IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HARROWS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Wilson Murray, of the Town and County of
Banff, North Britain, and James Macdonald and Alexander Macdonald, of
Portsoy, in the same County, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF HARROWS."
Sealed the 20th September 1879, and dated the 8th April 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Wilson Murray,
James Macdonald, and Alexander Macdonald at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents on the 8th April 1879.
GEORGE WILSON MURRAY, of the Town and County of Banff, North Britain,
and JAMES MACDONALD and ALEXANDER MACDONALD, of Portsoy, in the same
County. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HARROWS."
The said Invention has reference to a new or improved construction of harrows
for breaking up and dressing the surface of plain or furrowed, ploughed or turned
up land, for agricultural purposes generally before or after the seed has been sown,
which make such harrows much stronger and cheaper and more efficient and lighter
of draught than the harrows heretofore in use. And the nature and novelty of the
Invention or improvements consists in making the frames of the harrows each of a
number of longitudinal wrought angle iron bars, as three, four, or more, according
to the width of harrow desired, and rivetting or bolting these with their flat under
sides down across their ends and middle to strong, straight, preferably flat-transverse
bars of malleable iron, all preferably flat in the horizontal plane; but the longi-
tudinal angle iron bars which are secured at their respective equal distances apart
(as say from 12 to 18 inches apart across the width of the harrow) are each made
of a differentially undulating or wave line, or it may be of an angular form or
construction laterally and longitudinally, as would be seen in plan.
The prominences of each curve or angle of one longitudinal bar lying in towards
the hollows of its adjacent bar. The harrowing tines or teeth are made with large
flattened heads with holes through them so as to be bolted to the tangential or flat
part of each lateral extremity of the differential curved or angled part of the
vertical web or side of the angle iron longitudinal bars, preferably with their
pointed stems passed down through slots formed for them in the horizontal web of
the bars; or they might be bolted on the outside of the web without slots, and
either formed with a forward laterally bent head to steady and secure each tine

page_text: always in proper vertical position against strain or leverage in breaking up the top
ridges of the furrows or surface lumps of earth in harrowing, and these tines so
secured may be made broad and strong in the longitudinal direction, and thin and
sharp in the transverse direction, to cut and break the earth with the least possible
draught; and this harrow is drawn by the usual tackle attached to hook links
screwed or otherwise secured to the front transverse bar and continued back as
strengthening bars with their rear ends secured to the nearest projecting vertical
curved sides or angles of the longitudinal bars as by the same bolts which secures
the tines at these parts.
This harrow, besides being of a strong and light construction from the use of angle 1
iron longitudinal bars in its framework, also affords convenient means for firmly
securing the tines in a most durable manner, enabling them to be distributed at
very equal distances over the whole surface of the harrow, which as described is
most applicable for flat surface dressing land or harrowing and covering in seed;
but it might also be used as a curved harrow for drill dressing by making the angle
iron bars the transverse bars, and undulating them horizontally to suit the curve of
the drills, with the tines fixed so that the harrows may be drawn in the direction
of the furrows and not across them, and so produce a smooth and even surface of
drill.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Wilson Murray, James Macdonald, and Alexander Macdonald
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th October 1879.
GEORGE WILSON MURRAY, of the Town and County of Banff, North Britain,
and JAMES MACDONALD and ALEXANDER MACDONALD, of Portsoy, in the same
County. IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HARROWS."
"
And in
Our said Invention has reference to a new or improved construction or combination
of the parts of harrows for breaking up and dressing the surface of plain or furrowed,
ploughed, or turned up land for agricultural purposes [generally, before or after the
seed has been sown, and which make such harrows much stronger, and cheaper, and
more efficient, and lighter of draught than the harrows heretofore in use.
order that the nature and novely of our said Invention, and the mode and means
of performing or putting the same into effect or practice may be properly under-
stood, we shall now proceed to describe the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings
which we have hereunto appended for that purpose, the like reference letters
indicating the same or equivalent parts in the several Figures where shown.
Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a side elevation and a plan of a harrow, or a
complete sectional part of a harrow constructed in accordance with and illustrative
of our Invention or improvements in the arrangement or combination of the parts
thereof. And Figure 3 is a transverse section of one of the frames, and a tine
detached from Figures 1 and 2 to show the mode of fixing them thereto more
clearly; while Figures 4, 5; and 6 are corresponding side and edge views of different

page_text: forms of the heads of tines showing various ways of fixing these to the frames or
the longitudinal rails of the harrow different from that shown in the general
arrangement, Figures 1 to 3.
Referring to the Figures 1 to 3, the nature, novelty, and mode of performing our said
Invention or improvements consist as follows:-In making the frames of each harrow
(or sectional part thereof) of a number of longitudinal wrought angle iron bars or rails
A, A, as three, four, or more, according to the width of harrow desired (or individual
sectional part thereof) and rivetting or bolting these with their under flat sides or webs
A' down at their ends and other intermediate or middle parts A2 to strong transverse
bars B of malleable iron, preferably straight and of a flat section (but they may also
be made of other sections or angle, or Tiron with the flat side up) as seen in Figure 1,
all preferably flat in the horizontal plane, with the longitudinal angle iron bars A
secured as stated to the transverse bars B at their respective equal distances apart (as,
say from 12 to 18 inches apart across the width of the harrow) but having each bar A
made of a similar differential parallel undulating form or wave like line (or it may
be of an equivalent angular form or construction) laterally and longitudinally, as
seen in plan view, Figure 2. The prominences or extreme undulations a of each
curve or angle of one longitudinal bar A lying in towards the hollows of its adjacent
bar. The harrowing tines or teeth b, b', are each made with large flattened heads 6'
with holes through them so as to be bolted to the tangential or nearly flat parts a
of each lateral extremity of the differential curved or angled part a of the vertical
web or side A¹¹ of the angle iron longitudinal bars A, preferably with the pointed
stems 6 of each tine passed down through tight slots formed for them in the hori-
zontal web A¹ of the bars A, or otherwise they might be similarly bolted on the
outside of the vertical web A" without requiring slots formed through the horizontal
web. The head b' of each tine is formed with a forward and laterally bent or
kneed shoulder at 611 to rest on the top of the vertical web or feather A" of the
bars A, as seen in Figures 3 and 4, and so steady and secure each tine always in
proper vertical position against the strain or leverage in breaking up the top ridges
of the furrows or surface lumps of earth in harrowing. These tines b, b', so secured
are by preference made of good strong wrought iron or malleable cast-iron, broad
in the longitudinal direction and thin in the transverse direction, sharpened towards
the points to cut and break the earth with the least possible draught, which is
much assisted by the regular transverse disposition of the tines b, b', from each other
on the prominences of the bars A, A, differentially curved or undulated for that
purpose. Hooked bars C, C¹, are screwed or otherwise secured to the front trans-
verse bar B at B¹ and continued back as strengthening bars with their rear ends C¹
secured to the nearest projecting vertical curved sides or angles of the longitudinal
bars A at all or by the same bolts a¹ which secures the tines at these parts a. This
new or improved construction of harrow, shown in Figures 1 and 2, may be made
of various or greater sizes in length and width, according to the length and
number of the undulating bars A, A, used in the width to give a pro-
portional greater number of tines b, b'. And when large, each harrow
may be coupled by their hooks C, C, direct to the usual drawing bars or
"swingle trees as a single harrow; or otherwise, when small, as shewn in
Figures 1 and 2, two, three, or more may be coupled by their hooks C, C, and short
chains to one long cross bar and the usual drawing tackle as a combined or com-
pound harrow with two or more horses when desired. Although the tines b, b',
have in Figures 1 to 3 been shown as formed with simple kneed bearing heads b²
and secured by screw bolts to the vertical feather A¹ of the bar A it will be under-
stood that they might be fixed in other various ways, as by turning the head over
the upper edge All of the angle iron A and securing them by a split or other
cutter below the web A¹ of the angle iron A, as shown in Figure 4, or the bolt
or cutter might be inserted through the vertical feather A" at 611
"
Figure 5 shows the tine b, b', with a slightly different form of head b¹ bent
forwards at 62 to rest on the upper face of the web A¹ to give fixing stability to the
tines,

page_text: Figure 6 shows the tines b, b', as kneed below at 63 to bear up against the lower
side of the web A¹ and be fixed by a screw a¹ to the outside of the vertical web B¹
without having holes pierced through the horizontal web A¹ for the forks of the
tines to pass through.
This construction of harrow, besides being stronger and lighter than harrows as
heretofore constructed, from the use of the angle iron longitudinal bars A in its
framework also affords convenient means for firmly securing the tines b, b', in a
most durable manner and enables these to be distributed at very equal distances
over the whole surface of the harrow, which, as described, is most applicable for the
flat or regular surface dressing of ploughed land or harrowing and covering in seed.
But this might also be constructed as a curved harrow for drill dressing by making
the angle iron bars A, A, the transverse bars, and undulating them horizontally to
suit the curve of the drills with the tines b, b¹, fixed so that the harrows may be
drawn in the direction of the furrows, and not across them, and so produce a smooth
and even surface of two, three, or more parallel drills at a time.
Although angle iron only has been described in reference to and shown in the
several Figures as used for the undulating bars A of the frames of this new or
improved construction or combination of the parts of harrows it will be evident that
bar Tiron inverted (1) might be used, as shown dotted in at A³ in Figures 4
and 5, although this is not preferred from the greater difficulty of curving it, as
shown in Figure 2.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, we have to state that we do not confine ourselves to the precise
details herein described or delineated; but what we consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
First. The general construction or combination of the parts of harrows, as herein
described in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings, or any mere
modification thereof.
Second. The construction of harrows with undulating or equivalent angled
malleable iron or steel longitudinal bars of an L iron or T section for fixing the
tines to, substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in the accom-
panying Drawings.
Third. The construction of the tines of harrows with lateral kneed or bent heads
for fixing them to the longitudinal bars by screws or cotters, all substantially as
herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings, or any
mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Macdonald and Alexander Macdonald,
have on behalf of ourselves and the said George Wilson Murray, hereunto
set our hands and seals, this Second day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
JAMES MACDONALD.
(L.S.)
ALEXANDER MACDONALD. (L.S.)