AN IMPROVED LAWN MOWING MACHINE
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Augustus Arnold Schlesinger-
"
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 25th June 1874.
I, AUGUSTUS ARNOLD SCHLESINGER, of Duncan Terrace, Islington, in
the County of Middlesex, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN IMPROVED LAWN MOWING MACHINE," to be as
follows:-
'
·
My. Invention relates to an improved lawn mowing machine, and is.
designed to furnish a machine which shall combine simplicity of
construction with a greater efficiency for cutting grass, under all
circumstances, than has been hitherto obtainable with lawn mowers.
The said Invention consists, first, in the employment of a toothed.
or serrated reciprocating knife in combination with a similar fixed
knife and with a lever and cam for operating the same, whereby the
necessity for the use of toothed wheels in any machine is entirely
obviated. The upper or reciprocating knife or cutter must be made
shorter then the lower or fixed knife, so that in working it will never
protrude beyond the ends of the said fixed knife, and the latter will form
a guide which will permit the machine to be used advantageously close

page_text: to a wall, fence, or other standing object. The said knives or cutters are
arranged in advance of a roller, which has bearings in the frame of the
machine, and whose central portion forms or carries the cam for operating
the said reciprocating knife or cutter. The ends of the said roller are
enlarged to form wheels whereon the machine is supported and travels,
and therefore the inner or central portion of the said rollers is clear of
the ground. The cam is preferably formed by cutting or casting a groove
around the said central portion of the roller. I place under the said cam
groove a guard or shield to prevent the entrance of grass or gravel into
the same.
The lever which actuates the said knife or cutter has its fulcrum on a
bar extending across the frame of the machine between the roller and the
cutters. The said lever has a pin on its short end, which enters the cam
groove; the long end of the said lever is pivotted to the said reciprocating
knife. The latter has two slots, whereby it is guided by means of pins or
studs fixed in the lower or fixed knife. If required, I may provide the
machine with adjustable rollers or shoes to regulate the height of the cut.
The knives or cutters extend on each side of the machine beyond the
roller and frame.
:
The frame of the said machine may be of cast iron or wood, or other
suitable material, and has a handle or handles of any convenient form.
The peculiar form of the cutters and their arrangement in relation to
the roller, as above described, will permit the said machine to cut the
grass in close proximity to any standing object, such as a wall or fence.
The absence of cogged or toothed wheels will prevent any difficulty:
arising from the clogging or choking of the machine with the cut grass,
and the simplicity of construction of the said machine will allow the
same to be supplied at a very small charge as compared with other
machines, and-will ensure its durability and easy management.