IMPROVEMENTS IN MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOWING AND REAPING
MACHINES."-A communication from abroad by William Sprague,·
of South Kingstown Rhode Island United States of Amanine
_PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 9th February 1872.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
6 Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOWING AND REAPING
MACHINES," a communication, to be as follows:-
The said Invention relates partly to further improvements in the
machine for mowing grass described in the Specification of an Invention
for which Letters Patent have been obtained bearing date the 3rd day of

page_text: February, A.D. 1870, No. 321. The said machine is described as having
a hinged and swivelling connection, by which the finger bar and
cutting apparatus are attached to the main frame through a coupling
arm.
According to my present Invention I use in combination with the
said coupling arm and finger bar a peculiar contrivance for raising and
securing the latter. This contrivance is constructed as follows:-On the
pole or other convenient part of the machine I secure a stand or bracket
provided with ratchet teeth or notches on one side or edge. On this
stand is cast or otherwise formed a short tube or hollow stud, whereon
is fitted a lifting lever which has a tooth or projection arranged to take
into the teeth of the ratchet. The aforesaid lever is formed with a
segment piece which is grooved on its periphery, and so formed or fixed
on the lever that its grooved portion is oblique to the plane of the lever's
motion, and is inclined towards the inner end of the finger bar. To this
inclined segment piece is connected a chain whose lower extremity is
attached to the said finger bar, and the arrangement of this chain upon
the segment piece is such that the driver by moving the lever can raise
and lower the finger bar. The finger bar when raised is held slightly
above the ground to clear any slight obstacle or obstruction thereon, by
means of the teeth or notches on the lever and ratchet; but it is some-
times necessary, as for instance in travelling on roads or when passing
trees or other large objects, that the bar should be held in a vertical
position or nearly so. For this purpose I attach to the ratchet stand or
bracket a spring bar holder or catch, which is secured to the said
bracket by a bolt passed through the aforesaid hollow stud. This bolt
forms the means for securing both the bar holder and lever. This
spring bar holder yields to admit the finger bar when the same is raised,
and then in combination with the tooth on the lever and the last notch
on the ratchet holds the said bar securely till it is released by the driver.
Between the lever and the bar holder I place a coiled spring, which is
arranged to press the lever back toward the driver and keep it within
his reach when the machine is working, and which also serves to
take up the slack of the chain when the machine is passing over
uneven ground.
:
In combination with the above described lifting apparatus and with
the coupling bar described in the said former Specification, I use a stop
which retains the coupling arm or bar in position during the raising of

page_text: The driver's seat is placed on an arm or standard at the rear of the
machine. Under the seat is a box or receptacle for tools. The seat is
hinged to the said box or receptacle, and may be readily turned up to
allow access to the same.
•
In constructing a combined reaping and mowing machine according
to my Invention, the apparatus for lifting the finger bar is not used.
A platform is placed at the rear of the finger bar, and a rake is placed
over the same and operated through suitable gearing from the drawing
shaft.
(
filed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 8th August 1872.
P
by
i
TO ALL. TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special licence
that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES," a communication to
me from abroad by William Sprague, of South Kingstown, Rhode
Island, 'United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,

page_text: and cause the same. to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained:
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings forming a part of this Specification :→
The said Invention relates to mowing and reaping machines, and part,
of it has especial reference to further improvements in the machine for.
mowing grass described in the Specification of an Invention for which.
Letters Patent have been obtained, bearing date the 3rd day of February,
AD 1970 No 201
Figure 1 is a plan of my improved machine as constructed for mowing'
grass; Figure 2 is a side clevation of the said machine, with one of the
wheels removed; Figure 3 is a front elevation of the same; Figures 4,
5, and 6 shew detached portions of the said machine drawn to an'
enlarged scale. Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the
Drawing.
The main carrying and driving wheels a are so placed on the axle &
that they may be made fast or loose thereon as required. Upon the.
axle 6 is balanced and secured the gear box c, which besides enclosing:
the driving gear, as shown by dotted lines in Figure 1, forms a part of
the main frame of the machine. The said box is supported on the axle b
by the hollow trunnions c¹ cast on the said box. The top of this box is,
hinged to the under portion of the same at d, to permit access to the
gearing therein for oiling, repairing, and other purposes. The wheel 3 is;
fast on the main axle 6, and always turns with the said axle. From this.
main wheel 3 motion is transmitted through the wheels 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8:
to the crank shaft, and thence to the cutters. The toothed wheel 4 is.
loose upon a fixed shaft 10, and is moved endwise thereon by a clutch.
lever 9 projecting through the box. There is a clutch on the hub of the
said wheel 4 that works in connection with a similar clutch on the hub.
of the wheel 5, which is also loose upon the shaft 10, so that when the e;
wheel 4 is moved away from the wheel 5 by the clutch lever all the
b

page_text: wheel 4 is put in gear with the wheel 5 motion is transmitted through
all of the wheels to the cutters. A long hollow boss e is cast or other-
wise formed on the box or case c for the crank shaft f to pass through
and turn in. Underneath this long boss e are cast two lugs e¹, to which
a shield / is hinged by a pivot at ¹ to protect the crank f¹, the said
shield or protector serving also as a support for the swivel shank g¹ of
the coupling arm g; and it will be seen that the said coupling arm,
while capable of rocking or rolling in the piece h, has also a motion with
the piece h on its pivot pin h¹. The shank 9' and pin h¹ are nearly at
right angles to each other. The inner shoe i, which carries the finger
bar and cutting apparatus, is hinged to the coupling bar or arm g by the
lugs, and turns on the pivot pins ².
7.2.
I use in combination with the aforesaid coupling arm and finger bar
peculiar contrivances for raising and securing the latter. These con-
trivances are constructed and operate as follows:-On the pole or other
convenient part of the machine I secure a. standard or bracket k provided
with ratchet teeth or notches k¹, k², k. On this standard is cast or
otherwise formed a short tube or hollow stud *, whereon is fitted a
lifting lever 1, which has a tooth or projection l arranged to take into
the teeth of the ratchet k¹. The aforesaid lever is formed with a segment
piece, which is grooved on its periphery, and so formed or fixed on the
lever that its grooved portion is oblique to the plane of the lever's
motion, and is inclined towards the inner end of the finger bar, as shewn
in Figure 3. To this inclined segment piece is connected a chain m,
whose lower extremity is attached to the finger bar n at n¹, and the
arrangement of this chain upon the segment piece is such that the
driver, by moving the lever 1, can raise and lower the finger bar. The
said finger bar when raised is held slightly above the ground to clear any
slight obstacle or obstruction thereon by setting the lever l, with its
tooth, in either of the teeth or notches k¹, k³, on the ratchet; but it is
sometimes necessary, as for instance in travelling along a road or when
passing trees or other large objects, that the bar n should be held in a
vertical position or nearly so. For this purpose I attach to the ratchet
standard or bracket k a spring bar, or holder, or catch o, which is secured
to the said bracket by a bolt o' passed through the hollow stud k*. This
bolt forms the means for securing both the bar holder o and the lever l.
The end o³ of the spring bar holder yields to admit the finger bar n into

page_text: the notch o' when the said finger bar is raised, and then the bar holder,
the tooth on the lever, and the last notch on the ratchet k hold the
said bar securely till it is released by the driver. Between the boss of
the lever / and the bar holder I place a coiled spring 1, which is arranged
to press the lever back towards the driver and keep it within. his reach
when the machine is working, and which also serves to take up the slack,
of the chain m when the machine is passing over uneven ground.
In combination with the above-described lifting apparatus and with
the coupling bar described in the said former Specification, I use a stop,
shewn most clearly in Figure 4, which is a transverse section on the
line z, z, Figure 1. The said stop retains the coupling arm or bar in
position during the raising of the finger bar, and enables the driver to
raise the said bar without leaving his seat. This stop may be formed
either on the coupling bar, or on the frame, or partly on both. As¨
shewn in the Drawing, the said stop consists of a projection p formed on
the coupling bar, and arranged to meet another projection p' upon the
frame of the machine when the finger bar is lifted.
The crank shaft f, which is geared with the driving shaft 6 at its
upper end, carries the crank f¹ at its other end. The connection between
the crank and scythe q, which slides to and fro within the finger bar,
forms. another part of my Invention, and is clearly illustrated in Figure 6,
which is a plan of part of the said machine. This connection is made by-
a rod r, which is connected to the crank f¹ by a universal joint that
prevents lateral friction or binding on the crank pin when the machine is
working with the finger or cutter bar in an inclined position.
In Figure 6 the coupling rod r is shewn with a head made in two-
pieces,³. The piece ³ has a screw socket to receive the end of the
rod. The ball is made hollow to fit on the crank pin f*, and is
enclosed between the two parts of the head, which are then screwed or
rivetted together. The end of the rod 'r connected to the scythe q is
formed with a stud or finger 7³, which is properly fitted in a hole in the
scythe head q¹. The said scythe head is held in place and guided by a
bar or plate s, which has a vertical flange or rib 81. In the centre of this
flange or rib I form a notch or depressions, which permits the insertion-
of the pin of the connecting rod into the scythe head, and when the
said pin is inserted the said rib or flange keeps it properly in place. By
this manner of connecting the aforesaid rod to the scythe I am enabled.
to make a secure connection of these parts without the usual' pins, nut,

page_text: washers, or other similar contrivances, which are liable to, be detached
and lost.
My said Invention also relates to the draught pole and its connections.
To the aforesaid coupling bar or arm g I connect a rod u, which is
secured to the pole v by a bolt u¹ passed through an aperture in the
said pole and through the evener w. The said aperture at the upper side
of the pole is simply a round hole, but at the lower side of the pole it is
elongated, as shewn in dotted lines Figure 2, so that the bolt u may
have an angular motion in the said aperture. u* is a rod whereby the
coupling bar g is connected to the bracket c* projecting down from the
trunnions c¹. When the machine is working, the draught or pull is.
borne by the rod u, and the result of, this arrangement is that the
draught has a tendency to raise the cutter bar instead of depressing it as.
with the ordinary construction of these machines, and, moreover the
pole is kept in a central position.
The driver's seat x is placed on an arm or standard x at the rear of
the machine. Under the seat is a box or receptacle x² for tools. The seat
is hinged to the said box or receptacle at a³, and may be readily turned
up to allow access to the same.
In constructing a combined reaping and mowing machine according
to my Invention, the apparatus for lifting the finger bar is not used. A
platform is placed at the rear of the said finger bar, and a rake is
placed over the same and operated through suitable gearing by the
driving shaft.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, as communicated to me by my foreign corre-
spondent, I wish it understood that I claim,―
First. The combination of the coupling arm or bar with the hinged,
supporting piece, whereby the said coupling arm is permitted to move
with the said supporting piece in one direction, and independently of the
said piece in another direction, as herein set forth..
Second. The contrivances for raising the finger bar arranged and ope-
rating in combination with those for securing the same when raised, as
herein set forth.
Third. The spring arranged in combination with these contrivances, as
herein set forth and for the purposes specified..

page_text: Fourth. The stop formed on the coupling arm, or on the frame, or
partly on both, for keeping the said arm in the proper position during the
raising of the finger bar, as herein set forth.
Fifth. The peculiar contrivances for securing the connecting rod to
the crank pin and scythe, as herein set forth.
Sixth. In combination with the drauft pole and coupling arm the
rod secured to the said pole by a bolt which is passed through a pecu-
liarly formed slot in the pole, as herein set forth.
Seventh. The driver's seat hinged upon a box or receptacle, as herein
set forth.
Eighth. A machine in which the various parts above claimed are
arranged in combination with each other and with the other parts of the
machine, in the manner herein specified for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of August, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.
Witness,
•
CHAS. J. GooCH.
W. ROBT. LAKE.
(L.S.)