IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CULTIVATING LAND BY STEAM OR OTHER POWER
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Fisken of Stamfordham in the County of
Northumberland Minister of the Gospel and Samuel Sinclair Robson of
Sunderland in the County of Durham, Rope Manufacturer for an Invention
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Fisken and Samuel
Sinclair Robson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
27th November 1882.
WILLIAM FISKEN of Stamfordham in the County of Northumberland, Minister.
of the Gospel, and SAMUEL SINCLAIR ROBSON of Sunderland in the County of
Durham Rope Manufacturer "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CULTIVATING
LAND BY STEAM OR OTHER POWER."
This invention relates firstly to a novel construction of Tillage implement, and
secondly to improvements in the anchor windlasses which are used in connection
with such tillage implements for the cultivation of land by steam or other power.
In constructing a tillage implement according to our invention we form the
framing of two plates or their equivalent placed in a vertical position as far apart
as desired and connected together by cross bars.
At the lower front angle of this frame and between the plates a flat bar is
mounted loosely so as to be capable of rocking, and carrying a set of shares or
cutting points. Attached to this flat bar are two or more levers or arms which rise
in an inclined direction above the frames, and are connected together at the top
ly a cross bar. This bar is acted on in any suitable manner by the attendant who
is seated on the implement, so as to rock the flat bar for the purpose of raising or
lowering the shares or cutting points from or into the ground as required.
In order to guide the implement and to cut the soil vertically coulters are placed
in front of the lever bars. These coulters are so arranged as to turn on their thick,
or heel sides, under the action of a lever within reach of the attendant.
Between the side plates and behind the front cross bar and its cutting shares
is placed a sloping platform with its front end close to the flat cutter or share bar,
and level with the back of the bar; and its rear end raised as high as the depth of
soil operated on, or thereabouts. The platform may be fixed, or it may be made to

page_text: move with the soil by means of flat bars attached to endless chains moving over
pulleys at the end of the platform, or it may be put in motion from the driving
rope. This platform may be formed of open bars with spaces between the bars
lying in the line of the machine. The soil cut by the coulters and shares is by the
onward motion of the machine made to work up the slope of the platform to its
higher end, and it there comes into contact with a rotating soil breaker lying above
the higher end of the platform. This rotating soil breaker, or soil turner, may
consist of rows of cutting spuds or curved arms with chisel-shaped points, mounted
on an axle, and it receives its motion by gearing from the endless driving band
which is in connection with the engine and anchor windlasses at the headlands.
This driving rope, as it passes the tillage implement or machine, takes a turn round
a horizontal sheave and its guide sheave. The spindle of the main sheave carries
part of the gearing by which rotary motion is communicated to the axle of the soil
breaker. The soil breaker is arranged to work at two speeds; a slow speed to
break the soil up in large pieces, like furrow slices, and a quick speed to completely
pulverize it when desired, an additional soil breaker to be used occasionally in
certain states of the soil, may be placed in the front of the other and near to the
cutting bar. This soil breaker may receive its motion also from the main sheave by
suitable gearing.
Behind the revolving soil breaker or pulverizer, when the soil is required to be
formed into drills or ridges for potatoes, turnips or similar crops, pairs of sloping
plates lying lengthways in the line of the machine are placed. The lower edges
at the back end of these pairs of plates are approached near to one another, the
front ends being spread open to form channels, so that when the soil is thrown
upon them by the rotating soil breaker or pulverizer in a comminuted state it falls
through between the sloping plates, and is left in the form of drills or ridges.
Without the sloping plates the soil is left as a flat seed bed.
Below the higher end of the platform may be placed a rotary subsoil digger, or a
range of cutting points may be used below the platform to break up the subsoil.
The machine may be drawn by wire ropes connected with the windlasses on the
head-lands in the manner described in the Patent granted to William Fisken one
of the present applicants and dated 25th day of April 1862 N° 1221, or the
machine may be pulled by any other suitable method of haulage. The hauling rope
is attached to drag bars projecting in front of the machine.
At the rear corners of the machine, and on either side, is placed a vertical pin or
rod which is capable of being moved vertically by a lever within reach of the
attendant, so that when the machine is going to turn at the headlands the attendant
by means of the lever pushes one of the pins (which are used alternately) into the
Boil around which the machine then turns as on a pivot, and so is made to come
into its proper place for the next bout.
When manure is required to be put into the drills a box of manure may be
placed on the machine, and supplied fresh at each headland if required, and from the
box a regular portion of manure may by suitable gearing be made to drop into a
spout or hopper which will convey the stream of manure into the centre of the
drill immediately behind the rotating pulverizer, and is then covered in by the soil
falling through between the sloping plates which form the drill. Seed potatoes
may be dropped into the manure spout either by hand or by a potato planter as
the machine progresses.
The second part of this invention applies to the anchor windlasses; the object
being to simplify and render them lighter than heretofore. To this end the frame
for holding the winding drums and other parts of the gearing is hung in a frame of
sufficient length to receive the main hauling drum and anchor forward hauling drum
with the driving pinions, and is as deep as to admit the thickness of the drums.
This frame has a hole formed on the lower and upper bar near one end of the
frame, and through these two holes a pin or stud is passed. This pin or stud stands
upright from an oblong plate or coulter which cuts into the soil, and which coulter
or plate bears all the pull of the implement. The frame with its gearing turns ou

page_text: this pivot pin or stud and allows the other end to swing round always into the line
of draught. The anchor forward hauling drum can be placed on this stud between
the bars of the frame.
For guiding the coulter or plate along the headland a small coulter is hinged to
the front of it and this small coulter has a bar attached to the top of it, and
through an eye at one end of it the anchor hauling rope passes, and so keeps the
coulter in the direction of the rope fixed to the claw anchor ahead.
A box for holding soil to give additional weight to assist in maintaining the
coulter in the ground, and to act as a counter-poise can be fixed to the end of the
swinging frame that is opposite to the end which has the guide box.
A caster wheel is placed on the main drum end of the frame to aid it in swinging
into the line of draught.
The coulter and lever bar may be formed in one piece, and in that case the thick
or heel side of the united bar and coulter has formed on its lower end a stud or pin,
and this stud or pin is let into a hole in the ends of the cross cutter bar, and is
firmly secured therein by a pin or screw nut at its end on the opposite side of the
cross bar.
The united coulter and lever bar has the two motions above described, one
motion to lower or raise the points of the cutting shares, and the other to turn the
face of the coulter to right or left as the attendant desires.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
t by the said William Fisken and Samuel Sinclair Robson in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 26th May 1883.
i
'
WILLIAM FISKEN of Stamfordham in the County of Northumberland Minister
of the Gospel and SAMUEL SINCLAIR ROBSON of Sunderland in the County of
Durham Rope Manufacturer "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CULTIVATING
LAND BY STEAM OR OTHER POWER
"
.
This Invention relates firstly to a novel construction of tillage implement and
secondly to improvements in the anchor windlasses which are used in connection
with such tillage implements for the cultivation of land by steam or other power.
In the accompanying drawings the improved tillage implement is shewn in
Sheet I and the anchor windlass in Sheet II.-
.
In Sheet I Fig: 1 is a side elevation of the improved tillage implement, Fig: 2
is a plan view and Fig: 3 a back view of the same.
AA is the frame of the machine which is supported in front by a guide wheel or
wheels B. To the rear end of this frame, which may be of any desired width, is
attached on either side, a plate C placed in a vertical position, the two plates being
connected together by cross bars or in any other convenient manner
At the lower front angle and between the plates is mounted loosely (so as to be
capable of rocking) a flat bar D which carries a set of shares or cutters D¹. To
either end of this flat bar may be secured an arm which rises in an inclined direction
above the frames and is connected at the top by a cross bar to which a handle D*
is attached. This handle is placed within reach of the attendant when seated on
the implement and enables hiin to rock the flat bar for the purpose of changing the
inclination of the same to raise or lower the shares or cutters from or into the
ground as required.
In order to guide the implement and to cut the soil vertically a coulter E is
placed at either end in front of the bar D.-These coulters may be attached to the
flat bar D as shewn in the drawing the upper ends being connected in any
convenient manner with the handle D in which case they will serve in lieu of the
arms before mentioned to rock the bar D
Between the side plates and behind the flat bar is placed an inclined board F the
front end of which is close to the flat cutter or share bar D and level with the back
of the bar while its rear end is about level with the ground line.
Instead of the fixed inclined board an endless apron or its equivalent may be
employed. This endless apron may be mounted between the plates C and driven
in any convenient manner from the driving sheave.-The soil cut by the coulters
and shares is by the onward motion of the machine made to work up the inclined
board to its higher end where it comes into contact with a rotating soil breaker G
lying above the higher end of the inclined board F.-This rotating soil breaker G 4
may consist of rows of cutting spuds or curved arms with chisel-shaped points
mounted on an axle carried by the plates C and it receives its motion by chain
gearing H or other suitable gearing, from the driving sheave in either direction.-
I is the driving sheave which is mounted on the upper end of a vertical shaft I¹
conveniently carried by the frame A.-At the lower end of this shaft I' is a bevil 4
wheel which gears with a bevil wheel on a horizontal shaft, on the outer end of
which one of the chain wheels of the gearing H is mounted.-The driving rope as
it passes the tillage implement takes a turn round the sheave I and its guide
sheave I-By changing the wheels of the chain gearing the soil breaker can be
made to work at different speeds, a slow speed is preferred to break the soil up in

page_text: large pieces like furrow slices and a quick speed to completely pulverise it when
desired. An additional soil breaker (not shown) to be used occasionally in
certain states of the soil may be placed in the front of the soil breaker G and nearer
the flat bar D and this breaker will receive its motion from the main sheave I by
suitable gearing.
When the soil is required to be formed into drills or ridges for potatoes turnips
and similar crops pairs of sloping plates lying lengthways in the line of the machine
may be placed in rear of the inclined board.
The lower edges at the back end of these pairs of plates will be approached
near to one another the front ends being spread open to form channels so that
when the soil is thrown upon them by the rotating soil breaker or pulverizer
in a comminuted state it falls through between the sloping plates and is left in
the form of drills or ridges.-Without the sloping plates the soil is left as a flat
seed bed.
Below the higher end of the inclined board F a rotary subsoil digger may be
placed or a range of subsoil cutters or shares may be used below the platform to
break up the subsoil. The machine may be drawn with wire ropes attached to
drag bars projecting in front of the machine and connected with anchor windlasses
on the headlands in the manner described in the Patent granted to William Fisken
one of the present applicants and dated twenty fifth of April One thousand eight
hundred and sixty two N° 1221 or the implement may be drawn by any other
suitable method of haulage. At the rear corners of the machine and on either side
is placed a pin or rod J which is capable of being moved vertically in guides by a
lever K which has its fulcrum on the frame A. The lever K is attached to the pin
in any convenient manner. When it is desired to turn at the headlands the
attendant by means of a lever K pushes one of the pins J into the soil and it thus
forms a pivot around which the implement will swing so as to come into the proper
place for the next bout.
When it is desired to put manure into the drills a box to contain manure may
be placed on the machine the manure being supplied fresh at each headland The
manure may be caused to issue from the box in regulated quantities by suitable
means and may be made to drop into a suitably arranged spout or hopper which
will convey it into the centre of the drill and immediately behind the rotating
pulverizer, the manure being then covered in by the soil falling through the sloping
plates which form the drill. Seed potatoes may also be dropped into the manure
spout either by hand or by a potatoe planter as the machine progresses. We may
mention that we do not intend to claim the manure box and accessories as
they form no part of our improved tillage implement which is complete without
them.
The second part of this Invention relates to the anchor windlasses used in
conjunction with tillage implements in the cultivation of land by steam power.
In Sheet II of the drawings Fig: 4 is a side elevation and Fig: 5 a plan view
of an anchor windlass constructed according to our Invention
The windlass consists of a pair of rectangular frames A B. The frame A is
provided with a vertical pin or axle C to the lower end of which is attached an
oblong plate C. This plate C cuts into the soil and serves as the anchor to bear
the pull of the implement.
The frame B is arranged to swing in the frame A and on the pin or axle C and
it carries at one end the main hauling drum D and at the other end the double
driving sheave E. The drum D is mounted in the frame on a vertical axle which
has its bearings in the frame B and the double driving sheave E is mounted outside
the frame B also on a vertical axle. On the axle C is mounted loosely the anchor
forward hauling drum F. The drums D and F are driven by a train of gearing
from the axle of the double driving sheave E.
On the driving sheave axle is keyed a pinion which gears with a spur wheel
keyed on an intermediate axle G. On the boss of this wheel is a pinion which
gears with a spur wheel mounted loosely on the axle C. This spur wheel is also

page_text: provided with a pinion which gears with another spur wheel keyed on the
intermediate axle G'. On the same axle is mounted so as to be capable of sliding
thereon a pinion which is in connection with a clutch and when it is desired to
drive the main drum D this pinion is thrown into gear therewith by means of the
lever handle H or in any other convenient manner..
On the axle G is similarly mounted a pinion and clutch, the pinion gearing with
the anchor forward hauling drum F as shewn in Fig: 4. When the pinion is in this
position the advance of the anchor windlass to take up new ground for a fresh
bout is being effected. This pinion is thrown out of gear by means of the lever
handle H which is conveniently connected therewith, or in any other suitable
manner, when it is desired to work the main drum.
A castor wheel may be placed at the main drum end of the frame B to aid it in
swinging into the line of draught a chain being provided to maintain it in this
position as indicated at a Fig 6.
To assist in guiding the coulter or plate Calong the headland a pair of guide
pulleys I are mounted at one end of the frame A between which the rope passes to
the claw anchor suitably placed some distance ahead on the headland.
By constructing the anchor windlasses as above described we obtain a lighter
and more efficient anchor windlass than heretofore and the fouling of the hauling
ropes with the driving ropes is prevented.
In Sheet II at Fig 6 we have shewn by a diagram the mode of applying our
improved apparatus in the field. X represents the engine, Y the tillage implement,
and Z. Z. the anchor windlasses. The driving rope which is an endless rope passes
from the engine along the headland to the opposite end of the field and round a
pulley to the driving sheave of windlass Z. It then passes to and round the
driving sheave and small sheave on the implement Y to the driving sheave of
windlass Z-Thence back by the sheave of Z to the engine.
During its travel the rope not only drives the sheaves on the anchor windlasses
to work the windlasses forward and to drive the main hauling drums but it drives
the sheave on the tillage implement to work the rotary cutters and diggers of that
implement.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention for "Improvements in
apparatus for cultivating land by steam or other power" and explained the manner
of carrying the same into effect, We claim:
First: A tillage implement constructed and operated substantially as herein
described and shewn with reference to Figures 1, 2 3 and 6 of the drawings.
Second: The construction and arrangement of anchor windlass substantially as
described and shewn at Figures 4 and 5, Sheet II, of the drawings, whereby the
fouling of the ropes is prevented.
In witness whereof I the said William Fisken have hereunto set my hand
and seal the Twenty fourth day of May in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
WILLIAM FISKEN
(L.S.)