IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CULTIVATING LAND
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Perkins, of Hitchin, in the County of Hertford,
and Thomas Burall, of Peterborough, in the County of Northampton, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CULTIVATING LAND."
Sealed the 14th March 1879, and dated the 19th October 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Perkins and Thomas
Bural at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th October
1878.
THOMAS PERKINS, of Hitchin, in the County of Hertford, and THOMAS BURALL,
of Peterborough, in the County of Northampton. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR CULTIVATING LAND."
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for cultivating
land.
In cultivating land by means of implements, which are drawn to and fro by ropes
put in motion by a steam engine or engines, it is common to provide upon the
implement for the attachment of the ropes a two-armed lever connected with the
implement by an axis about which the lever can turn freely in an horizontal plane.
The two ropes are attached each to the outer end of one of the lever arms, and
when the implement is at work the arm to which the hauling rope is attached aligns
itself approximately with this rope, whilst the other arm of the lever projects out
to the side of the implement; it carries the return rope clear of the implement, and
lays it in position to haul back the implement at the next bout. In this arrange-
ment the strain upon the return rope gives rise to a lateral thrust upon the imple-
ment, which renders it difficult to steer. We avoid this difficulty by mounting the
axis of the lever upon a slide, so that it is free to move along a guide towards either
side of the implement. The axis of the lever being thus free to move independently
in a transverse direction, no longer imparts to the fore part of the implement the
varying lateral thrusts which derange the steerage.

page_text: We support the hinder part of the cultivating implement on a pair of wheels
and a cranked axle, and as is usual we, lift the tines or cultivating tools when
requisite by turning the axle partly round. The way in which we do this is by
providing ratchet teeth upon the bosses of the wheels and pawl-like instruments on
a transverse axis carried in bearings upon the frame of the implement. When it is
desired to lift the tines or tools these pawl-like instruments are made to engage
with the ratchet teeth upon the wheels, and then as the implement moves forward
and the wheels revolve the pawl-like instruments, and with them the whole frame
of the implement and parts dependent upon it, are raised.
As the forward motion of the implement continues the pawl-like instruments are
carried up until they reach a position from which they can escape upwards out of
the ratchet teeth. When this takes place however the frame of the implement is
prevented from descending by another pawl, which has dropped into teeth upon an
arc upon the axle. To recommence work and cause the tines or cultivating tools to
again descend and enter the land, the retaining pawl is raised away from the teeth
of the arc by means of a lever handle upon its axis, or in other convenient manner.
The depth to which the tines or cultivating tools enter the land can be regulated by
allowing the retaining pawl again to fall in and engage with one of the teeth of the
arc, with which it works as soon as the tines or cultivating tools have reached the
desired depth.
We arrange self-moving anchors in the following manner :-The anchor, as is
usual, consists of a carriage mounted upon disc wheels, which cut into the land, and
the pulley which guides the hauling rope in its passage from the engine to the
implement is mounted upon this carriage. The carriage whilst the implement is in
work is prevented from yielding to the forward strain of the hauling rope by a long
lever pawl engaging with the teeth of a ratchet upon the axis of one pair of the
disc wheels; the self-moving is effected by means of a portion of chain connecting
the rope with the implement, which when it passes around the pulley acts upon the
tail of the lever pawl and removes the pawl from the teeth. The hauling rope is
passed through a hole or eye in the frame of the carriage; it runs freely and without
friction through it, but the chain when it reaches the eye, being of larger size, is
unable to pass, and consequently the anchor carriage is then drawn on by the rope
until the engine is stopped. We sometimes apply springs in connection with this
eye to prevent concussion when the chain reaches it, but this may be dispensed with
when the apparatus is carefully worked.
In some cases we replace the disc wheels of the anchor carriage by tines pene-
trating the land, and so resisting the strain of the hauling rope. These tines we
arrange in such manner that when the implement comes up to the anchor they are
automatically lifted in order that the auchor may be drawn forward, whilst on the
return of the implement the tines again descend, and when the anchor is exposed
to strain they penetrate.
The anchor as we construct it consists of a frame on wheels; the trailing wheel
is employed for steering, and can be set from time to time to vary the line of
advance. The main frame has a second frame suspended horizontally from it by
links, and the suspended frame can be raised and lowered, whilst remaining always
nearly horizontal. The rope pulley is carried upon the suspended frame, and so also
are the tines by which the strain of the hauling rope is resisted. The links are so
hung that they allow the suspended frame to move approximately in the direction
of the strain, whilst at the same time the frame descends; thus the strain is made to
aid the penetration of the tines, and the tines themselves are inclined so that they
tend to bury themselves when the strain is upon them.
For the purpose of lifting the tines to admit of the anchor moving forward we
connect a chain to the suspended frame and lead it over a pulley on the main frame.
The chain has an eye upon it, through which the hauling rope is led. The hauling
rope passes freely through the eye, but when the coupling chain by which the
hauling rope is attached to the implement comes up, it being too large to pass the

page_text: eye, causes the lifting chain to be drawn forward, and so the suspended frame with
its tines is lifted, and then the anchor itself is drawn forward until the engine is
stopped. When the implement commences its return journey the suspended frame
descends by its own weight, the points of the tines enter the ground, and as the
anchor is exposed to strain they penetrate.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Perkins and Thomas Burall in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 19th April 1879.
THOMAS PERKINS, of Hitchin, in the County of Hertford, and THOMAS BURALL,
of Peterborough, in the County of Northampton. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR CULTIVATING LAND."
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for cultivating
land.
In cultivating land by means of implements which are drawn to and fro by ropes
put in motion by a steam engine or engines, it is common to provide upon the
implement for the attachment of the ropes a two-armed lever connected with the
implement by an axis, about which the lever can turn freely in an horizontal plane.
The two ropes are attached each to the outer end of one of the lever arms, and when
the implement is at work the arm to which the hauling rope is attached aligns
itself approximately with this rope, whilst the other arm of the lever projects out
to the side of the implement; it carries the return rope clear of the implement,
and lays it in position to haul back the implement at the next bout. In this
arrangement the strain upon the return rope gives rise to a lateral thrust upon the
implement, which renders it difficult to steer. We avoid this difficulty by mounting
the axis of the lever upon a slide, so that it is free to move along a guide towards
either side of the implement. The axis of the lever being thus free to move inde-
pendently in a transverse direction no longer imparts to the fore part of the
implement the varying lateral thrusts which derange the steerage.
This part of our Invention is illustrated by Figures 1 and 2 of the annexed
Drawings. Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section and Figure 2 is a plan.
F, F, is the frame of the implement; it is carried by a pair of wheels W, W, upon
the cranked axis Q, which is capable of turning in bearings upon the frame. In
front the frame is also supported by a steering wheel W₁, the axis of which is
carried by a ring frame W, capable of turning in a corresponding ring at the front
of the frame F. S is the hand steering wheel by which the wheel W'is controlled;
T, T, are tines or cultivating tools. These parts do not constitute any portion of
our Invention, and we also, as heretofore, employ a two-armed lever a, b, by which
to connect the hauling ropes with the implement. The arm a is attached to the
back rope and the arm 6 to the forward or hauling rope. According to our Invention

page_text: we provide the lever a, b, with a movable fulcrum. We connect it by a pin c with
a slide e, which is able to traverse along the guide bar d fixed upon the wheel
frame W. The Drawing shows the slide to be fitted with a roller, so that it moves
freely upon the guide. The fulcrum of the lever a, b, being thus free, it does not
impart lateral thrusts to the fore part of the implement, and the steerage is not
impeded by the strains imparted by the ropes.
Another part of our Invention relates to the means for raising the tines or tools
out of the land.
We support the hinder part of the cultivating implement upon a pair of wheels
and a cranked axle, and as is usual we lift the tines or cultivating tools when
requisite by turning the axle partly round. The way in which we do this is by
providing ratchet teeth upon the bosses of the wheels and pawl-like instruments on
a transverse axis carried in bearings upon the frame of the implement. When it is
desired to lift the tines or tools these pawl-like instruments are made to engage
with the ratchet teeth upon the wheels, and then as the implement moves forward
and the wheels revolve the pawl-like instruments, and with them the whole frame
of the implement and parts dependent upon it, are raised. As the forward motion
of the implement continues the pawl-like instruments are carried up until they
reach a position from which they can escape upwards out of the ratchet teeth.
When this takes place however the frame of the implement is prevented from
descending by another pawl, which has dropped into teeth upon an are upon the
axle. To recommence work and cause the tines or cultivating tools to again descend
and enter the land the retaining pawl is raised away from the teeth of the arc by
means of a lever handle upon its axis or in other convenient manner.
The depth
to which the tines or cultivating tools enter the land can be regulated by allowing
the retaining pawl again to fall in and engage with one of the teeth of the arc,
with which it works as soon as the tines or cultivating tools have reached the
desired depth.
Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings also illustrate this part of our Invention.
ff, are rings of ratchet teeth on the bosses of the wheels W, W; g, g, are pawl-like
instruments carried upon an axis h, which has its bearings upon the frame F. The
parts and g are shown in four different positions at A, B, C, and D. The posi-
tion A is that of the parts when at work; the position B is that at the commence-
ment of lifting; the driver by his foot or otherwise has moved the pawl-like
instruments g until they engage with the teeth f; the position C is that in which
the pawl-like instruments carrying with them the frame F are mounting the toothed
rings f. At this time the cranked axle Q turns in its bearings on the frame. The
position D is that in which the frame F has already commenced to descend, the end
of the pawl-like instruments having passed over the top of the toothed ring. In
order to sustain the frame with the tines or tools T at any desired hoight the
toothed arc P is provided; it is fixed eccentrically upon the axle Q; O is a pawl
jointed to the frame F, and controlled by the lever handle R. When the frame F
has been lifted, and is in course of descending, the pawl O can be made to engage
with either of the teeth of the are P by holding the lever R in a suitable position,
and the tines as they enter the land can be stopped at any depth. Figure 3 shows
a similar arrangement applied to a drain plough, consisting of a frame with cranked
axle and wheels carrying the drain-making tool. The steering wheel in front is
dispensed with, and the frame comes down to the ground when at work.
We would here remark that in the Specification of our Patent No. 1790, in the
year 1878, filed on the 2nd day of November last, we have described instruments
similar to those shown at ƒ and g applied to an implement having a straight axle
carried in moveable bearings, such bearings being mounted at the lower ends of
bars or slides working in guides upon the main frame. But it is the combination
of the instruments ƒ and g with the cranked axle Q in such manner that when f
engages with g the axle Q is made to rotate in its fixed bearings, which constitute
the leading feature we intend to claim as of our present Invention.

page_text: Another part of our Invention relates to the pulley anchors.
We arrange self-moving anchors in the following manner :-
The anchor as is usual consists of a carriage mounted upon disc wheels, which
cut into the land, and the pulley which guides the hauling rope in its passage from
the engine to the implement is mounted upon this carriage. The carriage whilst
the implement is in work is prevented from yielding to the forward strain of the
hauling rope by a long lever pawl engaging with the teeth of a ratchet upon the
axis of one pair of the disc wheels. The self-moving is effected by means of a
portion of .chain connecting the rope with the implement, which when it passes
around the pulley acts upon the tail of the lever pawl and removes the pawl from
the teeth. The hauling rope is passed through a hole or eye in the frame of the
carriage; it runs freely and without friction through it, but the chain when it
reaches the eye, being of larger size, is unable to pass, and consequently the anchor
carriage is then drawn on by the rope until the engine is stopped. We sometimes
apply springs in connection with this eye to prevent concussion when the chain
reaches it, but this may be dispensed with when the apparatus is carefully
worked.
Figure 4 is a plan partly in section, and with the upper parts removed, of a self-
moving anchor constructed according to our Invention. a is the frame carried on
the axles b and the disc wheels c, c; c', c¹, are the road wheels; they are removed
when the anchor is in use; d is the pulley, around which the hauling rope passes;
d' is a short length of chain connecting the rope with the implement; E is an eye
or fork fixed to the frame a; through it the rope & runs freely, but it will not admit
the chain; A is a long pawl lever, having its fulcrum upon the frame, and
enagaging at its further end with notches or ratchet teeth B upon the hinder axle.
The chain d' as it comes round acts against the other end of the lever A, and
throws it out, thus freeing the axle, and immediately afterwards the chain being
held by the fork or eye E the anchor is drawn forward until the engine (which
had been previously slowed) is stopped. Figure 5 shows in elevation and Figure 6
in plan a modification in which the eye or fork E is capable of sliding a short
distance upon the frame, and in so doing it lifts a pawl and liberates the axle.
The chain being then held by the eye or fork the anchor is drawn forward, as
already explained. By these arrangements the use of balls or such like instruments
carried upon the hauling rope for the purpose of giving motion to the self-moving
anchor is avoided.
Another part of our Invention relates to means to be used for resisting the strain
of the rope in substitution for disc wheels upon the axles.
In some cases we replace the disc wheels of the anchor carriage by tines pene-
trating the land, and so resisting the strain of the hauling rope. These tines we
arrange in such manner that when the implement comes up to the anchor they are
automatically lifted in order that the anchor may be drawn forward, whilst on the
return of the implement the tines again descend, and when the anchor is exposed
to strain they penetrate. The anchor as we construct it consists of a frame on
wheels. The trailing wheel is employed for steering, and can be set from time to
time to vary the line of advance. The main frame has a second frame suspended
horizontally from it by links, and the suspended frame can be raised and lowered
whilst remaining always nearly horizontal. The rope pulley is carried upon the
suspended frame; and so also are the tines by which the strain of the hauling rope
is resisted. The links are so hung that they allow the suspended frame to move
approximately in the direction of the strain, whilst at the same time the frame
descends. Thus the strain is made to aid the penetration of the tines and the tines
themselves are inclined so that they tend to bury themselves when the strain is
upon them.
For the purpose of lifting the tines to admit of the anchor moving forward we
connect a chain to the suspended frame, and lead it over a pulley on the main
frame. The chain has an eye upon it, through which the hauling rope is led. The

page_text: hauling rope passes freely through the eye, but when the coupling chain by which
the hauling rope is attached to the implement comes up, it being too large to pass
the eye, causes the lifting chain to be drawn forward, and so the suspended frame
with its tines is lifted, and then the anchor itself is drawn forward until the engine
is stopped. When the implement commences its return journey the suspended
frame descends by its own weight, the points of the tines enter the ground, and as
the anchor is exposed to strain they penetrate.
This part of our Invention is illustrated by the Figures 7, 8, and 9, and a modi-
fication or variation of the arrangement is also shown by the Figures 10, 11,
and 12.
Figure 7 is a front elevation, Figure 8 is a side elevation, and Figure 9 is a plan
of a self-moving anchor. a, a, is a frame, to which is fixed the axle b, and this is
supported on the wheels c, c. At the back of the frame is the steering wheel, or
more conveniently the pair of wheels d, d; they can be set so as to control the
forward motion of the carriage to the right or left to keep it on its proper course
along the headland. d is a tray to receive stones or weights to counteract the
tendency of the strain to overturn the anchor. This tray is so arranged that it
can be slidden transversely upon the frame a; c is another or rising-and-falling
frame; it is hung from the frame a by the links f. f. The rope pulley g is carried
by the frame e, and so also are the anchoring tines h, h; i is a chain attached to
The
the framo e, and passing over the guide pulley mounted on the frame a.
chain terminates in a ring, and the hauling rope passes through this ring. The
ring however will not pass the chain connecting the rope with the implement, so
that when the chain arrives at the ring the frame e with the anchoring tincs h
is lifted, and the whole apparatus is drawn forward until the engine is stopped.
Figure 10 is a side elevation, Figure 11 an end elevation (with the fore part
removed), and Figure 12 is a plan of an automatic anchor, in which a cutting disc
is substituted for the anchoring tines h, h, of the arrangement just described. kis
the cutting disc; it is mounted on a stud upon a strap 7, which is capable of moving
around the centre of the rope pulley g, the strap having eyes at its ends, through
which the spindle of the rope pulley passes. The disc is set obliquely, and it acts
as an anchor to resist the ploughing strain in the same way as the anchoring
tines h, . When however the chain connecting the implement with the rope comes
up it is seized by an eye or fork upon the strap l, and the rope then draws the
strap and disc round into the position indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 12,
where it is stopped by the controlling chain m. In this movement the disc / will
have run out of the ground, so that it now offers no resistance to the forward motion
of the anchor. The anchor then is drawn forward by the rope until the rope stops,
as already described.
When the ploughing strain next comes upon the anchor the disc k again pene-
trates the land.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same, we would have it understood that we claim,―
First. The means, substantially as described in respect to Figures 1 and 2, by
which lateral thrust resulting from the strain on the back rope is avoided.
Second. The means for raising the tines or tools, consisting in the combination of
the parts fand g with the cranked axle Q, substantially as described in respect to
Figures 1, 2, and 3.
Third. The arrangement of the automatic anchor in such manner as to be
actuated by the chain connecting the implement with the hauling rope, substantially
as described in respect to Figures 4, 5, and 6.
Fourth. The automatic anchor with the rope pulley and anchoring tines or
instruments on a frame suspended from the main frame, which suspended frame is
raised at the proper time by a chain or other obstruction attached to the hauling
rope acting against an attachment to the suspended frame, substantially as described
in respect to Figures 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12.

page_text: Fifth. The arrangements of apparatus substantially as herein described and repre-
sented in the annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Perkins, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-nine.