IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIELD RAKES FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William James Williams, of Number 51, Dorset
Street, Salisbury Square, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIELD RAKES FOR AGRICULTURAL
PURPOSES." Partly a communication from abroad by Harrison Wells,
of the Cit.. ENT
VL TT
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William James Williams
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th October 1862.
I, WILLIAM JAMES WILLIAMS, of Number 51, Dorset Street, Salisbury
Square, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIELD RAKES. FOR
AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is, among others, the production of a field rake
so constructed as to enable the operator to preserve complete control of its
motion and action under all circumstances by means of self-adjusting handles,
which are so arranged as to keep the shaft in a fixed horizontal position when
so desired, and also to prevent the handles from falling down when the rake is
not in action.
And this Invention of an improved field rake consists in its most essential

page_text: features of a horizontal shaft, formed of any suitable material, but by prefer-
ence of wood, with suitable teeth, by preference made of wood, passing
through it and fixed therein at equal distances from its centre, to which shaft
are attached loosely two upright pieces, by preference made of wood, in such
manner as to permit the said horizontal shaft to revolve. The said upright
pieces are fixed to the shafts by which the rake is propelled or moved nearly
at right angles, and the said upright pieces are attached by their lower ends to
two handles by means of a loose pin, so as to allow them to play or spring
inwardly. The upper end of said handles by which the rake is guided and
controlled are framed together by cross pieces. To the extreme lower ends of
the handles or below the said pins in the upright pieces are fixed perpendicu-
larly, or nearly so, two suitable pieces, by preference of wood, made tapering or
slanting on one side, the widest part being at the bottom, and resting on a
tooth of the rake; the upper or narrow ends of said perpendicular pieces
support the shafts in a horizontal position, so that when the rake revolves the
back or rear end of said tooth on which the said upright rests strikes the
outside or slanting side of the upright, which pressing inwardly allows
the tooth to pass the upright pieces, when immediately thereafter the said
upright pieces spring back, and at once resume their former & proper position
of resting on the said tooth, and thus supporting the shaft, and at the same time
easing off the rake in its fall, so that the horse or whatever power may be used
draws it over equally as much after it passes the perpendicular as before. This
rake may be made of either iron or wood, or of both materials in combination.
I attach to the rear side of each perpendicular in which the centre shaft
revolves a metal shoe, to sustain the weight of the load and to favor the
operator.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William James Williams in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 24th April 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM 3
JAMES WILLIAMS, of Number Fifty-one, Dorset Street, Salisbury Square, in
the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of 3
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,

page_text: the said William James Williams, Her special licence, that I, the said William
James Williams, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said William James Williams, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIELD RAKES FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES,"
partly my own Invention and partly a communication from abroad by Harrison
Wells, of the City of New York, United States of America, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William James Williams, 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 Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William James Williams, 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 :-
The object of this Invention is to produce a field rake of such construction
as to enable the operator to preserve complete control of its action while in
motion without stopping, and with greater ease to the operator, by means of
self-adjusting teeth and handles, which are so arranged as to keep the shafts
in a fixed and horizontal position, and also to prevent the handles from falling
down when the rake is not in action. These objects are attained and will be
clearly understood by the following description, reference being had to the.
accompanying Drawings, which are made part of this Specification.
Figure 1 represents a plan or top view of the rake when completed;
Figure 2 represents a front view of the same; Figure 3 represents a sectional
side view of the same.
In the Drawings; A, A, represents a transverse shaft, through which the
desired number of teeth T, T, T, T, pass to an equal distance on each side of
the shaft, from an equal distance from the centre of which rises two uprights
m, m, Fig. 3, which are firmly fixed at the top to the direct shafts, by which
the rake is drawn K, K, Figure 3, and at nearly right angles, the direct shafts
being joined at the front by a strong bar B, B, Fig. 1. The uprights m, m,
are secured to the transverse shaft A, A, at the bottom or lower ends by bands
or collars, so as to allow the shaft A, A, to revolve freely, to which bands or

page_text: collars there is attached metallic shoes S, S, Fig. 2, having their bearings
behind the center of the shaft and uprights. The handles E, E, Fig. 1, are
framed together only at the upper ends by the cross piece C, C, Fig. 1, and
the round-hand piece H, H, Fig. 1, by which the operator guides and controls
the rake; the lower ends of the handles are without any cross connection, in
order to allow of their springing inwards or towards each other. Near Near
the top of the uprights (m, m,) there is fixed strong pins i, i, Fig. 3, projecting
inwards several inches, which pass through the lower ends of the handles
E, E, Fig. 3, at a short distance from the ends, forming the only connection
of the handles with the rake, the holes being large enough to allow. the
handles to slip or slide freely upon the pins (i, i,) when pressed upon from the
exterior. To the extreme lower ends of the handles are attached upright
pieces or braces (d, d, Fig. 2,) which stand in front of the uprights m, m,
their lower ends resting upon two teeth of the rake forward of the shafts A, A,
and their upper ends under and supporting the direct shafts K, K, which
upper ends are narrow, and flush with the outside of the shafts K, K; their
lower ends that rest upon the teeth are wider, having the bevel angle or
incline all on the outside. Now when it is desired to revolve the rake, the
opperator raises the handles so as to set the points of the teeth in the ground,
when the rear ends of the teeth pass over and strike against the outer bevelled
edges of the braces (d, d,) pressing them inwards at the lower ends; the
handles springing inwardly upon the pins (i, i,) allows the teeth to pass the
lower ends of the braces, when they immediately spring back and resume their
original position, resting upon the teeth and supporting the shafts K, K, as
before. To the lower or front cross bar C, C, Fig. 1, which forms one of the
connections of the handles with each other, and which is immediately over the
rear or back ends of the teeth, there is suspended a frame brace f, f, Fig. 2,
which rests upon the rear ends of the teeth of the rake, and it is secured to
the cross bar above by hinges or pliable straps, so as to play freely backwards
and forwards as it is acted upon by the rod E, E, Fig. 1, which extends back
from the bar B, B, in front, as shown by the Drawing, the ends of which rod
are secured by hinges or flexible straps. The object of this rod is to force
back the frame brace when the handles are raised, so as to allow the rear ends
of the teeth to pass upwards and to revolve, and when the handles are lowered
to bring back the frame brace f, f, to its original position above and upon the
teeth at their rear ends, so as to brace and hold them firmly. Thus it will
be seen that the front braces d, d, on the lower ends of the handles E, E, are
firmly held by their lower ends resting on the top of the teeth T, T, in front.
of the shaft A, A, and the handles E, E, being fixed on the pins i, i, as a

page_text: sliding fulcrum or pinion, meets with resistance from downward pressure by
the frame brace f, f, resting on the rear ends of the teeth, and that therefore
the operator at the handles has complete control over the position of the
rake, and can by elevating the handles and lowering them cause the rake to
revolve at will. The rake may be constructed of wood or of iron, or by a
combination of both materials, as may be deemed advisable.
Having thus described my Invention, what I wish to claim as new and
desire to secure by Letters Patent is, the combination of the uprights m, m,
with the direct shafts K, K, and the metallic shoes S, S, attached thereto, as
specified; also the spring handles E, E, with the projecting pins i, i, and the
perpendicular braces d, d, with inclined planes, as specified, or any equivalents,
whether in wood or metal, or by a combination of both, when used in con-
nection with or in the construction of revolving rakes.
In witness whereof, I, the said William James Williams, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of December, A.D. One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness to the signature,
JACOB SNIDER, Jun'.
WILLIAM JAMES WILLIAMS. (L.S.)