A NEW AND USEFUL MACHINE OR CARRIAGE FOR TURNING AND SPREADING HAY, AND FOR OTHER USEFUL AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ezekiel Williams Bullard, of the State of Massa-
chusetts, of the United States of America, for the Invention of "A NEW
AND USEFUL MACHINE OR CARRIAGE FOR TURNING AND SPREADING HAY, AND
FOR OTHER USEFUL AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES."
Sealed the 24th November 1863, and dated the 30th September 1863.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Ezekiel Williams Bullard at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declara-
tion, on the 30th September 1863, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent
Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, BE IT KNOWN
that I, EZEKIEL WILLIAMS BULLARD, of the State of Massachusetts, of the
United States of America, have made an Invention of "A NEW AND USEFUL
MACHINE OR CARRIAGE FOR TURNING AND SPREADING HAY, AND FOR OTHER USEFUL
AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES," and I do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which it is to be performed or is constructed and
operates, to be herein-after described, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, letters, figures, and references marked thereon.
Of such Drawings Figure 1 exbibits the machine in side elevation;
Figure 2 represents a top view of one of the cranked shafts; Figure 3
exhibits a front and side view of one of the forks to be herein-after described.

page_text: In carrying out the said Invention, I make use of a carriage furnished with
two wheels and with thills or a pole, by which the said carriage may be drawn
along upon the ground by animal power suitably applied to it.
In Figure 1 one of the thills is represented at D as projecting from a
horizontal cross bar A, which rests upon two uprights or posts B, which project
upward from the axletree of the wheels. A platform E on the thills serves
to support not only a driver's seat G, but the fulcrum bearing F of a hand
lever J formed and arranged as shown in said Figure 1. A frame H, for
supporting two or any other suitable number of cranked shafts I, is arranged
below the platform E, and turns vertically on fulera disposed near its middle.
The front part of the frame H is connected to a projection X on the lever J
by means of a pitman y jointed to both, the same being so as to enable the
frame H to be tilted or moved in its bearings, more or less, by manual power
acting through the lever J. By pulling the said lever J toward the seat G,
the front part of the frame E will be depressed, and the rear part at the same
time be elevated. So by pressing the lever J in a direction away from the
seat, the rear part of the frame may be depressed in order to keep the forks
down to their work. At its rear part the frame H supports one or more
cranked shafts I, which are arranged horizontally, and are formed or made
with bell cranks, as shown in Figure 2, the wrist of each of the cranks being
applied by a suitable box to the middle of one of the fork bars o. Each of
these fork bars is jointed at or near its upper end to one of a series of bars or
swinging holders Q, Q, whose opposite ends are jointed to the carriage or turn
on a rod extending through the same. On each cranked shaft I there is a
pulley L, around which an endless band N works, the said band being driven
by a pulley affixed to one of the wheels C. If desirable, there may be one or
more draft hooks K arranged below the carriage frame, in manner as shown
in Figure 1. To each of the holders O there is applied a fork P, which may
be constructed by first forming in the middle of a piece of wire or metallic rod
a loop large enough to extend half way around the bar o, after which each
portion of wire near the loop is to be coiled in a helix, and finally have the
ends turned down in manner as shown in Figure 3. When applied to the
bar o, the loop of the fork embraces the bar near its lower end, and constitutes
a stop to arrest the motion of the fork relatively to the bar.
A pin goes
through the bar, and the coils of the fork, and serves to connect such fork to
the bar. The belt N may be provided with a tightening pulley R, supported
by a forked slide bar S, suitably connected to the carriage frame, there being
for each wheel a cranked shaft I, as above described.
In operating with this machine it is to be driven over grass after snch grass

page_text: may have been mowed, the wheels of the machine, by means of the endless
belts, causing the cranked shafts to be put in rotation. In consequence of the
rotary motion of the cranked shafts, each of the fork bars o will not only be
raised and lowered, but each of its forks, by reason of the bar o being
connected with the carriage by a bar Q, will be operated in an elliptical or
curved path highly conducive to the seizing and spreading of the bay or
mowed grass.
It is evident that the number and proportions of the forks may be varied
without departing from my Invention.
What I claim is the machine made with forks arranged and to be operated
substantially in manner and for the purposes set forth.
I also claim the construction of each fork, substantially in the manner
specified.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth
day of September 1863.
EZEKIEL WILLIAMS BULLARD. (L.S.)