IMPROVEMENTS IN HAY-MAKING MACHINES, PART OF WHICH IMPROVE AENTS IS APPLICABLE TO CARRIAGES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT
to William Newzam Nicholson. of Newark, in the
County of Nottingham, Iron Founder and Agricultural Implement
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HAY-MAKING
MACHINES, PART OF WHICH IMPROVE AENTS IS APPLICABLE TO CARRIAGES
Sealed the 19th December 1854, and dated the 6th July 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Newzam Nicholson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents. with his Petition, on the
6th July 1854.
I. WILLIAM NEWZAM NICHOLSON, of Newark, in the County of Nottingham,
Iron Founder and Agricultural Implement Manufacturer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN HAY-MAKING MACHINES,
PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS APPLICABLE TO CARRIAGES GENERALLY," to be as
follows:-
In their general form or structure, the hay-making machines to which my
Invention applies are similar to those of the well-known and usual description.
My Invention consists of improvements in the details of construction, the
object being to render the working of the machines as generally effective as
possible. My improvements comprehend.-
1. A new method of communicating a direct backward and forward motion
to the forks by the use of both inside and outside gearing in one box on

page_text: each side of the machine, thus doing away with the necessity for intermediate
pinions.
2. A contrivance for raising or lowering the working parts of the machine
by means of long arms or levers, forming parts of the axle boxes of the
machine, to which are attached the spindle on which the fork cylinders
revolve; the other ends of the arms may be formed into the segment of a circle.
having teeth and worked by a pinion, or may be moved by any other arrange-
ment of screw or gear work, or by an excentric or lever.
3. A simple method of attaching the forks to the fork-carrying wheels by
means of a single joint, and a method of attaching the fork heads, if made of
iron, to such joint, by casting the joint upon such heads.
4. The use of wrought-iron tubes in the manufacture of the heads to
which the fork grains are attached, and the use of steel for the grains or tines
of such forks.
5. The use of wrought-iron tubes in the manufacture of shafts for the
above or any other hay-making machines, which tubular shafts may be applied
to land or garden rollers, or to agricultural implements and carriages, or vehicles
of every description.
6. A method of manufacturing the before-named tubular iron shafts, and
joining the iron work necessary for strengthening, or connected with the same,
by means of cast metal Ts, crosses, elbows, bosses, or other shaped pieces of
metal. (whether of iron, brass, or other metal, pure or alloyed.) cast upon the
tubes, so as to connect the several pieces of which such shafts and parts in
connection therewith. are formed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Newzam Nicholson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 6th January 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
NEWZAM NICHOLSON, of Newark, in the County of Nottingham, Iron Founder
and Agricultural Implement Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Iler most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Newzam Nicholson, Her special licence that I, the said William

page_text: Newzam Nicholson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Newzam Nicholson, 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 HAY-MAKING MACHINES, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS
APPLICABLE TO CARRIAGES GENERALLY," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Newzam Nicholson, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, 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 William Newzam Nicholson, 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 thereof. reference being had to the Drawings here-
anto annexed (that is to say):-My Invention consists,―
First, in an improved method of communicating à backward and forward
motion to the fork tines of hay-making machines..
Second, in an improved contrivance for raising the working part from or
lowering it nearer to the ground.
Third, in a means of attaching the forks to the fork-carrying wheels.
And, fourth, in a method of manufacturing the shafts, which is also
applicable to shafts of all kinds of agricultural implements and wheel car-
riages in general.
In most modern hay-making machines, a means, which is proved to be of
much practical advantage, is adopted for causing the fork wheels to be moved
either backward or forward, the forward motion being obtained by a cog wheel
attached to the carrying wheel of the machine, which gears into a pinion
attached to the cylinder on which the fork wheels are mounted, and the back-
ward motion by an intermediate pinion. The use of the second pinion causes
a considerable additional friction and consequent wear, and the first part of my
Invention does away with the necessity of any such second pinion.
Figure of the Drawings annexed is a side elevation of my hay-making
machine complete: Figure 2 is an elevation. and Figure 3 a section, both on
an enlarged scale, of those particular parts to which the first, second, and third
heads of my Invention apply. A is the axle box, shewn with part of the cover
removed in Figure 2, containing a spur wheel a and an internal spur wheel b,

page_text: both of which are cast on or otherwise attached to the axle box. B is the
cylinder to which the fork-carrying wheel C is attached, and on one end of
this cylinder are cast or otherwise fastened two pinions a, b, the pinion a¹
being arranged to gear with the spur wheel a for the forward motion, and the
pinion to gear with the internal wheel b. for the backward motion. It will
be seen that the pinions a¹, b', are not shewn in gear with the wheels a, b; they
are in position proper for travelling, and in order to bring them into gear the
cylinder B must be slightly moved to the right or left, according as a backward
or forward motion is required. It is held in its place by a simple catch falling
into one of the three grooves c, c, c. For raising or lowering the working part
of the machine, I lengthen out the inside cover of the axle box d, and thus
form a long arm or lever e. or I make this arm of wrought iron and attach it
to the cover d by screwing or otherwise. The end of this arm e is a segment
of a circle e¹ (the centre of which is in a line with the centre of the axle
box A); it is provided with teeth and worked by a pinion of two (or more)
cogs f. In order that both sides of the machine may be moved simultaneously,
the pinions are connected by a rod g across the front of the machine, so that
by turning the rod by its handle f, the toothed ends of the arms are raised or
depressed, and the fork carriers brought nearer to or further from the ground.
The fork heads are attached to the fork-carrying wheels by a simple joint, as
shewn at g, the parts being secured by a screw and nut or by a rivet. The
fork heads have cast upon or otherwise connected to them two projecting
pieces g', g, bearing against the spring h. Figure 2, which allows the forks to
yield to any obstruction while at work, and permits of their being folded down
when out of use or travelling.
In carrying out the fourth head of my Invention, I take hollow tubes of iron
or other metal, and after bending such tubes of the proper length into suitable
forms. connect them with other transverse tubes, or with other metal or iron
work necessary for joining together or strengthening the same. or with the
body of a carriage, by means of cast metal T pieces, crosses, elbows, bosses,
or other shaped pieces of metal cast upon such tubes or iron work.
Figure 4 shews one of the methods in which I manufacture these shafts and
connect them to the body or frame of any carriage. A, A. are the shafts; B,
the back rail; and C, the front bar; D, D. are hack stays: and E, a semi-
circular stay placed between the shafts. These parts are composed of hollow
tubes of iron or other metal, and are all united together by casting upon them
the elbow and T pieces F, F. G is a rod which is passed through the back
rail E, the ends being furnished with screws and nuts for forming the attach-
ment to the body of the carriage.

page_text: And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed. I declare that I claim,-
First, the obtaining a backward and forward motion in hay-making machines
by means of inside and outside gearing in one axle box at each side of the
machine.
Second, the raising or lowering the working parts from or nearer to the
ground by means of a long arm or lever cast with or otherwise rigidly attached
to the axle box.
And, third, the means of attaching the fork heads to the fork-carrying
wheels, all as herein-before described and represented in the Drawings
annexed.
And with respect to my improvements in the manufacture of shafts for hay-
making machines and other agricultural implements. and for wheeled carriages
generally, I am aware that they have been heretofore proposed to be made of
hollow metal, and therefore only claim under this head of my Invention the
manufacture of shafts from metal tubes joined together and united to an agri-
cultural implement, or other wheeled carriage, in the manner herein-hefore
described and represented in the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof. T, the said, William Newzam Nicholson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Second day of January, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-five.
WILLIAM NEWZAM NICHOLSON. (L.S.)