IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR LIFTING. OR PITCHING CUT CROPS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Spencer Peddar, of Harlestone, in the County of
Suffolk, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR LIFTING.
OR PITCHING CUT CROPS."
Sealed the 12th April 1867, and dated the 22nd October 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Spencer Peddar at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd October 1866.
I, SPENCER PEDDAR, of Harlestone, in the County of Suffolk, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR LIFTING OR PITCHING CUT CROPS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for lifting or
pitching cut crops. Heretofore cut crops, such as hay, barley, and others,
have been lifted or pitched into waggons by hand labor by the use of
pitchforks.
Now according to the present Invention such cut crops are raised by a
succession of forks which are fixed to and carried by endless chains, bands, or
ropes which are supported-by two rollers or barrels, one near the ground.and
the other at the upper part of a frame, which is capable of being raised and
lowered and for a time retained in any desired position according to the height

page_text: to which the crop is to be raised into or on a waggon. The endless chain or
system of lifting or raising forks is mounted in a suitable carriage, and the
same is arranged to accompany a waggon and progressively to rake up or
gather the cut crop from the land and to lift or pitch it into the waggon as
the same is moved forwards. It is preferred that the carriage should be
wholly independent of the waggon and capable of being attached to a waggon
till the same is loaded, and then to be detached and attached to another
waggon, and for such purpose the lifting or pitching machine is mounted on
its own wheels, and the endless system or band of forks is put in motion from
one of the axles of such wheels or from one of the wheels. At the back end
of the carriage is a gathering fork with curved teeth, which is capable of
adjustment so that the forward points of the gathering- teeth- may come as
near as may be to the surface of the land whilst the points of the teeth of the
endless series may lie at a somewhat greater distance from the surface of the
Jand, and thus take the cut crop partly from the land and partly from that
which is gathered by the curved teeth of the gathering fork. At the upper
part of the machine there is a shoot or trough, the outer end of which
extends over the waggon, and delivers the crop as it falls from the endless.
system of forks.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, fileḍ
by the said Spencer Peddar in the Great Seal. Patent Office on the
20th April 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,, SPENCER
PEDDAR, of Harlestone, in the County of Suffolk, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and 'successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Spencer Peddar, Her special licence that I, the said Spencer
Peddar, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
sáid Spencer Peddar, 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 MACHINERY FOR LIFTING OR PITCHING CUT CROPS," upon

page_text: the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Spencer Peddar, my executors
or administrators, 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 performed,
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 Spencer Peddar, 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 :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for lifting or
pitching cut crops. Heretofore cut crops, such as hay, barley, and others,
have been lifted or pitched into waggons by hand labor by the use of pitch-
forks.
Now according to the present Invention such cut crops are raised by a
succession of forks which are fixed to and carried by endless chains, bands, or
ropes, which are supported by two rollers or barrels, one near the ground and
the other at the upper part of a frame which is capable of being raised and
lowered and for a time retained in any desired position, according to the
height to which the crop is to be raised into or on a waggon. The endless
chain or system of lifting or raising forks is mounted in a suitable carriage,
and the same is arranged to accompany a waggon, and progressively to rake
up or gather the cut crop from the land, and to lift or pitch it into the
waggon as the same is moved forwards. It is preferred that the carriage
should be wholly independent of the waggon, and capable of being attached
to a waggon till the same is loaded, and then to be detached and attached to
another waggon; and for such purpose the lifting or pitching machine is
mounted on its own wheels, and the endless system or band of forks is put in
motion from one of the axles of such wheels or from one of the wheels.. At
the back end of the carriage is a gathering fork with curved teeth, which is
capable of adjustinent, so that the forward points of the gathering teeth may
come as near as may be to the surface of the land, whilst the points of the
teeth of the endless series may be at a somewhat greater distance from the
surface of the land, and thus take the cut crop partly from the land and partly
from that which is gathered by the curved teeth of the- gathering fork. At
the upper part of the machine thère is a shoot or trough, the outer end of
which extends over the waggon, and delivers the crop as it falls from the
endless system of forks..

page_text: Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe
more fully the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side view and Figure 2 a plan view of a machine constructed
in the manner above described.
In these Figures a, a, are the teeth or forks for lifting or pitching the cut
crop; these forks are carried by and affixed at intervals to two endless
chains 6, 6, and may be sheltered from the wind by a canvas screen. The
chains 6, 6, pass around chain wheels on two rollers c, c, the lower roller c
being near to the ground, and the upper roller c being carried at the upper
end of a frame d; the lower end of this frame turns on an axis e, which is
also the axis of the lower roller c, and intermediate of the length of the
framed the frame has attached to it on each side curved racks f, f, which
gear with pinions g³ on an axis g, so that by turning the pinions by a crank
bandle on their axis the frame d can be turned on the axis e, and by this
means the upper end of the frame which carries the upper roller c can be
raised or lowered, and can be retained in any position by means of a pin catch
acting with a disc on the axis g. The axes and 9 are supported on the
carriage frame h, which at its rear end runs on wheels h¹, and at its forward
end on a pair of wheels h³, the axle of which is capable of turning with a
locking motion; to the axle of the forward pair of wheels are connected the
shafts. When the machine is in action it is placed alongside of a waggon,
the horse in the shafts of the pitching or lifting machine being connected up
with the horse in the shafts of the waggon; and as the waggon and pitching
or lifting machine are together drawn along, the pitching or lifting machine
raises the cut crop that is lying on the ground, and deposits it into the
waggon. The endless chain 6 carrying the forks a is put in motion by the
axis of the lower roller c being driven from the axle of the hinder pair of
wheels h¹, as shewn, and the speed at which they are driven can be varied by
varying the diameter of the gear wheel on the axis e of the lower roller c. At
the rear end of the frame h of the machine is a gathering fork with curved
teeth; these teeth when the machine is in action rest by their own weight on
the surface of the ground, and gather up the crop lying upon it; and the crop
as it is thus gathered up is taken by the forks a, and is by them lifted or
pitched into the waggon. When the machine is not at work and is being
moved from place to place, the gathering fork k may be turned on the axis,
which supports it, and held up so that its teeth are kept up off the ground by.
placing a pin into one or other of the slots h₁ in the frame h, and causing it,

page_text: to hold back the upper end of the fork, as shewn by red lines in Figure 1.
The teeth or forks a which lift or raise the crop deliver it into a trough I,.
which is supported at the upper ends of the frames d; when the machine is
at work one end of this trough projects over the waggon into which the crop
is to be pitched or hoisted, and in order to move the crop as it is delivered
into the trough towards its end that projects over the waggon a rotating.
spiked wheel m is placed above the trough, which wheel m is caused to rotate
and move the crop in the trough towards the waggon. The axis of the
wheel m is carried by a bracket at the upper end of the frame d, and is driven
by bevil wheels from the axis of the upper roller c which is carried at this end
of the frame. In place of the wheel m being employed for moving the crop
along the trough a spiked endless belt may be employed, or other arrange-
ments may be adopted.
In witness whereof, I, the said Spencer Peddar, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
SPENCER PEDDAR. (L.8.)