IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR TRIMMING LAwns and CUTTING SODS."
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Morgan George Lloyd, of Camolin, in the County
of Wexford, Ireland, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR
TRIMMING LAwns and CUTTING SODS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Morgan George Lloyd
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 5th November 1875.
I, MORGAN GEORGE LLOYD, of Camolin, in the County of Wexford,
Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR TRIMMING LAWNS AND CUTTING SODS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of mechanism whereby
the trimming of the edges of lawns and the paring off of rods may be
effected in a rapid and economical manner.
The machine consists of a frame having a pair of propelling or
guiding handles, and supported by a pair of carrying wheels made fast

page_text: to a live axle. On one side of these wheels a circular cutter of about
the same diameter as the carrying wheels is made fast to the axle. In
rear of this circular cutter stands a share which is intended to give a
horizontal cut, which meeting the vertical cut of the circular cutter
will complete the severance of the sod or pairing.
The frame is fitted with a gauge wheel which is carried by a stalk
that is adjustable vertically in its socket. This wheel runs at the
opposite side of the circular cutter to that at which the carrying wheels
before mentioned are situate, and when the machine is in use this
gauge wheel is adjusted to run upon the grass, and thereby limit the
depth of cut made by the circular cutter as the machine is propelled or
drawn forward.
In order to protect the circular cutter and the share from contact
with the ground, when the machine is being moved from one place to
another, the gauge wheel is depressed until the cutters are raised clear
of the ground. The machine will then run on the gauge wheel, and on
the outermost of the carrying wheels. The rotary cutter it will be
understood is set in action by the rotation of the carrying wheels without
the use of gearing; these wheels and the rotary cutter being fast on the
same axle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Morgan George Lloyd in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 5th May 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MORGAN
GEORGE LLOYD, of Camolin, in the County of Wexford, Ireland, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth, year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Morgan George Lloyd, Her
special licence that I, the said Morgan George Lloyd, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Morgan
George Lloyd, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any

page_text: 5
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 "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR TRIMMING LAWNS AND CUTTING Sods,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Morgan George
Lloyd, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or 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 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 Morgan George Lloyd, 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, referènce being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say) :-
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of mechanism whereby
the trimming of the edges of lawns, avenues, or walks, and the paring
off of sods may be effected in a rapid and economical manner.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my
improved machine; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; and Fig. 3 is a
sectional elevation taken in the line 1, 2, of Figures 1 and 2.
The machine consists of a rectangular frame of cast or wrought iron
A, A, to which a propelling or guiding handle B is fitted. This frame
is supported by a pair of carrying wheels C, C¹, made fast to a live axle,
which has its bearings in the front end of the frame A. On one side
of these wheels a circular cutter E of about the same diameter.as the
) carrying wheels is made fast to the axle D, its use being to make a
vertical cut in the turf to be trimmed or paired off as the machine is
propelled forward, the cutter being then caused to rotate by reason of its
being fast to the axle to which the carrying wheels are fixed. Fitted
within the frame A and in rear of this circular cutter is a share F
3 which is intended to give a horizontal cut that shall meet the vertical
cut of the circular cutter E. A vertical recess is made in a projection a
on the inner side of the frame A to receive the stalk of the share F,

page_text: and through the frame and its internal projection a vertical slot is made
to permit of a screwed pin attached to the stalk projecting through the
frame. By means of a binding nut f which takes on to the screwed pin
the share is held firmly in position, it being adjusted to suit the depth
of cut required by slackening the binding nut and shifting the screwed
pin of the stalk up or down in the vertical slot.
Fitted to the frame A is a gauge wheel G, the stalk of which fits in a
square socket formed for it in the side of the frame; the stalk of this
gauge is adjustable vertically in its socket in which it is screwed by a
binding screw h. This wheel runs at the opposite side of the circular
cutter to that at which the carrying wheels C, C¹, are situate, and when
the machine is in use this gauge wheel is adjusted to run upon the grass,
as shown at Fig. 3, and thereby limit the depth of cut made by the
circular cutter as the machine is propelled or drawn forward. To
facilitate the propulsion of the machine a draught rope may be
attached to the frame at any convenient point, say for example at H,
Fig. 2.
To enable the attendant to steer the machine truly as he is propelling
it forward, a sight piece I is provided in front of the circular cutter E,
which sight piece is carried by a rod standing up from the framing A.
From the foregoing description it will be understood that when by
the proper adjustment of the gauge wheel the circular cutter is enabled
to cut into the sod to the desired depth, and when the share is suitably
adjusted to correspond to the depth of cut desired, it will only be
necessary give a forward motion to the machine, guiding it over the
ground to be operated upon, when a vertical and horizontal cut will be
simultaneously made in the turf, and a clean severance of the sod or
paring will be effected.
In order to protect the circular cutter and the share from contact
with the ground when the machine is being, transferred from one place a
to another, the gauge wheel is depressed until the cutters are raised clear
of the ground; the machine will then run on the gauge wheel and on
the outermost carrying wheel C¹.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improved
Machinery for Trimming Lawns and Cutting Sods," and explained the a
manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood
C

page_text: that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim, the con-
struction and arrangement of mechanism as and for the purpose above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Morgan George Lloyd, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the First day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
MORGAN GEORGE LLOYD. (L.S.)