IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Edward Ransome, of Ipswich, in the
County of Suffolk, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PLOUGHS."
Sealed the 9th July 1872, and dated the 17th May 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Edward Ransome
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 17th May 1872.
I, JAMES EDWARD RANSOME, of Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in ploughs, and relates
to the means employed for turning ploughs at the headlands, and also to
the parts used in regulating the draft.
I combine with the axle of the ordinary land wheel of the plough a
skid in such manner that when the plough is thrown over towards the
land side the fore part may be carried by the skid, and thus admit of
being turned in any direction with greater facility than heretofore.

page_text: The skid is attached to the end of the axle of the land wheel, and I
prefer that it should form part of the wheel itself, the wheel and skid
together forming a hollow hemisphere or bowl; and I prefer to make
the hemisphere and the land wheel in one piece or casting.
In order to apply the draft in double-furrow and multiple ploughs in
which the beams are connected at the front by a cross bar I employ a
socket made to slide upon the cross bar, and fix it in any position
laterally by a set screw. To the socket is hinged a hake or draft head
by a pin at the back of the cross bar, so that the whole strain of the
draft comes direct on to the cross bar. There are holes at each side of
the socket to receive a stop pin by which the hake may be set off to the
right or left, and thus I obtain a very wide range for side draft when
required.
SPECIFICATION, in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Edward Ransome in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 15th November 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
EDWARD RANSOME, of Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Edward Ransome, Her special
license that I, the said James Edward Ransome, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Edward
Ransome, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree 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 PLOUGHS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Edward Ransome, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or

page_text: 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 Scal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Edward Ransome, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in ploughs, and
relates to the means employed for turning ploughs at the headlands, and
also to the parts used in regulating the draft.
I combine with the axle of the ordinary land wheel of the plough a
skid in such manner that when the plough is thrown over towards the
land side the fore part may be carried by the skid, and thus admit of being
turned in any direction with greater facility than heretofore. The skid is
attached to the end of the axle of the land wheel, and I prefer that it
should form part of the wheel itself, the wheel and skid together forming
a hollow hemisphere or bowl; and I prefer to make the hemisphere and
the land wheel in one piece or casting.
In order to apply the draft in double-furrow and multiple ploughs, in
which the beams are connected at the front by a cross bar, I employ a
socket made to slide upon the cross bar and fix it in any position
laterally by a set screw; to the socket is hinged a hake or draft head
that the whole strain of the
by a pin at the back of the cross bar, so
draft comes direct on to the cross bar. There are holes at each side of
the socket to receive a stop pin by which the hake may be set off to the
right or left, and thus I obtain a very wide range for side draft when
required.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I will proceed
to describe the manner in which I prefer to carry the same into
effect.
At Figure 1, Sheet 1, of the Drawings hereunto annexed is shewn a
side clevation of a double-furrow plough, shewing the skid attached to
the land wheel of the plough, and also the socket and hake on the front
cross har of the plough for applying the draught; Figure 2 is an

page_text: elevation of the same plough when thrown on its side, and shows the
plough resting in front on the skid, which is attached to the land wheel,
and resting behind on the friction wheel or slade and a bow iron on the
framework of the plough; Figure 3 is a front elevation of the plough
when in work, showing the position of the furrow wheel running in the
bottom of the furrow, and also of the land wheel running on the land to
which land wheel the skid is attached; Figure 4 is an end elevation of
the same parts of the plough when the plough is thrown on its side for
turning.
In these Figures A, A¹ is the right hand or land side beam of a
double-furrow plough; B is a land wheel and skid forming a hollow
hemisphere or bowl attached to the beam by an upright standard C by
means of a clip or sliding socket D in the usual manner, so as to allow
of the wheel being raised or lowered to suit the depth of ploughing
required. When the plough is in its work the land wheel gauges the
depth of the work like any ordinary land wheel, but on coming to the
headland the plough is thrown partly on its side, and then rests in front
on the bowl or rounded part of the land wheel, whilst the binder part
rests on the slade or friction wheel E, and on a bow iron F. The points
of the shares G and H are thus raised out of the ground, and as the
bowl protects the end of the axle of the land wheel, and forms a skid
for the front part of the plough, the plough can be
drawn forward or
Enlarged views of
turned round easily at the headland in any direction.
the bowl wheel B are shewn at Figures 5 and 6, Figure 5 being a side
elevation of the concave side of the wheel, and Figure 6 a cross section.
The rim of the wheel and the bowl or skid are in these Figures shewn to
be cast together, and the nave of the wheel is formed separately and
bolted or rivetted to the bowl, the axle having been first inserted in the
Instead of the skid forming part of the wheel itself a skid K may
be fixed on the end of the axle, as shewn at Figures 7, 8, and 9; the
plough when turned on to its side will rest in front on this skid, and can
be turned as before described.
nave.
Another way of attaching the skid to an ordinary land wheel is shewn
at Figures 1 and 2, Sheet 2. In this case the bowl is rivetted to the
rim of the wheel instead of being cast in one piece with it, as described
with reference to Figures 5 and 6. The skid may also be made of such
a form that it shall both support the front part of the plough when
turned on its side for the purpose of facilitating turning at the head-

page_text: lands, and also serve to regulate the depth of ploughing in place of a
wheel.
Figures 3 and 4, Sheet 2, shew end elevations of a double-furrow
plough fitted with a skid so formed. In Figure 3 the plough is shewn
in work with the skid A, B, running on the land for regulating the
depth of ploughing. To this skid is added the side B, C, which when
the plough is turned on its side at the headland, as shewn at Figure 4,
supports the front part of the plough whilst the shares D and E are
raised out of the ground. The edges of the skid at each side being
rounded or bevelled off, the plough can be easily turned in any
direction.
I will now proceed to describe more fully my improved arrangement
for applying the draught to the fore end of double or multiple furrow
ploughs. This is shewn at Figures 10, 11, and 12, Sheet 1. In these
Figures A, B, C, D, are the beams of the plough connected in front by a
cross bar E, F. In order to apply the draught a sliding socket G is
placed on this cross bar, and is fixed in any position by the means of
the set screw E. The hake J, to which the draught chain is attached,
is connected with the sliding socket G by means of a pin K, which
passes through a hole in the socket G at the rear of the cross bar.
The strain of the draught is thus brought directly on to the front cross
bar, and a range of draught nearly the full width of the cross bar is
attained, as shewn by the dotted hakes J¹, J*.
In order in some cases to obtain a still greater side draught to the right
or left hand the hake J is set at an angle to the right or left, and a pin L
is inserted in a hole in the fore part of the socket G, so as to retain
the hake in either of these positions. A much greater range is thus
obtained, as shewn by the dotted hakes J' and J. Any intermediate
position for the draft between J' and J¹ or between J* and J* may be
obtained by sliding the socket inwards on the cross bar.
Having now described the nature of my improvements in ploughs,
I wish it to be understood that what I claim is,—
1st. The application of a wheel or skid on the land side of a plough in
such manner that it may be used alternately as a land wheel or skid for
regulating the depth of the ploughing, and as a wheel or skid for the
fore part of the plough when turned over on its side to rest on for the

page_text: purpose of facilitating turning at a headland, substantially as herein-
before described.
2nd. The application of a skid to the axle of the land wheel of a
plough for the fore part of the plough to rest on when the plough is
turned over on its side for the purpose of facilitating turning at a head-
land, substantially as herein-before described.
3rd. The application of a sliding socket combined with an adjustable
hake to the front cross bar of double and multiple furrow ploughs in
order to apply the draught, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Edward Ransome, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.
JAMES EDWARD RANSOME. (L.S.)
JAMES EDWARD RANSOME. (L.S.)