PRADINA MOWING MACHINES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William James Burgess and Charles Thomas
Burgess, both of Brentwood, in the County of Essex, for the Inven-
PRADINA
MOWING MACHINES"
tion of IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William James
Burgess and Charles Thomas Burgess at the Office of the Com-
missioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 11th November
1874.
We, WILLIAM JAMES BURGESS and CHARLES THOMAS BURGESS, both
of Brentwood, in the County of Essex, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to the means of governing the move-
ment of the rake arms and beaters or dummies of the delivery apparatus
of reaping machines when the movement of the arms carrying the
beaters or dummies and rakes is controlled by a cam surface around the
axis to which the arms are jointed. Heretofore this cam surface has

page_text: usually been concentric with the axis, and both sets of arms have had
the same movement given to them by it. The object of this part of the
Invention is to afford a ready means of giving to the arms which carry
the dummies a motion different from that given to the arms carrying
the delivering rakes, so that the dummies as they come in front of the
cutter fingers may descend nearly to as low a point as the rakes, and yet
as they pass over the platform may be raised to such a height above it
as not to sweep off the cut crop. For this purpose the friction rollers
which are carried by the arms and which rest upon the cam surface we
make conical, the base of the cone being outwards on one set of arms
and inwards on the other set, and the cam surface we make with one
half of it nearer to the axis than the other half. By this means the
rising and falling motion given to one set of arms will be greater than
that given to the other set, or conical rollers may be used on one set of
arms and ordinary rollers on the other set.
In place also of conical rollers, rollers set at angles to the arms may
be used, the rollers on one set of arms being inclined in the opposito
direction to the rollers on the other set of arms. If both sets of arms are
at any time required to deliver the crop they can readily be made to do
so by setting the lower surfaces of all the rollers at the same inclination
to the central shaft.
In reaping and mowing machines constructed in the manner described
in the Specification of a Patent granted to W. J. Burgess on the 1st
day of June 1865 (No. 1503), the cutter and finger bar as they rise to
accommodate themselves to the irregularities of the ground alter their
angle, and the points of the fingers incline downwards and tend to run
into the land. To obviate this we mount the frame to which the finger
bar is jointed in such a manner that it shall maintain a uniform angle,
or nearly so, as it rises or falls. This may be effected by suspending it
by parallel links like the links of a parallel ruler. We prefer however
to joint it to a frame pivotting on the axle of the main wheel and to
cause a rod projecting from its forward end to work to and fro through
a fixed guide carried by the frame of the machine. The frame which is
pivotted to the axle we make of a forked shape. The frame to which
the finger bar is hinged we joint to the forward arm of the fork, the
other arm of the fork we make concentric with the joint above mentioned,
and its edge is embraced by guides on the rear end of the frame to

page_text: which the finger bar is hinged; this frame is thereby held in place at the
same time that it is free to rise or fall. A draft rod may also be carried
from the forward end of this frame to one arm of a draft whipple tree,
the other arm of which is coupled to the main frame, and by adjusting
the connections any desired portion of the draft may be applied to the
frame.
In order to secure the pin, by which the knife is coupled to the con-
necting rod from which it receives its to-and-fro motion, and to allow of
this pin being quickly taken out and replaced, we form a hole through
it near its end to receive a small bolt of a length exactly corresponding
to the diameter of the pin and having a head at each end, both ends of
the hole being enlarged to receive the heads, and also to allow sufficient
play for the bolt to shift to and fro so that either of its heads may
project from the side of the pin.
When it is desired to take out or replace the pin the bolt is by hand
kept within the hole in the pin, and the pin can then be freely drawn
out or replaced; or in place of using a bolt corresponding in length with
the diameter of the pin a short bolt may be employed pressed outwards
by a strip of light watch spring bearing upon its inner end. This spring
lics in a hole bored longitudinally through the pin, and at the top of the
pin its end is held between two wedges driven into the hole in the pin
on either side of it; these wedges after being driven in are cut off flush
with the top of the pin, and the metal of the pin is rivotted slightly over
them to keep them in place.
The end of the bolt upon which the spring presses is formed with a
head to prevent the bolt from escaping, or in place of a bolt a light
spring bent over thus U may be inserted into the hole in the pin. In
this case the curved end of the spring always tends to project from the
holo and act as a key to keep the pin in its place, but the spring can
readily be pressed back by hand so as to lie within the hole and allow of
the pin being taken out or again put in. The spring may be prevented.
escaping entirely from the hole by a pin. passed through its cuds or
otherwise.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William James Burgess and Charles Thomas
Burgess in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th May 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
JAMES BURGESS and CHARLES THOMAS BURGESS, both of Brentwood, in
the County of Essex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said William James Burgess and
Charles Thomas Burgess, Her special license that we, the said William
James Burgess and Charles Thomas Burgess, our executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William James
Burgess and Charles Thomas Burgess, our executors, administrators;
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING:
MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
William James Burgess and Charles Thomas Burgess, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands
and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Thomas Burgess, on behalf
of myself and the said William James Burgess, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention relates, firstly, to the means of governing the movement
of the rake arms and beaters or dummies of the delivery apparatus of a
reaping machines when the movement of the arms carrying the beaters

page_text: the arms as they approach the front of the cutter are allowed to descend
by a downward incline formed upon the cam. When the arms which
carry the dummies have arrived at the bottom of the incline the
dummies will be in their lowest position, and will then again ascend
before they sweep over the platform by reason of the larger diameter of
the rollers carried by them then bearing upon that portion of the
supporting cam a which is furthest from the axis. When the arms
which carry the rakes have arrived at the bottom of the incline they
descend still further, or it might be remain at the same level during the
time the rakes are passing over the platform, as the smaller diameter of 1
their rollers then comes on to the portion of the supporting cam a
furthest from the axis b.
The extent of difference between the movement of the dummies and
the rakes will depend on the cone, or rather the incline of the under
surface of the rollers, and the difference between the radii of the two 1
portions of the cam.
In place of both pairs of arms being provided with coned rollers
one pair may carry coned rollers and the other pair may carry cylindrical
rollers.
When each of the arms is to carry a delivery rake all the rollers
should be set with their lower surfaces at the same inclination.
In place also of the rollers carried by the arms being of a conical form
rollers set at an angle to the arms might be used as herein-before
mentioned, and as is shown at Figure 4.
By employing conical or inclined rollers as above described to rest
upon a cam or bearing surface having one part of its circumference
nearer to the axis 6 than the opposite part of its circumference, two
different motions are conveniently derived from the same cam surface,
and the arrangement also offers a very simple method of changing from
one motion to the other whenever required.
What we claim as respects this part of our Invention is, the arrange-
ment, substantially as herein-before described, for governing the move-
ment of the arms which carry the rakes and beaters or dummies of the
delivery apparatus of reaping machines.
In reaping and mowing machines constructed in the manner described a
in the Specification of a Patent granted to William James Burgess on

page_text: the First day of June One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five
(No. 1503) the cutter and finger bar as they rise to accomodate them-
selves to the irregularities of the ground alter their angle, and the points
of the fingers incline downwards and tend to run into the land. To
obviate this we mount the frame to which the finger bar is jointed in.
such a manner that it shall maintain a uniform angle, or nearly so, as it
rises or falls. This may be effected by suspending it by parallel links
like the links of a parallel ruler. We prefer however to joint it to a
frame pivotting on the axle of the main wheel, and to cause a rod
projecting from its forward end to work to and fro through a fixed guide
carried by the frame of the machine. The frame which is pivotted to
the axle we make of a forked shape, as heretofore. The frame to which
the finger bar is hinged we joint to the forward arm of the fork; the
other arm of the fork we make concentric with the joint above men-
tioned, and its edge is embraced by guides on the rear end of the frame
to which the finger bar is hinged; this frame is thereby held in place at
the same time that it is free to rise and fall. A draft rod may also
be carried from the forward end of this frame to one arm of a draft
whipple tree, the other arm of which is coupled to the main frame, and
by adjusting the connections any desired portion of the draft may be
applied to the frame.
Figure 5 shows a side view, and Figure 6 a plan view of so much of a
reaping or mowing machine constructed as above described as is
necessary to render clear its manner of working. In these Figures a is
the finger bar jointed at a¹ to the frame 6; this frame is free to turn
around the axis c of the pinion which is driven by the toothed wheel.
carried by the driving wheel, as in the machine described in the Speci-
fication before mentioned. This frame has however a bar d projecting
forwards from it, and passing through an eye in the arm e, which stands
out from the pole of the machine. The axis c, upon which the frame b
turns, is carried by the extremity of one arm of the forked frame f
carried by the axle of the main wheel; the other arm of this frame is
concentric with the axis c, and serves as a guide to retain the back of
the frame from moving sideways, whilst it allows the back end of the
frame to rise and fall freely, as described in the Specification before
mentioned, but in place of the frame f, when the machine is at work,
being retained in one fixed position it is allowed to pivot upon the axle;
thus the cutter bar is left free to rise or fall at the same time that it is

page_text: retained in a horizontal position, or nearly so, by the bar d working to
and fro in the guide e. h is a draft rod carried from the forward part of
the frame 6 to a draft whipple tree k, the other arm of which is coupled
to the main frame of the machine. The pin upon which the whipple
tree turns is carried by a bar free to slide to and fro in guides carried by
the pole.
What we claim as respects this part of our Invention is, the combined
arrangement substantially as herein described, whereby the cutter bars
of reaping and mowing machines, such as are described in the Specifi-
cation herein-before mentioned, are enabled to maintain a uniform angle,
or nearly so; as they rise or fall to accomodate themselves to irre-
gularities of the ground.
In order to secure the pin by which the knife is coupled to the
connecting rod, from which it receives its to-and-fro motion, and to allow
of this pin being quickly taken out and replaced, we form a hole through
it near its end to receive a small bolt of a length exactly corresponding to
the diameter of the pin, and having a head at each end, both ends of the
whole being enlarged to receive the heads and also to allow sufficient play
for the bolt to shift to and fro, so that either of its heads may project
from the side of the pin.
When it is desired to take out or replace the pin the bolt is by hand
kept within the hole in the pin, and the pin can then be freely drawn
out or replaced. A longitudinal section of a coupling pin formed in
this manner is shown at Figure 7%; the small bolt is marked a. The head
at one of the ends of this bolt is formed after the bolt has been inserted
into the hole in the pin. In place of using a bolt corresponding in
length with the diameter of the pin a short bolt may be employed,
pressed outwards by a strip of light watch spring bearing upon its inner
end. This spring lies in a hole bored longitudinally through the pin,
and at the top of the pin its end is held between two wedges driven
into the hole in the pin on either side of it. These wedges after being
driven in are cut off flush with the top of the pin, and the metal of the
pin is rivetted slightly over them to keep them in place.
.
The end of the bolt upon which the spring presses is formed with a
head to prevent the bolt from escaping. A longitudinal section of a
coupling pin formed in this manner is shewn at Figure 8; a is the short
bolt; b, the light spring lying in a hole bored longitudinally through

page_text: the pin; c, c, the wedges or keys driven into the hole at the head end
of the pin for securing the spring in its place. In place of a bolt a
light spring bent over thus may be inserted into the hole in the pin.
In this case the curved end of the spring always tends to project from
the hole and act as a key to keep the pin in its place, but the spring
can readily be pressed back by hand, so as to lie within the hole and
allow of the pin being taken out or again put in. The spring may be
prevented escaping entirely from the hole by a pin passed through its
ends, or otherwise. A longitudinal section of a coupling. pin formed in
this manner is shown at Figure 9. What we claim as respects this part
of our Invention is the construction of coupling pins for connecting the
knives of reaping and mowing machines to the connecting rod from
which they receive motive, sustantially as herein-before described and
shewn at Figures 7, 8, and 9.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Thomas Burgess, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.