IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM CULTIVA- TION, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE USED THEREIN."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Cooper, of Great Ryburgh, in the County of
Norfolk, Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM CULTIVA-
TION, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE USED THEREIN."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Cooper at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd March 1880.
THOMAS COOPER, of Great Ryburgh, in the County of Norfolk, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM CULTIVATION, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE USED
THEREIN."
The object of this Invention is to provide a simple arrangement of apparatus
whereby two engines situate, say, at opposite headlands, may be caused to act
simultaneously to traverse a cultivator across the field to be tilled, and thereby to
effect the material economy in steam power; two small steam engines being
enabled to do the work of two engines of double their power, operating alternately
on the draught rope of the cultivator.
To this end I mount upon each engine a winding drum as usual, and in addition
thereto a grooved pulley, and these I bring into gear with the crank shaft of the
engine in such manner that they may be alternately driven for the purpose to bo
presently explained.
The two engines, say, A and B, being similarly fitted with a winding drum and
grooved driven pulley, I connect the cultivator to the engine in the following
manner-From the drum of the engine A I lead the wire rope connected therewith
forward to the grooved pulley on the engine B, and from this pulley I lead it back
to the cultivator and connect it thereto in the usual manner, the cultivator being
at this time situate near the engine A.
When the drum of this engine and the pulley of the engine B are thrown into
gear with their respective crank shafts the power of the two engines will be
simultaneously employed in hauling upon the rope to move the cultivator towards

page_text: the distant engine B. Similarly when the return motion of the cultivator is to be
made, the drum and pulley will be thrown out of gear, and the drum of the
engine B and pulley of the engine A will now be brought into action. The rope
from the drum on the engine B being laid round the pulley on the engine A, and
thence carried to and connected to the cultivator, it follows that when this drum
and pulley are in their turn driven by their respective engines the cultivator will
be caused to make its return motion under the combined action of the two engines.
The position in which the drums and pulleys are mounted on their respective
engines will be determined by the judgment of the engineer, the construction of
the engine controlling to a great extent his judgment.
It will be understood that the drums as they are thrown out of action will be
locked so as to prevent the running off of the rope to form slack.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Cooper in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st September
1880.
THOMAS COOPER, of Great Ryburgh, in the County of Norfolk, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM CULTIVATION, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE USED
THEREIN."
The object of this Invention is to provide a simple arrangement of apparatus
whereby two engines situate, say, at opposite headlands, may be caused to act
simultaneously to traverse a cultivator across the field to be tilled, and thereby to
effect a material economy in steam power; two small steam engines being enabled
to do the work of two engines of double their power, operating alternately on the
draught rope of the cultivator.
To this end I mount upon each engine a winding drum as usual, and in addition
thereto a grooved pulley, and these I bring into gear with the crank shalt of the
engine in such manner that they may be alternately driven for the purpose to be
presently explained.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn at Fig. 1 a diagram plan illustrating
my improved mode of driving the cultivator. Supposing the two engines A and B,
which are placed at opposite sides of the field, to be fitted each with a winding
drum and a grooved driven pulley, I connect the cultivator to the engines in the
following manner:-From the drum a of the engine A. I lead the wire rope con-
nected therewith forward to the grooved pulley b' on the engine B, and from the
pulley I load it back to the cultivator C, and connect it thereto in the usual
manner, the cultivator being at this time situate near the engine A. When the
drum a and the pulley b¹ are thrown into gear with their respective crank shafts
A', B', the power of the two engines will be simultaneously employed in hauling
upon the rope to move the cultivator towards the distant engino B. Similarly
when the return motion of the cultivator is to be made the drum a and pulley bl
will be thrown out of gear, and the drum b of the engine B and pulley a¹ of the
engine A will now be brought into action. The rope from the drum b being laid
round the pulley a¹, and thence carried to and connected to the cultivator C, it
follows that when this drum and pulley are in their turn driven by their respectivo
engines the cultivator will be caused to make its return motion under the combined
action of the two engines.
The position in which the drums and pulleys are mounted on their respective
engines will be determined by the judgment of the engineer, the construction of
the engine controlling to a great extent his judgment.
Fig. 2 shows in sectional elevation the winding drum and driving pulley of one
of the engines with the gearing for transmitting the motion thereto from the crank
shaft; and Fig. 3 is a sectional plan taken in the line, of Fig. 2. In these
Figures a is a pendent stud axle bolted to the underside of the boiler, and intended
to carry the drum a and pulley a', and also a spur wheel a³, through which
rotary motion is imparted to the winding drum and to the pulley alternately.
This spur wheel is cast with an annular extension on its underside to form a boss
for the grooved pulley a to work upon, and it is also provided with a sleeve,
which extends down to a sufficient length to form an axle for the winding drum a.
The grooved pulley a' may be described as a ring with indents on its inner
periphery that constitute a ring of ratchet teeth. The winding drum a is cast
with a ring of ratchet teeth on its upper side, of such diameter as will permit of its
entering within the annular extension of the spur wheel a³, and lying in the same
horizontal plane as the ratchet teeth of the driving pulley. In the space between
these two rings of ratchet teeth the annular extension of the spur wheel is formed,
with one or more sockets to receive a horizontal sliding bolt aª of such length that

page_text: it must interlock with one or other of the rings of ratchet teeth. The object of
this bolt is to connect the drum a and the pulley a¹ alternately with the spur
wheel a³, according to the direction in which it is intended that the cultivator shall
travel. The spur wheel is mounted loosely on its stud axle, and held in place by
a screw cap, or its equivalent, attached to the lower end of the stud axle. Gearing
into the spur wheel a³ is a spur pinion a keyed on a vertical shaft a, which turns
in bearings attached to the engine boiler. Keyed to the upper end of this shaft is
a bevil pinion a² which gears into and is driven by a bevil pinion as on the crank
shaft A'.
When it is desired to give the cultivator a traverse motion from the engine, as
indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, the bolt a is caused to interlock with the teeth
of the drum a, and a winding on motion will consequently be imparted to that
drum. This interlocking of the bolt is caused by the reversal of the action of the
engine, the bolt being then moved up the incline of a ratchet tooth on the pulley,
and thereby caused to slide inwards in its socket. The reverse action takes place
when the bolt is moved up the incline of one of the ratchet teeth carried by the
drum, and the pulley is then locked to the spur wheel.. This is the case with the
pulley on the engine B, Fig. 1, at the time the traverse motion in the direction of
the arrow is taking place.
In order to prevent the rope on the drum from running off too fast when the
pulley is being driven, and yet leave the drum free to supply the rope as required,
I provide the drum with a brake band a³, and I mount a pawl on one of the arms
of the spur wheel, which pawl engages with a ring of ratchet teeth, or it may be a
simple stop placed on the top edge of this brake band.
This pawl prevents the brake band from being carried round by frictional
contact with the drum at the same rate of speed as that at which the drum is
rotating, and the brake band consequently puts a slight drag on the rope, which is
being payed off from the drum. This arrangement will be readily understood on
reference to the plan view (Fig. 3) of the Drawing.
For disconnecting the gearing and throwing the tackle out of action I may
use a sliding clutch on the crank shaft, or any equivalent and well known
contrivance.
It will be understood that the drums as they are thrown out of action should be
locked so as to prevent the running off of the rope to form slack. This may be
conveniently effected by means of a friction band a¹o applied to the drum, as shewn
at Fig. 2, and put into action by the pressure of the foot of the attendant on a
treadle lever.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in Steam
Cultivation, and in Apparatus to be Used therein," and having explained the manner
of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above
in part recited Letters Patent, I claim,—
First. The mode of imparting a traverse motion to cultivators from a pair of
steam engines, substantially as described, with reference to Fig. 1 of the Drawing.
Secondly. The arrangement of mechanism described, with reference to Figures 2
and 3 of the Drawing, for actuating alternately the drums and driving pulleys of
ploughing engines for the purpose above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Cooper, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Fourteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
THOMAS COOPER. (L.S.)