An Improved Ploughshare, consisting of a Reversible Blade with a Plug Fitting into a Corresponding Recess in a Socket-piece Made and Varied to Fit Different Kinds of Ploughs.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Ploughshare, consisting of a Reversible Blade with a
Plug Fitting into a Corresponding Recess in a Socket-piece Made
and Varied to Fit Different Kinds of Ploughs.
We WILLIAM REID RUSSELL of Adelaide Engineer, WILLIAM HEITHERSAY of
Petersburg Machinist and ERNEST EYSTON HARROLD a member of the firm of Harrold
Brothers, of Adelaide Manufacturers and Machinery Merchants, all of the Province of
South Australia, 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 :-
The object of this invention is to enable a reversible share to be applied to an
ordinary plough foot and to different kinds of plough feet. The reversible shares
which have been hitherto manufactured and used under what is known as Heithersay's
or Heithersay and Harrolds patents have required a specially constructed foot pro-
jected not in the line of progression but at an angle of 15 degrees thereto and it has
been necessary before the share could be used on existing ploughs to have a new foot
constructed and attached thereto. Hence although the reversible share has been found
to answer well where used the expense and inconvenience of altering the feet of
ploughs at present in use has ocen found a drawback to its general adoption. To
overcome this difficulty in regard to ploughs of the usual patterns is the object of this
invention. It is accomplished by casting or making the share in two parts, first, a
socket piece which may be of shape to suit any approximately straight foot and having
at its outer part a recess, and secondly a blade of equal shape at both points and
having a central projecting part called a plug which fits into the recess provided in
the socket piece.
In order that our invention may be fully understood we will now describe the same
by reference to drawings in which the same letters refer to similar parts in
Figures 1 to 4.
Figure 1 is a plan about quarter size of share with portion of mould board,
standard, and P foot.
Figure 2 is a plan partly in section shewing the middle of the share and the
reversible blade with projecting part or plug.
Figure 3 is a plan of the socket piece detached.
Figure 4 is a plan of the reversible share blade detached.
A represents the leg or standard with foot A¹ of the pattern known as P foot and
in common use. B is the socket piece which is formed with a socket B¹ to fit the
foot A'. This socket-piece will be of the shape internally to fit the foot A¹ and
externally to suit the plough and the work required. It is provided at the outer side
with a recess approximately centrally situated and formed to receive a corresponding
projecting part or plug of the share blade C. The share blade C is constructed of
such shape and extent that together with the socket-piece the two form the
equivalent of the ordinary share suitable for a P or other foot.
C2 is the plug constructed and shaped to fit into the recess B² which is shaped
so as to fit round the toe of the foot A' as shewn in the drawings. By this
means it is allowed to be made of sufficient strength even in cast metal and
receives a part of the bearing from the foot giving strength and solidity. The
other end of the plug at the same time fitting into the curve of the recess adds
further strength and compactness to the combined share. The blade may be
additionally secured in position by a pin D passing through suitable holes in the
socket-piece B and the share-blade C. The bottom of the foot A' and the bottom
of the socket piece B and share blade C are parallel with the surface of the
ground or may if preferred for hard ground be so arranged as to give a slight

page_text: dip to the point or nose of the share. The cutting edge of the share lies between
the letters m and p and is at angle of 45 degrees or thereabouts with the
direction of progression of the plough or at the usual angle with the plough in use.
The shares consisting of the socket piece B and the share blade C may be
manufactured of cast iron malleable iron or cast steel or the socket piece may be
made of one metal and the blades of another and the socket piece will last a great
length of time while the blade being the wearing part can be renewed. The share
is used as an attachment below and in front of a mould-board such as K usually
found in the description of plough in which renewable shares can be advantageously
used. The long and short dot line shows the outline of the usual share.
In operation when the share has been used for a time the point m will be worn
blunt and would in the ordinary plough-share have to be sharpened involving
great delay or else a new share would have to be substituted. By our invention
the point p having become sharpened by the action of the plough the pin D is
knocked out, the share blade is turned over and reversed so that the point p
takes the place of the point m and the point m takes the place of the point p.
The pin is replaced and the plough set to work again. By the time the point p
gets blunt the point m has been again sharpened and the reversal takes place
again and so on until the share is worn close up to the socket. The cutting edge
of the blade C may be either straight or slightly rounded if so preferred to suit
different requirements of soil or circumstances.
We have hitherto described the application of our invention to a P foot. It
may be applied to nearly every other kind of approximately straight plough feet
such as those in ordinary use for ploughs and similar implements. In Figure 5
we have shewn its application to a D foot and in Figure 6 to a VRI and in
other cases a slight variation will have to be made in the shape of the socket
recess and plug to suit the style of foot. In Figure 7 we have shown the P foot
with the wing shortened by reducing the width of the plug C².
We do not limit ourselves to the exact configurations and details of construction
herein set forth.
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
1. The construction of a socket-piece of shape to fit any approximately straight
plough-foot having at its outer part an approximately central recess to receive the
corresponding projection or plug of a share blade the two parts with a pin forming
a complete plough share and the share blade being capable of being detached and
reversed.
2. The construction of a share blade of equal shape at both points and sides
and having a central projecting part or plug fitting into a corresponding recess in
the socket piece the plug and recess being constructed and varied to fit the toe of
any approximately straight plough foot substantially as described thus enabling the
blade when worn at one point to be detached and reversed and the other point
which has become sharpened by the action of the plough to be used as the point.
Dated this 8th day of August 1890.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.