IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick William Turner, of Linslade Works,
Linslade, in the County of Bucks, Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES."
ealed the 4th June 1867, and dated the 6th December 186
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick William
Turner at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 6th December 1866.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM TURNER, of Linslade Works, Linslade, in the
County of Bucks, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES," to be as
follows:-
My improvements in machinery for reaping and mowing consist, first, in
the arrangement of rakes and collecting board for gathering the corn to the
cutting bar and knife and delivering it in sheaf ready for binding by the side
of the table of the machine and clear of the track of the horses; for this
purpose I fix one, two, or more rakes or collectors on vertical spindles which
are free to revolve in bearings at the end of radial arms which are fixed to
a vertical shaft and driven by suitable gearing from the travelling wheel of
the machine, such rake spindles are actuated by suitable gearing so that
while the radial arms in which they revolve turn in one direction the rakes
turn in an opposite direction, so that they always maintain (whatever may be
the position of the radial arms) the same angle with the line of motion of the

page_text: :
machine, or with that of the cutter bar, and this is effected by means of bevel
wheels attached to spindles revolving in radial arms and working round an
idle or fixed wheel attached to the bearing of the vertical shaft by which such
radial arms are driven. It is understood that the rakes or collectors hitherto
used strike the corn on the ear, and when ripe thrash some of it out, whereas
the rakes and collectors herein described always maintain the same level and
enter the corn at the side and only a short distance from the ground, and
therefore do not thrash the corn out, as they do not touch the ears.
Secondly, in the application of an oblique disc and suitable connections,
hereafter described as a substitute for the ordinary crank hitherto used in
these reaping and mowing machines for working the knife bar, the object
of which is to keep the parts perfectly balanced, to retain the lubricating
material between the wearing surfaces, and to facilitate the renewal of the
parts. The oblique disc is attached to spindle by a simple nut and feather, and
can be taken off and replaced in a few minutes; the disc is fitted with a cap
having two pivots which work in the fork end of a rocking shaft, to which
they give motion as the oblique disc revolves, such rocking shaft is fitted at
the opposite end with a lever arm of suitable length to give the required
stroke to the knife bar; by the use of these means the knife bar can be placed
in any position with the travelling wheel whether the machine. is used for
reaping or mowing. By these means I am enabled to give to the knife bar
double the length of the usual stroke, so that the knife instead of moving
simply from finger to finger has a stroke equal to the distance of two fingers;
by this means each knife makes 4 four cuts to each revolution of the oblique
dise instead of two only as heretofore when driven by the crank, and therefore
the oblique diso need not be driven at more than one-half the usual speed of
the cranks hitherto used.
T
The third part of my improvements consists in constructing machines for
reaping with back delivery: I propose to mount three vanes on radial arms
revolving with a spindle placed across the front of the machine to gather in the
standing crop to be cut somewhat as usual, but with a fourth vane carrying
a rake to the ends of lever arms and attached to radial arms revolving on
same spindle, the opposite ends of such lever arms being connected by rods
to other lever arms near the spindle, one of which second lever armis is fitted
with an antifriction roller working in a fixed cam of such a shape as to guide
the fourth vane or rakė horizontally over and close to the table of the machine
so as to clear the table of corn once to every revolution of the vanes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick William Turner in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 6th June 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
WILLIAM TURNER, of Linslade Works, Linslade, in the County of Bucks,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of December, 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
Frederick William Turner, Her special licence that I, the said Frederick
William Turner, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Frederick William Turner, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Frederick William Turner, 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 1, the said Frederick William Turner, 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 reference being had to the three Sheets of Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):
My improvements in machinery for reaping and mowing consist, first, in the
arrangment of rakes and collecting boards for gathering the corn to the cutting
bar and knife and delivering it in sheaves ready for binding by the side of the
table of the machine and clear of the next track of the horses. For this
purpose I fix one, two, or more rakes or collectors on pendant axes which are
free to revolve in bearings at the end of radial arms, which are mounted or
the
upper end of a vertical shaft and driven by suitable gearing from the

page_text: travelling wheel of the machine; such rake spindles are so actuated by the
gearing that while the radial arms (in which they revolve) turn in one
direction the rakes turn in an opposite direction, or more properly speaking
their axes are without rotary motion and always maintain the same angle with
the line of motion of the machine or with that of the cutter bar whatever may
be the position of the radial arms; this is effected by means of bevil wheels
attached to spindles revolving in the radial arms and working round an idle or
fixed wheel attached to the bearing of the vertical shaft by which such radial
arms are driven. The rakes or collectors hitherto used strike, the corn on the
ear, and when ripe thrash some of it out, whereas the rakes and collectors
herein described always revolve in the same plane and enter the corn at the
side at a short distance from the ground, and therefore do not thrash the corn
out, as they do not touch the ears, and also serve the purpose of raising
laid corn.
The improvements relate, secondly, to the application of an oblique disc or
spindle and suitable connections herein-after described) as a substitute for
the ordinary rotating crank hitherto used in this class of machines for com-
municating motion to the knife bar, the object of which arrangement is to
keep the parts perfectly balanced, to retain the lubricating material between
the wearing surfaces, and to facilitate the renewal of the parts. The oblique
disc is attached to its shaft by a simple nut and feather, and can be taken off
and replaced in a few minutes. The disc is fitted with an encircling cap
having two pivots which work in the forked end of a shaft to which they
impart a rocking motion as the oblique disc or spindle revolves; such
oscillating or rocking shaft is fitted at the opposite end with a lever arm of
suitable length to give the required stroke to the knife bar; by the use of
these means the knife bar can be placed in any required position with regard
to the travelling wheel, whether the machine is used for reaping or mowing.
By these means I am enabled to give the knife bar double the usual length
of stroke, so that the knife instead of moving simply from finger to finger has
a stroke equal to the distance of two fingers; by this means each knife makes
four cuts to each revolution of the oblique disc instead of two only as here-
tofore when driven by the crank, and therefore the axis of the oblique disc
need not be driven at more than one-half the usual speed of the crank axis
hitherto used.
The third part of my improvements consist in constructing machines for
reaping with back delivery where it is preferred to bind the corn as fast as it
is cut; to do this I mount three vanes or radial arms revolving with a
spindle placed across the front of the machine to gather in the standing crop

page_text: to the cutter bar, somewhat as usual, but with a fourth vane carrying a rake
mounted on the end of lever arms (one at either side of the machine) and
attached to the radial arms revolving on the same spindle, the opposite.ends
of such lever arms are connected by rods to the lever arms near the spindle,
one of which arms is provided with an antifriction roller working in a fixed
cam of such form as to guide the fourth vane or rake horizontally over and in
close proximity to the table of the machine, so as to clear the table of corn
avolution of the
ched to the radial arms revolving on the same spinate, the opposites
of such lever arms are connected by rods to the lever arms near the spindle,
one of which arms is provided with an antifriction roller working in a fixed
cam of such form as to guide the fourth vane or rake horizontally over and in
close proximity to the table of the machine, so as to clear the table of corn
for every revelation of the venes.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, on line 1, 2, Figure 2, of a
reaping machine constructed according to my Invention.; Figure 2 is a plan
of the same; Figure 3, a sectional elevation of the main driving gear, and
Figure 4 an elevation of the opposite side of the machine to Figure 1, while
Figures 5 and 6 show detached views of some of the parts.
a is the main travelling wheel mounted in the framing b, carrying a toothed
wheel.c in its interior for imparting motion to the cutters. The boss of the
travelling wheel a is provided with a bevil pinion d, gearing with another
pinion e on the lower end of a vertical shaft f carried in the hollow stem g of
framing b; the upper end of this shaft is connected with a clutch box h, by
means of which the rotary motion of the shaft f is communicated to two or
more radial arms i, i, mounted on a box revolving on the upper end of the
stem g. The radial arms i are made hollow and provided in their interior
with horizontal shafts k, k, having bevil pinions 1, 1', one at either end,
the one gearing with an idle or fixed pinion " mounted on the top
end of hollow stem g, and the other with a pinion m on the end of
a pendant axis n carrying the rake o or collector p. In this manner on
motion being imparted to the shaft f by the travelling wheel a the radial
arms & will be caused to rotate in a horizontal plane, while the spindles in
their interior will rotate therein by reason of their communication with
the fixed pinion ", this motion being communicated to the pendant axes. The
rake o and collector p are always maintained in the same relative position
with the line of motion of the machine whatever may be the position of the
radial arms. By this means the rake o and collector p are enabled to enter
the standing corn near the ground instead of from above as usual, and are so
prevented from knocking out the grain from the ears of corn while it is being
brought to the cutter and gathered on the table, from which it is swept by
the rake, and formed in bundles or sheaves. There may be one collector and
one rake (which also acts as a collector), as seen in the Drawing, or, say,

page_text: three collectors and one rake, which clears the platform q of what was left by
the collectors once for each revolution. Figure 1 also shows the apparatus
for driving the cutters, and for throwing them in and out of gear. 1 is a'
friction or toothed wheel keyed on an axis s of the framing, also provided with
a pinion t gearing with the first mover c, by means of which motion is imparted
to the cutter bar u; wheel r gears with a pinion or friction wheel v carried on
the axis of the inclined disc w (separately represented in Figures 5 and 6)
for communicating to-and-fro motion to the cutters; this disc is provided with
an encircling ring or cap, as before mentioned, having two pivots (above and
below) taking into the forked end of a rocking shaft x, to which they givo
motion as the disc to revolves with its axis; the shaft is provided at its
other end with a crank arm and link y connecting it with the knife bar u,
which link is of suitable length according to the length of stroke to be imparted
to the knife bar. By means of the above described arrangement of parts the
knife may be made to have double the usual length of stroke, and make four
cuts to each revolution of the disc, and may consequently be driven at half
the number of strokes usually given to the knife bar; u¹ screw and nut for
regulating the height of cut by raising or lowering frame b. The axis of
wheel is mounted in an excentric bearing, by the aid of which the pinion t
may be readily thrown in or out of gear with the travelling wheel, said bearing
being provided with an arms, which may be adjusted and fixed in any position
on the quadrant. by means of a screw and nut. A, front portion of the
framing of the machine carrying the leading wheel B; C, driver's seat;
D, Figure 4, shows the small travelling wheel on the opposite side of the
machine; E, iron framing attached to knife bar and table; F, lever for
regulating the height of the cut by adjusting the position of the knife bar,
said lever being secured at any point of the quadrant G for such purpose.
Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10, show the mode of driving the cutters above described
applied to a mowing machine as a substitute for the crank motion usually
employed, Figure 7 being an elevation of the finger bar side of the machine,
Figure 8 a plan, and Figure 9 a partial view of the back of finger bar and
frame. a', a¹, are the travelling wheels mounted loose on an axis b¹, carried
in bearings of the frame; c¹, 6x, ratchet clutch boxes mounted on axis b¹, and
communicating motion thereto in one direction only to permit of the machine
turning round or backing without actuating the cutters. On axis b¹ is keyed
a toothed wheel d¹ gearing with a pinion e mounted on an axis fitted in the
framing c¹, on the other end of this axis is a wheel f¹, gearing with a pinion g'
fixed on and imparting motion to the axis of the inclined disc h' before
described for driving the cutters (shown separately in side view at Figure 10).

page_text: This disé being mounted on and revolving with the axis of pinion g' imparts
oscillating motion to a shaft i, having a crank arm k¹ connected to the knife
bar for the purpose of operating the same; m is a cranked lever for raising
the outer end of cutter bar when the frame n¹ is raised by the aid of hand
lever o. As the cutter bar frame is lifted the lever m³ runs on a lug or boss
cast on the framing c' (shown in dotted lines at p¹); whereby it lifts the outer
end of finger bar w' by depressing a lug q' cast on the finger bar shoe r¹; s',
tool box, also serving as a foot plate; t¹, pole; and u', driver's seat; v¹, clutch
for throwing the cutters out of gear at any time. The red line 3, 4, Figure 7,
shows the raised position of cutters.
Figures 11 and 12 show a sectional elevation and plan of a modified
arrangement of parts for communicating the reciprocating motion to the
cutters. In this case instead of using an inclined disc as before I incline the
end of the spindle a and connect the rocking shaft 62 thereto by a socket c³,
which is secured in position by a square brass bush d with oil cup passing
through the upper side of the socket. The orifice of socket in which is
received the end of the spindle a² is made of oval form in transverse section,
whereby to impart the reciprocating motion to the lever attached to the
connecting rod or knife bar by the rotation of spindle a³..
A further modification of the same apparatus is shown in side and end views
at Figures 13 and 14. a³ is the shaft; 63, inclined end of same; c, socket
of rocking shaft; d³, pin of oscillating bearing which works in socket of
rocking shaft ; f³, rocking lever attached to the end of connecting rod or
knife bar, and communicating reciprocating motion to same.
The third part of my. Invention is illustrated in Figure 15 of the Drawings,
and consists in combining a back delivery action with the ordinary gathering
reel of reaping machines. For this purpose I mount three blades H,.H, on
radial arms I attached to a spindle K mounted transversely at the front part
of the machine, and driven by the gearing as usual for gathering in the
standing crop. I also provide a fourth pair of arms L carrying a rake M at
their extreme ends; this rake is mounted on a lever N connected by an
adjustable screw rod O to a bent lever P carrying a friction roller P' running
in a cam groove Q mounted and fixed on the framing of the machine. The
cam groove is made of such form that the fourth vane or rake will be guided
horizontally over the table R of the machine after delivering the crop to the
cutters, and so clear it of the cut corn once for every revolution of the vanes.
The dotted lines in the Drawing show the position of the rake at the moment
it commences its horizontal motion over the platform, as also the various
positions of the friction roller P¹ in the cam groove Q, while the truck moves

page_text: between the positions shown in red the rake describes the same circle as the
gathering vanes, that is, from j¹ to j³, and acts like one of them in gathering
the standing corn up to the cutters; at all other points of its revolution the
rake departs from said circle, and as regulated by the cam Q.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First, the arrangement and construction of collecting and delivering
apparatus applied to reaping machines, as herein-before described and
represented in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Drawings annexed, characterized
by the entrance of the collectors and rakes at the side of the standing crop,
and the delivery of the cut crop in sheaves or bundles clear of the next track
of the horses, all as herein-before set forth.
Secondly, I claim the arrangement and application of the oblique disc or
spindle, and parts connected therewith, for communicating motion from the
running wheel to the cutter bar of reaping machines, as herein-before described
and illustrated in the Drawings annexed.
I also claim the application of said oblique disc or spindle, and parts or
apparatus for actuating the cutter bar of mowing machines, as herein-before
described.
Thirdly, I claim the arrangement and application to reaping machines of
a gathering reel or vanes in which a rake is fitted and furnished, as represented
in Figure 15 of the Drawings annexed, whereby it is caused to gather the
standing corn up to the cutters, and to move parallel with the delivery platform
or nearly so for the purpose of sweeping or raking off the cut crop therefrom
as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick William Turner, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Third day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.