IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF- DELIVERY REAPING MACHINES, APPLICABLE ALSO TO COMBINED MOWING AND READING MACHINES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Wilson, of Wood Hey, Bebington, in the County
of Chester, Gentleman, and Joseph Battersby, of Leigh, in the County of Lan-
caster, Assistant Manager, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-
DELIVERY REAPING MACHINES, APPLICABLE ALSO TO COMBINED MOWING AND
READING MACHINES"
Sealed the 27th August 1878, in pursuance of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, and
DOLL T
1070
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Wilson and Joseph
Battersby at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th January
1878.
WILLIAM WILSON, of Wood Hey, Bebington, in the County of Chester, Gentleman,
and JOSEPH BATTERSBY, of Leigh, in the County of Lancaster, Assistant Manager.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-DELIVERY REAPING MACHINES, APPLICABLE ALSO TO COM-
BINED MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES."
The object of this Invention is so to improve self-delivery reaping machines and
combined mowers and reapers as that the driver, without stopping the machine, may
bring all the rakes into play, or one, two, or more of them, according to the exigencies
of the crop being operated upon, or may cause them all to act simply as dummies for
swathing purposes.
In accordance with this Invention we mount the rake arms in a cross head
situated at the top extremity of a vertical shaft in the usual manner, and beneath
which cross head is arranged a stationary cam fitted with a pair of switches for
operating the rakes.
The improvements consist in the mechanism employed for controlling one of these
switches so as to open and close the same at the pleasure of the driver. This is
effected by mounting a disc plate beneath the stationary cam, and revolving upon
or with the same shaft as the cross head. The upper surface of this disc plate is
provided with suitable cam projections corresponding in number to the rake arms,
and which projections are removable from such disc plate. The projections are

page_text: designed to come in contact with a friction bowl mounted upon a stud projecting
downwards from the switch, and thus to open such switch and lead the rake arm on
to another portion of the cam. In order however to cause the friction bowl to escape
the projections at the will of the driver, and thus to leave the switch in the closed
position, the friction bowl is capable of being raised up by means of a forked lever
working in an annular groove formed in the friction bowl, and which forked lever
is under the control of the foot or hand of the driver.
The improvements are specially applicable to that class of reaping machine known
as Wilson and Battersby's Patent, No. 2723, A.D. 1876, in which case the motion
is communicated to the rake shaft by an internal spur wheel and pinion, the latter
being worked by bevil gearing from the driving mechanism; but the improvements
are also applicable, with slight modifications, to other makes of reaping machines
and combined mowers and reapers having rake-arms similarly mounted.
These improvements further relate to one-wheel reaping machines, and consist in
mounting the seat of the driver on an arm capable of a partial revolution in a hori-
zontal direction, and whereby the seat may be fixed close in against the machine
when being transported from place to place, or passing through narrow openings,
such as gateways, or in the proper position when the machine is at work.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Wilson and Joseph Battersby in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 29th August 1878.
WILLIAM WILSON, of Wood Hey, Bebington, in the County of Chester, Gentleman,
and JOSEPH BATTERSBY, of Leigh, in the County of Lancaster, Assistant Manager.
IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF DELIVERY REAPING MACHINES, APPLICABLE ALSO TO COM-
BINED MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES."
"
The object of this Invention is so to improve self-delivery reaping machines and
combined mowers and reapers as that the driver, without stopping the machine, may
bring all the rakes into play, or one, two, or more of them, according to the exigencies
of the crop being operated upon, or may cause them all to act simply as dummies for
swathing purposes.
1
In accordance with this Invention we mount the rake arms in a cross head
situated at the top extremity of a vertical shaft in the usual manner, and beneath
which cross head is arranged a stationary cam fitted with a pair of switches for
operating the rakes.
'
The improvements consist in the mechanism employed for controlling one of these
switches so as to open and close the same at the pleasure of the driver. This is
effected by mounting a disc plate beneath the stationary cam, and revolving upon
or with the same shaft as the cross head. The upper surface of this disc plate is
provided with suitable cam projections corresponding in number to the rake arms,
and which projections are removable from such disc plate. These projections are

page_text: designed to come in contact with a friction bowl mounted upon a stud projecting
downwards from the switch, and thus to open such switch and lead the rake arm
to another portion of the cam. In order however to cause the friction bowl to escape
the projections at the will of the driver, and thus to leave the switch in the closed
position, the friction bowl a capable of being raised up by means of a forked lever
working in an annular groove formed in the friction bowl, and which forked lever
is under the control of the foot or hand of the driver.
The improvements are specially applicable to that class of reaping machine
known as Wilson and Battersby's Patent, No. 2723, A.D. 1876, in which case the
motion is communicated to the rake shaft by an internal spur wheel and pinion,
the latter being worked by bevil gearing from the driving mechanism; but the
improvements are also applicable, with slight modifications, to other makes of
reaping machines and combined mowers and reapers having rake arms similarly
mounted.
And in order that this our said Invention may be the more readily understood
and carried into practical effect, we have hereunto annexed a Drawing illustrating
the application of our improvements to a mowing and reaping machine.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a mowing and reaping machine of that class known
as Wilson & Battersby's Patent, No. 2723, A.D. 1876.
Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of part of Fig. 1 on the line c-d.
Fig 3 is a plan of Fig 1 on line ab
Fig. 4 is a plan of the stationary cam employed for operating the rake arms.
Fig. 5 is an inside view of the land wheel and adjusting mechanism, herein-after
described.
A is an axle fixed in a quadrant B, and upon which axle is mounted the land
wheel C; D is the internal spur wheel, into which gears the idle spur wheel E,
running upon a stud E¹ secured in the quadrant B; F is an axle fixed in a block G
sliding in the quadrant B, and provided with spur teeth B! upon its outer edge, so
that by means of a spur pinion H and ratchet wheel I, actuated by a ratcheting
lever arm, the position of the block G in the quadrant can be adjusted, and conse-
quently the height of the machine from the ground regulated to the greatest
nicety.
The idle spur wheel E gears with the spur pinion J, which through a clutch
box K. (thrown in and out of gear by the forked lever K') imparts revolving motion
by means of the combined bevil wheel and pinion L to the crank pin M for actuating
the reciprocating knives, and to the vertical shaft N, as herein-after described.
It will be observed that the axle F is fixed in the box casting O, which is sup-
ported at one end in the block G mounted in the quadrant B, and the other end of
which box casting is supported by the platform of the machine, which is affixed to
the lower part of the same casting, marked O¹, and is carried at its other extremity
by a small furrow wheel in the ordinary manner; this same box casting is provided
with a cover P, which supports the vertical shaft Q, having upon its upper extremity
the cross head R, which carries the rake arms S in the ordinary manner.
T is the stationary cam for operating the rake arms, shewn separately in Fig. 4,
and which is provided with an auxiliary camway T¹, the entrance to which is con-
trolled by a switch, as herein-after described; this stationary cam is supported upon
.the vertical bars U, bolted to the cover P, and is provided with a pair of switches
marked V and W respectively (see Fig. 4), the switch W having on its under side a
stud X, which projects through a radial slot Y formed through the stationary cam,
and there has an antifriction bowl Z mounted upon it, which is capable of rising
and falling thereupon, as herein-after described. Upon the same shaft Q is keyed
or otherwise secured a disc plate a, which constitutes one of the essential features
of our Invention. The under side of this disc plate is formed as an internal spur
wheel a', and gears, as illustrated (through the spur pinion b and bevil wheel c upon
the vertical shaft N) with the bevil pinion L, and thus the requisite revolving motion
is imparted to such disc plate and cross head.
Fig. 4 is a plan of the stationary cam employed for operating the rake arms.
Fig. 5 is an inside view of the land wheel and adjusting mechanism, herein-after
described.
.
A is an axle fixed in a quadrant B, and upon which axle is mounted the land
wheel C; D is the internal spur wheel, into which gears the idle spur wheel E,
running upon a stud E¹ secured in the quadrant B; F is an axle fixed in a block G
sliding in the quadrant B, and provided with spur teeth B! upon its outer edge, so
that by means of a spur pinion H and ratchet wheel I, actuated by a ratcheting
lever arm, the position of the block G in the quadrant can be adjusted, and conse-
quently the height of the machine from the ground regulated to the greatest
nicety.
The idle spur wheel E gears with the spur pinion J, which through a clutch
box K (thrown in and out of gear by the forked lever K¹) imparts revolving motion
by means of the combined bevil wheel and pinion L to the crank pin M for actuating
the reciprocating knives, and to the vertical shaft N, as herein-after described.
It will be observed that the axle F is fixed in the box casting O, which is sup-
ported at one end in the block G mounted in the quadrant B, and the other end of
which box casting is supported by the platform of the machine, which is affixed to
the lower part of the same casting, marked O', and is carried at its other extremity
by a small furrow wheel in the ordinary manner; this same box casting is provided
with a cover P, which supports the vertical shaft Q, having upon its upper extremity
the cross head R, which carries the rake arms S in the ordinary manner.
T is the stationary cam for operating the rake arms, shewn separately in Fig. 4,
and which is provided with an auxiliary camway T¹, the entrance to which is con-
trolled by a switch, as herein-after described; this stationary cam is supported upon
the vertical bars U, bolted to the cover P, and is provided with a pair of switches
marked V and W respectively (see Fig. 4), the switch W having on its under side a
stud X, which projects through a radial slot Y formed through the stationary cam,
and there has an antifriction bowl Z mounted upon it, which is capable of rising
and falling thereupon, as herein-after described. Upon the same shaft Q is keyed
or otherwise secured a disc plate a, which constitutes one of the essential features
of our Invention. The under side of this disc plate is formed as an internal spur
wheel a', and gears, as illustrated (through the spur pinion b and bevil wheel'c upon
the vertical shaft N) with the bevil pinion L, and thus the requisite revolving motion
is imparted to such disc plate and cross head.

page_text: The upper surface of the disc plate (see Fig. 3) is arranged to receive a number of
cam projections c, corresponding in number to the rake arms S, and which projec-
tions are designed to come in contact with the antifriction bowl Z when in its
lowest position upon its stud X, and thus to open the switch W, as herein-after
described: These cam projections c, one of which is shewn separately, full size, in
plan and side sectional view in Fig. 6, are all capable of removal from the disc
plate, each being provided with angular tongue pieces d, which slide into corre-
sponding grooves e formed in the disc plate, and are secured in position by the
spring latch passing over the projection g, formed also upon the face of the disc
plate.
h is a forked lever for raising and lowering the antifriction roller Z, and which
lever is constructed with a radial slot in its shorter arm corresponding to the radial
slot Y, so as to permit the switch W to turn upon its axis (or open and close) inde-
pendently of such lever.
The action of this improved mechanism is as follows:-Assuming that the disc
plate a is only carrying two of the cam projections c (as seen in Fig. 3) and that
there are four rake arms, it will be apparent that as the shaft Q revolves the friction
rollers upon the knee pieces S' of the rake arms S will roll along the stationary
cam T and thus raise and lower such rake arms corresponding to the form of such
cam, but whenever one of the cam projections c comes in contact with the anti-
friction bowl Z it will push the same on one side, and thus open the switch W to
allow the succeeding rake arm to follow the path of the auxiliary cam T¹, and the
rake appertaining to such rake arm will so descend and discharge the cut crop from
the platform. If however the driver desires that three of the rakes shall act as
dummies and one only to discharge the cut crop, then he pulls the cord attached to
the lever hand so raises the antifriction bowl Z out of the way, whilst one of the
can projections c passes, and then by releasing the cord permits the friction bowl.
to descend ready to come in contact with the succeeding cam projection c. Again,
if the nature of the crop is such that he desires all the rakes to act as dummies he
simply raises the friction bowl Z to allow both cam projections to pass, and thus
the disc plate a revolves without having any effect upon the switch W.
As the construction of the stationary cam T is well known, and forms no part of
the present Invention, we have refrained from further describing it, and would here
remark that although we have only described the action of two of our improved
cam projections it will be readily understood that three, four, or more of such pro-
jections may be employed, corresponding to the number of the rake arms.
The advantage claimed for this method of operating the rake arms is, that one,
two, or more of such rake arms may be caused to act as dummies or to sweep the
platform, according to the exigencies of the crop being operated upon, and that the
driver possesses perfect control of the rakes, and can effect any desired change in
the movement of the rakes without stopping the machine.
Although we have described the application of our improvements to a special
class of mower and reaper it will be apparent that the same are applicable with
slight modifications to other classes of reaping machines and combined mowers and
reapers having rake arms similarly mounted.
In our Provisional Specification we described an improvement applicable to the
driver's seat of reaping machines, but having since the date of our present applica-
tion learnt that such improvement was not new at such date we hereby disclaim
the same.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this our said
Invention, together with the best methods with which we are acquainted for
carrying the same into practical effect, we wish it to be particularly understood
that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details, relative proportions, or
dimensions of the various parts of our improved reaping and mowing machine,
⚫herein-before described and illustrated on the accompanying Drawing, as the same
may be consiberably varied without departing. from the. Invention; and that we

page_text: claim, the use and application of the disc plate a, removable cam projections c, and
antifriction bowl Z when mounted and operated substantially as and for the
purposes herein-before described, and illustrated on the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Battersby, for and on behalf of the said
William Wilson and myself, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this 27th
day of July, A.D. 1878.
JOSEPH BATTERSBY. (L.S.)