Improvements in Road Scarifiers, or Machines for Breaking up the Surfaces of Roads.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, Ord Mar., 1998
Complete Specification loft 28th May 1808 Accented 20th Aug
1898
Date Application, or mai
Complete Specification Loft, 28th May, 1808 Accepted, 20th Aug 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Road Scarifiers, or Machines for Breaking up the
Surfaces of Roads.
We, RAYMOND BOMFORD, of Bevington Hall, near Evesham, in the County of
Worcester, Contractor, BENJAMIN BOMFORD, of Harvington Lodge, near Evesham
aforesaid, Contractor, and HARRY EVERSHED, of Rushford, also near Evesham
aforesaid, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows;-
This invention has reference to machines or appliances employed for breaking
up the hard surfaces of macadam roads, streets and the like, commonly known as
"road scarifiers," which said appliances are principally employed for breaking
up, or otherwise loosening the surfaces of roads, prior to laying down new metal
or other material for repairing or mending the same, but are applicable for other
analogous purposes.
Such scarifiers or appliances are usually mounted upon or adjacent to the water-
tank, tender or other convenient part of a road roller or similar road locomotive and
by which the tools or tines, which are mounted in holders of a carrier or frame,
are pushed, driven or dragged through the macadamized or other hard surface or
upper stratum of a road or the like to be loosened.
Our improved road scarifier consists of a frame or tool-holder pivoted at one end
upon a strong shaft, and carried at the other end, by a regulating wheel, which
runs upon the ground and follows the undulations in the road, thus regulating the
cut of the tools or causing them to work at a uniform depth.
The shaft may be mounted either upon the tender or the fire box of an ordinary
road roller, or road locomotive, and it is preferably fixed parallel with the hind axle
of the engine.
We propose to carry the shaft by a spring or springs in order to take all shock
off the engine; these springs encircle a pin passed through the axle and are disposed
between the said axle and an abutment or collar on the pin, the arrangement being
such that the said springs act vertically upon the shaft, to keep the tools down to
their work and to give way slightly in the event of any undue strain coming upon
the points of the said tools. The tool holder is dragged through the ground to be
loosened by means of a connecting rod which works upon the end of the hind axle
of the engine at one end and passes through the scarifier shaft at the other, and has
a spring encircling it at the back of this shaft which is compressed when at work by
an abutment nut upon the rear extremity of the said connecting rod.
The shaft may be arranged to carry a tool holder at both ends or at one end only
and the tool holder may be provided with tools or tines for working in one direction
only, or in both directions.
In order to automatically lift the tools and the machine bodily out of action
when the engine to which it is connected is moving backwards we propose to pivot
to a suitable part of the framing or tool holder, one end of a loose hanging leg or
strut, the other and free end of which drags along the surface on the ground when

page_text: the engine is running forward, but when it is reversed, then the point of the said
free end digs into, or is forced into, the ground, and raises the tool holder, which
turns upon its carrying shaft as a centre, and lifts the regulating wheel off the
ground to such a height that the axle or an extension of the axle of the said wheel
is made to engage with a suspended hook or catch, pivoted to a suitable part of the
engine, and having a lever extension or other means for releasing it from engage-
ment with the axle when the scarifier is required to come again into action. The
tools or points, which may be pointed at each end so as to be reversible, are carried
in sockets formed in the tool holder and are capable of sliding up and down therein.
They are held in position by means of caps, fixed by set screws or otherwise to their
upper ends and having nuts cast integrally with or attached to them and through
which screws fitted with handles or hand wheels at their upper ends pass.
The lower ends of the screws, which are made plain, fit into holes in the tool-
holder and are secured therein by means of nuts, collars or pins which, whilst not
interfering with their turning freely, prevent their altering their position relatively
to the tool-holder, so that by the rotation of these screws in either one or the other
direction, the screw boxes or caps are made to traverse up or down the said screws,
carrying the tools secured thereto along with them and thereby adjusting the
position of the tools with respect to the holder and adjusting their depth of cut.
Each tool is capable of being adjusted independently of the others by a separate
screw and cap.
In a modification of our scarifier, we propose to employ a beam or frame mounted
upon springs in place of, or in conjunction with the shaft, to which the tool holder
is attached and to lift or depress the tool holder by means of a piston working in
a cylinder and actuated by steam from the engine and controlled by a suitable
valve and hand lever.
Dated this 2nd day of March 1898.
RAYMOND BOMFORD,
BENJAMIN
BOMFORD,
HARRY EVERSHED
By Henry Skerrett,
Agent for Applicants.
Improvements in Road Scarifiers, or Machines for Breaking up the
Surfaces of Roads.
We, RAYMOND BOMFORD, of Bevington Hall, near Evesham, in the County of
Worcester, Contractor, BENJAMIN BOMFORD, of Harvington Lodge, near Evesham
aforesaid, Contractor, and HARRY EVERSHED, of Rushford, also near Evesham
aforesaid, 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:-
This invention has reference to machines or appliances, commonly known as
"road scarifiers," employed for breaking up or loosening the hard surfaces of
macadam roads and the like, principally to prepare them to receive new metal or
other material for repairing or mending the same, although the said scarifiers are
applicable for other analogous purposes.
These road scarifying appliances are usually mounted upon, or adjacent to, the
water-tank, tender or other convenient part of a road roller or road locomotive,

page_text: by which the tools or cutters, mounted in holders of a carrier or frame, are pushed,
driven or dragged through the hard surface to be broken up or loosened.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a side elevation (with a part
in section) of a steam road roller, to the tender or tank of which is attached a road-
scarifying machine embodying our improvements, this said view showing the
improved machine in use and in the act of breaking up the surface of a road.
Figure 2 is a topside plan of Figure 1, with a part in horizontal section.
Figure 3 represents, upon an enlarged scale, and partly in elevation and partly
in section, the tool-carrier of the machine, showing more clearly the arrangement
of the tools or tines and their holders, also the screw adjusting means arranged
for regulating the depth of cut of the said tools.
Figure 4 is a topside plan of Figure 3.
•
Figure 5 represents a separate view of the spring connection between the tool-
carrier shaft and the frame on the engine.
Figure 6 represents a vertical section of one of the tool holders, with a portion
of its regulating screw and Figure 7 is a horizontal section upon the dotted line a.
Figure 8 is a plan and edge view of the levering arm arranged in conjunction
with the apparatus for raising the tools out of the ground when the engine
operating the same commences to move backwards.
Figure 9 is an elevation showing the machine raised and retained by a catch
provided for the purpose, whereby the points of the tools are held clear of the
surface of a road during such time that the locomotive is moving backwards, or
when the machine is out of use altogether.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures
of the drawings.
The form of improved scarifier represented in the said figures consists of tool-
carrier a, in the form of a heavy casting or frame, having at the rear end, a
sleeve a, adapted to take over, and turn about, the end 61, of a strong axle or
shaft b, arranged across the rear end of the tank or tender c', of the road roller or
locomotive c, whilst the fore end of the said frame is supported by a regulating
wheel d, mounted upon a shaft d, carried in the bearings a³, which wheel runs
upon the surface of the ground in advance of the tools, and follows the undulations
of the said surface, thus regulating the cut of the tools or causing them to work
at a uniform depth. The tools or tines e, (which in this arrangement are three
in number, although this may be varied according to requirements) pass through
and are guided by sockets a³, of the tool carrier frame a, and are respectively
made fast at their upper ends, by means of set pins e³, to tool-holders e¹, in con-
nection with the adjusting screws f, which pass through loose screw boxes e³, in the
said tool holders, whilst their lower ends f¹, are swivelly connected to bosses a*.
of the framing a and are held in place by means of nuts f, so that when the said
screws are rotated by any convenient means, such as by a hand lever f³, placed
over the faceted top end f4, the screw boxes are made to rise or fall upon the screw
and carry the tool-holders and tools with them, and adjust the cut of the same
accordingly.
In order to relieve the locomotive from strains and shock incidental to the work-
ing of the machine, the cross axle b, on the one end of which the tool-carrier
frame is pivoted, is provided with one or more springs, arranged to encircle, and
buffer its connection with the engine. Thus g is a pin, pivoted at its upper end g¹,
to a casting or fitting h, connected to the meeting ends of a pair of stays or
braces h¹, h³, bolted to the engine, whilst the other end passes and is capable of
sliding through a hole or eye b³, made through the axle b, preferably at a point
in wards of the tool-carrier frame and receives, at its lower end a nut or other
stop is a coiled spring, encircling the pin g, between the top abutment g³,
and the axle, and acting in a downward direction so as to keep the scarifving
tools to their work, but still being capable of yielding or giving way slightly,
thus preventing any undue strain coming on the points of the tools.
The extreme end 64, of the axle b, is fitted, and is capable of a rocking movement,

page_text: within a bearing j, carried by bracing stays 1, bolted to the engine in like manner
as the bracing stays h¹, h³, previously referred to.
In addition to these described connections of the tool carrier frame to the engine,
the tools of the scarifier are also dragged through the ground to be loosened by
means of a connecting rod k, forwardly connected to the wheel m, of the engine by
means of a preferably gun-metal lined sleeve k¹, encircling an extension 12, of a
cap 3, bolted or otherwise secured to the hub m', of the said wheel, with the sleeve
being retained to the cap by a pin k, and washer k, although we wish it to be
understood that we do not confine ourselves to this arrangement, as the end of
the connecting rod may, alternately, be connected direct to the axle of the engine
wheel. The after end 6, of the said connecting rod passes through the end of a
shackle n, the arms n', of which carry a pin n³, passing through an end cap n³,
and also through a double flared hole 65, in the outer end of the shaft b, whilst
the said rod k, the extremity k, of which slides in a socket n', in the cap n³, has
an abutment or stop 8, between which, and the inside of the closed end of the
shackle n, is a coiled spring o, against the rear end of which, the pull of the engine
comes when drawing the scarifier along, and is transmitted through the shackle to
the shaft b, to which the tool carrier is pivoted.
In order to automatically lift the tools and their carrier bodily and to take the
acting ends out of action when the engine commences to move backwards, we pivot
to the axis d', of the regulating wheel d, or to any other convenient part of the
machine, one end of a loosely hanging frame, leg or strut p, the other and free end
of which normally trails idly along the surface of the ground, but when the motion
of the engine is reversed, then the point or end p¹, digs into the ground and
causes the strut to gradually assume a vertical position, thereby tilting the frame a,
upwards upon its carrying shaft as a centre and lifting the regulating wheel off
the ground to a height sufficient to bring an extension d³, of the axle d, or an
equivalent arm of the framing, into engagement with a suspended hook or
catch g, pivoted and loosely hung at q', to the engine and having a lever exten-
sion q², proceeding upwards to within convenient reach of the driver of the engine
and by the turning of which, the catch is disengaged from the pin and the scarifier
is lowered when required to again come into operation.
The said tools e, which are preferably pointed at each end so as to be reversible,
are each capable of independent adjustment and with the tapers of the inverted
points, not in use in scarifying, as shown in Figure 3; socketting within and
abutting against the conical walls or seatings et, of eyes formed in the upper ends
of the tool holders e¹, and which said conical sockets take the end thrust of the tools.
We wish it to be understood that we do not confine ourselves to any particular
disposition of the spring mountings of the scarifier framing, as instead of arranging
the connecting rod and its spring with a shackle as described, the said connecting
rod may pass directly through an eye in the axle b, and the buffering spring may
be arranged to come between the said axle and a stop or collar on its extreme end
and the rear most side of the said axle. The arrangement of the vertically acting
spring for keeping the tools down to their work and yet preventing injurious
shocks to the engine may also be varied without departing from the nature of our
invention.
Figure 10 represents an alternative modification of the means which we may
employ for lifting the scarifying tools out of action, consisting in the employment
of a cylinder r, bolted to the tender or tank of the engine and having within it
a piston with piston rod 2, pivoted at its lower end to a link 3, which is
itself jointed to a convenient part of the rearwardly pivoted framing a, of the
scarifier. Steam from the engine is admitted through a pipe s, and port s¹, to
below the piston, which is thereby lifted, drawing with it, the scarifier and its
tools. In connection with the piston is a rod t, passing outwardly through the
top cover, and having within it a hole t, which, when the piston is at the top.
of the cylinder, comes above the said cover r4, and admits of a peg 12, being passed

page_text: therethrough, thus preventing the descent of the piston and retaining the tools
clear of the ground.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is-
First. A road scarifier or machine for breaking up the surfaces of roads and the
like, consisting of a tool carrier or frame, provided with tools or tines, and pivoted
at one end to a shaft connected with a suitable part of a road locomotive and for-
wardly supported by a regulating wheel, which runs upon the surface of the ground
and follows the undulation thereof, thus regulating the cut of the tools and causing
them to work at a uniform depth.
Secondly. In road scarifiers or machines for breaking up the surfaces of roads
and the like, the employment of springs interposed between the shaft or axis on
which the tool carrier or frame is mounted, and the connections of the said shaft
with the road locomotive or traction engine to which the scarifier is attached,
substantially for the purpose herein described.
Thirdly. In road scarifiers or machines for breaking up the surfaces of roads and
the like, the combination with a tool carrier frame, pivoted to a shaft carried by
the tank or other part of a road engine and forwardly supported by a regulating
wheel or roller, of springs arranged to respectively encircle the pin or like con-
nections between the engine and scarifier shaft and a connecting rod directed from
a wheel or its equivalent of the said engine to another part of the said shaft, or to
a shackle or analogous attachment thereof, substantially as and for the purpose
herein described.
Fourthly. In road scarifiers or machines for breaking up the surfaces of roads
and the like, the employment of a hanging strut, leg or frame, loosely pivoted to
the machine, and trailing idly along the ground, when the engine is moving for-
wards, but which, on the engine commencing to move backwards raises the scarifier
to such a height as to take the tools out of the ground and cause a pin or equivalent
projection on the framing to engage with a catch or hook on the engine,.substan-
tially as and for the purpose herein described and set forth.
Fifthly. In road scarifiers, the means herein described for providing an adjust-
ment of the tools or tines, consisting of rotating screw or screws, swivelly connected
with the frame of the scarifier and passing through corresponding screw boxes
formed in a tool holder or holders to which the tools are attached, substantially as
described and set forth.
Sixthly. In road scarifiers, the employment in conjunction with reversible and
taper ended tools, of tool holders having taper or conical seatings for receiving
and taking the end thrust of, the said tools, substantially as described and set forth.
01
1
1000
3334
RAYMOND BOMFORD,
BENJAMIN BOMFORD,
HARRY EVERSHED
By Henry Skerrett,
24, Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicants.