IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Bernhard Samuelson and William George Man-
waring, of Banbury, in the County of Oxford, Engineers, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES."
Sealed the 26th January 1875, and dated the 13th November 1874.
:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Bernhard Samuelson
and William George Manwaring at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 13th November 1874.
We, BERNHARD SAMUELSON,and WILLIAM GEORGE MANWARING, of
Banbury, in the County of Oxford, Engineers, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES,"
to be as follows:→
;
The first part of our Invention relates to reaping and mowing
machines, the frames of which are constructed substantially as described
in W. Manwaring's Patent of May 18th 1865, No. 1871, and are suspended
from an axle upon which two driving wheels are mounted, such frames
being reversed in accordance with the fourth part of the Provisional

page_text: Specification of Pidgeon and Manwaring's Patent of October 17th 1867,
No. 2905, and it consists in mounting upon the main shoe or platform
of such machines, when so reversed, a rotating raking apparatus, the
rakes or gatherers of which move round an upright shaft and are
controlled by a cam surface either alone or in combination with any
suitable arrangement for throwing up the rakes or gatherers when that
is desirable; and further, having by preference a spring mounted on the
pole or forward part of the machine connected by suitable means with
the hinder part of the frame for relieving the said frame and cutter bar
if either of them should take the ground in passing over uneven surfaces.
The cutter bar being jointed the platform can be folded sideways for
travelling.
The second part of our Invention consists in applying the spring
arrangement above described to roar cutting machines which are not
reversible.
The object of the third part of our Invention is to give a durable
surface to that part of the fingers. of reaping machines on which the
knife bar runs, such knife bar carrying the cutting sections on its
upper surface, and it consists in making a recess in the said fingers and
inserting (and by preference driving) into such recess a piece of steel or
hard metal which takes the bearing off the knife bar.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Bernhard Samuelson and William George
Manwaring in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th May
1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME; we, BERNHARD
SAMUELSON and WILLIAM GEORGE MANWARING, of Banbury, in the
County of Oxford, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Hẹr
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto us, the said Bernhard Samuelson and William
George Manwaring, Her special licenco that we, the said Bernhard

page_text: Samuelson, and William George Manwaring, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Bernhard Samuelson
and William George Manwaring, our 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 HARVESTING
MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Bernhard Samuelson and William George Manwaring, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 Bernhard Samuelson, on behalf of.
myself and of the said William Georgo Manwaring, do hereby declare
the nature of our 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 Drawing hereunto
annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to.
say) :-
This Invention relates mainly to reaping and mowing machines, the
frames of which are constructed, substantially as described, in William
George Manwaring's Patent of May Eighteenth, One thousand eight
hundrod and sixty-five, No. 1371, and are suspended from an axle fitted
with a pair of driving wheels, such frames. being reversed so far as
respects their forward traverse motion in accordance with the fourth
part of the Provisional Specification of Pidgeon and Manwaring's Patent
of October Seventeenth, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven,
No. 2905.. This part of our Invention consists in converting the mower
into an efficient self delivery reaper by mounting upon a modified form
of the main shoe of the Manwaring frame when the draught pole is
reversed a rotating raking apparatus, the rakes or gatherers of which
move around an upright shaft and are controlled by a cam surface, and
further having a spring mounted on the pole or forward part of the
machine connected by suitable means with the hinder part of the frame
:

page_text: for relieving the said frame and cutter bar if either of them should take
the ground in passing over uneven surfaces.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 shews in side elevation our
improved harvesting machine converted by the appliances above
mentioned from a mower. to an efficient reaper; and Fig. 2 is a back
elevation of the machine.
A, Fig 1 is one of a pair of driving wheels fitted to an axle .B, from
which is hung the gearing frame C; D is the main shoe of the reaper;
its construction is best seen in the detached views Figures 3 and 4,
which shew it in plan and side elevation. This shoe is connected to the
gearing frame in the manner described in the Specification of the above-
named Patent of One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five. To this
main shoe D is bolted a hollow casting E for receiving and supporting
the rake shaft F. This shaft F is fitted with rocking arms which carry
rakes or gatherers G, G, that are controlled in their revolution around.
the shaft F by a stationary cam surface H supported on a tripod I which
is itself carried by a broad flange on the hollow casting. E* is a socket
forming part of the hollow casting and intended to receive and support
the stud axle of å bevil pinion and chain wheel K. This pinion gears
into a crown wheel L koyed to the shaft F. M is a chain wheel made
fast to the driving wheel A; and N is a chain for transmitting rotary
motion from the chain wheel M to the chain wheel K, and thence to the
rako or gathering arms G which are thus caused to revolve and gather
in the corn as the machine is drawn forward. O is the draught pole
which is bolted to a rocking bracket O¹ mounted on the axle B. Fitted
to this draught pole O is a spring box P for containing a coiled spring,
the elasticity of which is employed for assisting the main shoe cutter
bar and platform to pass over any obstructions which may lie in the
course of the machine. This spring box with its fittings is shown in
longitudinal section at Fig. 5, in plan view at Fig. 6, and in transverse
section at Eig. 7. It contains a coiled spring a through which is passed
a rod 6 carrying at its inner end a disc c for compressing the spring.
To the outer end of this rod a chain Q is attached, the same being led
over a guide pulley & carried by a bracket piece on the end of the
pole O, and secured at its extremity to the gearing frame C. By this
arrangement a large part of the weight of the frame is sustained by the
coiled spring, and thus a tendency is given to the frame to clear any
irregularities upon the surface of the ground..

page_text: For adjusting the normal elevation with reference to the ground at
which the frame and shoe are held, the spring box P is made capable of
receiving an endway motion, thus we mount the box in guides R bolted
to the draught pole O, and form on the under side of the box a rack e
into which gears a pinion on the axle g of a worm wheel h, which
axle has its bearings in the guides R. Into the worm wheel h gears.
a worm i mounted in lugs on one of the guides R. By turning this
worm with a key or handle the spring box may be shifted endwise,
and thus the elevation of the shoe will be adjusted as desired.. We may
remark that this spring box arrangement may be applied to rear cutting
harvesting machines of other constructions than that shewn in Fig. 1.
L
Figures 8.and 9 shew in plan and side view the form of main shoe
used when the machine is required to act as a mower. In these Figures
as well as in Figures 3 and 4 it will be observed-that- the shoe is.shaped
so as to give the fingers the proper inclination to the ground.
From the foregoing description it will be understood that in order to.
convert the machine, as shewn in Fig. 1, into a forward cutting mower
it will be necessary to remove the shoe D with its fittings and to replace
it by the mowing shoe Figures 8 and 9. A suitably arranged cutter bar
(the fingers of which point in an opposite direction to the fingers of the
reaping bar) will also be provided with this shoe. The draught pole is
also to be detached from and reversed in the rocking bracket O¹, and the
machine will then be ready for working in the opposite direction or with
the cutting mechanism in front.
Our Invention further consists in giving a durable surface to that
part of the fingers of reaping machines on which the knife bar runs,
such knife bar carrying the cutting sections on its upper surface. This
improvement is illustrated at Figures 10 and 11, Fig. 10 being a side
view, and Fig. 11 a plan view of a finger fitted with a steel bearing
piece. The fingers we cast with a shallow recess, as at 1, Fig. 10, and
insert into such recess a piece of steel or hard metal which takes the
bearing of the knife bar. By countersinking the ends of the recess and
chamfering the corresponding ends of the steel piece it may be driven
home and thereby firmly fixed in its place.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improvements
in Harvesting Machines," and explained the manner of carrying the

page_text: same into effect, we wish it to be understood that under the above in
part recited Letters Patent we claim,—
Firstly. The means above described with reference to the Drawings
for converting the forward cutting Manwaring mower herein-before
referred to into an efficient self-delivering reaper.
- Secondly. The application of the spring box arrangement above
described to reapers having their cutter bars behind the driving wheels.
Thirdly. The application to the fingers of harvesting machines of a
durable bearing surface for the knife bar, as and for the purpose above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Bernhard Samuelson, have here-.
unto set my hand and seal, the Twelfth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five..