IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING MACHINES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Lyon Thurlow, of Baynards Park, in the
County of Surrey, Esquire, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
REAPING MACHINES."
Sealed tho 16th June 1857, and dated the 22nd December 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by tho said Thomas Lyon Thurlow
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on,
the 22nd December 1856.
I, THOMAS LYON THURLOW, of Baynards Park, in the County of Surrey,
Esquire, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
REAPING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in reaping machines: For
these purposes a fore and hind axle are employed, and they are suitably.
connected together. Each axle has by preference two wheels thereto, and the
fore wheels are of larger diameter than the hinder ones. The axles are each
arranged to admit of the distance of the wheels apart being varied, to admit
of adjusting the wheels to different widths of ridges. The cutting apparatus.
is combined with the fore part of the carriage, and is driven by suitable
gearing actuated by the fore wheels or wheel, and provision is made for
adjusting the height of the cutting apparatus above the land. The two axles
are connected together in such manner as to admit the horse or horses going.

page_text: between them, and also between the wheels, the draft being connected to the
hinder axle. The machine is guided by means of a suitable locking motion to
the hinder axle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Lyon Thurlow in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 18th June 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
LYON THURLOW, of Baynards Park, in tho County of Surrey, Esquire, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Пer most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her-
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Lyon Thurlow, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Lyon Thurlow, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Thomas Lyon Thurlow, my 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 MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Thomas Lyon Thurlow, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly 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 Offico within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
'
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Lyon Thurlow, 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 has for its object improvements in reaping machines. For
these purposes a fore and hind axle are employed, and they are suitably.
connected together. Each axle has by preference two wheels thereto, and the
fore wheels are of larger diameter than the hinder ones. The axles are each

page_text: . arranged to admit of the distance of the wheels apart being varied, to admit of
adjusting the wheels to different widths of ridges. The cutting apparatus is
combined with the fore part of the carriage, and is driven by suitable gearing,
actuated by the fore wheels or wheel, and provision is made for adjusting
the height of the cutting apparatus above the land. The two axles are
connected together in such manner as to admit the horse or horses going
between them, and also between the wheels, the draft being connected to the
hinder axle. The machine is guided by means of a suitable locking motion to
the hinder axle.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a reaping machine, constructed according
to my Invention; Figure 2 shows a plan thereof. In these Figures the same
letters of reference are used to indicate the same parts.
a, a, are the fore wheels, which revolve on the ends of the fore axle b; on
the wheels a, a, are fixed or formed cog wheels c, c, from which motion is com-
municated to whatever form of cutting apparatus may be used in the machine;
d, d, are the hinder wheels, which are fixed on the hinder axle e, and such
hinder axle is combined with a locking apparatus, which aids in guiding the
machine. The locking motion is acted on by means of a cranked handle and
pinion f, which gears into teeth formed on the locking plate h; by these means
the hinder axle may be varied from the right angle in respect to the bar (which
connects the fore and hind wheels), according as the carriage is required to
move from a straight line to one or other side; this, together with the guiding
of the horses, will cause the machine to be guided correctly. k, k, is a bar, by
which the fore and bind axles are connected at such a distance apart that the
horses used to give motion to the machine may be yoked to the hinder -axlo
as shewn, and' walk between the fore and hind axle. The fore and hind wheels
and axles may, when desired, be arranged to have the wlieels to come nearer
to or further from each other, and the bar k may be made telescopic, if desired,
in such a manner that the fore and hind axles may be brought nearer together
or farther apart within certain limits, to suit particular widths of ridge and
farrow. i, i, is the framing, which carries the cutter apparatus fixed on the
fore axle b. The height of the cutting apparatus from the ground is this regu-
lated. m is a screw-toothed sector, fixed on the fore axle b; and is a wordi
gearing into it and mounted on a spindle j, fitted with a handle j', so that by

page_text: turning the handle j', and thus causing tho worm to rotate in either direction,
the cutter frame has its front end raised or depressed at pleasure. When the
bar is made telescopic, the spindle j must be made so also.
The cutter apparatus shown in the Drawing is worked thus:-o is a shaft,
mounted in bearings in the framing i, i, and fitted with discs p, p, within which
are ratchet wheels and palls, the ratchet wheels being fixed to pinions g. 9,
which can thus revolve freely in one direction on the shaft o, without causing
it to revolve; but if put in motion in the opposite direction cause the shaft o
to revolve with them. These pinions q, q, gear into the teeth c on the wheels
a, a, and by this arrangement, whichever of these revolves the more rapidly
puts the shaft o in motion; on the shaft o is fixed a toothed wheel r, gearing
into a pinions, the boss of which revolves in a bearing s' in the framing i.
Through the pinion s a shaft t is fitted with a feather, so as to be capable of
sliding longitudinally, but always being caused to rotate by the motion of the
pinions; and on the shaft t are fixed bevil wheels t,,,t', and a boss u,
receiving the forked end of a lever v, which is connected by a rod v¹ to a
lever on the end of a spindle w fitted at the other end, and with a handlo w',
so that on turning the spindle w through part of a revolution by the handle w',
the lever vis caused to vibrate on its pivot, and thus to slide the shaft t in tho
direction of its length and bring the bevil wheels t¹ and to or t² and t*, or none
of them, into gear with bevel pinions x, x, at pleasure. When the bar is
made telescopic, the spindle w must be so likewise. The bevel pinions
are fixed to rollers x, x¹, over which is passed a sheet a, and by the arrange-
ment of bevel wheels and pinions above described, these rollers x, x¹, may
be put in motion in either direction, so that the sheet & may carry the cut
corn which falls upon it to either side of the machine at will; and when none
of the bevel wheels t, 2, 3, t, are in gear, the rollers and sheet remain at rest.
y is an excentric, fitted on the lower end of one of the rollers a¹, with a rod y¹
connected to one of the cutters by a joint, so that the rotation of the roller
may cause the cutter to vibrate on a pivot n'. Several of these cutters ', ³, ³,
&c., are arranged along the front of the machine, and connected by a rod 6,
jointed to each by a pin in such a manner that all are caused to vibrate simul-
taneously. These cutters, a', &c. have an undulating curved form in front,
where they are sharp and finely serrated, and immediately above them is fixed a
sharpened plate with projecting points, having its curved edges also serrated,
and the cutters,, &c. are kept close up to the plate by means of bolts
and nuts &¹, which pass through holes in the cutters, slotted, to permit of their
vibration.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would here remark that other forms or arrangements
of cutting apparatus may be used in a machine constructed according to my
Invention, and that I make no claim cither to the cutting apparatus which is
shown in the Drawing, or to the system of ratchet wheels p, p, or to the endless
sheets a; and I would also have it understood that I make no claim to any of
the parts separately, nor do I confine myself to the details; but what I claim
is the combined machinery herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Lyon Thurlow, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
THOMAS LYON THURLOW. (L.S.)
Witness,
HENRY LLOYD,
49, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
London, Solr.