An Improved Implement for Ploughing, Harrowing, Hoeing, Sowing, and otherwise Treating Land.
Year: 1888

page_text: "ate of Application, 8th Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 11th June, 1889-Accepted, 13th July, 1889
KRUVIDIONAL OF ECIFICATION.
An Improved Implement for Ploughing, Harrowing, Hoeing, Sowing,
and otherwise Treating Land.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the firm of G. F. Redfern & Co., the General
Patent Office, No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the county of Middlesex, Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication from abroad
by S. L. Allen & Co., of Philadelphia, Pa., United States of America, Manufacturers)
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to implements for cultivating land, and it has for its object
to provide an implement which can be converted to serve either as a plough, harrow,
cultivator, hoc, or seed-drill.
According to the said invention I provide a suitable frame which is provided with
transverse slots. At the rear side of this frame are two brackots to which the handles
of the implement can be attached while at the front side of the said frame are arms
for carrying the wheel axle.
When the implement is to be used as a seed-drill each of the wheels is provided
with a chamber at its centre and between the two chambers is placed a metal band
having a series of openings through it in connection with each of which openings on
the internal sido of the band is a small pocket. As the wheels rotate the said pockets
lift the seed and discharge it through the said openings into a suitable chute. The
size of the opening may be regulated by means of a second hand on the exterior of
the first hand, and provided with corresponding openings."
Behind the seed chamber formed by the wheels and the band is placed a trail wheel,
the said wheel being secured by a stud passing through one of the slots and serving
as a roller.
In front of the chute through which the seed is conducted to the ground is a
cleaner for removing any obstruction. The lower extremity of the chute is
constructed so as to throw the mould laterally into the wheel flanges and scrapers
are arranged within the wheel to move the mould back again to cover the seed after it
has been deposited in the ground.
When the implement is to be used for ploughing, harrowing, or similar operations,
plough bodies, tines hoes or the like are adjusted on the implement by means of the
slots aforesaid.
If the implement is not required for seeding purposes ordinary wheels may be sub-
stituted for the chambered wheels.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Implement for Ploughing, Harrowing, Hoeing, Sowing,
and otherwise Treating Land.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the firm of G. F. Redfern & Co., the General
Patent Office, No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the, county of Middlesex, Patent
Agents do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication from
abroad by S. L. Allen & Co., of Philadelphia, Pa., United States of America,
Manufacturers) and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to implements for ploughing, harrowing, hoeing, sowing and
J

page_text: otherwise treating land by hand power; and it consists chiefly in the novel
construction of the frame of the implement, whereby the various attachments neces-
sary for enabling the implement to be used for the purposes above mentioned may be
more readily attached than heretofore. Implements of this class as generally hereto-
fore constructed have been provided with a number of slots or holes arranged at
different parts of the frame in such a manner that the various attachments, when
placed in the proper holes for receiving the same, shall be in their proper positions
for work.
According to this invention a single transverse slot or a pair of slots in the same
straight line is or are adapted to receive the standards of the attachments.
In the accompanying drawing:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing the improved implement
adapted for sowing.
Figuro 2 is a sectional plan of the same; and,
Figure 3 is a section on line ca fig. 1.
Figures 4 and 5 are views illustrating the construction of the sowing attachments.
Figures 6 and 7 are a side and front elevation respectively of the tines or attach-
ments for enabling the implement to be used as a cultivator or grubber.
Figures 8 and 9 are a side elevation and plan respectively of plough-bodies adapted
to be attached to the implement, and,
Figures 10 and 11 are views-similiar to figures 6 and 7 respectively of devices for
enabling the implement to be used as a rake or harrow.
Figures 12 and 13 are a side elevation and plan of the hoeing attachments.
Figure 14 is a perspective view, showing a modified form of frame; and,
Figure 15 is a view of a detail.
a is the frame of the implement, which is provided with the two forwardly
projecting arms bb for carrying the wheels and the rearwardly projecting brackets cc
to which the handles d d are connected, the ends of the handles being preferably
made of a pistol shape, as shown in fig. 1, thereby affording a firm grip for the
hands.
e, e are the slots to which the standards of the various attachments are secured.
ff are the wheels, the axle of each of which is carried in one of a series of holes 6¹
in the arms b, b. By arranging the wheels in either of the said holes, the depth at
which it is required the different attachments to work is adjusted. Each of the
wheels, when the implement is to be used as a seed-drill, is provided with a
chamber g at its centre, and between the two chambers is placed a metal band g¹
having a series of openings g' through it; in connection with each of the openings
on the internal side of the band is a small pocket g³, so that, as the wheels rotate, the
said pockets discharge the sced into the chute h which is carried by the arm h',
secured to the frame by the bolt . Behind the seed-chamber is placed a trail-wheel
secured by a stud passing through a slot e¹ and serving as a roller. In front of the
chute is a tinej for making a furrow for the seed to fall into, and in front of the
tine is a guard for preventing any obstruction from interfering with the proper
action of the tine j.
Scrapers attached to the framo are arranged to extend within the flanges of
the wheels, as shown most clearly in fig. 3, the said scrapers serving to throw
back the mould to cover the seed after it has been deposited.
In order to regulate the quantity of seed delivered through the openings g³]
employ, in combination with the band g', a second band 9 having a series of
openings corresponding with the series in the band g', so that by moving the band g
to bring its openings more or less out of coincidence with the openings g², as shown
in fig. 4, the area of the said openings g³ will be varied; these two bands are shown
most clearly in figs. 4 and 5 which represent a developed plan and longitudina
section of the same.
k is a marker which is pivotted loosely at one end to a bar / while the other en
drags upon the ground.

page_text: The bar is attached at one end to a pin on the frame a so that it can be
turned to either side of the implement as required. is a pin for locating the marker
in any required position on the bar l.
The implement, as herein before stated, is applicable for use in various forms, as, for
instance, a cultivator a plough, a harrow or a hoe, by using the grubber-tines,
such as shown in figs. 6 and 7, plough-bodies, such as shown in figs. 8 and 9,
teeth or rakes, such as shown in Gigs. 10 and 11, or hue-blades, such as shown in.
figs. 12 and 13 respectively.
The positions of the various attachments may be adjusted laterally by securing
them at different points in the slots e, e and axially by turning them to different
angles on the standards of the attachments themselves.
The rakes, which are right and left-handed, have their standards nearer to one
end than the other, as shown in fig. 11, thus enabling them to cover a wide space of
ground without unnecessarily lengthening the slots e e.
The teeth of the rakes have preferably broad edges which leave the ground in a
much looser condition than when teeth of the same shape as those of an ordinary
hand-rake are employed.
The standard of one of the hoe-blades is advantageously curved or twisted so that
although they are secured in slots in the same line, yet one blade will be in advance
of the other and not symmetrically opposite: this arrangement allows small sticks
and stones to pass easily that might otherwise lodge in or catch between the hoes and
thus tear up or injure the plants.
When the implement is not required for use as a seed-drill it may, be provided
with wheels of ordinary construction and in some cases it may not be necessary to
employ more than one wheel, in such case one of the arms & can be dispensed with.
I sometimes adapt the implement to hoe or otherwise act upon the land upon both
sides of a row of plants, for this purpose I advantageously construct the frame with
an arch a³, as shown in fig. 14 so that the said frame will not come into contact with
the plants over which it is passing. The wheels f₁f are advantageously carried upon
axles of the kind shown in fig. 15, that is to say, having a head and two nuts,
the inner nut serving as a collar for the wheel and the outer nut to secure the axle in
the frame.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
arms for
(1) In a cultivator, a frame baving a single tool-holding slot on each side, both
slots being in the same transverse line, a forwardly projecting arm or
carrying a wheel or wheels, and a vertical series of holes in such arm or arms,
whereby the depth of the attachments on the frame may be varied, substantially as,
described.
(2) In a cultivator, the employment, in combination with a slotted frame of the
kind hereinbefore described, of seed-drilling apparatus, substantially as set forth.
(3) In a cultivator, a pair of adjustable curved rakes, each of which is provided
with a single standard out of centre substantially as described with reference to figs. 10
and 11, whereby the said rakes may be secured, substantially as, and for the purpose,
set forth.
(4) In a cultivator having a slotted frame, as set forth, the formation in the wheel-
carrying arms, of a series of holes for receiving the axles, whereby the depth of the
working of the implement may be varied, the said axles consisting of double-nutted
bolts, substantially as described.
(5) In a cultivator having a slotted frame as set forth, the formation of the. said
frame with an arch, substantially in the manner described with reference to fig. 14
of the drawing for the purpose specified.

page_text: (6) A cultivator having various attachments, all of which are provided with
standards adapted to be inserted in the same slots in the frame, substantially as
described.
Dated the 11th day of June 1889.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
..4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.