Improvements in Mowing and Reaping Machines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application. 2nd Mar.. 1894
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Dec. 1894-Accepted. 5th Jan.. 1895
Complete Specification Left. 3rd Dec. 1894-Accepted. 5th Jan.. 1895
Improvements in Mowing and Reaping Machines.
I, SAMUEL BRASSINGTON BAMFORD, of the Firm of Henry Bamford & Sons,
Uttoxeter, in the County of Stafford, Agricultural Engineers, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:
_-
My invention relates to mowing and reaping machines having a relatively quick
speed for mowing and a slower speed for reaping, and has especial reference to the
arrangements for altering the speed and also for balancing the driver's weight when
using the tipping lever for raising or depressing the fingers.
According to my invention I make the first motion of the mower to consist of a
spur wheel keyed on the main axle near to or inside one of the road wheels, the
pinion for the same being fixed on the end of the second motion or back spindle.
An in and out gear motion as is usually employed may be used.
On the second motion spindle I place a bevel wheel preferably near the centre of
the machine between the road wheels; this wheel is hollowed or domed out so as to
allow of another bevel wheel being placed inside it, the teeth of both wheels being
about level on the face. These wheels are geared with two bevel pinions one
behind the other and preferably cast in one piece and fitted on the end of the crank
shaft, so that either pinion can be worked by either of the bevel wheels one wheel
and pinion only being in gear at a time. I leave sufficient room in the dome of the
larger bevel wheel to allow of the smaller wheel sliding back inside it so as to be
out of gear with its bevel pinion; the larger bevel wheel may also be moved out
of gear with its pinion, by fixing a feather key for each bevel wheel on the second
motion shaft; thus each wheel can slide sufficiently on the shaft to allow of either
wheel being put in or out of gear with either of the bevel pinions.
The means I make use of for holding the bevel wheels in either of these positions
are as follows:-On the boss of each wheel furthest away from the face of the
teeth I make a flange or collar which is held from sliding to and fro by a stop or
clutch placed against it; or a groove may be cut in the boss and a stop or clutch
placed against it; or a socket may slide on the boss and be fixed by a set pin or
bolt, this socket having a groove in the end of it or a flange on it as desired and
being retained in position by a stop or clutch, or the bevel wheels may be secured
on the second motion shaft by a bolt, set pin or key.
Instead of placing the bevel wheels one inside the other, I sometimes fix them
on opposite sides of the double bevel pinion, each wheel sliding on a feather key in.
and out of gear and being retained in position by clutches, set pins, bolts, keys or
the like as before. Or in the space between the two bevel wheels on the second
motion shaft I place a sliding double ended clutch, engaging with either of the
bevel wheels, so that when the clutch is moved towards either wheel it will be in
gear and communicate motion to the said wheel.
At the back of the second motion shaft on the main bracket or body casting I
fix the seat and seat stay, and as the weight of the driver when on the seat presses
downwards, a corresponding upward pressure is exerted on the opposite side of the
main axle. To counteract the said pressure I fix a spring between the fore part of
D
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page_text: the main bracket and the pole plate, whereby I make it easier to tip the main
bracket and finger bar by the tipping lever, than if there was no such spring.
Dated the 2nd day of March 1894.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Mowing and Reaping Machines.
I, SAMUEL BRASSINGTON BAMFORD, of the Firm of Henry Bamford & Sons,
Uttoxeter, in the County of Stafford, Agricultural Engineers, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to mowing and reaping machines having a relatively quick
speed for mowing and a slower speed for reaping, and has especial reference to the
arrangements for altering the speed and also for balancing the driver's weight when
using the tipping lever for raising or depressing the fingers.
According to my invention I make the first motion of the mower to consist of a
spur-wheel keyed on the main axle near to or inside one of the road wheels, the
pinion for the same being fixed on the end of the second motion or back spindle.
An in-and-out gear motion as is usually employed may be used.
On the second motion spindle I place a bevel wheel preferably near the centre
of the machine between the road wheels. This wheel is hollowed or domed out so
as to allow of another bevel wheel being placed inside it, the teeth of both wheels.
being about level on the face. These wheels are geared with two bevel pinions
one behind the other and preferably cast in one piece and fitted on the end of the
crank shaft, so that either pinion can be worked by either of the bevel wheels one
wheel and pinion only being in gear at a time.
I leave sufficient room in the dome
of the larger bevel wheel to allow of the smaller wheel sliding back inside it so as
to be out of gear with its bevel pinion, and the larger bevel wheel may also be
moved out of gear with its pinion, a feather key being fixed for each bevel wheel
on the second motion shaft; thus each wheel can slide sufficiently on the shaft to
allow of either wheel being put in or out of gear with its bevel pinion.
Instead of placing the bevel wheels one inside the other, I sometimes fix them on
opposite sides of the double bevel pinion, each wheel sliding on a feather key in
and out of gear and being retained in position by clutches, set-pins, bolts, keys or
the like as before. Or in the space between the two bevel wheels on the second
motion shaft I place a sliding double ended clutch, engaging with either of the
bevel wheels, so that when the clutch is moved towards either wheel it will be in
gear and communicate motion to the said wheel.
At the back of the second motion shaft on the main bracket or body casting, I
fix the seat and seat-stay, and as the weight of the driver when on the seat presses
downwards, a corresponding upward pressure is exerted on the opposite side of
the main axle. To counteract the said pressure I fix a spring between the fore
part of the main bracket and the pole plate, whereby I make it easier to tip the
inain bracket and finger-bar by the tipping lever than if there was
spring.
no such
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a plan partly in section of a mowing machine having my improvements
applied thereto; and,
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same partly in section, the section being taken
on the line 2-2, Figure 1 :'

page_text: Figure 3 is a sectional plan of my improved gearing shewing the wheels arranged
for the slow speed:
Figure 4 is an elevation of a stop which I employ for holding the gear wheels in
their required positions:
Figures 5, 6 and 7 are sectional plans illustrating modifications of my invention.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
a is the main frame of the machine, and b, b' are the travelling wheels the latter
of which has formed upon or attached to it the spur-wheel c. d is the second
motion shaft which is driven from the spur-wheel c through the medium of the
pinion e. ff are the bevel wheels for the fast and slow speeds respectively,
which bevel wheels are mounted upon the second motion shaft d by means of a
feather g so that they can slide thereon and yet rotate therewith. h, h' are the
pinions upon the crank shaft i with which the bevel wheels f, f¹ respectively!
engage, the said pinions as hereinbefore stated being preferably cast in one
piece.
As shewn in Figure 1 the fast speed bevel wheelf is represented as being in
gear with the pinion h, the slow speed wheel " and pinion h¹ being out of gear.
When the slow speed gear is to be used the bevel wheel f is moved back out of
gear with the pinion h and the slow speed bevel wheel f¹ is moved into gear with
the bevel pinion h', as shewn in Figure 3.
Any suitable means may be employed for holding the bevel wheels f, f¹ in either
of their two positions. As shewn in Figures 1 and 2 the boss of each wheel' is .
provided with a flange ; which bears against one side or the other of a stop-piece k
shewn detached in Figure 4. As shewn in Figure 1, the stop-piece k of the wheel f
bears against the outside of its flange j so as to hold the said wheel in gear with
the pinion whilst the stop-piece k of the wheel f' also bears against the outside
of the flange of the said wheel to hold it out of gear with the pinion h¹. In order
to change the gear from the fast to the slow speed, that is to say, from the position
shewn in Figure 1 to that shewn in Figure 3 the stop-pieces k, k are removed so as
to permit of the wheelf being moved out of gear and the wheel f¹ into gear. The
said stop-pieces are then replaced and bear upon the opposite sides of the flanges j
to that herein before described.
To retain the stop-pieces in their proper positions, grooves are formed at 1, 1 in
the frame a into which the stop-pieces can be inserted. and from which they can be
removed when the gear cover m is turned back upon its hinges n, n. To remove
the said stop-pieces it is only necessary to turn them from the position shewn in full
lines in Figure 2 to that indicated by the dotted lines and then to lift them out.
In the modification shewn in Figure 5, I dispense with the stop-pieces k, k and
employ bushes o, o' into which the ends of the bosses of the wheels f, fi
respectively fit. These bushes are grooved and held in position by flanges p, p
upon the frame a entering the said grooves and each is provided with a set-screwq
designed to enter one or the other of two recesses r, r formed in the bosses of the
wheels f, to correspond to the two positions in which they are required to run.
In the modification of my invention shewn in Figure 6 which represents the
arrangement wherein the gear-wheels f, f¹ instead of being one within the other
are arranged face to face, I have represented the bosses of the said wheels as being
formed with grooves s, s into which crank-pins t, t carrying anti-friction rollers
project, the said cranks being provided with weighted levers u, u which according
to their position serve to hold the wheels in or out of gear with the pinions as
required.
In the modification shewn in Figure 7, the bevel wheels f,f¹ are arranged face
to face as described in the last modification but, instead of being connected to the
second motion shaft d by means of feather-keys and adapted to slide thereon, they
are mounted loosely upon the said second motion shaft and held against longitudinal
movement so that both bevel wheels are always in gear with their respective
pinions. In this case, however, each wheel has a set of clutch teeth with which
corresponding teeth on the end of a clutch sliding on a feather-key on the

page_text: shaft d are designed to engage so as to permit of motion being communicated to
either wheel according to the position of the weighted lever u by means of which
the clutch v is operated. It will be obvious that when motion is being imparted to
one bevel wheel through the medium of the clutch v, the other wheel will run idly
upon the shaft d.
w Figure 2, is a spring which I arrange between the main bracket a and the
pole bracket a¹, which spring serves to more or less counterbalance the weight of
the rider upon the seat which is fixed to the said main bracket, the said spring
being held in position by means of lugs or pins y, y on the said brackets.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In mowing and reaping machines the improved arrangement of gearing for
enabling the crank to be driven at varying speeds, substantially as described and
illustrated in the several figures of the accompanying drawings.
2. The application of a spring such as w between the main bracket and the pole
bracket of a combined mowing and reaping machine in the manner and for the
purpose substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 2 of the accompanying
drawings.
3. The improved mowing and reaping machine hereinbefore described and
illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 3rd day of December 1894.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.