IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE RAKES AND HOES
Year: 1841

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
COOKE GRANT, of Stamford, in the County of Lincoln, Ironmonger and
Agricultural Implement Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Eighth day of September, in the fifth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Joseph
Cooke Grant, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Joseph Cooke Grant, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Joseph Cooke Grant, my exors, admors, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE RAKES AND HOES;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Joseph
Cooke Grant, should cause a particular description of the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled
in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents a side view of a horse rake constructed according to
my Invention, the teeth or tines being in a working position; Figure 2 shews
a section, the teeth or tines being shown raised up out of action, in order to
the rake being moved from place to place without the tines or teeth coming to
the ground; and Figure 3 shews a plan of the parts in the positions shewn in
Figure 1. In each of these Figures the same letters indicate similar parts.
a, a, are two wheels moving on the axes b, b, and the axes b, b, are affixed to
the the bearings c, c, which are affixed to the quadrangular framing d, d. To
the front of the framing d, d, the shafts e, e, for the horse are attached, as is
shewn. ff.f, are a series of arms moving on an axis 9; and it will be seen
that each of these arms f is affixed in a cast-iron socket h, the nature of which
is clearly shewn; and in consequence of the portion of the arm which enters
the socket being formed in a lathe, and the casting of the socket being
cylindrical, or nearly so, the ends of the arms are readily made to fit tight into
the sockets, and by means of screws or pins passed through the sockets
into the arms, the arms are held secure. I would remark, that although I
prefer the portion of the socket which receives the arm to be cylindrical, yet
I do not confine myself thereto, as the socket may be a square, or of any
other figure, so long as there is no opening at either of the sides of as large
a diameter as the diameter of the wood which enters such socket; and such
mode of constructing sockets to the arms f of borse rakes will be found an im-
portant improvement in the construction of horse rakes, as the arms will work
more freely on their axis g in all states of weather, and be more lasting than
when the arms are made of wood, having each a hole through for the passage
of their axis. i, i, i, are the teeth or tines of the rake, which are affixed to the
arms f,f; and it will be seen that each tine, from the point to the point 2*, is
made of a continued curve, which is important, for by such means when the
arms and tines are lifted they will at once deliver the hay, straw, or other
matter which has been collected, in place of requiring to be repeatedly shaken,
as heretofore; hence this shape of teeth or tines when combined with indepen-
dent arms f,f, moving on an axis, will be found an improvement over the

page_text: present construction of horse rakes, where the tines are separate and indepen-
dent of each other, and where the tines as heretofore made are for the greater
part of their length formed straight, the lower or pointed end being bent for-
ward, producing a hooked end to a straight stem, which arrangement tends to
raise or hook up the collected hay or other matters raked together, in conse-
quence of its resting against the straight stems of the tines when the tines are
raised; but by having the working parts of the tines of a continued curve, so
that the tines in being raised pass out freely from the accumulation of bay or
other matter without having any tendency to raise the same, will be found a
very great improvement in working horse rakes. I would here remark that I
am aware that the tines or teeth of hand rakes, which are all fixed on one bar
and do not move on an axis, have before been made of a curved figure; I wish
it therefore to be understood that I do not claim generally to use curved teeth
or tines to rakes, but only when they are combined with independent arms
moving on an axis, and suitably arranged with wheels for a horse rake. Each
of the arms f,f, is connected with a bar j, by means of a chain or other con-
venient means, allowing the arms f,f, to have a freedom of action independent
of each other. The bar j is affixed to arms k, which move on axes at 1, 1, sup-
ported by the frames m, m, affixed to the framing d, as is shewn, and the arms
k proceed beyond their axes of motion, and form levers to raise and lower the
bar j, and consequently the teeth or tines. n, n, are connecting rods or links,
which connect the levers k with the levers o, the form of which is shewn in the
Drawing, such levers moving on axes at o¹, o¹, at the front part of the framing
d; hence it will readily be seen that the lifting of the tines depends on a lever
action, produced by combining the levers k and o. By this arrangement, the
person attending the machine will readily discharge the collected bay or other
matter from the tines of the rake by simply depressing the back end of the
lever
0, and this operation may be quickly performed, and without stopping the
horse, and very little power or force is required so as to lift the tines. p, p, are
props or supports, affixed to the frame d, d, in order to support the bar j when
the tines or teeth of the rake are in action; and q, q, are catches moving on
axes at q, 2; by means of these catches the bar j, and consequently the teeth
or tines, can be kept out of action, as shewn in Figure 2. I would remark
that heretofore in constructing horse rakes, the bar j, to which the arms fare
attached, has been raised by means of handles, which the person attending the
machine raises upwards with his hands, carrying up the tines or teeth, which
was an inconvenient motion, and requires much power; and it will be seen
that by connecting the bar j with the lever o in such manner that that lever
acts by being depressed, the attendant will have more command over the

page_text: tines or teeth, and work them with more facility; and although I prefer
the combined arrangement of lever action shewn, and for it to work in the
direction above described, the same may be varied, so long as the mode of
raising the tines by depressing the back end of the lever o be retained, or so
long as a combining of two levers be resorted to for such purpose; and it will
be evident that in place of having the lever o to move on an axis at one end,
as is shewn and described, it may have its axis at a point intermediate of its
length (having a suitable bearing raised up from the framing d, d, to carry the
axis; in such case the front end (the end of the lever towards the front of the
machine) of the lever o might conveniently be attached to the bar ; by a chain
or chains passing over an excentric or excentrics affixed to the axis worked
by the lever.
I will now describe that part of my Invention which relates to horse. hoes,
such machine being for the most part constructed as above described in respect
to Figures 1, 2, and 3; and the improvements in such horse hoes consist of the
application of the combined action of the parts o, n, k, to lift a bar j, connected
to arms ff, as above explained, such arms f having, in place of the tines or
teeth shewn as applied thereto, suitable cutters or hoes formed on the ends of
such tines or teeth, but it is not necessary that the stems of the hoes should be
bent into the form shewn as those proper for the tines or teeth of horse rakes,
as such stems may be straight or bent; and the distance apart of the arms will
be varied so as to place the hoes further apart than the tines shewn in the
Drawing, and the arms f may each have a weight when the land to be hoed
requires it. I would remark, in respect to this part of my Invention, that I am
aware that horse hoes have before been made having each of the hoes on an
independent arm, and capable of being lifted by means of a simple lever.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is,-
First, the mode of connecting the arms f of horse rakes with their axis g,
by applying the construction of cast-iron sockets h, as above shewn and
described.
Secondly, I claim the combining the independent arms f,f, of horse rakes
with curved tines or teeth i, as above described.
k,
Thirdly, I claim the application of the combined action of two levers 0,
working on different axes, in connection with the bar j, to facilitate the lifting.
of the tines or teeth of horse rakes.
Fourthly, I claim the application of a lever o to horse rakes when so con-
nected with a barj (for raising the tines or teeth) as to require the lever o to
be depressed, in order to lift the tines or teeth, as above described.

page_text: And, fifthly, I claim the mode of applying the compound lever action o, n, k,
o the bar j of a horse hoe having independent arms f,f, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Cooke Grant, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-two.