Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 16th July, 1887
Complete Left, 16th Apr., 1888
Complete Accepted, 18th May, 1888
We, JAMES HOWARD, and GEORGE. GIBBS, both of Bedford, in the County of
Bedford, Engineers do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Our Invention relates to mowing, reaping, and other harvesting machines.
The first part of our said Invention comprises improvements in the mechanism for
throwing the working parts of the machine into and out of gear with the driving
wheel.
Heretofore this operation has usually been effected by means of a clutch controlled
by the hand or foot of the driver or attendant, which clutch is also frequently placed
under cover.
This construction has been the cause of numerous accidents, for the
reason that when the driver or attendant dismounts from his seat to oil the machine,
or to remove some obstruction from the knife or other part, or for some other purpose,
he sometimes forgets or omits to operate the said clutch, so that, in case the horses
should move while his hands are near to, or in contact with, the parts, they are cut
or otherwise seriously injured.
The object of this part of our Invention is to remove this danger, and to this end
it consists essentially in arranging the driver's seat in connection with the gear
mechanism in such a manner that when the driver leaves the said seat the working
parts of the machine are automatically thrown out of gear.
In applying our improvements to a grass-mowing machine of the ordinary type, in
which the attendant's seat is attached to the rear end of the pole between the two
main driving wheels, we connect the said seat by a hinge or joint to the rear part of
the pole, so that the seat is free to move a short distance in such a manner as to.
disengage the driving clutch the moment the attendant dismounts.
•
In machines on which the seat is differently situated, modifications of the arrange.
ment hereinbefore described are necessary but these modifications can be effected
without departing from the nature of our Invention.
The second part of our Invention comprises improvements in the mode of connecting.
the draught appliances to the machine. Instead of the horses drawing from the pole
only, the draught appliances are so arranged that they draw partly from the pole, and.
partly from the "drag-bar" or frame to which the cutter bar is attached.

page_text: In carrying out this portion of our Invention, the whippletrees to which the horses
are attached are connected to a long staple fixed on the underside of the pole upon
which they are free to slide within a given limit; one end of a draught rod is attached
to the hinder whippletree, the other to the drag-bar or frame in such a manner as to
prevent the lifting of the main driving wheels off the ground, and to carry the cutter
bar lightly over the surface of the ground and maintain it in the best position for
doing its work.
"
The third part of our Invention relates to improvements in the connecting rod or
pitman " which operates the knives. In the ordinary ball and socket connecting
rod, loss of time occurs in changing the knife owing to difficulty in disconnecting the
rod or pitman from the knife. By our improved method the ball and socket joint is
so formed that upon raising the cutter bar to a certain angle the rod or pitinan may
be disconnected from the knife by the ball being drawn through an orifice left in the
socket for the purpose.
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Harvesting-machines.
We, JAMES HOWARD and GEORGE GIBBS, both of Bedford, in the County of
Bedford, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
Our invention relates to mowing, reaping and other harvesting machines.
The first part of our said invention comprises improvements in the mechanism for
throwing the working parts of the machine into and out of gear with the driving
wheel or wheels.
This
In harvesting-machines as heretofore constructed, this operation has usually been
effected by means of a clutch controlled by the hand or foot of the driver or attendant,
which clutch is, moreover, frequently encased or otherwise placed under cover.
construction has been the cause of numerous accidents, for the reason that the driver
or attendant, when he dismounts from his seat to oil the machine, or to remove some
obstruction from the knife or other part, or for some other purpose, sometimes forgets
or omits to disconnect the said clutch and throw the working parts out of with
gear

page_text: the driving wheels, so that, when he places his hands near to or in contact with the
said parts, they are liable to be cut or otherwise seriously injured should the machine
be moved by the horses.
The object of the first part of our invention is to obviate this danger. For this
purpose we arrange the driver's seat in connection with the gear-mechanism in such a
manner that, when the driver leaves the said seat, the working parts of the machine
are automatically thrown out of gear.
In applying our improvements to a grass-mowing machine of the ordinary type, in
which the attendant's seat is attached to the rear end of the pole between the two
main driving wheels, we connect the said seat by a hinge-joint to the rear part of the
pole, so that the seat is free to move a short distance upon or about the said hinge-
joint and will be depressed when the driver or attendant mounts it, and raised the
moment he dismounts, in such a manner as to disengage the driving clutch.
In machines wherein the seat is differently situated, modifications of the arrange-
ment hereinbefore described are necessary; these modifications can, however, be
effected without departing from the nature of our said invention.
The second part of our invention relates to the connecting rod or "pitman" which
operates the knives. With the ordinary ball-and-socket connecting rod, loss of time
occurs in changing the knife or cutter-bar, owing to the difficulty in disconnecting
the rod or pitman therefrom. According to our invention the ball-and-socket joint is
so formed that, upon raising the cutter-bar to a certain angle, the rod or pitman may
be disconnected therefrom by drawing the ball through an orifice left in the socket for
the purpose.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a plan or top view of part of a grass-mowing machine having our present
improvements applied thereto.
Figure 2 shows a portion of Figure 1, drawn to an enlarged scale, illustrating
details of our improved devices for operating the clutch by which the cutting
appliances are connected with, and disconnected from the road-wheels.
Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the parts shown in Figure 2, and
Figure 4 is a side elevation of the same partly in vertical section.
Figures 5, 6 and 7 are views hereinafter referred to, illustrating our improved
method of constructing the knife-head or cutter-bar and its connection to the
pitman.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
Referring to Figures 1 to 4, A is the draught-pole, upon which a bracket B is
bolted or otherwise firmly secured. C is the arm which carries the driver's seat C¹.
This arm is connected to the bracket B by the hinge-pin or pivot-pin D in such a
manner that it is free to move through a limited range upon or about the said hinge-
pin or pivot-pin. E is a bell-crank-lever which is pivoted upon a pin or stud F
attached to a convenient part of the machine underneath the seat-arm C. G is a
clutch for putting the mechanism into or out of gear with the driving wheel or
wheels. His a cog-wheel or internally toothed wheel mounted loosely upon the main
or driving axle J and having formed upon it the counterpart H' of the clutch. The
clutch G is formed with an annular groove G' and is fitted to slide upon feathers or
keys in the main axle J; a fork K is placed in the groove G¹ and is connected to the
vertical arm E¹ of the bell-crank-lever E, the horizontal arm E³ of which is coupled
to the seat-arm C by a pin or bolt passing through a lug or projection C on the
said arm.
It will be seen that, when the seat C¹ is depressed, it will move the clutch G into
engagement with the counterpart H', and, when the said seat is raised, the clutch G
will be moved out of contact or engagement with the said counterpart H. To render
the clutch G automatic in its action, we provide a spring L underneath the arm C, so
that, when the driver removes his weight from the seat C', the spring L will raise the
said arm and consequently withdraw the clutch G from the counterpart H' and thus
stop the action of the cutting appliances.
To enable the driver to ride upon the seat without putting the cutting appliances in

page_text: operation, we provide a pedal catch M which is formed with a projection M' and is
acted upon by a spring N. When the horizontal arm E of the bell-crank-lever E is
raised, the spring N forces the projection M₁ beneath the arm E and prevents
downward movement of the latter, thus securely holding the machine out of gear. To
put the cutting appliances into gear while upon his seat, the driver has simply to press
the pedal M with his foot and thus release the lever E; his weight will then depress
the arm C and throw the clutch G into gear with the counterpart H¹.
Referring to Figures 5, 6 and 7, which show respectively a side elevation, a plan
and an end elevation, P is a knife-head or cutter-bar having a spherical knob P₁ formed
thereon for the purpose of connecting it to the driving gear. Part of this knob is cut
away or the said knob is grooved as shown at p, and the connecting rod Q is formed
with grooves so that, when the outer end of the cutter-bar is raised into the position
shown by dotted lines in Figure 5, the connecting rod Q can be drawn off or removed
from the said knob P¹ without the necessity for removing or withdrawing any bolts,
nuts, cottars or the like. We thereby secure all the well-known advantages of a ball-
and-socket connection for the knife or cutter-bar, without the disadvantage incidental
thereto; all difficulty of removal of the knife or cutter-bar when necessary, for
sharpening or other purposes, being obviated by our improved arrangement.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of our said invention and
the manner in which the same is to be performed we wish it understood that we claim,
in a harvesting machine :-
First The provision of means whereby the working parts will be automatically
put out of gear with the driving wheel or wheels when the driver leaves his seat.
Second The provision of means for keeping the working parts in gear with
the driving wheel or wheels by the driver's weight upon the seat, whilst enabling
him when necessary to ride upon the seat without putting the said parts in gear.
Third-The knife-head or cutter-bar connected with the driving gear by means of a
ball-and-socket or universal joint so constructed that the said knife-head or cutter-bar
may be disconnected without the removal of bolts, nuts, cottars or the like, as above
specified.
Dated this 16th do of: 1000