Improvements in Mowing or Reaping Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Oct., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 19th Aug., 1892-Accepted, 1st Oct. 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mowing or Reaping Machines.
I, FREDERICK HENRY KEANE, of Cappoquin Foundry, Cappoquin, in the
County of Waterford, Ireland, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my
invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to machines used for mowing or reaping crops and has for
its object the arrangement and construction of the machine whereby it can be
changed from a right to a left hand machine with great facility in order that
the machine may be adapted to suit circumstances.
It often happens that the particular way in which the land lies or in bad harvests
the crops are so beaten down that the efficiency of the machine depends upon the
direction of cutting, so that in one case it is absolutely necessary to cut in one
direction say right and in another case left.
This of course necessitates having right and left handed machines which in the
case of small farmers means a large outlay of capital.
My invention consists in the special arrangement of parts and forms of their
construction whereby the finger bar carrying the knives and its appurtenances may
be changed from the right hand to the left hand side of the machine, or vice versa,
with great facility and despatch, and thus extend the usefulness and scope of
operation of a single machine.
I carry out my invention by adapting the cutting gear and mechanism which
drives it to be adjustable upon the main frame.
I will describe it in relation to an ordinary mowing or reaping machine which
has two main carrying wheels and a shaft carried in the main frame at right angles
to the main carrying axle the said shaft being driven by bevel wheels or other
gear and carrying a crank or excentric which drives the reciprocating knife.
I attach the main shoe situated on the inner end of the finger bar which carries
the knife, to the main frame by means of one or more connecting pieces which are
pivotably connected at their ends to the main shoe and main frame respectively.
The axis at the connecting pieces is common to all, the joints at either end are
parallel to one another that is the axis of the hinged joint on the main frame is
parallel to the hinged joint on the main shoe.
I may support any of these connecting pieces by stays attached rigidly to them
at one end, the other end of the stay being pivotably attached to the main frame on
an axis coincident with the other hinged joints on the same.
The axis of the hinged joints on the main frame may coincide with the axis of the
knife driving shaft in which case one or more of the said hinged connecting pieces
may embrace and swivel on the neck of the main frame which forms the bearing for
the knife driving shaft.
It will thus be clear that the main shoe can be moved about its hinged supports
on the main frame in any position from side to side without altering its relative
position with respect to the main frame and consequently the driving gearing.
The finger bar in which the knife works is also kept one side uppermost and has
therefore to be detached from the main shoe when changing from right to left, and
attached to the main shoe when it has been turned from side to side at its opposite
end to that formerly attached, riz. the end carrying the outside or mowing shoe.
A mowing shoe of the proper hand is attached to the outer end of the
finger bar.
The attachments on the finger bar is preferably made by bolts the holes being
pitched to suit both the main shoe and the mowing shoe.

page_text: The knife has lugs or other arrangements fitted at each end to which the con-
necting rod from the rotary motion can be attached, as for right hand cutting it has
to be attached to one end and for left hand cutting to the opposite end.
Dated this 19th day of October 1891.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mowing or Reaping Machines.
I, FREDERICK HENRY KEANE, of Cappoquin Foundry, Cappoquin, in the
County of Waterford, Ireland, Engineer, 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 machines used for mowing or reaping crops, and has for
its object the arrangement and construction of the machine whereby it can be
changed from a right to a left hand machine with great facility in order that the
machine may be adapted to suit circumstances.
It often happens that the particular.way in which the land lies, or in bad harvests
the crops are so beaten down, that the efficiency of the machine depends upon the
direction of cutting so that in one case it is absolutely necessary to cut in one
direction, say right, and in another case left.
This of course necessitates having right and left handed machines which in the
case of small farmers means a large outlay of capital.
My invention consists in the special arrangement of parts and forms of their
construction whereby the finger bar carrying the knives and its appurtenances may
be changed from the right hand to the left hand side of the machine, or vice versa,
with great facility and dispatch and thus extend the usefulness aud scope of
operation of a single machine.
I carry out my invention by adapting the cutting gear and mechanism which
drives it to be adjustable upon the main frame; and in order that it may be the better
understood, I will describe it in relation to the drawings hereunto annexed,
reference being had to the letters and figures marked thereon, like letters refer to
like parts in the various figures.
Figure 1 is a plan of the machine with the cutting gear shown in full on the right
side, and shown dotted on the left side.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the machine.
Figure 3 is a front end elevation of the same, the stays driving gear, drivers seat,
adjusting gear, and main shoe, being shown on the right and left hand sides of the
machine in dotted and full lines respectively.
As a convenient method of description I will describe my invention in relation to
an ordinary mowing or reaping machine having two main carrying wheels A mounted
on a shaft or axle B journalled in the main frame C. The axle B drives a shaft D
which is carried in the main frame C at right angles to the main carrying axle B
through the medium of gear wheels E, clutch E', and bevil wheels E or other
equivalent or convenient means.
The shaft D carries a crank or eccentric F which drives the reciprocating
knife G through the medium of the connecting rod H I attach the main shoe J to
the main frame C, by means of one or more connecting pieces K, K', which are
pivotably connected at their ends to the main shoe J and main frame C
respectively.
The axes of the connecting piece or pieces K K¹ are common to all the joints at
either end and are preferably parallel to one another, that is to say the axis of the
hinge joints on the main frame C is parallel to the axis of the hinge joints on the
main shoe J.

page_text: Should the connection of the shoe J to the main frame C not be sufficiently
stiff to withstand the strain, I may give additional support by means of
stays L L
The stay L is made easily detachable and is attached pivotably to K by lugs l¹
the other end being engaged in the lug on the main frame C in a loose manner,
but having a shoulder bearing on the said lug to resist the backward strain on the
finger bar and main shoe J during the operation of cutting.
The stays K and L may be combined in one stay, the stay L being attached
to K' instead of to the main frame C.
The stay L is pivotted on the main frame C and shoe J, so that the axis at each
end of the stay coincides with the axis of the hinged joints on the main frame and
shoe respectively.
As a convenient form of construction I make the axis of the connecting piece K
at its connection with the main frame C to coincide with the axis of the shaft D by
allowing it to embrace the neck of the main frame C, but it is obvious that it may
be pivotted to the main frame out of the centre if the two axes lie in a vertical
plane without interfering with the relative positions of the finger bar M and the
driving mechanism to any appreciable extent. As shown it is quite clear that the
main shoe J can be moved about its hinged supports on the main frame C in any
position from side to side without altering its relative position with respect to the
main frame and consequently the driving gear.
The finger bar M in which the knife G works is always kept one side uppermost
and has therefore to be detached from the main shoe J when changing from right
to left and be attached to the main shoe when the latter has been changed from side
to side on the opposite side of the main shoe and at the opposite end to that formerly
attached thereto, viz. :-the end carrying the outside or mowing shoe N. For this
purpose the main shoe J, mowing shoe N, and finger bar M have attachments which
are adaptable for connection together at each part at either end of the finger bar,
the particular form of connection shown in the drawing being bolts O.
The knife G has lugs P or other equivalent arrangements fitted at each end of it
to which the connecting rod H from the rotary motion can be attached that is for
right hand cutting as in the drawing on the left end of the knife, and for left hand
cutting on the right end of the knife, or equivalently a right and left handed knife
may be used as desired.
The pole R is adapted to be moved from one side to the other; it is furnished
with two arms S S which engage with one pair of two pairs of lugs T T T' T¹
arranged upon the main frame C. The lifting gears U U₁ for the finger bar and
main frame respectively, are arranged upon the pole R and move with it, the
axles VV of the gears having means of attachment at either end for the chain V
and link V respectively according as to which hand the cutting mechanism is
disposed, the position being shown in full and dotted lines in the drawing.
The seat W is also made adjustable from side to side for the same reason.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. In a reaping or mowing machine a main frame carried on wheels, in
combination with a main shoe, mowing shoe, and finger bar, and a connecting piece
or pieces pivotably connected to the main frame and main shoe to allow of right or
left hand disposition of the cutting mechanism substantially as described.
2nd. In such a reaping or mowing machine the main frame carrying the driving
mechanism in combination with a main shoe and a finger-bar adapted to be attached
to one another at either end and a connecting piece or pieces journalled on the main
frame at one end about the axis of the driving and at the other end pivotably
connected to the main shoe, the axes at the two ends of the connecting piece or
pieces being coincident at each end and parallel to one another at opposite ends
substantially as described.

page_text: 3rd. In such a mowing or reaping machine a main shoe movable about the axis
of the driving gear in combination with a finger bar mowing shoe and means for
connecting either end of the finger bar to the main shoe and mowing shoe substantially
as described.
4th. The construction and arrangement of a mowing or reaping machine sub-
stantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 19th day of August 1892.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.