IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR MOWING AND REAPING
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Whitaker, John Evan Powell,
and Robert Jones Powell at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 6th July 1883.
JOHN WHITAKER, JOHN EVAN POWELL, and ROBERT JONES POWELL, all of
Wrexham in the county of Denbigh
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR
MOWING AND REAPING
"
This invention relates to improvements in machines for mowing and reaping,
and has for its object the placing under more complete control of the driver or
person in charge, the position of the finger-bar whereby it may more easily be
raised longitudinally, and also whereby the fingers may be adjusted in their
longitudinal direction which is of course transverse to that of the finger-bar.
In the machines which are at present constructed the finger bar when raised by
the operating handle has a tendency to rise first at that end nearest to the machine,
and not until this end has risen about two or three inches is the other raised, which
proves very inconvenient when passing over fallow places or lumpy ground. And
it is to provide for the finger bar to be raised practically horizontally, and at the
same time will allow the point of the finger bar to be depressed as much as six or
seven inches, that this invention is in the first place designed.
To accomplish this end a handle within reach from the seat of driver is placed
and attached to a chain passing over a quadrant or other suitable device as is now
the case in this class of machine. The other end of this chain is attached to a
pivoted lever carried in bearings attached to the finger bar support. The end of
the pivoted lever passes through the casting on which it is supported and engages
in a spring catch or latch on the under side. The lever-bar support consists of a
steel plate fixed at one end to framework of the machine and at the other carries
a casting preferably of malleable iron or steel to which the finger-bar is hinged by
means of suitable pin or other joint. When the above mentioned handle is moved,
the chain passing over the quadrant raises the pivoted lever which then engages
with the spring catch below. This catch is then forced or moved in a direction to
intervene between a stop on the end of the hinged finger-bar, and the bottom of
the casting to which it is pivoted, this causes the outer end of the finger-bar to be
raised rather in advance of the rear end which begins to rise as soon as the catch
is forced into its position, and the weight of the whole bar comes on the chain. As
the end of the catch is gradually with-drawn the end of the finger-bar is allowed to
[Price 21

page_text: fall several inches. A pawl is placed near to the bottom of the operating handle
which engages in a quadrant rack placed in convenient position near to where it is
pivoted which retains the finger-bar fixed in any position.
"
The second part of the invention is designed to enable the driver or operator to
raise or lower the points of the fingers according as may be required by the ground
which the machine is passing over, for this purpose a small pinion of say about
three inches in diameter and four inches in breadth is placed at the back of the
socket into which the shaft is fixed. A rack corresponding to the teeth in the
pinion is fixed onto the end of the shaft and the shaft is held in place in the socket
by means of a pin passing through it. A handle is fixed to the end of the axle of
the pinion by moving which to right or left the relative position of the shaft with
the fingers and other parts of the machine is altered. As the shaft remains
practically at the same height at its outer end the movement of the pinion causes
an alteration in the height of the fingers from back to front.
When
The first mentioned handle is attached to a shaft (preferably by a nut and square
on the shaft) which is supported at each end with a rack quadrant on each end
the object of which is to allow of the handle being removed from one position to
the other as the machine is intended to be used for a mower or a reaper.
used as a mower the handle is placed near the right hand wheel and the seat
fixed in the centre. But when used as a reaper the handle is placed on the other
end of the shaft to which it is attached, and the driver's seat placed near to the
left hand wheel; while a second seat is fixed at the other side of the machine
from which to discharge the bundles of cut corn as they are ready for binding
into sheaves