew another arrangement of faggotted bars previously to their
being wrought into shape. In this case the cross piece e is introduced between a
faggotted bar composed of hard steel sides d, and an iron or mild steel centre d*.
The second head of our Invention relates to a novel mode of constructing the
driving wheels of harvesting machines, whereby defective or broken portions may
be replaced without necessitating the substitution of an entirely new wheel.
Instead of casting the driving wheel as heretofore in one piece (which plan
through the unequal contraction of the metal is liable to produce unsound work)
we cast the wheel in three separate parts, viz., 1st, the rim ; 2nd, the ring of teeth;
and, 3rd, the arms and nave, providing thereon lugs for connecting the parts together
by screw bolts or rivets.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a driving wheel thus constructed; and Fig. 5 is a
front view partly in section. In these Figures a is the rim of the wheel cast with
lugs on its inner periphery to receive bolts or rivets a connecting the other parts of
the wheel thereto; B is a ring of internal teeth cast with lugs on its outer periphery;
and C is the nave of the wheel cast with radial arms C, the extremities of which
are provided with bolt holes. By bolting or rivetting up the three castings A, B,
and C, a firm driving wheel is produced, which affords the advantage of either the
arms and nave or the gearing or the rim being replaced at little cost when worn or
broken.
As a modification of the above the rim of the wheel and the ring of teeth may be
cast in one piece, and connected to the arms by means of screw bolts or rivets passing
through lugs provided to receive them.
The third head of our Invention relates to an improvement in corn lifters.
Hitherto, in order to raise laid crops so that they may be properly cut or reaped, it
has been our practice to employ so-called "corn lifters," which are substantially
prolonged fingers having a joint in front of the knife, so that the prolongation can
touch the ground (without the risk of the point running into the soil), and it is
consequently at liberty to creep under the crop.
corn lifters" are wedge
shaped, and by their form gradually raise the crop towards the knife.
These we
have attached to the finger beam in the place of an ordinary finger, but "corn
lifters" have also been attached on the top of the finger beam either without the
removal of a finger, or else notched, so that the finger is housed beneath or within
them.
These "
Our improvement consists in removing a finger and replacing it by a jointed
corn lifter, of which the fixed or bracket portion resembles somewhat an inverted
finger. The knife will therefore cut against the under surface of the fixed part of
the corn lifter. We prefer that there should not be any guard vertically below the
knife, as would be the case with ordinary fingers when inverted.
Fig. 6 shews in side elevation, and Fig. 7 in plan view our improved corn lifter.
In these views D is the finger beam, and to it is bolted in place of an ordinary
finger the bracket E formed with cutting edges e on its under side. To this bracket

page_text: is loosely jointed the curved prong or horn E¹ of the corn lifter, which horn rides
over the ground to lift the laid crop. F is the knife bar fitted with blades, which
when in action will cut respectively against the upper face of the fingers and the
lower face of the corn lifters.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of " Improvements in Harvesting
Machines," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, we wish it to
be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent we claim,-
First. Constructing the fingers of harvesting machines from compound bars, which
when wrought into shape will provide steel for the cutting edges, and a tougher
metal for the guard or cross piece, as and for the purpose above described.
Secondly. Constructing the driving wheels of harvesting machines, as and forthe
purpose above described.
Thirdly. The construction and fitting of “ corn lifters," as above described.
In witness whereof I, the said William George Manwaring, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Seventh day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
above-named William George
Manwaring, in the presence of
FREDERICK HOBLEY,
Of Banbury,
Accountant.
WILLIAM GEORGE MANWARING. (LS)