IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William McIntyre Cranston and Thomas Culpin, both of
36, Worship Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES,"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William MoIntyre Cranston
and Thomas Culpin at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th
January 1877
WILLIAM MCINTYRE CRANSTON and THOMAS CULPIN, both of 36, Worship
Sticet, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING
MACHINES "
This Invention relates to improvements in harvesting machines and consists
firstly, in so constructing the inain frame of a reaper that a rotating head on a
vertical shaft and carrying gathering blades can be used in combination with an
endless travelling apron forming a platform on to which the straws can fall to be
canned by the apion to the side of the machine and then delivered in swath at the
side
The Invention consists, secondly, in combining on the one frame of a reaper, 1, a
rotating head on a vertical shaft carrying gathering blades, 2, an endless travelling
apion, and 3, a binder for collecting and tying the straws into bundles by wire,
coid, or the usual straw band prior to their delivery in succession on the ground
According to the first part of this Invention, the platform of a reaping machine
18 made as an endless apion set to work at night angles to the travel of the machine
that the straws when severed by the knives may fall upon the apion and be carried
by it to and be delivered from the side in swath, the endless apron or independent
travelling platform being operated by gearing from the main driving wheel, the
straws are caused to incline towards the endless apron platform by blades on a
rotating fiame or head, the arms of the blades working against a cam-shaped face
on a fixed support, that as they descend in succession they enter between the
standing uncut straws with an end on or guillotine motion and gradually fall into a
horizontal position or nearly so, gathering the straws over the knives and on the
platform as the machine travels onward and the blades or arms continue their
rotation around the head. The blades then suddenly use by the action of the cam
[Ponce idl

page_text: into a vertical position or nearly so to clear the straws which have by this time
been cut and also to clear the main wheel and other parts of the machine
According to the second part of this Invention, the foregoing endless travelling
apron platform and the rotating head and gathering blades are combined with a
binder fitted on the side of the same frame, so as to take the straws from the endless
apion and gather sufhcient to form a bundle, and tie it up with wire, cord, or a
straw band When the binder is fitted the endless apron is made longer so as to
Cully the straws duect-into the cradle, or an additional travelling apion or other
appliance is fitted between the first-inentioned apron and the binder
There is no limit to fitting any special kind of binder mechanism to a reaper,
although it is preferred to employ the binder patented by one of the parties hereto
on the 24 July 1875, No 2629, the object of this second part of this Invention
is to gather, cut, remove, and bind the grain straws into bundles, and then to
deliver them on to the ground at the side of the machine, the whole of the
appliances being fitted to and forming one machine as set forth, that the operations
now usually effected in stages and partially by manual labour may be accomplished
in a more expeditious manner and at less expense
Another part of the Invention consists in combining the reel mechanism and
guillotine action blades before mentioned with a slatted or open platform
The next part of the Invention consists in jointing on lunging the slats of a slat
platform separately or in pairs of the whole to the slat board, in order that when
the slat board as part of the platform is lowered for the delivery of the crop the
slats themselves at their innei oi hinged ends come near to or upon the ground in
contact with the stubble which enter between the slats and causes a diag upon the
cut crop which is upon the platform and thereby ensures its removal, especially
when cutting short grass or other like cop By this means the slat board is at
one angle and the slats at another angle or horizontal according to the height of
cut
According to another part of the Invention, the icel incchanism and the guillotine
action blades herein-before mentioned are employed in combination with toothed
quadrant appliances by which the lift of the finger beam and platform is effected
bodily in a horizontal manner without reference to the angle at which the fingers
may be set
One quadrant is formed on an extension of the bracket or flame
which carries the gearing and also the back end of the inner shoe and is connection
with the other quadrant which is under the control of a hand lever
This second
quadrant has an attachment by a link and chain to the fore end of the inner shoe,
so that when the lever is thrown towards the back of the machine the two quadiants
move against each other and cause both the fiont and the back of the inner shoe
to use at the same time, and with it the platform in a parallel and even mannel
This double quadrant gearing is applicable to other constructions of reapers and
mowers for the purpose of lifting the platform and parts connected with it as before
explained
,
The hand lever is also used for tilting or canting the fingers in the ordinary
manner to regulate the angle at which the knives shall cut
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William McIntyre Cianston and Thomas Culpin in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 24th July 1877
WILLIAM MCINTYRE CRANSTON and THOMAS CULPIN, both of 36, Worship
Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING
MACHINES"
The Invention consists, firstly, in combining the reel mechanism and guillotine
action blades with a slatted or open platform, as hereafter set forth

page_text: The reel mechanism and guillotine action blades were, among other details, the
subject of a Buitish Patent granted to James Theodore Guffin on the 16th May
1871, No 1324, in the Specification of which a cam block g is referred to as upon
a vertical shaft, which in the present case is stepped and keyed into a biarket A,
Figure 1 of the annexed Diawings, mounted loosely upon the main axle B, that
the bracket may move thereon when desued Above the cam block is the head
upon which are the gathering blados 2, the rotation of the head and of the
gathering blades being effected by angled or bevelled gearing, as described in
the Specification of the British Patent No 2007, 1872, granted to James Theodore
Guffin
The slatted platform is an old Invention, and its object is that the crop gathered
by the icel blades shall be compelled to fall on to the sluts when the straws are
severed by the to and fro travel of the knives, the straws being after waids laked
off the platform by hand when enough has accumulated thereon, or at each revolu-
tion of the blades, one of which acts as a iako blade for the purpose of sweeping the
We therefore claim as this
crop from the platform while the machine advances
part of our Invention in hai vesting machines,-
'
1 The cam block and head as the ieel mechanism with guillotine action blades
And 2 The slatted or open platform, the whole combined and acting as and for
the purposes set forth
The second part of the Invention consists in Jointing or hinging the slats of a
slat platform separately or in pairs or the whole to the slat board, in order that
when the slat board as part of the platform is tilted for the delivery of the crop the
slats themselves at the inner on hinged ends come near to or upon the ground in
contact with the stubble which enter between the slats and causes a dag upon the
cut crop which is upon the platform and thereby ensures its removal, especially
when cutting short giain or other like crop
The method of hinging the slats will be understood by reference to Figure 1 of
the annexed Diawings, in which a, a, are the slats which may be in paus, or any
number of them may be arranged jointed by hinges b, b, to a back cross bar c
which is itself pivotted at the ends to the inner and the outer shoes of the machine
in order that tilting or depressing action may take place automatically or by
hand or by the foot to drop the slats a, a, horizontal or nearly so that the stubble
may 11se up between the slats and so ensure the cut crop leaving the slats while the
machine travels onwards, as may be readily understood by the dotted lines in
Figure 1, in which other improvements are shown as herein-after described.
In Figure 2 the slats a, a, are hinged that the hinge plate rests upon the tilting
board c to hold them in a horizontal position when up, while in Figure 1 they are
shown as resting butt-end on against the edge of the board c, other methods of
hinging or jointing the slats may however be adopted if desired
The platform is arranged to fall by its own weight and it is held up by the
piessure of the man's foot, but who can, by removing the pressure from the loop
piece d, cause the slats to fall
We claim as the second part of our said Invention of improvements in harvesters,
the hinging or jointing of slats of platforms to reaping and mowing machines, that
the slats or their equivalent have an action independent of the cross bai c, as herein
described and substantially as shown in the annexed Diawings
According to the third part of the Invention, also clearly shown in the annexed
Drawings, Figure 2, the cam block g and head, as the reel mechanism with the
guillotine action blades 2, herein-before mentioned, are employed in combination
with toothed quadrant appliances C, D, by which the lift of the finger beam E and
platform is effected bodily in a horizontal manner, as hereafter described, with-
out reference to the angle at which the fingers E may be set The bracket A. has
two tail pieces I, J, one in the form of a cuived arm projecting to the rear, as seen
in the plan view, Figure 3 These two pieces serve to cary the axle K, upon one
end of which is the spur pinion M which gears into the teeth on the inner periphery
of the main diving wheel N to receive its motion therefrom for actuating the bevil

page_text: pinion P on the other end of the axle K, and through that the wheel Q whose axle
18 set at an angle, as in Figure 1, that the gearing R, S, cam block g, head ), and
gathering blades 1, 2, can be rotated, as described in Specification of Patent No 2607,
1872, for the purpose well known The axle K also cares the bevil wheel U
between the tail pieces 1, J, for giving motion through the pinion V and eccentric W,
and thence through 10d X to the knives Y
.
The inner shoe T is provided with two extension aims Z, Z, at the rear, and
these are carried loosely by the axle K, so that as the axle K is lifted by the
action of the bracket A from the movement of the quadiant C, the rear end of the
shoe is lifted likewise
The length of the tail pieces coupled with the diameter of the spur pinion M
through the bracket A being cared by the main axle ensure the pinion M moving
concentrically with the main wheel N and its teeth to be always in gear
As the back end of the shoe is being lifted the front end is lifted also by the
chain e either by the tongue for web k from the quadrant D, whose teeth are in
gear with those on the quadrant C, the movement of the quadrants being determined
by the action of the lever which may be operated either by hand or by the foot
The quadrants can be held at any position by the drop paul m which is within
each of the attendant riding upon the machine By this part of our Invention
the inner shoe T of a reaper or mower has no direct connection with the part of
the bracket at or under the main axle, its support being entirely at the front by the
chain e and quadiant D, and at the rear by the tail pieces Z, Z, hung to the axle K
The quadrant D is pivotted at p to the diaught pole q whose back end is forked
and made to encucle the main axle B to pull the machine along
Figure 4 represents a detached view of the double quadiant gearing which is
applicable to other constructions of reapers and mowers for the purpose of lifting
the platform and parts connected with it as before explained
The hand lever can be also adapted if desired for tilting or canting the
fingers in the ordinary manner to regulate the angle at which the knives shall cut
Having now descubed the nature of our said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, we declue that we claim as this part of our Invention,—
Fustly The arrangement and position of parts of mechanisin as a reaper, as
described and as shown in Figure 1 of the annexed Drawings
Secondly We claim under this part of our Invention the arrangement and
position of mechanism shown in plan view, Figure 3, and in elevation in Figure 4
of the annexed Drawings, both for reapers and mowers, and especially the double
quadiant method shown by which the mner shoe of such machines can be lifted in
a parallel manner as set forth
In witness whercof, we, the said William McIntyre Cranston and Thomas
Culpin, have her cunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-fourth day 4
of July, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.