IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PLOUGHS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Rudolph Sack, of Loeben, near Luetzen, in the
Kingdom of Prussia, Farmer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF PLOUGHS."
Sealed the 10th November 1857, and dated the 1st September 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Rudolph Sack at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st September 1857.
I, RUDOLPH SACK, of Loeben, near Luetzen, in the Kingdom of Prussia;
Farmer, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PLOUGHS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
ploughs, whereby a greater depth of land can be ploughed, and with less
draught than could be effected by the ordinary ploughs, whilst better work is
accomplished, inasmuch as the undersoil is completely raised and turned
over the surface soil. According to this Invention two sets or pairs of coulters
and turnfurrows are used, placed one set in front of the other, and both cutting
in the same line but at different depths. The front coulter and turnfurrow,
which may be of the ordinary construction, serve to cut and turn over the sur-
face of the soil to the depth of about from four to six inches, whilst the
succeeding coulter and turnfurrow penetrate considerably deeper, say from ten
to fifteen inches below the surface, by which means the undersoil is loosened,
elevated, and turned over upon the soil previously turned over by the front
coulter and turnfurrow. In order to effect the raising and subsequent turning

page_text: of the undersoil, I make the second turnfurrow in one piece, but with two
planes or surfaces; the front portion has a nearly horizontal transverse section,
but is inclined upwards and sideways towards the back and right side
gradually, somewhat after the form of a horizontal wedge, and serves to raise
up the undersoil to the surface, whilst the back portion or surface of the turn-
furrow is bent over into such a vertical angle as to turn over the lower or
under soil upon the soil turned over by the front coulter and turnfurrow, and
smooth or mould the ridge thus formed.
These two combined surfaces of the turnfurrow constitute one of the main
features of this Invention. In order to reduce the friction of the plough, and
thereby reduce the draught, that is to say, the power required to draw the same,
I employ antifriction rollers, which are made adjustable in the plough body,
the one being horizontal, and projecting slightly from the land side of the
plough, whilst the other is vertical, and projects below the underside of the
plough body, so as to run on the bottom of the furrow; the application of
these antifriction rollers forming another important feature of my Invention.
The beam of the plough is attached by a universal swivel joint to a vertical
sliding frame carried inside another frame on an axle in front of the plough,
which axle carries a pair of large running wheels. The depth of the furrow
is adjusted by means of a screw spindle in connection with the inner or sliding
frame above referred to. A short chain connects the top of the fixed vertical
frame to the beam, so as to keep the frame in a vertical position, whilst a
double chain connects the beam with a bolt or pin in the lower end of the
inner frame. One of the large running wheels which runs upon the surface
of the unploughed land is made adjustable in height, for the purpose of
enabling it to be raised or lowered, whilst the opposite wheel runs in the
bottom of the adjoining furrow. For this purpose the axle is made in two
parts, and each part is. bent up vertically to a right angle, the two vertical
portions of the axle being coupled together by suitable collars or rings secured
and tightened by set screws.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Rudolph Sack in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st March 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RUDOLPH
SACK, of Loeben, near Luetzen, in the Kingdom of Prussia,. Farmer, send 3
greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of September, in the year of our Lord'
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Rudolph Sack, Her special license that I, the said Rudolph Sack, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Rudolph
Sack, my executors, administrators, or 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 THE CONSTRUC-
TION OF PLOUGHS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Rudolph Sack, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Rudolph Sack, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
ploughs, whereby a greater depth of land can be ploughed, and with less
draught than could be effected by the ordinary ploughs, whilst better work is
accomplished, inasmuch as the undersoil is completely raised and turned over
the surface soil. According to this Invention two sets or pairs of coulters and
turnfurrows are used, placed one set in front of the other, and both cutting in
the same line, but at different depths. The front coulter and turnfurrow,
which may be of the ordinary construction, serve to cut and turn over the sur-
face of the soil to the depth of from four to six inches, whilst the succeeding
coulter and turnfurrow penetrate considerably deeper, say from ten to fifteen
inches below the surface, by which means the under soil is loosened, elevated,
and turned over upon the soil previously turned over by the front coulter and
turnfurrow. In order to effect the raising and subsequent turning of the
undersoil, I make the second turnfurrow in one piece, but with two planes or
surfaces; the front portion has a nearly horizontal transverse section, but is
inclined upwards and sideways towards the back and right side gradually,
somewhat after the form of a horizontal wedge, and serves to raise up the
°

page_text: under soil to the surface, whilst the back portion
or surface of the turnfurrow
is bent over into such a vertical angle as to turn over the lower or under soil
upon the soil turned over by the front turnfurrow, and smooth or mould the
ridge thus formed. These two combined surfaces of the turnfurrow constitute
one of the main features of this Invention. In order to reduce the friction of
the plough, and thereby reduce the draught, that is to say, the power required
to draw the same, I employ antifriction rollers, which are made adjustable in
the plough body, the one being horizontal and projecting slightly from the
land side of the plough, whilst the other is vertical and projects below the
under side of the plough body, so as to run on the bottom of the furrow; the
application of these antifriction rollers forming another important feature of
my Invention. The beam of the plough is attached by a universal swivel
joint to a vertical sliding frame carried inside another frame on an axle in
front of the plough, which axle carries a pair of large running wheels. The
depth of the furrow is adjusted by means of a screw spindle in connection with
the inner or sliding frame above referred to. A short chain connects the top
of the fixed vertical frame to the beam, so as to keep the frame in a vertical
position, whilst a double chain connects the beam with a bolt or pin in the
lower end of the inner frame. One of the large running wheels which runs
upon the surface of the unploughed land is made adjustsble in height, for the
purpose of enabling it to be raised or lowered, whilst the opposite wheel runs
in the bottom of the adjoining furrow. For this purpose the axle is made in
two parts, and each part is bent to a vertical position; the two vertical por-
tions of the axle being secured together by suitable cramps or rings tightened
by set screws.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Sheet of Drawings represents an elevation
of the right-hand side of the plough; Figure 2 is a similar view of the left-
hand side of the same; Figure 3 is a plan corresponding to Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a front elevation of the running wheels and connections; and
Figure 5 is a back elevation of the plough with the wheels removed. The
rest of the Figures are diagrams and details, which I shall herein-after more
particularly describe and refer to. A is the beam of the plough, which is
fitted with two sets of coulters and turnfurrows, lettered respectively on the
Drawings B, C, and D, E. These two sets of coulters and turnfurrows both

page_text: cut and turn over the soil in the same line. The one set B, C, is placed in
advance of the other set D, E, and at a higher elevation, as shewn in the
Drawings, so that the first set, which may be of the ordinary construction, will
cut and turn over the surface of the soil to the depth of from four to six
inches, more or less, whilst the succeeding coulter and turnfurrow D, E, are
set to cut and turn over the soil to a considerably greater depth, say, from ten
to fifteen inches below the surface, whereby the under soil is loosened, elevated,
and turned over upon the soil previously turned over by the front coulter and
turnfurrow. In order to accomplish the proper and efficient raising and
subsequent turning of the under soil, I make the second or deeper turnfurrow
in two planes or surfaces, the front portion of which a, a, (Figures 1 and 3,5
is nearly horizontal in transverse section, but is gradually inclined upwards
and sideways towards the back and right-hand side of the plough, as shewn in
the Diagrams (Figures 6 and 7), for the purpose of raising up and turning
over the undersoil upon that which has been turned over by the front turn-
furrow. The second surface or plain b, b, serves to smooth or mould the
ridge formed by turned over soil. The several vertical and horizontal sections
of this peculiar turnfurrow, taken respectively along the vertical and horizontal
lines, numbered from 1 to 22 in Figure 1, are clearly indicated in Figures
6 and 7, corresponding numbers to those in Figure 1 being placed opposite
to each section.. Figure 6 represents the several horizontal sections and
Figure 7 the vertical sections. By the aid of these Figures the respective
curves or conformations of the two planes of the turnfurrow will be clearly
understood. F is a horizontal, and G a vertical antifriction wheel or roller,
carried by the plough body, and intended to reduce the friction and con-
sequently to reduce the power required to draw the plough. The horizontal
roller F is made adjustable, so that its periphery may project more or less
beyond the land side of the plough, as shewn in Figure 5, and the vertical
roller G is also made adjustable, as shewn at c, Figure 2, in order that its
periphery may come more or less below the underside or sole of the plough.
When the plough is to be transported from one place to another, this latter
wheel or roller G is lowered two or three inches, as represented by the dotted
circle in Figure 2, so that the plough body will be raised entirely from off the
ground. A shield or ground plate H (Figure 2), fitted above the antifriction
wheels or rollers F. and G, serves to prevent the cutter from falling on to
them and clogging them up. I and K are scrapers, for the purpose of
keeping the edges of the two rollers free from dirt. Two large running
wheels L and M serve to support the front portion or end of the plough
beam A. When ploughing, as shewn in Figures 1 and 3, the smaller wheel

page_text: M is raised considerably above the wheel L, in order to allow of its running
upon the surface of the unploughed land, whilst the larger wheel L runs in
the bottom of the furrow, as represented in Figure 1 and by dotted lines
in Figure 4, in which latter Figure the surface of the unploughed land is
indicated by the dotted line d, e. When required for transport the underside
of the periphery of the wheel M is brought on to a level with or in the same
horizontal plane with that of the wheel L, as shewn in Figures 2 and 4 of my
Drawings. To facilitate this adjustment of the wheel M, the fixed axle N of
the wheel L is bent upwards at a right angle, and to this vertical portion n
of the axle is temporarily secured the corresponding vertical portion n¹ of the
adjustable axle N¹ of the wheel M. The two portions of this compound axle
are secured together by means of the clamps and tightening screws 0, 0,
(Fig. 4). When the wheel M is to be elevated for the purpose of ploughing,
its axle N¹ is detached from the axle N by slackening the screws o, and
is then reversed in the manner shewn in dotted lines in Figure 4, when it is
secured by tightening up the clamp screws again.
In order to enable the front end of the plough beam A to be adjustably
connected with the axle of the running wheels L, M, I fix a vertical frame O
to the axle in any convenient manner; and within this frame slides vertically
an inner frame P, being guided therein by the clamps p, p. This inner frame
is capable of being raised or lowered by means of the screw spindle Q. The
front end R of the plough beam (shewn in detail at Figure 8) has a pin or
stud formed upon it, which fits into a swivel eye r inserted in the socket
or plate S. This socket or plate is fitted with studs or pivots s, s, projecting
horizontally from each side, which studs or pivots work in corresponding holes
in the inner or adjustable frame P; a universal joint connection is thus
established between the frame and the plough beam, so that the latter is free
to play either vertically or horizontally, as the case may be, whilst the depth
of furrow is regulated by raising or lowering the beam, which is accomplished
by means of the screw spindle Q, which also serves to elevate the plough
when being transported from place to place; a pin and cottar passed through
the eyer and through the stud in the end of the beam keep the latter from
slipping out of the eye. In order to keep the frames O and P steady and in a
vertical position, I connect the top of the frame O to the plough beam A by
means of a short chain T, and I also connect the lower portion of the inner
frame P to the plough beam by double chains U, U, (Fig. 3). The hauling
power is connected to the hooked draw bar V, which moves horizontally on a
swivel at v, and is capable of being adjusted laterally, according to the desired
line of draught by means of the quadrant and set pin or bolt at w.
.

page_text: Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as variations may be made therefrom without deviating
from the principles or main features of my said Invention; but what I
consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the general construction and arrangement of ploughs, as herein-before
described.
Second, the application and use of ploughs fitted with two sets of coulters
and turnfurrows, the front set being disposed in advance of and higher than
the back set, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein-before
described.
Third, the application and use of turnfurrows having two surfaces or planes
for the purpose of raising and turning over the undersoil, and of moulding
and smoothing the ridges, as herein-before described.
Fourth, the combination of an ordinary coulter and turnfurrow with my
improved turnfurrow, for the purpose herein-before described.
Fifth, the application and use of adjustable antifriction wheels or rollers
projecting slightly beyond the land side and sole of a plough, for the purpose
of easing the draught and facilitating the transport of the plough, as herein-
before described.
Sixth, the application and use of the adjustable sliding frame, for the
purpose of regulating the height of the plough, as herein-before described.
Seventh, the application and use of a universal joint attachment, for con-
necting the front end of the plough beam with the fore portion of the plough,
as herein-before described.
Eighth, the peculiar construction and arrangement of the axles of the front
running wheels, and the mode of adjusting or regulating the height of one of
such wheels, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Rudolph Sack, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of March, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-eight.
RUDOLPH SACK. (L.S.)