IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Cooke, of Lindum Works, in the City of Lincoln,
Plough Manufacturer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Cooke at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st August 1881.
JOHN COOKE, of Lindum Works, in the City of Lincoln, Plough Manufacturer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS."
My Invention relates to improvements in gang ploughs or ploughs whereon the
ploughman rides, and to turnwrest ploughs; and according to the first part of my
Invention the gang plough consists of a strong main beam composed of angle iron
and wood securely bolted and rivetted together, which carries the hinder frame,
mould board, and share, &c., and to this main beam a secondary and adjustable
beam which carries the frontframe or plough body is attached. By adjusting
this secondary beam further from or nearer to the main beam, wider or narrower
furrows may be ploughed as may be desired.
At the front part of the plough and between and above the two beams I fit the
pole, and carry the same on a pivotted bar or plate. This pole is so arranged
as to rock loose vertically on the said pivotted bar or plate, and its lower end
terminates in a bar or shoe which is held in its required position horizontally
in an iron pocket by means of a pin or bolt dropped through holes in the said
pocket, and corresponding slot hole in the shoe or bar. Thus I am enabled to
adjust the pole sideways to suit different teams, and to plough wider or narrower
furrows.
The pole serves to guide the plough, which by its means may be steered by the
driver to the greatest nicety with very little practice, the horses being placed on
each side of the plough, whether two, three, or four horses are used.
Towards the front end of the plough frame or beams the two large wheels are
fixed on sliding bars across the frame in clasps or holdfasts, the furrow wheel (that
to the right of the driver) being raised or lowered after the manner of an ordinary
rn

page_text: plough wheel, or by means of a screw attached to the wheel standard, and within
reach of operation by the driver.
A great feature of my Invention consists in an arrangement, about to be
described, for raising and lowering the land wheel and elevating the ploughs, &c.,
clear of the ground; and according to my Invention I employ a cranked lever,
and place the same within reach of the driver. This lever is provided with a
spring catch working in notches cut in a quadrant, whereby the landwheel may be
held at the required position. This lever also operates a cam, eccentric, or arm
which is fixed on the cross bar of the landwheel, and this can, eccentric, or arm
when actuated by the lever depresses the lower end of the pole, and thus raises
the opposite end of the same, so that when pulled down by the horses the hinder
part of the plough is raised from the ground, and can be carried round entirely
clear thereof with scarcely any effort on the part of the horses, the weight of the
implement and pole, both in front and at back of the cross bar, being sufficiently
equally balanced.
The lever aforesaid serves to throw the plough into and out of work, and to
raise the same clear of the ground for going round at the ends, and also to regulate
the depth of ploughing with the greatest exactness whilst the plough is proceeding.
For turning round at the headlands the ploughman has only to push the lever
down to the lowest notch in the quadrant; this brings the land wheel to a lower
level than the share points, which latter are then raised clear of the ground, the
furrow wheel always being at the same level as the sharepoints, and when at work
running in the bottom of the previously ploughed furrow, and consequently not
requiring to be raised or lowered for going round the ends.
In order to facilitate the depression of the lever and land wheel for enabling
the implement to travel round at the headlands clear of the ground, and to avoid
the necessity of exerting any force on the part of the ploughman in effecting this
operation, I affix to the inner side of the rim of the land wheel, and on the side
nearest to the lever, lugs or stops (which by preference may form part of the
spokes of the wheel), and I further construct and arrange the lower end of
the spring catch in such a manner that when it is pulled out of the notches in the
quadrant it shall bear against one of the lugs attached to the inner side of the
wheel rim, as before mentioned, the forward motion of the plough and the turning
round of the wheel will then bring down the lever and land wheel, and thereby
raise the plough out of the furrow and clear of the ground without any further
effort on the part of the ploughman than merely holding the spring catch lever.
I also fix the driver's seat to the main beam, and between the wheels and almost
directly over the axles, thus I am enabled to dispose the whole weight of the
implement, of the driver, and of the draught apparatus, and to arrange the line of
draft in such a manner as to be evenly balanced over the two large wheels aforesaid,
--so that in-ploughing no weight is thrown on the working parts of the plough nor
on the horses' necks, whereby I secure a very light draught for my implement.
The second part of my Invention relates to the general arrangement and con-
struction of turnwrest or one way ploughs, and more particularly to a simple and
effective arrangement of the wheels of same.
In turnwrest or one way ploughs it is necessary to have the wheels attached in
such a manner that they will each alternately act as land and furrow wheels,
according to which breast is then in work (left or right hand), and to accomplish
this without obliging the ploughman to stop at each end and leave the handle to
adjust the wheels, which would occasion a considerable waste of time, 1 fix.under-
neath the bean and parallel therewith a swing carriage or holder provided with two
square holes, and through these holes I pass the wheel slides which work at right
angles to the beam, and in which the slides are securely held by square loops and
screws. This swing carriage has a round shoulder or pin at each end which work
in sockets securely fixed to and underneath the beam. Thus whilst the wheel
slides are securely fixed to the swing carriage, and the swing carriage itself is
securely kept in a parallel position to the beam, it will swing quite loose across

page_text: the beam and underneath the same, so that each wheel can be raised or lowered to
act as land or furrow wheel as desired.
In order to fasten the wheels or lock them on either side for ploughing, I provide
a circular shaped plate of iron (which forms part of the swing carriage), and I
furnish the same with three circular holes and rigidly attach it to the swing
carriage. This plate passes over from side to side and over the top of the beam
and through any of the holes, a spring bolt, which is held in a chair or fastening
fixed on the top of the beam, is free to pass.
This bolt is attached by an iron rod to a lever placed between the handles of the
plough and close to the ploughman; when it is pulled back the bolt is released
and tlie carriage is then free to adapt itself to either land or furrow wheel, and
when swung into the right position and the lever released, the spring bolt enters
the hole in the circular piece and thus locks the wheels.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Cooke in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 31st
January 1882.
"
JOHN COOKE, of Lindum Works, in the City of Lincoln, Plough Manufacturer.
IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS."
My Invention relates to improvements in gang-ploughs, or ploughs whereon the
ploughman rides, and to turnwrest or one way ploughs.
I proceed first to describe my improvements in gang-ploughs, which will be
readily understood on reference to accompanying Drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a side elevation (land wheel side) of a gang-plough constructed
according to my Invention, and Fig. 2 a plan of same.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation, and Fig. 4 an end view of the furrow wheel and
the means for raising and lowering the same.
Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the land wheel, and Fig. 6 a plan of same.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved gang plough shewing the general
arrangement of the several parts thereof.
My gang-plough consists of a strong main beam A composed of angle iron and
wood (a section of which is shewn at Fig. 1×) securely bolted and rivetted together,
which carries the hinder frame B, mould boards C, C, share D, &c., and to this
main beam a secondary and adjustable beam A¹ which carries the front frame or
plough body E is attached. By adjusting this secondary beam A' further from or
nearer to the main beam wider or narrower furrows may be ploughed, as may be
desired.
G is the pole which I fit at the front part of the plough, and between and above
the two beams A, A'; it is carried on a pivotted bar or plate g, and is so arranged
as to rock loose vertically, as shewn in dotted lines in Fig. 1, on the said bar or

page_text: plate. At its lower end it terminates in a bar g¹ (or in a shoe) which is held in its
required position borizontally in an iron pocket by means of a pin or bolt h¹
dropped through holes in the pocket, and corresponding slot hole ³ in the bar g'
or shoe; by this arrangement I am enabled to adjust the pole laterally, as shewn
in Fig. 2, to suit different teams, and to plough wider or narrower furrows.
J, J, are respectively the land and furrow wheels which are fixed on sliding bars
or wheel slides j, j, extending across the frame; these bars are themselves carried
in clasps or holdfasts and bearings L, L, L, L¹. For raising and lowering the
furrow wheel J' I prefer to employ the arrangement shewn in Figs. 3 and 4.
J is a screw which is connected to the wheel standard j³ by means of a collar j
and angle bracket jo, and within reach of the driver. The wheel slide j¹ is secured
to the angle bracket j³, and passes through the holdfast or clamp L fixed to the
secondary beam A¹; and j' is a lever handle for raising and lowering the wheel by
turning the screw.
In carrying out the first part of my Invention I employ a cranked lever M
mounted on an axis or wheel slide j supported in bearings L', L', secured to the
beams A, A. This lever is provided with a spring catch m² connected by means of a
rod m³ to a lever handle m placed within reach of the driver; this catch m² works
in notches m³ cut in a quadrant me which is secured to the main beam A by
stanchions m³.
This lever M operates a cain, eccentric, or arm n which is keyed on the axis or
wheel slide j of the land wheel J and depresses the lower end of the pole G,
thus raising the opposite end of same; by these means the hinder part of the
plough is raised from the ground, and can be carried round entirely clear thereof,
the weight of the implement and pole, both in front of and at back of the sliding
bar or wheel slide, being sufficiently equally balanced. The lever M also serves to
throw the plough into and out of work, and to raise the same clear of the ground
for going round at the ends, and to regulate the depth of ploughing with the
greatest exactness whilst the plough is proceeding. For turning round at the
headlands the ploughman has only to push this lever M down to one of the lower
notches in the quadrant mo, this brings the land wheel J to a lower level than the
share points, as shewn in the lowest circle in Fig. 1, and the share points are then
raised clear of the ground, the furrow wheel J' always being at the same level as
the share points, and when at work running in the bottom of the previously
ploughed furrow, and consequently not requiring to be raised or lowered for going
round the ends.
'
In order to facilitate the depression of the lever M and land wheel J for enabling
the implement to travel round at the headlands clear of the ground, and to avoid
the necessity of exerting any force in effecting this operation, I affix to the inner
side of the rim of the land wheel J, and on the side nearest to the lever, and at
"suitable distances apart, a number of lugs or stops p which by preference may form
part of the spokes of the wheel, although not so shewn in the Drawings, and I
construct and arrange the lower end of the spring catch m² in such manner that
when it is pulled out of the notches in the quadrant it shall abut or bear against
one of the lugs attached to the inner side of the wheel rim, as seen in Figs. 5 and 6,
and the forward motion of the plough, and turning round of the wheel will then
bring down the lever M and land wheel, and thereby raise the plough out of the
furrow and clear of the ground without any further effort on the part of the
ploughman than merely holding the spring catch lever.
1 fix the driver's seat P to the main beam A by stanchions q, as shewn, and
between the wheels and at or about the central part of the implement. Thus I am
enabled to dispose the whole weight of the implement, the pole, the driver, and the
draught apparatus, and I further arrange the line of draught in such a manner as
to be evenly balanced over the land and furrow wheels, so that in ploughing no
weight is thrown on the working parts of the plough nor on the horses' necks,
wherby I secure a very light draught for my implement.
When required to be used on very strong land, or when otherwise desirable, the

page_text: implement may be converted into a single furrow plough in 2 or 3 minutes by
taking off the hinder frame, which is bolted to the beam, and to which the breast,
share, &c., are attached.
The plough may also be constructed to take 3 furrows when required to be used
on light soils, &c., by lengthening the beam at the hinder part of the plough, and
attaching another frame and breast on the land side by means of screws, &c.
The second part of my Invention relates to the general arrangement and con-
struction of turnwrest or one way ploughs, and more particularly to a simple and
effective arrangement of the wheels of same.
In turnwrest or one way ploughs it is necessary to have the wheels attached in
such a manner that they will each alternately act as land and furrow wheels,
according to which breast is then in work (left or right hand), and to accomplish
this without obliging the ploughman to stop at each end and leave the handles in
order to adjust the wheels, which would occasion a considerable loss of time, I have
devised the following improved arrangement, which is shewn in elevation, Fig. 7,
and in plan, Fig. 8; Fig. 9 is a section taken on the line a, 3, of Fig. 7, and
shewing the position of the wheels when the left hand breast is in work; this
position however is exactly reversed when the other breast comes into work;
Figs. 10 and 11 are details of the swing carriage or holder, and Fig. 12 shews an
improved construction of wheel with loose bush.
Now according to my Invention I fix underneath the beam R and parallel there-
with a swing carriage or holder Z, which is provided with two square holes z, seen
in elevation, Fig. 10, and in plan, Fig. 11, through which I pass the wheel slides
Y, Y', which work at right angles to the beam. The wheel slides are securely held
in this swing carriage or holder by square loops y, y', and screws y², y². This swing
carriage or holder is provided at each end with gudgeons x working in sockets x¹
securely fixed to and underneath the beam R. Thus whilst the wheel slides aro
securely fixed to the swing carriage, and the swing carriage itself is securely kept
in a parallel position to the beam, it will swing quite loose across the beam and
underneath same, so that each wheel can be raised or lowered to act as land or
furrow wheel as desired.
In order to fasten the swing carriage and consequently to lock the wheels on
either side for ploughing, I provide a circular shaped plate of iron W (which forms
part of the swing carriage), and I furnish the same with three circular holes w, and
rigidly attach it to the swing carriage. This plate W passes over from side to side
and over the top of the beam R, as shewn in Fig. 9; V is a spring bolt, which is
held in a chair or fastening v fixed on top of the bean R, and through any of the
holes w the bolt is free to pass. This bolt is attached by a rod v to a lever v
suitably mounted, and placed between the handles of the plough and close to the
ploughman. When the lever vis pushed forward, the bolt V is withdrawn from
the hole, and the swing carriage is then free to adapt itself to either land or furrow
wheel, and when swung in the right position and the lever released, the spring
bolt V enters one of the holes in the circular piece W, and thus locks or holds the
wheels in the required position.
Instead of the wheel and bush being in one piece, as is generally the case, I form
a recess or rebate at the back part of the centre or nave of the wheel, and a hole
through which a loose or renewable bush t passes. This bush t is formed with a
flange t¹ to fit in the aforesaid recess, and is bolted to the nave or centre.
Thus when the bush is worn away or galled by the action of the axles, it can be
renewed at a trifling cost without necessitating having a new wheel.
The other parts of the plough and the method of changing the breasts and
shares, &c., for working either left or right hand as desired will be readily under-
stood on reference to the Drawings.
The two breasts, shares, &c., are mounted on one frame S, S, (one breast, &c.,
being immediately above the other when in work), to which is bolted a plate s
having gudgeons &¹ at each end working under the beam in bearings or holdfasts
U, U, attached to the beam. The frame is securely held in position for work by

page_text: a square lock bolt Q passing through holes in the holdfasts U, U¹, on top of the
beam. This bolt is actuated by a lever T which when pushed forward draws back
the bolt out of the holdfast U₁, thereby allowing the frame to swivel under the
beam, and the top breast, share, &c., to be brought into position for work, the
frame being fastened by the lock bolt, as before described.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same may be performed, I declare that I claim,-
1. The employment and arrangement of the cam, eccentric, or arm working on
the bar or plate at the lower end of the pole in combination with the land wheel
lever, substantially as described and shewn in the Drawings for the purposes set
forth.
2. The construction of the land wheel with the lugs or stops on the inner rim
thereof, and the employment of the same in combination with the spring catch of
land wheel lever, substantially as described and shewn in the Drawings for the
purposes set forth.
3. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting the improve
gang plough, substantially as herein described, and as shewn, Figs. 1, 14, 2, 3, 4,
and 6 of the annexed Drawings.
4. The improved and simplified construction and arrangement of swing whee
carriage working under the beam, substantially as described and shewn in the
Drawings for the purpose set forth.
5. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting the improved
turnwrest or one way plough, substantially as herein described, and as shewn in
Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 of the annexed Drawings.
.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Cooke, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this 18th day of January, in the year 1882.
Witness,
A. R. BATTLE,
Magistrate,
Lincoln.
JOHN COOKE. (L.S.)