Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Aug.. 1888
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 16th Feb.,
1889
We ANDREW HANDYSIDE AND COMPANY, Limited, Britannia Iron Works, Derby,
Engineers, and FRANCIS THOMAS STATHAM of 68 Monk Street, Derby Engineor, do
hereby declaro the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to the typo of agricultural implements known as mowing
machines in which one set of knives is moved by a crank and connecting rod upon a
second set of knives, and has for its object the construction of various parts of tho
implement in such a manner as to ensure durability and facilities for effecting necessary
repairs in cases of breakage and wear of the operating mechanism.
Hitherto in the manners in which it has been customary to form the connecting
rods of mowing machines, taking for instance the case where such rods are made of
two different metals welded together, say wrought iron and steel, great difficulty has
been experienced in effecting the necessary repairs in the event of breakage, this
frequently involves the casting aside of the broken rod, and the consequent increased
cost in the substitution of a new one. Another drawback in mowing machines as at
present generally constructed and which my invention is devised to overcome is the
wearing loose of the bearings at the ends of the connecting rod, and the inadequate
means of lubricating the same which can only be done when the machine is at
rest.
Now, in accordance with our invention, we form the connecting rod in three parts,
the middle portion of which may be of round iron or steel or iron or steel tubing; or,
if desired, the central portion of the connecting rod may be forged out of wrought
it may be of
iron or steel, or the like, or stamped out of wrought iron or steel; or,
malleable cast iron, steel or the like. The ends of said rod, which are provided with
a screw thread, have each an elongated cap or thimble screwed thereon to serve as
extension pieces.-Upon the end of said extension pieces is a boss, bored to receive a
bush of brass or other suitable metal. One end of the connecting rod made up in the
manner above described works freely upon a stud or pin secured to a disc performing
the functions of a crank, to which disc is adapted a lubricating box or cap provided
with a cover, the lubricant from which passes through a suitable channel in the crank

page_text: disc to the bearings. The boss at the other end of the connecting rod works upon a
stud secured to the "knife-bar-end," above which is a plate having a perfectly even
upper surface, and which moves beneath and in contact with a slide box plate.. The
sliding plate upon the "knife-bar-end" has a longitudinal slot formed therein to allow
of the lubricant passing therethrough from a suitable lubricating box upon the "slide-
box-plate" above referred to, to a channel formed in the bush within the boss of the
connecting rod. The bottom of said lubricating box which is rounded and inclines
from the centre towards the ends, has two holes formed therein one at each end, to
allow of tho passage therethrough of the lubricant; or, instead of having two holes,
the lubricator may have one central aperture formed therein to allow of the lubricant
passing through to the bearings. A slide box cover hinged at one end, and secured
when closed by a spring catch allows of the removal and changing of the knives when
necessary.
Instead of forming the connecting rod throughout in the manner above described,
of round metal, the central part may be a simple flat rod or bar, the ends of which
take into forks formed upon the extension pieces to which it would be secured by nuts
and bolts or equivalent means; or, the extension pieces and central part may be flat
and the three parts held together by means of fish-plates placed on both sides, and the
whole secured by bolts and nuts or the like. The connecting rod may if desired be
made up of two instead of three parts and joined together in the manner last above
described. I may however under some circumstances substitute for the round or flat
bars, bars formed of channel iron or steel of suitable section, such for instance as
H section, so as to ensure greater strength and rigidity.
In order to compensate for the wear of the bearings, we tap the hole in which takes
the bush with a fine thread, and form a corresponding male thread upon the bush which
latter is provided with a suitably shaped flange to allow of the bush being screwed
home in its seat; the unscrewing of the bush is prevented by the insertion in a hole
formed for the purpose in the "knife-bar-end" of a split pin, rivet, screw or similar
suitable device for securely locking the bush in position.
In securing the knife blades to the "knife-bar" we prefer to employ three rivets or
the like, by which means, in the event of the breaking or falling out of one of
said rivets, the blades would be retained in position by the remaining two bolts and
nuts.
D1*
1
1000
JAMES STEVENSON,
Gray's Inn Chambers,
20, High Holborn, W.C.,
Agent for Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in and relating to Mowing Machines.
We, ANDREW HANDYSIDE AND COMPANY Britannia Iron Works, Derby,
Engineers, and FRANCIS THOMAS STATHAM of 68 Monk Street Derby Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Our invention relates to the type of agricultural implements known as mowing
machines in which a set of knives is moved by a crank and connecting rod upon a
second set of knives or fingers, and has for its object the construction of various parts
of the implement in such a manner as to ensure durability, and facilities for effecting
necessary repairs in cases of breakage and wear of the operating mechanism.
Hitherto in the manners in which it has been customary to form the connecting
rods of mowing machines, taking for instance the case where such rods are made of
two different metals welded together, say wrought iron and steel, great difficulty has -
been experienced in effecting the necessary repairs in the event of breakage, this
frequently involves the casting aside of the broken rod and the consequent increased
cost in the substitution of a new one. Another drawback in mowing machines as at
present generally constructed, and which our invention is devised to overcome, is the
wearing loose of the bearings at tho ends of the connecting rod, and the inadequate
means of lubricating the same, which can only be done when the machine is at
rest.
In order that our invention may be the better understood we have appended the
accompanying two sheets of drawings in which Figure 1 represents an elevational
view of a mowing machine with connecting rod. Figure 2 is a plan of the same
showing knives and fingers. Figure 3 is a detached view of a finger. Figure 4 is a
sectional elevational view of the lubricating box and slide box cover. Figures 5 and 6
are views of connecting rods made in three parts, and Figures 7 to 10 inclusive are
views of connecting rods made up or formed in two parts.
In accordance with our invention we form the connecting rod A (Figures 5 and 6)
in three parts a a¹ all, the middle portion a' of which may be of round iron or steel rod,
or iron or steel tubing; or, if desired, the central portion a' of the connecting rod may
be forged out of wrought iron or steel or the like, or stamped out of wrought iron or
steel; or it may be of malleable cast iron, steel or the like.
The ends of said rod A, which are provided with screw threads, have each an
clongated cap or thimble a a" screwed thereon to serve as extension pieces; upon the
end of said extension pieces are bosses bb' bored to receive a bush of brass or other
suitable metal. One end of the connecting rod A, made up in the manner above
described works freely upon a stud or pin c secured to a disc C (Figure 1) performing
the functions of a crank, to which disc C is adapted a lubricating box or cup
provided with a cover, the lubricant from which passes through a suitable channel in

page_text: the crank disc to the bearings. The boss at the other end of the connecting rod has
a stud or pin el formed thereon which works in a bearing in the "knife-bar-end "E
above which is a plate e Figures 1 and 4 having a perfectly even upper surface, and
which moves beneath and in contact with a slide box plate f. The sliding plate e upon
the "knife-bar-end " E has a longitudinal slot formed therein to allow of the lubricant
passing therethrough from the lubricating box F upon the "slide-box-plate "fabove
referred to, to a channel formed in the bush within the boss of the connecting rod.
The bottom of said lubricating box F which is curved, and inclines from the
centre towards the ends, as shown in Figure 4, has two holes g g₁ formed therein, one
at each end, to allow of the passage therethrough of the lubricant; or, instead of
having two holes, the lubricator may have one central aperture formed therein, the
bottom inclining from the ends and sides towards the centre to allow of the free
passage of the lubricant to the bearings. A slide box cover G Figure 4 (shown also
in dotted lines Figure 3) hinged at one end, and secured when closed, by a spring
catch, allows of the removal and changing of the knives when necessary.
Instead of forming the connecting rod throughout in the manner above described,
of round metal, the central part may be a simple flat rod or bar, the ends of which
take into forks formed upon the extension pieces to which it would be secured by nuts
and bolts or equivalent means. At Figures 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings,
we have illustrated a connecting rod made up in two parts mm' of flat bars, the end m¹
of one part taking into a fork formed upon the end of the other part m, or, the
extension pieces and central part (in the case when the connecting rod is formed in
three parts) may be flat, the three parts being held together by fish plates, placed one
on each side, and the whole secured by bolts and nuts or the like. The connecting
rod may however, if desired, be made up of two instead of three parts, and joined
together in the manner last above described and shown at Figure 10. 1 may however
under some circumstances. substitute for the round or flat bars, bars formed of channel
iron or steel of suitable section, such for instance as H section, (Figures 9, 9° and 10)
so as to ensure greater strength and rigidity.
In order to compensate for the wear of the bearings on the "knife-bar End" E, we
tap the hole, in which takes the bush, 11 with a fine screw thread, and form a corre-
sponding male thread upon the bush, which latter is provided with a suitably
shaped flange to allow of the bush being screwed home in its seat; the unscrewing of
the bush being prevented by the insertion in a hole formed for the purpose in the
"knife-bar-end," of a split pin, rivet, screw or similar suitable device for securing or
locking the bush in position.
Instead of forging the stud upon the end of the connecting rod, I bore and tap the
boss P Figures 11 and 13 with a fine screw thread, and insert therein a stud Q
Figures 12 and 13 upon which is cut a corresponding thread, and in order to prevent
the stud from shaking or otherwise becoming loose, I lock said stud in position by
means of a lock nutq Figures 11 and 13. By the above means I am enabled, when
the stud has become loosened by wear, to renew same without the necessity of casting
away that end of the connecting rod upon which the stud is formed.
In securing the knife blades H Figure 2 to the knife bar, we prefer to employ three
rivets or the like, by means of which, in the event of the breaking or falling out of
one of said rivets, the knife sections or blades H would be retained in position by the
two remaining rivets.
With a view to the more efficient working of the machine and to prevent the
entwining or entanglement of grass and the like, round the bolt nuts employed to
secure the fingers I, and clips or knife guards i to the finger bars J, we form recesses
in the ends of said guards and fingers to serve as shields, the guards being secured by
one bolt and nut as shown in Figure 2, and the fingers being secured by two bolts
(Figure 3) which latter have preferably counter-sunk heads formed thereon so as to
present a flush surface with the finger bar J aforesaid. By the means last above
described we produce a finger bar free from all projections other than the knife guards
and fingers above mentioned.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
First The improved mowing machine substantially as herein described and shown
in the accompanying drawings.
Second In the improved mowing machine herein described and referred to in the
preceding claim the adaptation thereto and combination therewith of a lubricating
device whereby the bearings of the "knife-bar-end" are kept constantly lubricated
substantially as set forth.
Third In combination with a mowing machine, the adaptation thereto of a disc.C
performing the function of a crank, wherein is formed a covered lubricating box or cup
substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.
Fourth-In mowing machines, the combination with a disc or crank of a divided
connecting rod or rods formed of two or three parts joined together substantially as
and for the purpose herein described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Fifth-In combination with the knife bar of a mowing machine the employment
of knife sections or blades having three holes formed therein substantially as and for
the purpose herein set forth.
Sixth-In a mowing machine the mode of and means employed for compensating
for the wear of the bearings of the connecting rod substantially as herein set
forth.
Seventh-In a mowing machine the independent formation of a stud for attach-
ment to the boss of the smaller end of the connecting rod substantially as and for the
purpose herein described and shown.
JAMES
STEVENSON,
Gray's Inn Chambers,
20, High Holborn, London, W.C.,
Agent for Applicants.