IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING WEIGHTS, APPLICABLE . AMONG OTHER PURPOSES TO AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Hensman, of Woburn, in the County of
Bedford, Agricultural Implement Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING WEIGHTS, APPLICABLE
. AMONG OTHER PURPOSES TO AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS."
Sealed the 8th September 1864, and dated the 14th March 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Hensman at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th
March 1864.
I, WILLIAM HENSMAN, of Woburn, in the County of Bedford, Agricultural
Implement Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING WEIGHTS, APPLICABLE
AMONG OTHER PURPOSES TO AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS," to be as follows:-
My improvements in apparatus for lifting and lowering weights relate to
apparatus applicable to cranes, winches, crabs, and other machinery for lifting
and lowering weights, the object being to retain the weight by the self-action
of the apparatus at any position while being lifted or lowered by the action of
a brake, while at the same time no extra power is required in raising the
weight.
This apparatus is particularly applicable to agricultural implements, in
connection with which I will more particularly describe it, and from which
its application to other purposes when lifting and lowering weights will be
sufficiently obvious without further detail.

page_text: In agricultural implements for tilling land, more especially those working
by steam, a number of instruments acting on the land are usually mounted in
a framework, parts of which can be raised for lifting the instruments from or
lowering them into the ground, and are usually in duplicate sets, the one set
for acting in a direction contrary to that of the other; and my Invention
relates to the apparatus for lifting and sustaining the implements from the
ground; for this purpose I employ a wheel and pinion to actuate a barrel or
shaft (one for each set of implements), on which the chain or connection
lifting the plough frame is wound; on-this chain barrel is mounted a disc or
drum, on the periphery of which a strap encircling it exerts a sufficient amount
of friction to sustain the chain barrel with the weight of the implements in
any position. The disc or drum is mounted loosely on the axis, and there is
adjoining it a ratchet wheel fixed to the axis, a pawl mounted on the disc
takes into, this ratchet wheel, which carries the disc with it when turned in
the one direction, and causes it to slip in the brake strap; this it does when
lowering the implements, while on the other hand, while raising the imple-
ments the ratchet teeth traverse past the pawl, and so obviate any friction of
the brake surfaces, which remain stationary during this time. Thus it is
simply necessary to turn the winch handle, by which the toothed gearing is
actuated, in the one direction or the other, the implements remaining
stationary at any point without fixing. The strap of the brake I apply
with a spring and screw bearing on it so that it may be tightened at pleasure
in case of wear.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Hensman in the Great Seal Patent Office, on the :
14th September 1864.
**TO ALL' TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HENSMAN, of Woburn, in the County of Bedford, Agricultural Implement
Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date, the Fourteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Hensman, Her special licence that I, the said William Hensman,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Hensman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree

page_text: 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 APPARATUS
FOR RAISING AND LOWERING WEIGHTS, APPLICABLE AMONG OTHER PURPOSES TO
AGRICUTURAL IMPLEMENTS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said William Hensman, 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.
I
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Hensman, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My improvements in apparatus for lifting and lowering weights relate to.
apparatus applicable to cranes, winches, crabs, and other machinery for lifting
and loworing ponderable bodies, the object being to retain the weight by the
self-action of the apparatus at any position while being lifted or lowered by
the action of a brake, which is applied constantly, while at the same time no
obstacle is presented to the raising of the weight by the brake so applied.
On the pinion shaft or first mover of the crab, crane, or like. apparatus. I
mount and fix a ratchet pinion, and by the side of such pinion I place a
friction wheel or disc, but loosely on such shaft or ratchet pinion. The friction
.wheel or disc is surrounded by a belt of steel or iron or other suitable material,
which being drawn tightly round the periphery of the wheel by a weighted
lever creates a certain amount of friction and resistance to the turning of said
friction wheel. This friction wheel, which may be in the form of a box
enclosing the ratchet wheel, carries a pawl or pawls, which take into the teeth
of the ratchet. In hoisting weights the ratchet wheel rotates with the pinion
shaft, its teeth at same time slipping freely over the pawl or pawls, and there-
fore offering no obstruction to the hoisting; on the contrary, supposing the
driving power to be suspended and removed the ratchet teeth will immediately
take into the pawl or pawls, and prevent any retrograde motion of the ratchet
wheel and the shaft, without carrying the friction wheel with it; if the brake
aud friction power be sufficient it will arrest and sustain the weight being
lifted, and this at any time and throughout the whole height of the lift. The

page_text: lever, which is a hand lever, applying the brake power, I provide with a
shifting weight, whereby to increase the power of the brake at pleasure. In
lowering weights by same apparatus it is simply necessary to remove a part
of the weight producing the friction from the lever by raising it by hand,
thereby allowing the brake wheel to slip in the strap at any speed desired,
which can be regulated at pleasure; and also by turning the pinion shaft or
first mover in the lowering direction, the brake being applied gives great
steadiness, and prevents that jerking motion which is produced in lowering
weights without the application of a brake. Instead of being on a pinion
shaft or first mover, the ratchet and friction apparatus may be on the chain,
-drum, or on an intermediate shaft, but for heavy bodies I prefer it on the first
This arrangement is, amongst other purposes, applicable to agricul
tural implements, in connection with which I will more particularly describe
it, and from which its applicability to a variety of purposes where lifting and
.lowering weights is required will be sufficiently obvious.
mover.
In agricultural implements for tilling land, more especially those worked
by steam, a number of instruments acting on the land are usually mounted in
a framework, parts of which can be raised or lowered, moving with them the
instruments in the act of lifting from or lowering them into the ground; these
instruments are usually in duplicate sets, the one set for acting in a direction
contrary to that of the other. My Invention relates to the apparatus for lifting
and sustaining the implements from the ground; for this purpose I employ
a wheel and pinion to actuate a barrel or shaft (one for each set of imple-
ments), on which the chain or connection lifting the plough frame is wound;
on the pinion shaft, or, if preferred, on the chain barrel or shaft, is mounted a
disc or drum, on the periphery of which a strap encircling it exerts a suffi-
cient amount of friction to sustain the chain barrel with the weight of the
implements in any position. The disc or drum is mounted loosely on the axis
or ratchet; but there is adjoining it a ratchet wheel fixed to the axis, a pawl
-mounted on the disc takes into this ratchet wheel, which carries the disc with
it when-turned in the one direction, causing it to slip in the brake strap; this
it does when lowering the implements, while on the other hand, while raising
the implements the ratchet teeth traverse past the pawl, and so obviate any
friction of the brake surfaces, which remain stationary during that time. Thus
it is simply necessary to turn the winch handle, by which the toothed gearing
is actuated in the one direction or the other, to raise or lower the implements,
which will remain stationary at any point of the lift without fixing, by reason
that the friction of the brake is just sufficient to sustain them, while at same
time it offers little obstruction to the lowering, to overcome which the attendant

page_text: and screw bearing on it, so that it may be tightened at pleasure in case
of wear.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS. ·
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation and partial section of an apparatus to be
fitted to crabs, cranes, winches, and other machines for raising and lowering
weights for the purposes of my Invention, the shaft or first mover being.in
section, while Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal view of shaft with brake wheel
in section.
a, a, is part of the framing of the crane or apparatus to which my improve-
ments are to be fitted; 6 is the pinion shaft or first mover of the machine
fitted in suitable bearings as usual; on this shaft the ratchet wheel c is securely
fixed, and on the bosses of ratchet c are fitted loosely the disc plates d, 'd, the
one being made with a rim e, which encircles and encloses the ratchet c; the
two plates are bolted together by bolts f, f, and form a box, which keeps
the ratchet free from the dirt, while the rim e offers the necessary surface for
the friction strap; h, h, are two pawls (I prefer two, disposed one at the
opposite diameter from the other), which are fitted on pins i, and take into
the teeth of ratchet c; as seen. These pawls are kept up to the teeth of
ratchet c by light springs 1, to ensure their falling into the teeth of ratchet
quickly. From the foregoing it will be quite clear that, supposing the wheel
formed by d, d, e, to be held fast, the ratchet wheel c will be free to rotate in
the direction of the arrow, but not so in the opposite direction without taking
with it the wheel d, e, and this it may be regulated to do, if desired, by
adjusting the strain on the friction strap g; thus. the apparatus will be free to
permit the rotation of axis 6 in one direction, and while raising a weight,
which will be sustained by the friction. apparatus at any point of the lift,
although the operating power may be removed from axis b, or it will be
allowed to be lowered at any convenient speed required. The brake strap 9
is preferably of steel, and is connected at one end to a link m carried by a
stud n fixed to the frame.a, while the opposite.end is connected by a link p
to the end of a cranked lever r, mounted on a fixed fulcrum at s. The weight
may be disposed further from or nearer to the fulcrum s, according to the
amount of friction to be applied by the strap to the wheel d, d, e. The cranked
lever is lifted by hand, when it is desired to move the weight altogether, or
partially from the strap g, as may be necessary in lowering weights, or in
running back, as will be readily understood; u is a stop, on which link m
rests when the hand lever is lifted; the disposition of the cranked-lever r

page_text: and connecting link p tends to lift or float the friction wheel or disc, and by
its arrangement; when producing friction on the wheel or disc does not throw
friction upon the journal or bearings of the shaft, or cause any obstacle to
the turning of the same. For agricultural implements, instead of the hand
lever I apply a permanent weight on a short lever, or it may be directly to
the brake strap, or preferably I connect the brake strap with. a bolt, the
opposite end of which carries a spring actuated by a screw nut, by which the
tension of the spring, and therefore the force exerted on the brake strap can
be increased or diminished at pleasure.
Fig. 3 represents a modified disposition of the weighted lever and the links
-connecting the strap 9 with it, and with the fixed stud n; when so disposed,
the pull of the lever and the resistance of the stud 'n will be slightly upwards,
and will therefore tend to lift or float the weight of the strap 9 and friction
wheel, and this either in applying the force of the brake, or when the lever is
slightly raised, and so as to remove the tension from the strap g.
Fig. 4 represents a side view of the friction strap as applied to an agri-
cultural apparatus or for another similar purpose, in which the friction of the
strap is regulated to be always on the wheel, and nearly always alike. ' is
the bolt passing through lugs s¹, s¹, extended from the strap 9. This bolt is
furnished with a screw nut u¹ and helical spring t, the tension of which can
be increased or diminished by turning the nut ¹ on the bolt, and so as to
produce greater or less frictional contact. of the strap 9, with the friction
wheel d; the bolt passes through the lug von the fixed frame a, which
supports and keeps the strap in position.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the application of the
apparatus represented in the Drawings annexed, as and for the purposes herein-
before described.
:
In witness whereof, I, the said William Hensman, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.