Im- PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF DRAINING PLOUGHS
Year: 1872

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Goulton and Charles
Davis Sharpe at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 22nd February 1872.
We, WILLIAM GOULTON, of Rochford, in the County of Essex, Farmer,
and CHARLES DAVIS SHARPE, of Lincoln, in the County of Lincoln,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF DRAINING PLOUGHS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention of improvements in the construction of draining
ploughs relates to a novel arrangement or construction of ploughs for
cutting trenches or drains in land for the purpose of receiving drain tiles
or other equivalent devices whereby the water contained in the super-
stratum of the ground is carried off into a main drain or ditch prepared
for the purpose.
These trenches have heretofore been generally
cut or prepared by hand labour at considerable expense.
Our improved draining plough is intended to supersede this expensive
hand operation, and consists in the use of a series of ploughs placed one
behind the other, and arranged in the same vertical plane but at increasing
depths below the surface of the ground, so that each plough may cut off
its own horizontal slice of the required thickness.
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page_text: In carrying out our Invention we make use of two, three, or more
ploughs according to the nature of the soil to be operated upon or the
power that may be obtainable. These ploughs are fixed in a long frame
which is mounted on a centre on which it may be lifted up by means of
a rope or chain so as to raise the ploughs from the ground when they
are not in use. This plough frame is enclosed within another frame
which is mounted on running wheels, and is made by preference of
angle iron so that when the machine is in use the plough frame may
rest on the edges of the angle iron, and thus always be supported in a
horizontal position and parallel with the surface of the ground. The
trenches for the drain tiles are usually made about 30 inches deep, from
4 to 6 inches wide at the bottom, and from 8 to 12 inches wide at the top.
This depth of 30 inches would in ordinary soils be divided into three
cuts of 10 inches deep, so that the first plough would cut out a trench
10 inches deep, the second plough would cut another trench of similar
depth but 10 inches below the former, and the third plough would cut to
the bottom of the 30 inches, and thus complete the trench. It will be
obvious that as the sides of the trench are inclined, and the trench is
wider at the top than at the bottom the width of the ploughs must vary
in accordance therewith, the uppermost plough being the widest.
In order to commence operations with our improved draining ploughs,
we first of all commence the trench by hand labour and cut a trench of
sufficient length and depth to allow the ploughs to be lowered into it;
then by drawing the machine forward by horse power or by means of a
traction or other engine, the three ploughs will cut off their respective
slices, and thus form the trench of of the required depth. Adapted to the
rear of each of the ploughs is an inclined plate, up which the earth when
sliced off by the ploughs is pushed and is ultimately thrown off and
deposited at the side of the trench. The carriage or frame of the
ploughs is provided with a steering gear so that it may be properly
guided as the ploughing operation proceeds. We sometimes find it
convenient to mount two sets of ploughs on a balanced frame so that
when one set is in work the other may be raised off the ground.