IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LEVELLING MOLEHILLS AND OTHER LIKE IRREGULARITIES ON THE SURFACE OF THE SOIL
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Morgan, Secretary of the Inventors Patentright
Association Limited of 21 Cockspur Street Charing Cross in the County of
Middlesex for an invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LEVELLING
MOLEHILLS AND OTHER LIKE IRREGULARITIES ON THE SURFACE OF THE SOIL
Communicated to him from abroad by A. Royer of Paris in the Republic of
France
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Morgan at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th June 1882.
THOMAS MORGAN Secretary of the Inventors Patentright Association Limited
of 21 Cockspur Street Charing Cross in the County of Middlesex, "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LEVELLING MOLE-HILLS, AND OTHER LIKE IRREGULARITIES
ON THE SURFACE OF THE SOIL (a communication to me from abroad by A. Royer
of Paris in the Republic of France)
"
The improved apparatus forming the object of this Invention is for levelling
molehills and other like irregularities on the surface of the soil and is distinguished
by the employment of an angular bar of metal and a double row of knives,
arranged quincunxially in order to obtain a more thorough disintegration of the
mould of the mole hills, the action of the knives being followed by that of a curved
or semicircular plate of sheet or cast iron or a jointed cast iron roller for the
purpose of crushing and crumbling the clods.
In carrying out the Invention, I proceed mainly as follows:-Upon two front
cross bars of a rectangular frame of wood composed of two longitudinal bars and
four cross bars, there are attached a series of steel cutting knives in the form of an
inverted T, inclined towards the rear.- -These knives are arranged quincunxially so
that any clods that may have escaped being detached and broken up by the first
row of knives may be caught by the hinder row.-A stout angle iron is arranged
behind the knives at about the middle of the machine being bolted to two
longitudinal bars at each extremity and supported at the centre by a stay
connected to a third cross bar-The angle iron should present an angle inclining
slightly to the front its degree of inclination being capable of being regulated by

page_text: means of the said stay.-The function of this angle iron is to reduce the clods
resulting from the action of the knives A curved plate of cast or sheet iron so
arranged that the surface of the ground forms a tangent to the curve of the plate is
also fixed to the longitudinal bars and arranged at an acute angle with the surface
of the ground in order to crush and disintegrate the clods which are pushed along
in front of this plate until they fall into depressions in the ground.-This plate is
supported at the centre by a stay fixed to a fourth cross bar.-In case of need a
jointed cast iron compressing cylinder or roller capable of being readily detached
may be substituted for the curved plate and will be found very useful on ill
conditioned or stoney pastures.
The two side bars are sharpened or bevelled at the forward ends where they are
tipped with iron presenting a cutting edge the object of which is to split up any
mole hills at the extreme sides of the machine so that the latter is not liable to be
lifted thereby and the knives are thus enabled to work uniformly over the whole
surface of the land and remove all the inequalities
A couple of tug bars bolted to the top of the apparatus facilitate the transport
being provided with suitable draught hooks (upper and lower) the upper hooks
being employed for levelling small mole hills and the lower hooks in cases where
the mole hills rise above the tops of the knives.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Morgan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th December
1882.
THOMAS MORGAN Secretary of the Inventors Patentright Association Limited
of 21 Cockspur Street Charing Cross in the County of Middlesex, "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LEVELLING MOLEHILLS AND OTHER LIKE IRREGULARITIES
ON THE SURFACE OF THE SOIL (a communication to me froin abroad by A. Royer,
of Paris in the Republic of France)
"
The improved apparatus forming the object of this Invention is for levelling
molehills, and other like irregularities on the surface of the soil, and is distinguished
by the employment of an angular bar of metal and a double row of knives
arranged quincuncially in order to obtain a more thorough disintegration of the
mould of the mole hills the action of the knives being followed by that of a curved
or semicircular plate of sheet or cast iron, or a jointed cast iron roller for the
purpose of crushing and crumbling the clods."
In order that the Invention may be clearly understood I will now describe same
by reference to the accompanying Drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan of the
mole hill leveller provided with its semi circular clod crusher.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same, taken along the line A B.
Fig. 3 shows detached and made in two parts a cast iron cylinder, which may be
substituted for the clod crushing cylinder.
Upon two front cross-bars of a rectangular frame of wood, composed of two
longitudinal bars a, and four cross bars b, there are attached a series of steel
cutting knives c in the form of an inverted T, inclined towards the rear.―These
knives are arranged quincuncially so that any clods that may have escaped being
detached and broken up by the first row of knives may be caught by the hinder
row. A stout angle-iron d is arranged behind the knives at about the middle of
the machine, being bolted to the two longitudinal bars a. a. at each extremity, and
supported at the centre by a stay e connected to the third cross bar.-The angle
iron should present an angle inclining slightly to the front, its degree of inclination
being capable of regulation by means of the said stay.-The function of this angle
iron is to reduce the clods resulting from the action of the knives. A curved plate
of cast or sheet iron so arranged that the surface of the ground forms a tangent to
the curve of the plate is also fixed to the longitudinal bars, and arranged at an
acute angle with the surface of the ground, in order to crush and disintegrate the.
clods, which are pushed along in front of this plate until they fall into depressions
in the ground This plate is supported at the centre by a stay fixed to a fourth cross
bar. In case of need, a jointed cast iron compressing cylinder or roller capable of
being readily detached may be substituted for the curved plate, and will be found
very useful on ill conditioned or stony pastures.-The two side bars are sharpened
or bevelled at the forward ends, where they are tipped with iron, présenting a
cutting edge, the object of which is to split up any mole hills at the extreme sides
of the machine, so that the latter is not liable to be lifted thereby, and the knives
are thus enabled to work uniformly over the whole surface of the land, and remove.
all the inequalities.-A couple of tug bars k, k, bolted to the top of the apparatus,
facilitate the transport being provided with suitable draught hooks j. j., j.j., the
upper hooks j, j, being employed for levelling small molehills, and the lower
hooks .. in cases where the mole hills rise above the tops of the knives.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and object of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed or put in practice,

page_text: I hereby declare that I claim the Invention of "Improvements in apparatus for
levelling molebills and other like irregularities on the surface of the soil,"
substantially as herein before set forth and described, wherein the following are
important points or features :-
1st. The employment of an angular bar of metal and a double row of knives
arranged in the form of a quincunx, for the purpose of effecting a complete division
of the soil of mole hills or similar inequalities in the ground,
2nd. The employment of a curved plate of sheet or cast iron, or a cast iron
cylinder, for the purpose of crushing and crumbling the clods thus divided,
3rd. The combination of a double row of knives with an angular metal bar, and
a curved plate of sheet or cast iron or a cast iron cylinder;-all substantially as
hereinbefore set forth and described.
.In Witness whereof I the said Thomas Morgan have hereunto set my hand
and seal this eighth day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and eighty-two