IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES SUITABLE FOR CULTIVATING LAND UPON WHICH THERE ARE CROPS GROWING IN ROWS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Greig and Robert Henry Fowler both of the
Steam Plough Works Leeds in the County of York for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES SUITABLE FOR CULTIVATING LAND UPON WHICH
THERE ARE CROPS GROWING IN ROWS,"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Greig and Robert
Henry Fowler at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
17th October 1883.
ALFRED GREIG and ROBERT HENRY FOWLER both of the Steam Plough Works
Leeds in the County of York. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES SUITABLE FOR
CULTIVATING LAND UPON WHICH THERE ARE CROPS GROWING IN ROWS,"
This Invention has for its object improvements in cultivating land
It has hitherto been practically impossible to haul implements by ropes over land
on which there are crops growing in rows and especially so when the crop is of
considerable height as is the case with sugar canes vines or tea plants. The cause
of this is the difficulty there is in conveying the rope from between one row
to the next without injuring the plants. By our invention this difficulty is
overcome.
We employ as is common in steam ploughing two winding engines on opposite
sides of the field and the rope which hauls the implement backwards and forwards
across the field is wound up on the drum of one or other engine whilst the slack
rope is allowed to unwind from the drum of the other engine which in its turn will
haul the implement back again.
We so construct the cultivating implement that this slack rope is laid not in the
space between the two rows of plants where the implement is but in the next
space along which the implement will travel in its return journey. This we do as
follows:-
The draw bar to which the rope is attached is pivotted by a vertical pivot to the
front of the implement and slopes backwards and upwards so that above the pivot
its height is somewhat greater than that of the plants. This draw bar is so
shaped that it forms a support for the slack rope which is then raised up above the
plants.

page_text: From the top of the draw bar the rope passes horizontally to the end of a bar
projecting sideways from the centre of the machine above the wheels. This bar is
fixed sufficiently high to clear the plants and is of such a length that its end
comes vertically over the middle of the space next to the one which the implement
is cultivating.
Thus as the implement proceeds the slack rope is laid just in the proper position
for hauling the implement on its return journey.
The engines we prefer to employ are those described in the Provisional Specifica-
tion lodged by one of us on the 24th day of July last N° 3631. By employing
these engines the implement is hauled clear of the crop on to the headland at the
rear of the engine. In order to raise the tines out of the ground and allow the
implement to be turned we mount the wheels upon the ends of a cranked axle
which is carried in bearings on the frame. A lever is fixed at the centre of this
cranked axle. When the implement has arrived at the headland and been drawn
up close to the rear of the engine the end of the above mentioned lever is coupled
by a line to the engine and the engine is caused to advance along the headland.
The first effect of this is to pull upon the lever causing the cranked axle to turn
and so raising the frame of the implement thus drawing the tines out of the
ground. As the engine advances the implement is slewed round and dragged along
the headland the stearsman also assisting to get it into position for the return
journey. The other engine now commences to wind up the rope which was laid
in position as above described and the implement is hauled back. As the imple-
ment turns and commences to return what is now the slack rope automatically runs
up to the rear of the draw bar which is suitably shaped and to the end of a bar
similar to but on the other side of the implement to the bar used in the proceeding
journey and the operation proceeds as before.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alfred Greig and Robert Henry Fowler in the Patent Office on the
17th April 1884.
ALFRED GREIG and ROBERT HENRY FOWLER both of the Steam Plough Works
Leeds in the County of York " IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES SUITABLE FOR.
CULTIVATING LAND UPON WHICH THERE ARE CROPS GROWING IN ROWS
This invention has for its object improvements in cultivating land.
28
It has hitherto been practically impossible to haul implements by ropes over
land on which there are crops growing in rows and especially so when the crop is
of considerable height as is the case with sugar canes vines or tea plants. The
cause of this is the difficulty there is in conveying the rope from between one row
to the next without injuring the plants. By our invention this difficulty is
overcome.
We employ as is common in steam ploughing two winding engines on opposite
sides of the field and the rope which hauls the implement backwards and forwards
across the field is wound up on the drum of one or other engine whilst the slack
rope is allowed to unwind from the drum of the other engine which in its turn
will haul the implement back again.
We so construct the cultivating implement that this slack rope is laid not in the
space between the two rows of plants where the implement is but in the next
space along which the implement will travel in its return journey. This we do as
follows:-
The draw bar to which the rope is attached is pivotted by a vertical pivot to
the front of the implement and slopes backwards and upwards so that above the
pivot its height is somewhat greater than that of the plants.
From the top of the draw bar the rope passes horizontally to the end of a bar
projecting sideways from the centre of the machine above the wheels. This bar is
fixed sufficiently high to clear the plants and is of such a length that its end
comes vertically over the middle of the space next to the one which the implement
is cultivating.
Thus as the implement proceeds the slack rope is laid just in the proper. position
for hauling the implement on its return journey.
By
The engines we prefer to employ are those described in the Provisional
Specification lodged by one of us on the 24th day of July last Nº 3631.
employing these engines the implement is hauled clear of the crop on to the head-
land at the rear of the engine. In order to raise the tines out of the ground and
allow the implement to be turned we mount the wheels upon the ends of a
cranked axle which is carried in bearings on the frame. A lever is fixed at the
centre of this cranked axle. When the implement has arrived at the headland and
been drawn up close to the rear of the engine the end of the above mentioned
lever is coupled by a line to the engine and the engine is caused to advance along
the headland. The first effect of this is to pull upon the lever causing the cranked
axle to turn and so raising the frame of the implement thus drawing the tines out
of the ground. As the engine advances the implement is slewed round and dragged
along the headland the steersman also assisting to get it into position for the return
journey. The other engine now commences to wind up the rope which was laid in
position as above described and the implement is hauled back. As the implement
turns and commences to return what is now the slack rope automatically runs up
to the rear of the draw bar which is suitably shaped and to the end of a bar
similar to but on the other side of the implement to the bar used in the preceding
journey and the operation proceeds as before.

page_text: Figure 1 shews a vertical longitudinal section, Figure 2 an end view and
Figure a plan view of a cultivating implement adapted as above described for
cultivating land upon which there are crops growing in rows. Figure 4 Sheet 2
shews a diagram plan view of the implement the hauling ropes and the winding
engines for drawing the implement to and fro between the rows of growing crop.
Figure 5 is an end view shewing how the bar which projects out from the two sides
of the machine and upholds the tail or slack rope passes over the tops of the plants
or bushes.
In Figures 1. 2 and 3 A is the main frame of the implement B B are the hind or
travelling wheels the axles of which are carried by crank arms of the crank axle 0.-
D is a lever arm fast on the axle-by means of this lever the axle can be turned
and the wheels B lowered so as to lift the ploughs or tines of the implement clear
of the land in the usual way. E is the front steering wheel its axle is carried by
a horizontal ring F which can in the usual way be turned from a steering wheel by
chains not shewn in the drawing. Any suitable form of cultivating ploughs or
tines may be carried by the frame those shewn in the drawing will be found
suitable G is the draw bar to which the hauling ropes are attached by rings.-
H is the vertical pivot on which the draw bar is pivotted-the draw bar slopes
downwards and forwards from this pivot.-The rope which for the time being is
the hauling rope goes to the forward and lower end of the draw bar whilst the tail
or return rope rises to its upper and rear end.-I is the bar or support for carrying
the tail rope clear of the rows of growing erop-at its end it has an arm extending
downwards from it. When the implement is turned at a headland one or other
arm at the end of the bar comes against the rope which has just gone out of work
and which now becomes the tail rope and the rope rises up the inclined arm and
passes into the notch I' at its end. J are chains passing from the lever.arm D to
the fore part of the implement where they pass over a pulley on the vertical axis H
and are coupled to a link J' situated in front of this pulley.
In Figures and 5 K K are two ploughing engines with ordinary winding
drums and coiling gear placed under the boiler barrel and with guide pulleys at
the rear of the tank to allow of the implement being hauled up close behind the
engine. L L' are the ropes passing to the cultivating implement from the engines
L is the hauling rope and L¹ the tail or slack rope.
When the implement has been hauled up to one or other of the hauling engines
the link J is coupled by a short length of chain to the hauling engine and the
steering wheel is turned towards the hauling engine. The hauling engine is then
caused to advance a distance along the headland the wheels B are thereby depressed
so as to lift the cultivating tines or ploughs out of the ground a lever catch M
then prevents the axle from turning back and so keeps the ploughs or tines held
up. At the same time the implement is turned so as to bring it on to the
headland in a line with the engine. The rope which was previously the tail or
slack rope is now made to haul upon the implement the implement is thereby
turned and brought into a line with this rope-when this has been done the lever
catch M is released and the ploughs or tines go again into work as the implement
is hauled along by the rope.
At the time when the implement is turned into a line with the rope which
becomes the hauling rope the inclined arm at the end of the bar I comes against
the rope which has gone out of action and has become the tail or slack rope and
this rope passing into the notch I¹ at the end of the arm is carried to the opposite
side of the row of growing crop to that alongside of which the implement is
next drawn.
Having thus described the nature of our invention and the manner of performing
the same we would have it understood that although we have only described an
inclined draw bar as a means of raising the rope which goes out of action and is
to become the tail or return rope yet other equivalent apparatus might be employed
for the purpose as for example the two ropes might be attached to two lever arms
which are pivotted side by side on horizontal or somewhat inclined pivots at the

page_text: fore part of the implement and which are coupled together so that as one comes
into work and is turned by its rope into a horizontal position the other which goes
out of action is raised into a vertical position and lifts the rope which then becomes
the tail or return rope.
The peculiarity of our invention is that the tail or slack rope in place of being
laid at such a distance only on one side of the implement as to be suitable for
drawing the implement back over the strip of ground immediately adjoining that
over which it was previously drawn is laid at a greater distance from the implement
so that when the implement. is drawn back an intermediate strip of land upon
which a row of crop is growing may be left undisturbed by the ploughs or tines
of the implement a further peculiarity is that the tail or slack rope where it
passes from the implement and over the row of growing crop is upheld to such a
height as not to interfere with the growing crop.
What we claim is :-
First The construction of machinery for cultivating land upon which there are
crops growing in rows in such manner that the machine when drawn by a hauling
rope over the land alongside of one row of growing crop can lay a tail or slack rope
on the opposite side of the row of crop and in position for drawing the implement
back again on that side of the row leaving the crop undisturbed.
Second The construction of machinery for cultivating land upon which there
are crops growing in rows substantially in the manner herein before described.
In witness whereof I the said Robert Henry Fowler have hereunto set my hand
and seal this sixteenth day of April in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty four.
PWWLED Gal