IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS
Year: 1867

page_text: En the Matter of a Patent granted to THOMAS PIRIE, of Nether
Kinmundy, in the County of Aberdeen, North Britain, Imple-
ment Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS,"
bearing date the 16th day of July 1867, and which said Letters
Patent and all interest therein have been duly assigned to and
are now vested in Robert Fowler and Robert William Eddison,
of the Steam Plough Works, Leeds, and of 71, Cornhill, in the
City of London, carrying on business under the Style or Firm of
John Fowler and Co., as Steam Plough Manufacturers.
DISCLAIMER AND MEMORANDUM OF ALTERATION proposed to be
entered by the said ROBERT FOWLER and ROBERT WILLIAM EDDISON
as such Assignees as aforesaid, pursuant to the Statutes in that case
made and provided.
Complete
WHEREAS we have been advised that the words "and special
construction" in the first claiming clause at the end of the Speci-
fication might lead to the supposition that a claim was intended to

page_text: be made to the special construction of each of the separate parts of the
plough described in the Specification: And whereas all that we desire to
claim and to retain under this claiming clause is, the general arrangement
and combination of parts constituting the plough described in the
Specification, or any mere modification thereof, we for these reasons wish
to alter and do hereby alter the Specification by striking out from
such clause the words "and special construction:" And whereas we
have been advised that the second claiming clause might be held to
claim generally the constructing all kinds of ploughs without sole or
side plates, and wholly supporting and guiding them on wheels: And
whereas we have no desire to make or retain such extended claim, but
desire only to claim and to retain under this claiming clause the con-
struction of ploughs without sole or side plates, and wholly supported
and guided in their work on wheels in the manner described in the
Specification, or any mere modification thereof, for these reasons, and
in order to avoid any false or dubious construction being put upon this
claiming clause we alter the Specification by striking out the word
"generally" from such second claiming clause: And whereas the
Invention claimed under the third claiming clause is not when taken
separately of such substantive value as to induce us to retain such claim
in the Specification, we for this reason wish to disclaim and do hereby
disclaim such claiming clause, and we alter the word "fourth"
at the commencement of the next claiming clause into the word
"third" And whereas the Inventions claimed in the fifth, sixth, and
seventh claiming clauses were not (if taken separately) new at the date
of the Patent, we for this reason wish do disclaim and ho hereby
disclaim the fifth, sixth, and seventh claiming clauses: And whereas the
statement made at lines 36 and 37, page 3, of the printed copy of the
Specification, is not consistent with other parts thereof, we for this
'reason wish to alter and do hereby alter the Specification by striking out
the words "the position of the hind wheel and leading wheels regulating
the depth of the furrow" And at page 4, line 18, in order to make
the letters of reference agree with the letters of reference marked upon
the Drawings, we alter the letters of reference K, K, and L, L, into
K, K', and L, L': And whereas the paragraph commencing at line 20,
page 5, and ending at line 23 on the same page, might be taken to be a
part of the Invention, whereas no claim is intended to be made to what
is so described, we for this reason alter the Specification by striking out
such paragraph.
66

page_text: And in order that the effect of this Disclaimer and Memorandum of
Alteration may be clearly seen, we annex a copy of the Specification as
it will appear when such Disclaimer and Memorandum of Alteration is
made as aforesaid.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
PIRIE, of Nether Kinmundy, in the County of Aberdeen, North Britain,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the. Sixteenth day of July, 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 Thomas Pirie, Her special licence that I,
the said Thomas Pirie, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Thomas Pirie, my executors, administrators,
or 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 Thomas Pirie, by an instru-
ment 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Pirie, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Draw-
ings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention, which relates to an improved construction or
arrangement of ploughs, has for its chief object the diminution of the
labour of draught, that is to say, the horses are enabled to draw the
improved plough with greater ease than they can draw a plough of the
arrangement and construction hitherto adopted.
In carrying out this Invention the greater part of the weight of the
implement is supported or carried upon wheels, so that the sole and

page_text: side plates are dispensed with, by which means the great friction
attendant upon the sole and side plates is avoided to such an extent that
a pair of horses can draw the improved plough, cutting two furrows at
once of uniform breadth and depth for about the same expenditure of
energy required to draw a plough as hitherto constructed cutting only
one furrow at a time. The cutters and mould boards are jointed to an
angular framework, so that they can be shifted in position to cut any
required breadth of furrow by means of adjusting screws; the wheels are
also jointed thereto by means of moveable levers, so that the plough may.
be raised or lowered and guided in the required course; these levers are
again provided with screws for adjusting them in the shortest time
without the necessity of stopping the horses. The axle of the leading
wheel of the plough is attached to another lever, so that when the lever
is raised by the attendant the wheel can be set inwards or outwards as
may be necessary, and when adjusted the lever is again lowered for
securing the joint. The leading wheel runs in the bottom of a previously
cut furrow, whilst a wheel on the opposite side of the plough carries or
supports that side, and a hind wheel is attached to a moveable mould
board.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood I
now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner
in or under which the same is or may be used or practically carried into
effect, reference being had to the explanatory Sheet of Drawings, and to
the letters and figures marked .ereon, that is to say:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2 a plan of a two furrow
plough, on which similar parts are indicated by corresponding letters of
reference.
The arrangement of the plough consists of a framing A, the shape of
which is seen in plan, Figure 2, carried upon the three angular rimmed
wheels B, C, and D. The leading wheel B is carried upon a cranked
lever E, having an upright spindle which passes through the end of the
lever F. To the top end of the spindle a toothed segment G is secured,
gearing into another segment H which is carried on a stud a passing
through the lever F. The segment H is provided with a steering lever I,
which is used for guiding or turning the plough, and also altering the
width for the purpose of straightening the furrow without stopping the
plough by means of the toothed segment G, H, and the cranked lever E,
the lever I being supported and kept in the required position by means

page_text: of a tooth c resting in the segmental rack J. The coulters K, K', and
the mould boards L, L', are carried in brackets M, which have mortices d
formed in them, into which the coulter and stock of the mould boards
are wedged, as shewn more particularly in Figure 2,
"socks" S being
dovetailed on to the mould boards in the usual manner. The brackets M
are formed so as to slide upon the cross bars N of the framing, and can
be fixed thereto when set by the pinching screws e. The width of
furrow is regulated by means of the set screws O, O', which are supported
in the framing A, and pass through snugs m in the brackets M, the
position of the brackets being altered by means of the nuts P, which
are situated between the snugs. The bar O projects through the
framing A, and on it is carried the lever Q, to the end of which the wheel C
is attached, the trailing wheel D being attached to the inside of the
inner mould board L' by the bracket R, on which slides another
bracket S, so that the position of the wheel may be altered horizontally
and also vertically by means of the bar T sliding upwards and down-
wards through mortices in the bracket S, the brackets being fixed in
the required position by the pinching screw g. The depth of furrow is
regulated by the set screws U, V, attached to the levers F, Q. The
lever is provided with a snatch lever W for supporting the plough
when it is being transported between different localities and when being
turned at the end of each furrow. When ploughing the leading wheel B
runs in the furrow nearest to those which are being cut, so that it runs
on the same level as the "sock" of the mould boards, thus regulating
the breadth and depth of the furrow. When once the set screws U of
the lever F has been adjusted the trailing wheel D runs in the furrow
which is being cut by the coulter and mould board to which it is
attached, and is regulated by means of the slide bracket herein-before
described. The wheel C, except in a few instances, runs upon the
ground which has not been ploughed, consequently it is elevated a
distance equal to the depth of the furrows above the level of the other
wheels. When the plough has arrived at the end of one set of furrows,
and until it has entered into a new set, it is necessary to bring all the
wheels to the same level; this is done by elevating the end of the
lever Q, so that the bill of the snatch lever W, Figure 3, falls in front of
the upper horn h of the disc X, which is fixed on the square shaft O, as
shewn in detail in Figures 4 and 5. When a new set of furrows are to
be entered the bill of the snatch lever W is released from the horn h of
the disc X, and the wheel C is elevated the depth of the furrow above

page_text: the others, and is maintained in that position by the point of the set
screw V coming into contact with the lower horn i of the disc X. A
snatch lever may also be provided for the lever of the leading wheel, but
the plough may be easily worked without it. The toothed segments
used in turning the leading wheel may also be omitted and a lever
attached direct to the upright spindle of the lever E to which the wheel
is attached.
The mode of working the plough is as follows:-In cutting the first
furrow or set of furrows the leading wheel B will be raised to the same
level as the wheel C, viz., the depth of the furrow above the "sock" of
the mould board. The width of the furrow is determined, and the coulter
and mould boards set thereto by means of the nuts P working on the
screws O, O¹; when the position is fixed the pinching screws e in the
brackets M are screwed tight against the cross bars N. The first furrow
or set of furrows are now cut, at the end of which the leading wheel B
and side wheel C are depressed by means of their respective levers, so
as to raise the mould boards out of the ground. As the leading wheel
will now run in the furrow nearest to those which are about to be cut it
is lowered to the same level as the trailing wheel D, viz., the depth
of furrow, and the set screw U screwed against the horn k, which is
dovetailed into the under side of the framing A. The side wheel C
having been secured by the bill of the snatch lever W, as herein-before
described, the plough is now turned into another furrow. The snatch
lever W is now relieved from the horn h, and the side wheel C is raised
as the plough enters the furrow till the set screw V presses against the
horn i. The advantages of this plough are that the great friction
produced by the sole and side plates as ploughs are at present con-
structed is avoided, and except on very heavy land the work of cutting
two furrows with the improved plough is about the same as cutting one
furrow with the ordinary farm plough; also when the plough has been
properly set to work it requires no attention on the part of the plough-
man, except when it is necessary to turn it into a new set of furrows.
In ploughs constructed for working in heavy or stony land the
bracket M instead of being secured by set screws d and e, as shown in
the Drawings, are by preference adjusted and secured to the cross bars
by wedges or keys.
It is to be understood that under this Invention are included ploughs

page_text: arranged for cutting any number of furrows at once, and the ploughs
themselves may be worked by steam power as well as by horses or oxen.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is or may be used or practically carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting
the plough, as herein-before described, or any mere modification thereof.
Second. The construction of ploughs without sole or side plates, and
wholly supported and guided in their work on wheels, as hercin-before
described, or any mere modification thereof.
Third. The use of the set screws U and V on the under side of the
levers, for the purpose of adjusting the depth of the furrow without
stopping the plough, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Robert Fowler and Robert William
Eddison, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Second day
of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy.

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Pirie, of Nether Kinmundy, in the County
of Aberdeen, North Britain, Implement Maker, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS."
Sealed the 14th January 1868, and dated the 16th July 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Pirie at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th
July 1867.
I, THOMAS PIRIE, of Nether Kinmundy, in the County of Aberdeen, North
Britain, Implement Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention, which relates to an improved construction or arrangement
of ploughs, has for its chief object the diminution of the labour of draught,
that is to say, the horses are enabled to draw the improved plough with greater
ease than they can draw a plough of the arrangement and construction hitherto
adopted.
In carrying out this Invention the greater part of the weight of the
implement is supported or carried upon wheels, so that the sole and side plates

page_text: are dispensed with, by which means the great friction attendant upon the sole
or side plates is avoided to such an extent that a pair of horses can draw the
improved plough cutting two furrows at once of uniform breadth and depth
for about the same expenditure of energy required to draw a plough as
hitherto constructed cutting only one furrow at a time. The cutters and mould
boards are jointed to an angular framework, so that they can be shifted in posi-
tion to cut any required breadth of furrow by means of adjusting screws; the
wheels are also jointed thereto by means of moveable levers, so that the plough
'may be raised or lowered and guided in the required course; these levers are
again provided with screws for adjusting them in the shortest time without the
necessity of stopping the horses. The axle of the leading wheel of the plough
is attached to another lever, so that when the lever is raised by the attendant
the wheel can be set inwards or outwards, as may be necessary, and when
adjusted the lever is again lowered for securing the joint. The leading wheel
runs in the bottom of a previously cut furrow, whilst a wheel on the opposite
side of the plough carries or supports that side, and a hind wheel is attached to
a moveable board, the position of the hind wheel and leading wheels regulating
the depth of the furrow.
SPECIFICATION in pursnance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Pirie in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
January 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
PIRIE, of Nether Kinmundy, in the County of Aberdeen, North Britain,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of July, 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
Thomas Pirie, Her special license that I, the said Thomas Pirie, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Pirie,
my executors, administrators, or 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

page_text: upon
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS,"
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Pirie, by an instru-
ment 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 Thomas Pirie, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention which relates to an improved construction or arrangement
of ploughs has for its chief object the diminution of the labour of draught, that
is to say, the horses are enabled to draw the improved plough with greater
ease than they can draw a plough of the arrangement and construction hitherto
adopted.
In carrying out this Invention the greater part of the weight of the
implement is supported or carried upon wheels, so that the sole and side plates
are dispensed with, by which means the great friction attendant upon the sole
and side plates is avoided to such an extent that a pair of horses can draw the
improved plough cutting two furrows at once of uniform breadth and depth
for about the same expenditure of energy required to draw a plough as.
hitherto constructed cutting only one furrow at a time. The cutters and
mould boards are jointed to an angular framework, so that they can be shifted
in position to cut any required breadth of furrow by means of adjusting screws;.
the wheels are also jointed thereto by means of moveable levers, so that the
plough nay be raised or lowered and guided in the required course; these
levers are again provided with screws for adjusting them in the shortest time
without the necessity of stopping the horses. The axle of the leading wheel
of the plough is attached to another lever, so that when the lever is raised by
the attendant the wheel can be set inwards or outwards, as may be necessary,
and when adjusted the lever is again lowered for securing the joint. The
leading wheel runs in the bottom of a previously cut furrow, whilst a wheel
on the opposite side of the plough carries or supports that side, and a bind
wheel is attached to a moveable mould board, the position of the hind wheel
and leading wheels regulating the depth of the furrow.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood I now

page_text: proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner in or
under which the same is or may be used or practically carried into effect,
reference being had to the explanatory Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters
and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
. Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2 a plan of a two furrow plough,
on which similar parts are indicated by corresponding letters of reference.
The arrangement of the plough consists of a framing A, the shape of which
in seen in plan Figure 2, carried upon the three angular rimmed wheels B,
C, and D. The leading wheel B is carried upon a cranked lever E, having
an upright spindle which passes through the end of the lever F; to the top
end of the spindle a toothed segment G is secured, gearing into another
segment H, which is carried on a stud a passing through the lever F. The
segment H is provided with a steering lever I, which is used for guiding or
turning the plough, and also altering the width for the purpose of straightening
the furrow without stopping the plough by means of the toothed segments
G, H, and the cranked lever E, the lever I being supported and kept in the
required position by means of a tooth c resting in the segmental rack J. The
coulters K, K, and the mould boards L, L, are carried in brackets M, which
have mortices d formed in them, into which the coulter and stock of the
mould boards are wedged, as shown more particularly in Figure 2, "socks" S
being dovetailed on to the mould boards in the usual manner. The brackets M
are formed so as to slide upon the cross bars N of the framing, and can be
fixed thereto when set by the pinching screws E. The width of furrow
is regulated by means of the set screws 0, 0¹, which are supported in
the framing A, and pass through snugs m in the brackets M, the position of
the brackets being altered by means of the nuts P, which are situated between
the snugs. The bar O projects through the framing A, and on it is carried
the lever Q, to the end of which the wheel C is attached, the trailing wheel D
being attached to the inside of the inner mould board L¹ by the bracket R,
on which slides another bracket S, so that the position of the wheel may be
altered horizontally and also vertically by means of the bar T sliding upwards
and downwards through mortices in the bracket S, the brackets being fixed
in the required position by the pinching screw g. The depth of furrow is
regulated by the set screws U, V, attached to the levers F, Q. The lever Q
is provided with a snatch lever W for supporting the plough when it is being
transported between different localities, and when being turned at the end of
each furrow. When ploughing the leading wheel B runs in the furrow nearest
to those which are being cut, so that it runs on the same level as the "sock

page_text: of the mould boards, thus regulating the breadth and depth of the furrow.
When once the set screws U of the lever F has been adjusted the trailing
wheel D runs in the furrow which is being cut by the coulter and mould
board to which it is attached, and is regulated by means of the slide bracket
herein-before described. The wheel C, except in a few instances, runs upon
the ground which has not been ploughed, consequently it is elevated a distance
equal to the depth of the furrows above the level of the other wheels. When
the plough has arrived at the end of one set of furrows, and until it has
entered into a new set it is necessary to bring all the wheels to the same level;
this is done by elevating the end of the lever Q, so that the bill of the snatch
lever W, Figure 3, falls in front of the upper horn h of the disc X, which is
fixed on the square shaft O, as shown in detail in Figures 4 and 5. When a
new set of furrows are to be entered the bill of the snatch lever W is released
from the horn h of the disc X, and the wheel C is elevated the depth of the
furrow above the others, and is maintained in that position by the point of the
set screw V coming into contact with the lower horn of the disc X. A snatch
lever may also be provided for the lever of the leading wheel, but the plough
may be easily worked without it. The toothed segments used in turning the
leading wheel may also be omitted, and a lever attached direct to the upright
spindle of the lever E to which the wheel is attached. This plough may also
be arranged so that the coulter and mould boards may be raised out of the
ground by means of guides, so as to dispense with the set screws for regu-
lating the depth of furrow.
The mode of working the plough is as follows:-In cutting the first furrow
or set of furrows the leading wheel B will be raised to the same level as the
wheel C, viz., the depth of the furrow above the "sock" of the mould
board, the width of the furrow is determined, and the coulter and mould boards
set thereto by means of the nuts P working on the screws 0, 0¹; when the
position is fixed the pinching screws e in the brackets M are screwed tight
against the cross bars N. The first furrow or set of furrows are now cut, at
the end of which the leading wheel B and side wheel C are depressed by
means of their respective levers so as to raise the mould boards out of the
ground. As the leading wheel will now run in the furrow nearest to those
which are about to be cut it is lowered to the same level as the trailing
wheel D, viz., the depth of furrow and the set screw U screwed against the
horn k, which is dovetailed into the under side of the framing A the side
wheel C having been secured by the bill of the snatch lever W, as herein-
before described, the plough is now turned into another furrow. The snatch

page_text: lever W is now releived from the horn h, and the side wheel C is raised as the
plough enters the furrow till the set screw V presses against the horn i. The
advantages of this plough are that the great friction produced by the sole and
side plates, as ploughs are at present constructed, is avoided, and except on
very heavy land the work of cutting two furrows with the improved plough is
about the same as cutting one furrow with the ordinary farm plough; also
when the plough has been properly set to work it requires no attention on the
part of the ploughman, except when it is necessary to turn it into a new set
of furrows.
In ploughs constructed for working in heavy or stony land the bracket M,
instead of being secured by set screws d and e, as shown in the Drawings, are
by preference adjusted and secured to the cross bars by wedges or keys.
It is to be understood that under this Invention are included ploughs
arranged for cutting any number of furrows at once; and the ploughs
themselves may be worked by steam power as well as by horses or oxen.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is or may be used or practically carried into effect, I would
observe in conclusion that what I consider novel and original and therefore
claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,-
First, the general arrangement and special construction and combination of
parts constituting the plough, as herein-before described, or any mere
modification thereof.
Second, the construction of ploughs generally without sole or side plates
and wholly supported and guided in their work on wheels, as herein-before
described, or any mere modification thereof.
Third, the arrangement and construction of framing, as herein-before
described, or any mere modification thereof.
Fourth, the use of the set screws U and V on the under side of the levers for
the purpose of adjusting the depth of the furrow without stopping the plough,
as herein-before described.
Fifth, the use of the screws O for the horizontal adjustment of the brackets M
and the mould boards, coulters, and shares or socks attached thereto, as herein-
before described, or any mere modification thereof.
Sixth, the use of the cranked arm or lever to which the leading wheel of s
the plough is attached, as herein-before described and shown in the
accompanying Drawings.
Seventh, the fixing of the trailing wheel of ploughs to the mould boards by

page_text: an adjustable bracket for the purpose of giving hind support to the implement,
as berein-before described, or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof I, the said Thomas Pirie, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventh day of January, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-eight.
THOMAS PIRIE. (L.S.)