IMPROVEMENTS IN SEED DRILLS
Year: 1857

page_text: application for Letters Patent was not given within the time prescribed
by the Act.)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Barnabas Urry at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th July
1857.
I, BARNABAS URRY, of the Vectis Works, Newport, Isle of Wight, in the
County of Hampshire, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEED DRILLS," to be as follows:-
These improvements have reference, firstly, to an arrangement for changing
the speed of the seed-box gearing; secondly, to a mode of throwing the whole
of the working apparatus out of action. In order to accomplish the first of
theso improvements, the sced box is supported by bearings on two drill bars
above the side frame of the machine. These drill bars are supported at their
foremost ends at any required elevation (according to the size of the gearing
used) by adjustable screws, while their hinder ends rest upon lifters arranged
in the following manner :-At a convenient distance behind the seed box is a
longitudinal iron spindle, supported by bearings in the side frames, at each
end of this spindle there is a cranked arm or lifter, standing respectively at an
angle of about 130 degrees with each other, and furnished at their upper ends
with grooved rollers, in which the drill bars rest. At one end of the spindle
there is a lever handle, by which it is moved. In consequence of this angular
position of the cranked arms or lifters, it follows that on moving the handle
one side bar will be raised, and the opposite one lowered at the same time, so

page_text: that the wheelwork of the seed box will be lifted out of gearing with one of
the driving wheels, and thrown into gear with that on the other side; the sizes
of the toothed wheels being different a difference of speed will be obtained,
either faster or slower, as the handle is traversed backward or forward.
When the seed box is mounted within a manure box, the speed of the
apparatus may be changed by giving a backward or forward motion to the
ordinary quadrant wheels, by an adjustable connecting rod acted upon by a
spindle at one end, with angularly placed cranks on the other. Secondly,
in order to throw all the apparatus out of action by one simple movement,
I place upon the first-named spindle a hollow iron tube, to the ends of which
are affixed two cranked arms or lifters, both laying in the same direction,
and having grooved rollers at their outer ends for lifting the drill bars; a
lever is fastened to one end of this hollow iron tube. Around the foregoing
hollow iron tube is placed a hollow wooden tube or roller, having on one
end a toothed wheel, and on the periphery of the roller a series of hooks
from which are suspended chains to carry the coulters. Parallel to this
compound spindle and rollers is another spindle, having at one end a
winch handle and a pinion, which takes into and turns the toothed wheel of
the chain roller before mentioned, and also gives motion to a second toothed
wheel, which carries a small fuzec for winding up a chain which is fastened
to the end of the lever of the hollow iron tube. The lengths of the chains
which lift the coulters, and that which pulls down the lifting lever being
properly adjusted, it follows, that on turning the winch handle the lever is
drawn down, and the machinery of the seed box lifted out of gear from the
driving wheels, immediately after which the coulters are raised by the winding
of their suspending chains upon the wooden roller, which arrangement prevents
the scattering of the seed on the land.
By these improvements the change of speed or disconnection of the
machinery are each effected by a single operation by the attendant at his
proper place, namely, at the right-hand side while following the drill.