IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE RAKES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Burns, Engineer to the Albion Iron Works
Company, Agricultural Engineers and Iron Founders, of Rugeley, in the
County of Stafford, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE
RAKES."
Sealed the 13th October 1877, and dated the 7th May 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Burns at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th May 1877.
ROBERT BURNS, Engineer to the Albion Iron Works Company, Agricultural
Engineers and Ironfounders, of Rugeley, in the County of Stafford.
MENTS IN HORSE RAKES."
"IMPROVE-
This Invention has for its object improvements in horse rakes, and has reference
in the first place to an improved arrangement of apparatus whereby the rocking
frame is, when requisite to clear the rake of its load, brought into gear with a
ratchet or ratchets on the wheel or wheels, and thus as the machine proceeds, the
necessary movement is communicated to the rocking frame for raising the tines or
teeth. To this end the arrangement I employ is as follows:-Premising that there
may be a ratchet and pawl arrangement to each wheel, or to one wheel only of the
machine, as may be most convenient. The wheel centre is provided with an annular
ratchet or internally-toothed wheel, and is in the form of a box constituting a boss
for the spokes of the main wheel and a cover for the annular ratchet or internally-
toothed wheel. The fore part of the rocking frame carries a pawl box containing a
pawl and a spring, whereby the pawl is retained normally out of gear, with the
annular ratchet or internally-toothed wheel. Parallel with the axle is a rocking
shaft carrying a bell-crank lever or its equivalent, arranged to be operated either by
a treadle in front, or from behind by a fever; when so operated, the rocking shaft
brings into operation a curved arm, whereby the pawl is moved into gear with the
rotating annular ratchet or internally-toothed wheel; thus the rocking frame is
partially rotated, and the tines or rake teeth are raised until the head of the pawl
comes in contact with a wiper or projection on the wheel cover, which immediately
disengages the pawl, and allows the times or rake teeth to resume their normal
position for raking.

page_text: In order to keep the tines or rake teeth down to their work, whilst allowing each
tine freedom of action so as to clear obstructions I employ a balance chain or other
flexible contrivance, which rests on the tines or teeth in such manner that it will
rise and fall with the rocking frame, but will uniformly weight the tines or teeth to
their work.
My Invention furthermore relates to a method of causing the rocking frame to
partially rotate on the main axle by means of a rack jointed to the fore part of the
rocking frame, the upper part of which rack works through a slide box, and is
actuated by a segment having teeth which take into the rack. By means of a
lever fixed upon the axle of the segment, the fore part of the rocking frame is
depressed and the load is thereby discharged.
It will be evident that my Invention, except as regards the first part thereof, is
applicable to both self-acting and other horse rakes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Robert Burns in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd Novem-
ber 1877.
ROBERT BURNS, Engineer to the Albion Iron Works Company, Agricultural
Engineers and Ironfounders, of Rugeley, in the County of Stafford. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN HORSE RAKES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in horse rakes, which will be
readily understood from the following description thereof, reference being had to
the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, wherein,-
Fig. 1 is a back view of a horse rake embodying my improvements, some parts
being omitted for the sake of clearness; Fig. 2 is a plan.
Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation to a larger scale of the rack, slide box, and other
parts herein-after referred to.
Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation in the line A, B, of Fig. 2, with wheel cover
removed, shewing the rocking frame with tines or rake teeth attached, main frame (c),
and other parts.
Fig. 5 is a part sectional elevation of Fig. 4 to a larger scale, shewing, inter alia,
the treadle arrangements and levers herein-after described for engaging the pawl
with the teeth of the ratchet wheel.
Fig. 6 is a section to a larger scale of one of the rake teeth.
Fig. 7 shews the arrangement herein-after described for actuating the pawl by
means of the hand lever.
The dotted lines in Figs. 5 and 7 indicate positions of levers when the pawl is
engaged.
In Fig. 5 the wheel cover is shewn in part, with wiper or projection for disen-
gaging the pawl, as indicated in dotted lines.
Fig. 8 is a back view of one of the wheel covers, shewing the positions of the
wiper and rocking bar.
Fig. 9 is a back view to a larger scale, illustrating my method of keeping the
tines or rake teeth down to their work.
Fig. 10 is a view at right angles to Fig. 9.
My Invention has reference in the first place to an improved arrangement of
apparatus for self-acting horse rakes, whereby the rocking frame is, when requisite
to clear the rake of its load, brought into gear with a ratchet or ratchets on the
wheel or wheels, and thus as the machine proceeds the necessary movement is
communicated to the rocking frame for raising the tines or teeth. To this end the
arrangement I employ is as follows:-Premising that there. may be a ratchet and
pawl arrangement to each wheel or to one wheel only of the machine, as may be
most convenient, the wheel centre is provided with an annular ratchet or

page_text: internally-toothed wheel 6x, and is in the form of a box constituting a boss for the
spokes of the main wheel b, and a cover d for the annular ratchet or internally-
toothed wheel bx.
The fore part of the rocking frame e carries a pawl box f containing a pawl g
and a spring h, whereby the pawl is retained normally out of gear with the
annular ratchet or internally-toothed wheel 6*. Parallel with the axle a is a
rocking shaft i carrying a bell-crank lever k, normally kept in the horizontal position
or nearly so by a spring * having a guider attached to the bell-crank lever; this
lever is arranged to be operated either from the front by a treadle n and lever m
attached to a treadle bar l, or from behind by a lever p centred in a bracket 2 on
the main frame c, and connected to the bell-crank lever by a rod o. When the
rocking shaft i is so operated it brings into operation a curved arm j, whereby the
pawl g is moved into gear with the rotating annular ratchet or internally-toothed
wheel bx; thus the rocking frane e is partially rotated, and the tines or rake
teeth ex are raised until the head of the pawl comes in contact with a wiper or
projection d on the wheel cover d, which immediately disengages the pawl, and
allows the tines or rake teeth to resume their normal position for raking.
In order to keep the tines or rake teeth down to their work, whilst allowing each
tine freedom of action so as to clear obstructions, I employ a flexible contrivance,
such as a wire rope or a chain, which rests on the tines or teeth in such a manner,
that it will rise and fall with the rocking frame, but will uniformly weight the tines
or teeth to their work.
This part of my Invention is illustrated in Figs. 2, 9, and 10, wherein e* repre-
sents the tines or teeth, and y, x, a wire rope passing through eyes in spring lifts, one
of which is shewn at x, x, the rope resting upon the tines or teeth, as shewn for the
purpose specified.
It will be evident that a chain or its equivalent may be substituted for the wire
rope. z is a spiral spring.
My Invention furthermore relates to a method of causing the rocking frame e to
partially rotate on the main axle a by means of a rack u (Fig. 3) jointed to the
fore part of the rocking frame e; this rack works through a slide box t, and is
actuated by a quadrant having teeth which take into the rack. By means of a
lever fixed upon the axle v³ of the quadrant, the fore part of the rocking frame e
is depressed, and the load is thereby discharged. vx represents the quadrant lock;
w, setting wheel; and wx, setting screw; 8 is the foot plate.
It will be evident that the plan of keeping the tines or rake teeth down to their
work, as also my improved method of causing the rocking frame to partially
rotate on the main axle, are applicable to both self-acting and other horse rakes.
Having described the nature of my said Invention and explained the manner
of carrying the same into practical effect, I desire to have it understood that save
and except as herein-after mentioned I do not intend to claim any of the mechanical
parts of the apparatus herein-before shewn and described, when taken separately
and apart from the combination or application thereof, in manner and for the
purposes herein described; but what I consider to be novel and original, and there-
fore claim as secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent,
is,—
1. In a self-acting horse rake, the use in combination of the annular ratchet or
internally-toothed wheel, pawl, pawl box, spring h, and wiper or projection d*,
constructed, arranged, and operating as shewn in and described with reference to
the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, for the purpose of causing the tines or rake
teeth to be raised, as above explained, when required to clear the rake of its load.
2. In a horse rake such as is referred to in the preceding claim the application
and use for the purpose of causing the pawl to engage with the annular ratchet or
internally-toothed wheel of the rocking shaft i, bell-crank lever k, and arm j, in
combination with the treadle n, lever m, and treadle bar l, and with the lever p,
and connecting rod o, as described and shewn.
3. The application and use, in the manner described and shewn for the purpose of

page_text: keeping the tines or rake teeth down to their work, of a chain, wire rope, or other
similar flexible contrivance in combination with spring lifts x, x
4. The application and use, for the purpose of depressing the fore part of the
rocking frame, of the rack u, slide box t, and the quadrant v, in conjunction with
the setting screw w*, and quadrant lock, the whole constructed, arranged, and
operating together as herein-above described and shewn in the accompanying Sheet
of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Burns, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Second day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
ROBERT BURNS. (L.S.)