IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Burgess, of Newgate Street, in the City of
London, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING
AND MOWING MACHINES."
Sealed the 20th May 1862, and dated the 25th November 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Burgess at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
*25th November 1861.
I, WILLIAM BURGESS, of Newgate Street, in the City of London, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, firstly, in means of narrowing reaping and mowing
machines to facilitate their passing along narrow lanes and through gate-
ways. To effect this, I support a frame containing the gearing upon two
wheels, and I attach to the lower part of this frame one or more bars, on
which I place one or more travellers. To this traveller or these travellers is
connected, by means of a hinge joint, a shoe, to which is fixed the finger beam,
as also a standard for supporting the end of the reel next the frame above-
mentioned. To the end of the finger beam farthest from the said frame the
usual wheel and the support for the reel are fitted. In order to narrow the
machine, the traveller is made to slide along the said bar or bars, taking with

page_text: it the reel with its standards, and the cutting and delivering apparatus.
In
this way the machine may be made narrower by the distance through which
the traveller is made to slide. My object in connecting the finger beam and
traveller by a hinge joint is, that the finger beam, reel, and delivery apparatus
may be free to follow the irregularities of the ground.
Secondly, in a mode of communicating motion to the reel. This is effected
in the following manner:-Upon the axis of the main wheel or wheels is
fastened a bevel wheel, and by means of a collar on the said axis I fix a
standard, fitted with two brackets to carry a vertical shaft; the lower of these
brackets is fixed, but the upper one may be raised or lowered at will (according
to the height of the reel); at the lower extremity of the said vertical shaft is
fastened a bevel wheel, which gears into that on the main axis; higher up on
the said vertical shaft, and supported by the upper bracket above mentioned,
is a bevel wheel, so attached to the shaft as to revolve with it, but at the same
time capable of sliding up and down on it, according as the bracket which
supports it be raised or lowered. The bevel wheel last described communicates
motion to another bevel wheel, keyed on to a horizontal shaft, supported at
one end by the said movable bracket, and connected at the other with the
reel, to which it imparts rotary motion. The said horizontal shaft is formed
with a tube or tubes, in which one rod. (or more) fitted with universal joints
is free to slide, for the purpose of allowing the shaft to contract or extend,
according to the lateral movements of the reel in going over uneven surfaces.
The standard attached to the axis is capable of being moved more or less out
of a vertical position by turning on the said axis, and by this means, together
with a suitable arrangement of the standard already mentioned, which supports
the end of the reel next the frame, the reel may be raised or lowered, or placed
either forward or backward, as required. The motion for driving the delivery
apparatus is communicated from the second-motion spindle, similar gearing
being used to that employed for driving the reel.
Thirdly, in order to keep the cutting apparatus clear, especially in mowing
machines, I use a finger similar to that known as .McCormick's, and add
thereto a guard to protect the knife bar from stones and other obstructions.
-This-guard-is-not-carried-to-the-under-lip-of-the-finger,-but-a-space.is_left.
between them for any clogging substance to fall through.
In some cases I use a swivel wheel, which is free to follow, behind the
machine; the said wheel is fixed in a frame, through the front of which a rod
passes, and so arranged that the wheel and frame can be raised or lowered on
the said rod, so that the knife can be placed at any required height from
the ground; on the top of the rod is fixed a quadrant, on the face of which

page_text: are notches, and a trigger is so placed that it can be made to fall into one of
the said notches, so as to prevent the wheel from turning out of the line of
draught of the machine when backing. When the mowing machine is used
to cut grain crops, I then attach the seat for the raker on to the said rod, or
on to the frame which carries the said swivel wheel.
My Invention consists, lastly, in a means of causing the delivery of the cut
crop from off the platform, by fixing two or more rakes in the reel. The rake
teeth are fitted in heads or holders, which, as the reel revolves to gather
the crop to the cutting apparatus, act as blades of the reel, but which, as they.
approach the platform, turn and present the teeth downwards, and when
sufficient to form a sheaf has accumulated on the platform, the teeth are
allowed to act, and push it from the platform and behind the machine.
SPECIFICATION, in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said. William Bargess in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th May 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS: SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BURGESS, of Newgate Street, in the City of London, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William Burgess, Her special licence that I, the said
William Burgess, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Burgess, 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 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 REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Burgess, iny executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their bands.
and seals, 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 montlis
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Burgess, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say-
My Invention consists, firstly, in means of narrowing reaping and mowing
machines to facilitate their passing along narrow lanes and through gateways.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a plan, and Figure 2 a back
elevation of so much of a reaping and mowing machine as is necessary to shew
part of my Invention. To effect the narrowing I support a frame A, con-
taining the gearing, upon two wheels B, B, and I attach to the lower part of
this frame one or more bars a, a, on which I place one or more travellers b, b:
To this traveller or these travellers is connected, by means of a hinge joint c,
a shoe d, to which is fixed the finger beam d', as also a standard e, for sup-
porting the end of the reel next the frame above mentioned. In order to
prevent the traveller from shifting when the machine is at its full widtb, I
make a hole through the back traveller, and a corresponding hole through the
frame immediately above it, and pass a bolt through both holes, as shewn at
el, Figure 1. To the end of the finger beam farthest from the said frame the
usual wheel and the support for the reel are fitted, and these are not shewn in
the Drawings. My object in connecting the finger beam and traveller by a
hinge joint is that the finger beam, reel, and delivery apparatus may be free to
'follow the irregularities of the ground.
My Invention consists, secondly, in a mode of communicating motion to the
reel. This is effected in the following manner :-Upon the axis of the main
wheel or wheels is fastened a bevel wheel f, and by means of a collar on and
through which the said axis is free to revolve I fix a standard g, and maintain
it in an upright or inclined position as may be required in the adjustment of
the reel or otherwise by means of a stay g'. The stay is pierced with holes,
and the standard is secured by a pin or bolt 92, which also passes through a
hole in the standard g, fitted with two brackets h, h¹, to carry a vertical shaft i.
The lower of these brackets is fixed, but the upper bracket may be raised or
lowered at will (according to the height of the reel);-at-the-lower-extremity-of-
_the_said vertical shaft is fastened a bevel wheel f', which gears into the wheel
f on the main axis; higher up on the said vertical shaft, and supported by the
upper bracket above mentioned, is a bevel wheel k, so attached to the shaft as
to revolve with it, but at the same time capable of sliding up and down on it
according as the bracket which supports it is raised or lowered. The bevel
wheel communicates motion to another bevel wheel k¹, keyed on to a horizontal

page_text: shaft 1, supported at one end by the said movable bracket and connected at the
other with the reel shaft m, to which it imparts rotary motion. The said
horizontal shaft is formed with a tube or, tubes, in which one rod or more
fitted with universal joints is free to slide for the purpose of allowing the shaft
to contract or extend according to the lateral movements of the reel in going
over uneven surfaces. The standard ġ attached to the axis is capable of being
moved more or less out of a vertical position by turning it on the said axis, and
by this means, together with an appliance to the standard e, which supports
the end of the reel shaft next the frame, the reel may be raised or lowered, or
placed either forward or backward as required. The arrangement which I
have adopted for this purpose is as follows:-On the top of the standard e
a T rod n is fixed. This. T rod is moved up and down and fixed in the desired
position by means of a bolt o, passed through holes in it and in the standard e.
p is a traveller, which carries the end of the reel shaft, and is free to travel on
the leg of the T rod. The motion for driving the delivery apparatus is com-
municated from the second-motion spindle, similar gearing being used to that
employed for driving the reel; q is a bevil wheel on the second-motion spindle
;s is a bevelled pinion on the shaft t, geared into by the wheel q, and giving
motion through a pair of bevelled pinions u, u, to a horizontal shaft v, similar
to that employed for communicating motion to the reel shaft m, and fitted with
a hinge w. The shaft is connected to the apparatus C for delivering the cut
crop from off the platform of the machine, and imparts motion to it.
In order to narrow the machine I remove the bolt e¹ and a bolt é² from
the horizontal shaft v, and another bolt from the horizontal shaft l, incline
the upright standard g forward, disconnect the knife bar D from its con-
necting rod E, turn the shaft upwards upon the hinge w, and slide the
travellers along the bar or bars a, a, when the reel and the cutting and
delivering apparatus will all move inwards to the extent to which the
travellers are made to slide. In some cases I use a swivel wheel, which is
free to follow behind the machine; the said wheel is fixed in a frame, through
the front of which a rod passes, so arranged that the wheel and frame can be
raised or lowered on the said rod so that the knife can be placed at any
required height from the ground; on the top of the rod is fixed a quadrant, on
the face of which are notches, and a trigger is so placed that it can be made to
fall into one of the said notches, so as to prevent the wheel from turning out
of the line of draught of the machine when being backed. This swivel wheel,
quadrant, and trigger are shewn in plan and side elevation at Figures 3 and 4.
F, F, are supports fixed on to the back of the frame of the machine; G is a
rod with holes, free to turn in bearings in the supports F, F; H is a frame,

page_text: carrying the wheel. I, through one end of which the rod. passes; the position of
this frame on the rod G is regulated by a pin which is passed through an
aperture formed therein and through one of the holes in the rod G ; K is a
quadrant with notches on its face, fixed. on the top of the rod G; L is a
trigger, which, when required, is inserted into one of the notches to prevent
the frame in which the wheel is fixed from turning when the machine is
being backed.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as my improve-
ments in reaping and mowing machines,-
First, the means of narrowing reaping and mowing machines herein-before
described and represented in the accompanying Drawings.
Second, the mode of communicating: motion to the reel herein-before
described. .
Third, the means of driving: the apparatus for delivering the cut crop herein-
before described.
And, fourth, the apparatus herein-before described, consisting of the quad-
rant and trigger shewn in Figures 3 and 4, fitted in manner and for the
purpose.described..
In witness whereof; I, the said William Burgess, liave hereunto set my
hand and seal; this Twenty-fourth day of May, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-two.