IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR REAPING AND MOWING."
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT. to Adam Carlisle Bamlett, of Thirsk, in the County of
York, Agricultural Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR REAPING AND MOWING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Adam Carlisle Bamlett
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on the
5th August 1867.
I, ADAM CARLISLE BAMLETT, of Thirsk, in the County of York, Agricut-
tural Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR REAPING AND MOWING," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists, firstly, in giving motion to the chains or straps of
self-swathe delivery reapers by mounting a horizontal (or nearly so) spindle
over the knife eye and connecting it by gear to the chain rollers, the crop
being delivered over the bottom bearing of the horizontal spindle.
Secondly, in driving the reel (or its equivalent) in self-delivering sheaf
reapers at different speeds, so as to be able to regulate the size of the sheaves.
I use two or more sets of pullies provided with chains or straps, one set of
pullies being fixed on the reel shaft, the other set loosely on the main or other
convenient shaft, and they are engaged and disengaged by a clutch movement;

page_text: the pullies are of different diameters, thus driving the reel or its equivalent at
different speeds, which regulates the size of the sheaves.
Another method by which I accomplish the same object is by mounting
the rake in gudgeons, which by striking against a cam turns the rake teeth
from the platform and causes the rake to act as an ordinary beater.
And, thirdly, in reaping machines intended to be used also as grass mowing
machines I mount the intermediate spindle and the crank spindle on one
bracket, which bracket is mounted in bearings attached to the frame of the
machine; the bearings of the intermediate spindle forming a hollow spindle,
by which the bracket is mounted on to the frame. A second bracket, which
carries the cutter bar, is mounted on the bracket already mentioned, or the
second bracket may be made to carry both the cutter bar and the crank
spindle. In order to take the weight of the finger bar and shoe off the
ground I use a lever, with a balanceweight attached to raise the cutter bar
higher off the ground. I connect the regulating lever to the steerage pole by
a double link piece, so that when the cutter bar is raised the frame will be
raised as well, thus allowing the cutter bar to be raised higher than hitherto..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Adam Carlisle Bamlett in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th February 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ADAM
CARLISLE BAMLETT, of Thirsk, in the County of York, Agricultural Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the, Fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Adam Carlisle Bamlett, Her special licence that I, the said Adam Carlisle
Bamlett, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Adam Carlisle Bamlett, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS,IN: MACHINERY FOR REAPING AND MOWING," upon the condition (amongst
others) that. I, the said Adam Carlisle Bamlett, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,

page_text: 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 Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Adam Carlisle Bamlett, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement.in-writing, and on reference to the accompanying. Sheet of Drawings,
that is to say:
This Invention consists, firstly, in giving motion to the chains or straps of
self-swathe delivery reapers by mounting a horizontal (or nearly so) spindle
over the knife eye, and connecting it by gear to the chain rollers, the crop
being delivered over the bottom bearing of the horizontal spindle.
Secondly, in driving the reel (or its equivalent) in, self-delivering sheaf
reapers at different speeds, so as to be able to regulate the size of the sheaves.
I use two or more sets of pullies provided with chains or straps, one set of
pullies being fixed on the reel shaft, the other set loosely on the main or other
convenient shaft, and they are engaged and disengaged by a clutch movement;
the pullies are of different diameters, thus driving the reel or its equivalent at
different speeds, which regulates the size of the sheaves.
Another method by which I accomplish the same object is by mounting
the rake in gudgeons, one of which by striking against a cam turns the rake,
teeth from the platform and causes the rake to act as an ordinary beater.
And, thirdly, in grass mowing machines I mount the intermediate spindle..
and the crank spindle on one bracket, which bracket is mounted in bearings
attached to the frame of the machine, the bearings of the intermediate:
spindle forming a hollow. spindle, by which the bracket-is mounted on to the
frame. A second bracket which carries the cutter bar is mounted on the
bracket already mentioned, or the second bracket may be made to carry both
the cutter bar and the crank spindle. In order to take the weight of the
finger bar and shoe off the ground I use a lever with a balance weight attached
to raise the cutter bar higher off. the ground. I connect the regulating lever
to the steerage pole by a double link piece, so that when the cutter bar is
raised. the frame will be raised as well, thus allowing the cutter bar to be
raised higher than bitherto.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for "Improvements
in Machinery for Reaping and Mowing," I will now proceed to describe more
in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried
into practical effect; and in order that the same may be distinctly understood

page_text: I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have
marked the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those
in the following explanation thereof, that is to say :-
The annexed Drawings represent various detached views of different parts
of reaping and mowing machines, and as such machines are now so well
known only those parts are drawn which I consider necessary in order. to
explain my Invention.
.
The first part of my Invention is shown at Figure 1 in plan view, and at
Figure 2 in side elevation. For giving motion to the chains or straps in
self-delivering swathe reapers' I mount a spindle A, A, (Figures 1 and 2) in a
horizontal position, or nearly so, over the knife eye and connecting rod B, B,
and I connect it by bevil gear C, C, to the chain roller D, D, the spindle of
which is carried in the bearing D¹, D', the roller D, D, communicating
motion by its pulley and 'chain to the roller mounted at the further side of the
platform (next to the standing corn), from which motion is in turn communi-
cated to the other chains or straps (generally two in number) in the usual
manner. E, E, is a casting which forms both the bottom bearing to the
horizontal or slightly inclined spindle A, A, and also the top slide for the knife
eye B, B, and a shield over which the crop is delivered, and to which the
vertical shield F, F, is partly attached. Figure 1 shows how motion is com-
municated to the slightly inclined spindle A, A, and Figure 2 how it is
conveyed therefrom to the spindle of the chain pulley D, D.
The second part of my Invention is shown in side view at Figure 3, and
front view at Figure 4. H, H, is the main spindle or axle, on which are
mounted loosely two chain pulleys I, I, provided with four recesses I, I, I, I,
into which studs J, J, on the main spindle take, causing one or other of the
pulleys to revolve with it when required. The pulleys I, I, as shewn at
Figure 4 are neither of them in gear with the main spindle, but on their being
moved (by means of a forked lever, shewn detached at Figure 5) to the left the
left-hand pulley would be put in gear, and if to the right then the right-hand
pulley would be put in gear. The pulley K, K, on the reel shaft consists of
two pulleys of different diameters cast in one piece; thus it will be seen that of
the two pulley's I,. I, on the main spindle one (that on the right hand) will
drive the reel shaft at a much quicker speed than the other one will, and
consequently the machine will have to travel a greater or less distance for each
revolution of the reel shaft, and as one sheaf is delivéréd at each revolution of
the said shaft it will be seen that this part of my Invention enables the
machine to make two sizes of sheaves. Any well-known method of delivery
may be applied to the reef shaft. I also apply this part of my Invention to
1

page_text: that class of reapers wherein the equivalent of the reel consists of four or six
arms (generally four), two of which are provided with rakes and two with
beaters, as shewn in side view at Figure 6. K, K, are the two pulleys of
different diameters cast in one piece. and K', K'; are the loose pulleys.**
A modification by which I accomplish the same object (videlicet, regulating
the size of the sheaves in self-raking sheaf reapers), and which is more applicable
to this class of reaper, is also shewn at Figure 6, parts thereof being shown
enlarged in the detached view, Figure 9. I'mount one of the rakes L, L, in
gudgeons, to one of which is fixed a segment M, M; having two notches in it
(or the gudgeon is itself formed into a notched segment). Into one or the
other of these notches the spring N, N, takes and holds the rake in position,
either to act as a rake to deliver the sheaf or as an ordinary beater to lay the
corn on to the platform. At Figure 6 it is shewn in position for raking; but
when it is required to act as a beater the double cani O, O, is raised by drawing
the lever P, P, over into the position shewn in dotted lines, and inserting its
top pin or stud into the hole P". During the revolution of the rakes the
projecting end N¹ of the spring N by passing over the lower cam is raised out
of the notch in the segment M, M, the finger M¹ of which coming in contact
with the projection O¹ causes the rake teeth to be turned up off the platform,
as shown by the dotted lines M" in Figure 9, in which position it acts as an
ordinary beater only; the attendant must then draw the lever P, P, into its
original position, otherwise the cam 0 and 0₁ would act on the spring N at
every revolution of the rakes, causing unnecessary wear and tear; but when
it is required to act again as a rake the stud of the lever P is placed in the
centre hole P', which places the cam O in position for raising the spring. N
out of the notch in the segment M, but does not bring the finger. M' in contact
with the projection O' on the cam; the top part of the cam now acts on the
spring, from which it releases the rake, and the latter is then brought into
raking position by the spiral spring Q (Figures 6 and 9).
Figures 7 and 8 are detached views of the double cam. In this class of
reaper the attendant usually 'rides on one of the horses, therefore the lever P.
is placed on the pole, so as to be within his reach, and to enable him to regulate
the size of the sheaves without stopping the machine. A simple method of
regulating the size of the sheaves (but one which necessitates the stopping of
the machine) is by dispensing with the cam O, lever P; spiral spring Q, and
connections, and then 'lifting the spring N out of the notch by hand, and thus
turning the rake teeth to or from the platform, as may be required.
The third part of my Invention is represented in side, view at Figure 11
and in plan views at Figures 10, 12, and 13.. A, A, in the Figures are the

page_text: travelling wheels; B, B, is a tube having two lugs C, C, cast with it; the
outer ends of these lugs form bearings C¹, C, in which is mounted the bracket
D, D, (Figures 10 and 11, and shewn detached at Figures 12 and 13,) at the
part marked D¹, D', which forms the bearing for the spindle carrying the
bevil wheel D. E, E, is a crank shaft which is mounted on the same bracket,
to which: the bracket F, F, carrying the finger bar is attached between the
lugs. G, G. It will be seen that the front end of the bracket is free to rise.or
fall, thus accomodating itself to the unevenness of the land, also that the
finger bar, which is binged to this bracket is also free, to rise or fall so that it
either direction... In
can accomodate itself to irregularities of the land in
Figure 12 the bracket to which the finger bar is fixed has also mounted on it
the crank shaft, the bearings of which form a hollow spindle, by means of
which it (the bracket H) is. carried in the bracket E. In the front part of
the tube B, B, two lugs, I, I', are cast, one of which I'. forms a quadrant
having a series of holes drilled, by means of which the, height of the cut is
regulated. The draught pole J, J, being attached to these lugs by placing
the bolt at I in a lower hole, the bearing C¹, C', carrying the bracket D, D,
is depressed, thus raising the points of the fingers from the ground, and
vice versa.
The dotted lines M, M, in Figures 10 and 11, show how I apply a swivel
wheel and steerage pole to this machine. It is fixed to the tube B, B, in a
similar manner to the draught pole J, J, and is placed in a line with the
shoe K (Figure 10); in this case the bolt I will have to be removed. This
wheel in crossing ridge and furrow land gives a compensating movement to
the knife, causing it to cut with great regularity. In order to take the weight
of the front part of the bracket E, E, off the ground I use a lever L and
balance weight L. (Figure 11).
Having now. described the nature and object of my said Invention for
"Improvements in Machinery for Reaping and Mowing," together with the
manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into
practical effect I would remark in conclusion that I claim as my Invention,―
Firstly, the method shown at Figures 1 and 2 on the Drawings and herein-
before described of conveying motion to the chains or straps in self-delivering
swathe reapers.
Secondly, the methods. shown at Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 and herein-
before described for regulating the size of the sheaves in self-raking reapers.
Thirdly, I claim the various combinations shown at Figures 10, 11, 12,
and 13, and herein-before described as applicable to grass mowing machines
intended to be used also as reaping machines.

page_text: And, fourthly, I claim the use of a lever and weight, as shown at Figure 11
and herein-before described, for taking the weight of the finger bar and shoe
off the ground, without confining myself strictly to the precise form and
arrangement of the various parts of my Invention, as shown on the Drawings,
so long as the distinctive features of my Invention are preserved substantially
as berein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Adam Carlisle Bamlett, have here-
unto set my band and seal, this Fourth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
ADAM CARLISLE BAMLETT.
(L.S.)
Witness,
BRISTOW HUNT,
Solicitor and Patent Agent,
1, Serle Street,
Lincoln's Inn.