IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING
MACHINES." -A communication from abroad by Joseph Nicholson,
of Melbourne, Australia.
Scaled the 21st February 1873, and dated the 14th November 1872.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
and Declaration, on the 14th November 1872, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES," and have petitioned Her Majesty to
grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal
Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that it
has been communicated to me from abroad by Joseph Nicholson, of
Melbourne, Australia.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and

page_text: scal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, forming a
part of this Specification:
These improvements in reaping and mowing machines are two in
number, and have reference only to the method of altering the speed of
the knife bar. The first and principal one consists in the use of an
eccentric bush on the axle of the draught wheel (or wheels), and the
second consists in a peculiar construction of draught wheel.
Referring to the first improvement I would observe that the knife
bar generally receives its motion from a pinion which gears into teeth on
the inner periphery of the draught wheel, or into another toothed wheel
on the main axle, and its speed is determined by the size of such pinion,
but inasmuch as the pinion spindle is rigid and the axle of the main
wheel stationary it is impossible to use any but a certain sized pinion, or
to give any other than the one unvarying speed.
Now by the use of an eccentric movable bush on the axle of the
draught or driving wheel, the distance between the pinion spindle and
the periphery of the draught wheel (or between the pinion and the
toothed driving wheel on the main axle) may be altered to permit of
changing the pinion for one of larger or smaller diameter, and conse-
quently of the alteration of the speed of the knife bar which it drives.
The degree of eccentricity in the bush determines the maximum amount
of variation obtainable.
In the case of machines which impart motion to the knife bar by
means of teeth on the inner periphery of the draught wheel, I make a
collar on the outer end of this bush which reaches to the outer end of
the axle, and through it and the axle also I bore two, three, or more
sets of holes to receive a pin for keeping the bush in the position
required. When the bush requires readjusting I take out this pin and
use it as a lever, inserting it in the collar (but not in the axle) to
obtain sufficient leverage to revolve the bush on the axle to the extent
and in the direction required. When this is accomplished the pin must
of course be replaced.
In order however that this portion of my Invention may be distinctly
understood, I will proceed to refer to the Drawing where the same
letters indicate the same parts wherever they occur. Figures 1 and 2,

page_text: show side views of the draught wheel of a reaping and mowing machine,
one with the eccentric in such a position as to permit the largest pinion
to be used, and the other with the eccentric in such a position as to
permit only the smallest pinion to be used. Figure 3 shows a cross
section; and Figure 4, a longitudinal section of the draught wheel, axle,
and eccentric bush. A is the axle; B, the eccentric bush; C, the collar
thereon; D, the pin hole through collar and axle; E, the draught wheel;
F, the pinion from the spindle of which motion is imparted to the
spindle G which has a disc H at the extremity. On this disc is a pin I,
which supports one end of and drives the knife bar J. c, d, see Figure 4,
is the space occupied by the draught wheel. The method of using the
pin as a lever for adjusting the eccentric bush is illustrated in Figures 3
and 4.
The bush might be used in other ways on the main axle, but I have
shown that method of application which I believe to be the best.
My second improvement consists in constructing the draught wheel of
reaping and mowing machines with two sets of toothed gearing of
different diameters for driving the pinion through which the knife bar
receives its motion. The object of this improvement is to obviate the
necessity that exists under the method just described for substituting
one pinion for another in order to obtain a change of speed. This im-
provement is clearly illustrated in Figure 5, Sheet 2, Figures 6 and 7
showing respectively transverse and longitudinal sections of the eccentric
bush which in this case has a lever attached to it on the inner side of the
draught wheel, and to which a greater amount of eccentricity is given
than in the Figures on Sheet 1. K is the toothed gearing on the inner
periphery of the draught wheel as ordinarily used; L is the second
toothed gearing which I have introduced, and which forms part of the
draught wheel or may be attached to it. A is the axle; B, the eccentric
bush; C, the collar thereon; D¹, the lever for adjusting the bush which
is kept in the required position by means of a pin D passing through it
and quadrant D³; F is the pinion; M is a metal washer; and N is a pin
for preserving it together with the bush and draught wheel in position.
In this case it will be seen that a lever is permanently attached to the
bush. As the bush stands in Figure 5, the pinion (and with it the knife
bar) is out of gear altogether. By turning the lever into the position
marked D, and drawn in dotted lines, the pinion would be thrown into
gear with the toothed gearing K. By turning it to the opposite extreme

page_text: marked D³, and drawn in dotted lines the pinion would be thrown into
gear with the toothed gearing L. I am aware that draught wheels have
been made with toothed gearing resembling the gearing K or L, but not
with the two on one wheel.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention as communi-
cated to me by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing
the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to
single wheel machines as shown in the Drawings, nor to any of the
precise details herein set forth and illustrated, so long as the nature
of the said Invention be retained, but I claim,—
First. The use of an eccentric bush on the axle of the main draught,
or the driving wheel in reaping and mowing machines for the purpose of
allowing pinions of different sizes to be used to vary the speed of the
knife bar, substantially as herein described and explained and illustrated
in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive.
Second. The use of an eccentric bush on the axle of the main draught
or the driving wheel in reaping and mowing machines for the purpose of
throwing the pinion F in or out of gear with either of the toothed
gearings K or L, substantially as herein described and explained and
illustrated in Figure 5.
Third. The construction of the draught wheel in reaping and mowing
machines with two sets of toothed gearing of different diameters for the
purpose of driving the knife bar (through a pinion) at different specds,
substantially as herein described and explained, and illustrated in
Figure 5.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto
set my band and seal, this Fourteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
Witness,
W. J. LOWE.
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)