Improvements in Mowing Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Jan., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 14th Oct., 1896-Accepted, 2nd Jan., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mowing Machines.
GEORGE FARRIS Coombe Bissett Salisbury Engineer do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
An improved mower for grass and other crops, to be constructed with two rows
of knives or cutters working on each other and each being worked by a connecting
rod driven by means of an eccentric or crank and other gearing. The ordinary
gearing may be improved by using a balance or flywheel to keep up the motion on
the knives when rounding corners and such balance wheel being an improvenient
on the usual gearing with the double arrangement of the knife before described are
the improvements for which the patent is required.
Sheet No. 1 shows in Fig. 1 the usual arrangement of knife or cutting part of a
"mower"-being a fixed frame having a row of fixed points known as "fingers
and which are provided with slots so that the cutters marked a. a. as they pass
backwards and forwards through the slots cut the grass &c. against the sides of the
fingers marked b. b. b. My improved arrangement is shown in Figs. 2 and 3 in
which c. c. c. are the upper row of cutters or knife and d. d. d. are the under row
of cutters or knife and each is worked backwards and forwards and each cuts grass
&c. against the sharp edge of the other instead of only cutting against a fixed
blunt surface as of a "finger." I also claim the right to be able to use one row of
fixed cutters and one row of movable cutters such as this machine would be if
Fig. 3 worked by moving the upper row of cutters c. c. c. and the lower row or
knife d. d. d. were not worked.
The "fingers" as generally used in machines with a single knife may or may not
be used with this new arrangement of double cutters.
Fig. 4. shows the double row of cutters edgeways and the method of working
them is by turning the disc, or wheel e. backwards and forwards the length
necessary for one stroke which when done moves one knife one way and the other
the reverse way. The position of the ends of the rods f. and g. on the disc will of
course determine, the length of movement of the knives, and these can be varied to
suit the work required. The same result can be obtained by means of cranks with
slots and adjusting-screws to regulate the length of movement of each knife.
Sheet No. 2. shows a method of working this disc or crank by means of
leverse. is the disc fixed on the end of an axle h. which has a bearing in the
casting at j. and another at k. (k. in. Fig. 7 showing it sideways). The wheel m.
driven by gearing has a circular motion and when so worked pulls the lever n.
up and down from o. to p. The levers s. and n. of Fig. 6 are shown dotted in on
the disc e. of Fig. 5.
The balance or flywheel for keeping up the motion on the knives when rounding
corners is shown on Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. at t. By this means the crop at the very
corners which are being turned can be cut without backing the machine over the
ground again.

page_text: Improvements in Mowing Machines.
..
I, GEORGE FARRIS, of Coombe Bissett, Salisbury, in the County of Wilts,
Agricultural Implement Maker, do bereby 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 :-
This invention relates to grass mowers such as are used for cutting grass and
similar crops, and consists firstly in the employment of two knife bars and sets of
knife sections which are caused to move simultaneously in opposite directions, thus
ensuring a more perfect shearing action; and secondly in the use of a flywheel
. mounted preferably upon a crank shaft, for the purpose of continuing the motion
of the knife bars when rounding corners.
.
For the purpose of illustrating this invention I adopt the drawings left with the
Provisional Specification in which :-
Fig. 1 is a plan of a finger bar and a knife bar as commonly used.
Fig.
2 is a plan of an improved plan of knife bars according to my invention.
Fig. 3 is a plan on an enlarged scale of part of the same.
Fig. 4 is an end view of knife bars and disc.
Fig. 5 is a front view, and
Fig. 6 is a side view of a machine.
Fig. 7 is a view of crank and levers.
The actual cutting device used in the ordinary type of mower is illustrated in
Fig. 1 and consists of a "frame" or "knife bar "which is fixed to the machine in
such manner as to pass over the ground in close proximity thereto. A convenient
number of "fingers" b are attached to this, and these being slotted the "knives" a
attached to the knife bar are caused to reciprocate in these slots. The reciprocating
movement is produced in any convenient manner, but preferably by a crank and
connecting rod.
Now in this invention I dispense with the "fingers," and in place thereof use two
reciprocating "knife bars" each of which has a set of knives attached to it in any
convenient manner. d indicates the lower, and the upper set of knives, and the
"knife bars" upon which these are fixed, are arranged to move simultaneously in
opposite directions; by this means any grass intercepted between the triangular
knives as the machine travels over the ground, is cut in the most advantageous
manner by the shearing or scissor-like action of the cutting edges of the upper and
lower knives..
The two "knife bars" are operated preferably by the mechanism shewn in
Figs. 4, 5 and 6. The usual road-wheels and main shaft are employed; and this
is connected by gearing with a crank shaft upon the end of which is mounted a
disc m, which with a pin forms a disc, crank. To this pin is pivotally attached a
connecting rods, the end o of which moves an arm n; and this arm n being fixed to
a spindle, which is capable of rocking in bearings k and j,, gives an oscillatory
movement to the disc e fixed upon its end. This disc has two pins ƒ and g fixed to
it, and to the upper one of these f, is attached the end of a connecting rod, the
other end of which is attached to and operates the upper knife-bar; while the lower
ping is similarly connected to and operates the lower "knife bar." It is obvious that
when the one set of knives is moved in one direction, the other is necessarily moved
in the opposite direction.
Instead of rocking, the shaft & may be connected by gearing to the main shaft
and rotate continuously with it; in this case the disc e would be dispensed with,
and a double crank employed, each of the pins of which would move one of the
connecting rods, and knife-bars.

page_text: In some cases I mount a fly wheel t upon the crank shaft, and employ a spring
clutch upon the same. By this means the fly wheel t can by its momentum
continue to rotate even when the main shaft is not revolving. This is extremely
useful for the purpose of continuing the cutting action of the knives when the
machine is turning corners, thus securing a cut without backing the machine over
the same ground.
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. A grass mowing machine having two knife bars and two sets of knives these
heing operated in such manner as to reciprocate, and simultaneously move in opposite
directions the one to the other, substantially as shewn and described.
2. A grass mowing machine having a fly-wheel and clutch mechanism mounted
upon the crank shaft by means of which the movement of the knife-bar is
continued when the machine is rounding corners, substantially as described.
3. A grass mowing machine having a fly-wheel and clutch mechanism mounted
upon the crank shaft, by means of which the movements of the two knife-bars
are continued when the machine is rounding corners, substantially as shewn and
described.
4. In a grass mowing machine, the combination, with a main frame, road wheels,
gear wheels and a crank shaft, of the disc m, the connecting rod s, the arm n, the
shaft h, the disc e, and the pins ƒ and g which move connecting rods, knife-bars,
and knives, substantially as shewn and described.
5. In a grass mowing machine the combination with a main frame, road wheels,
gear wheels, and a crank shaft, of the disc m, the connecting rod s, the arm n, the
shaft h, the disc e, the pins and g which move connecting rods, knife-bars and
knives, and a fly wheel't, substantially as shewn and described.
6. A grass mowing machine substantially as described, and shewn in the drawings
left with the Provisional Specification.
Dated this 14th day of October 1896.
WILLIAM J. MUNDEN,
106 Priory Park Road, Kilburn, London, N.W.,
Agent for the Applicant.