IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COLLECTING AND THRrning Hay AND LOOSE STRAW
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James William Wagstaff, of Moor, near Pershore,
in the County of Worcester, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR COLLECTING AND THRrning Hay AND LOOSE STRAW"
Sealed the 13th May 1875, and dated the 28th November 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James William Wagstaff
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 28th November 1874.
I, JAMES WILLIAM WAGSTAFF, of Moor, near Pershore, in the County
of Worcester, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COLLECTING AND TURNING HAY AND LOOSE
STRAW," to be as follows :—
My improvements in machinery for collecting and turning hay and
loose straw consist in so arranging the mechanism that as the machine
is drawn over the fields the hay or other crop shall be cleared from a
space equal to the width of the machine, and placed in ridges or rows by
its side, so as to facilitate the gathering and loading into carts for
removal to the stack yard.

page_text: I construct my improved machine with a centre beam or bar, the
front end of which carries a pole or shafts for a horse or pony to draw
the machine; behind the pole is a hole through the bar vertically with a
bracket beneath to act as a guide for a pivot which slides in and pro-
trudes through the bar'; the lower part of this pivot is drawn out to form
two cheeks or side bearings having holes through their lower ends to
carry the axle of the front or guiding wheel, which wheel may be turned
in any required direction with the pivot; to the front of the bar is
attached a small bracket with an eye at the top to receive the joint pin
of a hand lever, which is allowed to move vertically in an arc through a :
guide attached to the beam; on the top of the guide wheel pivot is a pin
and collar working in a slot of the hand lever; as the band lever is
raised or lowered so is the angle of the centre beam altered to allow the
machine to accommodate itself to sloping ground; at the back end of the
centre beam is fixed a hollow vertical spindle carrying at its lower end
a cross head; underneath this cross head are bearings in which work
the wheel axle; at the extremities of the axle are the two driving
wheels; these driving wheels are attached to the axle by a ratchet and
pawl, so as to allow one wheel to be always in gear when turning
corners; the cross head also carries four short shafts or vertical pins,
on which revolve friction rollers equidistant from the centre spindle;
sliding on the hollow vertical spindle is an outer hollow spindle to
which is fixed a horizontal friction roller or bevil wheel at its lower end,
and at its upper end a cross-head or frame from the extremities of which
depend chains attached to and carrying a ring of tines; on the axle is
keyed a small friction roller or bevil pinion working against or into the
friction roller or bevil wheel on the outer spindle.
When required for work the machine is drawn over the. field, and
motion is communicted by the friction roller or bevil pinion on the
driving axle to the cross head and ring of tines, moving the tines in a
circle round the centre spindle and driving wheels; these tines gather
the hay or other crop from a space equal in width to the diameter of the
ring, and place it in a row parallel to the traverse of the machine.
The ring of tines being hung on chains will accommodate itself to any
inequalities of the land, and in some cases I connect each tine to a
volute or flat spring, so that any tine can disengage itself from an
obstacle without requiring the whole ring or any part of it to be raised;

page_text: this method of attaching the spring allows the tines to move in
all directions, and requires but one spring for two tines.
The ring carrying the tines is kept in a central position by means of
the four friction rollers on the lower cross head, which work against the
inner side of the ring and prevent it oscillating more than a small
distance.
Attached to the outer spindle is a connecting link terminating with an
eye to receive the pin of a hand lever; this lever works in a bracket on
the top of the centre beam, and is for the purpose of throwing the ring
of tines out of gear, and preventing it revolving while being taken to
the fields; this is accomplished by depressing the long end of the lever
which raises the outer spindle, carrying with it the ring of tines, cross
head, and large friction roller or bevil wheel, allowing the machine to be
taken in any required direction without revolving the tines, the lever is
held down by a catch on the beam.
The tines may if preferred' be fixed to an endless chain instead of a
ahove described
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James William Wagstaff in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 28th May 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
WILLIAM WAGSTAFF, of Moor, near Pershore, in the County of
Worcester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said James William Wagstaff,
Her special license that I, the said James William Wagstaff, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
James William Wagstaff, my 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

page_text: 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 MACHINERY FOR COLLECTING
AND TURNING HAY AND LOOSE STRAW," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said James William Wagstaff, my executors or admini-
strators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 I, the said James William Wagstaff, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, 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:―
My improvements in machinery for collecting and turning hay and
loose straw consist in so arranging the mechanism that as the machine
is drawn over the fields the hay or other crop shall be cleared from a
space equal to the width of the machine, and placed in ridges or rows by
its side, so as to facilitate the gathering and loading into carts for
removal to the stack yard.
I construct my improved machine with a centre beam or bar the front
end of which carries a pole or shafts for a horse or pony to draw the
machine, behind the pole is a hole vertically through the bar with a
bracket beneath to act as a guide for a pivot which slides in and pro-
trudes through the bar, the lower part of this pivot is drawn out to form
two cheeks or side bearings having holes with bushes through their
lower ends to carry the axle of the front or guiding wheel, which wheel
may be turned in any required direction with the pivot; to the front
part of the bar is attached a small bracket with an eye at the top to
receive a joint pin of a hand lever, which is allowed to move vertically
in an arc through a guide fixed to the beam; on the top of the guide
wheel pivot is a pin and collar working in a slot of the hand lever; as
the hand lever is raised or lowered, so is the angle of the centre beam
altered to allow the machine to accomodate itself to sloping ground; at
the back end of the centre beam is fixed a hollow vertical spindle
carrying at its lower end a cross head; underneath this cross head are

page_text: bearings in which work the wheel axle; at the extremities of the axle
are the two driving wheels connected to the axle by ratchets and pawls,
so as to allow one wheel to be always in gear when turning corners;
the cross head also carries four short shafts or vertical pins on which
5 revolve friction rollers equidistant from the centre spindle; sliding on
the hollow vertical spindle is an outer hollow spindle to which is fixed a
horizontal friction roller or bevil wheel at its lower end, and at its upper
end a cross head or frame from the extremities of which depend chains
attached to and carrying a ring of tines; on the axle is keyed a small
friction roller or bevil wheel on the outer spindle.
When required for work the machine is drawn over the field, and
motion is communicated by the friction roller or bevil pinion on the
driving axle to the cross head and ring of tines, moving the tines in a
circle round the centre spindle and driving wheels; or the ring of tines
may be made to revolve by having jointed legs coming into contact with
the ground instead of by wheels or friction rollers; these tines gather
the hay or other crop from a space equal in width to the diameter of the
ring, and place it in a row parallel to the traverse of the machine.
The ring of tines being hung on chains will accommodate itself to any
irregularities of the land and in some cases I connect each tine to a volute
or flat spring, so that any tine can disengage itself from an obstacle
without requiring the whole ring or any part of it to be raised, two tines
may be attached to one spring and so arranged as to move in any
required direction..
.
The ring carrying the tines is kept in a central position by means of
the four friction rollers on the lower cross head, which revolve against
the inner side of the ring and prevent it oscillating more than a small
distance.
Attached to the outer spindle is a connecting link terminating with
an eye to receive the pin of a hand lever, this lever works in a bracket
on the top of the centre beam, and is for the purpose of throwing the
ring of tines out of gear, and preventing it revolving while being taken
to the fields; this is accomplished by depressing the long end of the
lever which raises the outer spindle, carrying with it the ring of tines,
cross head, and large friction roller or bevil wheel, allowing the machine
to be taken in any required direction without revolving the tines; the
lever is held down by a catch on the beam..

page_text: .
The tines may if preferred be fixed to an endless chain instead of to a
solid ring as above described.
And in order that my Invention may be more clearly understood and
more readily put into operation, I will now proceed to describe the
Drawing hereunto annexed, similar letters of reference in the two views
refer to similar parts; Figure 1 shews a side elevation, and Figure 2 a
plan view of the machine; A is the centre beam or bar; B is the shaft
or pole for drawing the machine; C shews the hole through the bar, and
D is the bracket underneath through which works the pivot E; this
pivot is flattened out and fitted with bushes to carry the axle G of the
front or guiding wheel H; K is a small bracket at the front end of the
bar, in which works the pin of the hand lever L; this lever is free to
move vertically in a guide M; N is the inner hollow spindle carrying
the cross head O and wheel bearings P; in these bearings revolve the
Bu;
in the cross head are four
axle Q carrying the driving wheels R,
vertical studs S, S; equidistant from the centre, on which revolve the
four friction rollers T, T; U is the outer hollow spindle; V is the
horizontal friction roller or bevil wheel connected by the spindle to the
top cross head W; X, X, are chains attached to the cross head and
supporting the ring Y and tines Z; a is the small vertical friction roller
or bevil pinion keyed to the axle and transmitting rotatory motion to
the tines; is a connecting link from the outer spindle to the hand
lever c moving in the bracket d; e is a small catch for holding the lever
d down when required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my
said Invention and how the same may be carried into parctical effect,
I would have it understood that I do not restrict myself to the various
shapes and proportions shewn, as these may be altered in many ways
without departing from the principle of my Invention, but what I claim
and desire to secure by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent
is,-
:
Firstly. The arrangement of centre bar with levers and guiding
hazain hofors described and illustrated by the accompanying