IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM CULTIVATING MACHINERY
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Howard, of Bedford, in the County of
Bedford, Agricultural Engineer, and Edward Tenney Bousfield, of
the same Place, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STEAM CULTIVATING MACHINERY."
Sealed the 16th May 1873, and dated the 23rd November 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Howard and
Edward Tenney Bousfield at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 23rd November 1872.
We, JAMES HOWARD, of Bedford, in the County of Bedford, Agricul-
5 tural Engineer, and EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD, of the same Place,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN STEAM CULTIVATING MACHINERY," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in that class of steam
cultivating apparatus where the tilling implement is moved to and fro
0 across the land by means of wire ropes.
The first part of our Invention relates to improvements in the winding
apparatus. We construct our ploughing engine with either one or two
winding drums, in the latter case placing one in front and the other

page_text: Howard
at the rear of the engine. The bo
boiler, and rivetted to the sides of the fire-box are
the tender with its water tank is firmly secured. The tender thus
arranged forms a convenient and substantial framework for the reception
of the transverse crank shaft, the traction gearing of the engine, and the
rear winding drum. This arrangement admits of the boiler being easily
removed for repairs, leaving the engine with its framework intact.
5
When the engine is fitted with two winding drums we mount the
forward winding drum with its attachments on a stout hinged plate 10
which forms also the smoke box door, and which when the boiler tubes
are required to be cleaned may with the winding drum be swung open
on its hinges.
.
In order to insure the even winding of the wire rope on to the drums,
we give the drums a slow traverse motion on their axles by the following 15
means:-The drum is mounted loosely on a bush which is itself loose
upon the axle, to which bush rotary motion is given by a cog wheel
keyed thereto. In this bush a cam groove is cut to receive a pin
projecting from the axle, which pin is intended to traverse the bush a
distance equal to the breadth of the drum. This bush is fitted with a spur 2
wheel, by the side of which is a second spur wheel, carrying at its boss a
feather which fits into a longitudinal slot in the axle. From one side of
the main spur wheel which is driven from the crank shaft, project arms
which act as drivers for giving an axial motion to the drum without
interfering with its traverse motion. Projecting from the side of the
drum is a stud axle which carries a pinion in gear with the two spur
wheels before mentioned, which wheels are furnished with an unequal
number of teeth. The effect of this arrangement is to give the bush
which carries one of the spur wheels a lateral motion through the cam
groove and pin, inasmuch as its speed of rotation is regulated by the
different number of teeth of the two spur wheels. By making the
amount of traverse for every rotation of the drum equal to the diamete
of the winding rope, the rope will be evenly wound on the drum. Whe
we substitute for the drums on the travelling engine a detached windla
which under some circumstances is preferred, the winding drums an
the snatch blocks for taking off the ropes at any desired angle a
combined in the same framework, and in such case we introduce into th
windlass our improved traverse motion for coiling on the wire ropes.

page_text: inery.
Our Invention further relates to an improvement in lifting and
turning the tilling implement at the land's end. For this purpose each
side wheel of the implement is fitted with a sling carrying a claw and a
revolving foot or turntable. While the implement is in action these
5 slings act simply as scrapers to the wheels, but when the implement has
arrived at the headland, and the return rope comes into action a back
motion is given to the implement. The claw then takes hold of the
ground, and the further back motion of the implement brings the sling
with its foot into a perpendicular position, thus lifting the wheels and
O tines clear of the ground. On one or other of these revolving feet the
implement now turns by the further pull of the rope until the head of
the implement comes into the line of draught for the return journey.
The onward movement of the implement causes the sling and foot to
resume their normal position in the rear of the wheel.
The Invention relates lastly to improvements in the well-known
cutting disc anchorage used in connection with hauling ropes in steam
cultivation. Instead of fitting the anchor as heretofore with one pulley,
around which the rope passes, we fit two pullies on the same frame, and
by placing them at a suitable distance apart, the width between the two
ropes (when working an engine on the opposite headland) is made
sufficient for the passage of a wide implement as well as for the shifting
of the rope porters. The onward movement of the anchor instead of
being effected as heretofore at each successive run of the implement (the
attendant putting into action suitable gearing to haul the anchor
forward by the passage of the slack rope, or by releasing catches to
allow the strain upon the hauling rope to advance the anchor) is by ou
Invention made continuous during the passage of the slack rope, so that
when the rate of movement of the anchor is adjusted to the length of the
run and the width of the implement the operation is automatic. This i
effected by rotating the drum to which the guide headland rope i
attached by a pawle and rock lever set in action by a crank on the axl
of the pulley over which the slack rope runs. This construction o
anchor is equally applicable to the direct and stationary systems o
working.

page_text: H
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the condi
filed by the said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd May 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
HOWARD, of Bedford, in the County of Bedford, Agricultural Engineer, 5
and EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD, of the same Place, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty- 1
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield,
Her special licence that we, the said James Howard and Edward Tenney
Bousfield, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as we, the said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield, our
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 STEAM CULTIVATING MACHINERY," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said James Howard and Edward Tenney
Bousfield, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, 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 we, the said James Howard and Edward Tenney
Bousfield, do hereby declare the nature of our 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 Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that it to say) :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in that class of steam
cultivating apparatus where the tilling implement is moved to and fr
across the land by means of wire
ropes.

page_text: apparatus. We construct our ploughing engine with either one or two
winding drums, in the latter case placing one in front and the other at
the rear of the engine. The boiler we use is an ordinary locomotive
5 boiler, and rivetted to the sides of the fire-box are wing plates, to which
the tender with its water tank is firmly secured. The tender thus
arranged forms a convenient and substantial framework for the reception
of the steam cylinder or cylinders, and it serves also to carry the bearings
of the transverse crank shaft, the traction gearing of the engine, and
the rear winding drum. This arrangement admits of the boiler being
easily removed for repairs, leaving the engine with its framework
intact.
When the engine is fitted with two winding drums we mount the
forward winding drum with its attachments on a stout hinged plate,
3 which forms also the smoke-box door, and which when the boiler tubes
are required to be cleaned may with the winding drum be swung open
on its hinges.
In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings our improved ploughing
engine is shewn, Fig. 1 being a side elevation of the engine, and Fig. 2
a plan view of the same. A is an ordinary locomotive boiler, and B is
the tender connected thereto by means of wing plates C, C. D is the
crank shaft, and E the steam cylinder of the engine; F, F, is the gearing
for transmitting motion from the crank shaft D to the travelling wheels G.
The engine is in this example provided with two winding drums H and I.
The drum H is mounted upon a stud axle projecting from a plate H',
which is hinged to the front end of the boiler, and constitutes the smoke-
box door. This plate is shewn in front elevation at Fig. 3, and it is made
fast to the boiler by means of bolts and nuts. The rear winding drum I
is mounted upon a stud axle I projecting from the end plate of the
tender and steadied by a standard I, which rises from the end framing
of the engine. These drums are driven alternately, so that while the
one is winding up the draught rope the other will be free to let out the
slack rope as it is required. The action of the drums is reversed at every
bout of the tilling implement.
A lateral traverse motion is given to the drums to prevent the coils of
rope riding over each other as the draught rope is being taken up by the
drum. This traverse motion of the drums we obtain by the means which

page_text: HOW
we will now describe, reference being had to
which represents a pair of traversing drums mounted on a carriage and
constituting a detached windlass. In this Drawing Fig. 1 is a front view
of the windlass, one half of it being drawn in section to illustrate its
peculiar construction; Fig. 2 is an end view of the windlass, and Fig. 3 5
i an edge view of one of the drums and the gearing for driving the
same, and Fig. 4 is a partial sectional plan of the windlass framing and
fittings. A is the windlass carriage and framing mounted on wheels B, B.
These collars serve 1
C, C, are standards of cast iron bolted to the framing A and provided at
their centres with a cylindrical flange or collar c.
as bearings for a fixed axle D, which is held firmly in position by means
of a tie rod and clamping nut E, which passes through the axle and
through the standards C. F, F, are hollow spur wheels, which are
mounted loosely on the fixed axle D and bosses of the standards C, and
are intended to drive the drums H and I and regulate their rotary motion.
Within the hollow of each of these wheels is fitted a break G furnished
with a ring of ratchet teeth, into which a pawle G¹ mounted on the
adjacent standard C drops for the purpose of preventing the rotation of
the break at the time that the slack rope is required to be delivered from
the drum. Thus an amount of friction is put upon the spur wheel F
sufficient to retard the rotation of the drum to prevent the too free
running up of the slack rope. These wheels F are connected with their
respective drums H, I, in such a manner as to leave the drums free to
traverse slowly on their axles while they are rotating in order to ensure
the even winding on of the traction rope.
Each drum is mounted loosely on a bush H¹ which is itself loose upon
the axle D. This bush, which is shewn detached and in section at
Fig. 5, carries at one end a ring of teeth h (see the end view Fig. 6), and
adjacent thereto is a spur wheel of similar size h¹, and shewn detached
at Fig. 7. Into these spur wheels gears a pinion h² which turns freely
on a pin projecting from the side of the drum H. To keep this pinion h
and also the wheel h¹ in position a ring h³ is used, which is made fast to
the boss of the drum by bolts and nuts and intervening gauge collars.
In the bush H' a cam groove is cut (see Fig. 5) to receive a pin pro
jecting from the axle D, which pin is intended to traverse the bush as i
is slowly rotated a distance equal to the breadth of the drum.
rotation of this bush is effected in the following manner:-The sp
wheels h and h' into which the pinion gears have a different numbe
2
Th

page_text: of teeth, the wheel h, say, thirty-five, and the wheel h, say, thirty-six.
The latter wheel is provided with a feather which fits into a longitudinal
slot in the fixed axle D, and it can therefore have only a lateral motion.
The pinion /², therefore, as it is carried round by its drum, will be rotated
by gearing into the wheel h', and by its rotation it will drive the wheel h
and consequently the bush H¹ the distance of one tooth for every revolu
tion that the pinion h² makes around the wheel h¹. As therefore the
bush in making this axial motion slides over the fixed pin in its cam
it will impart the requisite lateral motion to the drum. It will
now be understood that by making the amount of traverse for every
rotation of the drum equal to the diameter of the hauling rope,
will be evenly wound upon the drum.
alike, both as respects the details of their construction and the means for
driving them and regulating their motion, and the description, therefore,
of one will serve for both drums.
groove
that
rope
The two drums H and I are
On referring to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the drum I is close up to
its driving wheel F, and that the drum H is at its farthest distance from
its driving wheel, but in each position it is equally under the control of
its
wheel F. This wheel is furnished with slotted bracket arms F¹,
spur
which are connected to the drum by means of friction bowles h. These
bowles turn upon pins projecting inwards from the periphery of the
drum, and entering the slots in the bracket arms F¹ they receive the
pressure from the arms F¹ for driving the drum. The driving wheels F
receive their motion from a pair of spur pinions, one of which is shewn
at K, Fig. 3. These pinions are mounted loosely on a driving shaft K
which receives its motion from an adjacent steam engine. This shaft is
mounted in bearings carried by brackets K2 which are bolted to the
standard C. The bosses of the pinions K are formed with clutch teeth
which are engaged by sliding clutches K³, Fig. 3, on the shaft K', and
these sliding clutches are connected together so that they may b
alternately thrown into and out of action. This sliding of the clutche
will take place at the end of a bout to convert the slack rope into th
draught rope, and vice versa. L, L, are the snatch blocks mounted o
the framing A and in close proximity to the drums. These snato
5 blocks will admit of the ropes being taken off at any desired angle.
Referring now to Sheet I. of the Drawings it will be seen that th
ropes from the drums H and I pass first between a pair of guid
pullies L, L', and then between a pair of guide rollers M, M'. Th

page_text: arrangement will effectually prevent the
the same time it allows it to take any desired angle.
Having explained the construction of the drums H and I, and the
reference to Sheet II. of the Drawings, the arrangement for the windlass 5
mode of driving and controlling the same by means of the wheels F with
and the ploughing engine being in this respect substantially the same, it
will only be necessary to describe the arrangement whereby the driving
motion is communicated from the crank shaft D of the engine to the
wheels F. It should however be first stated that the driving wheel F of
the drum I is for convenience of arrangement made with internal teeth, 1
and that the friction break G is therefore placed outside the wheel.
The crank shaft D (see Fig. 4) is provided with a bevil wheel 1, which
gears into a bevil wheel 2 running loosely on the inner end of a
horizontal shaft 3, and carrying on its boss a spur pinion 2*. At the
opposite end of the shaft 3 is keyed a spur pinion 4 in gear with the
teeth of the wheel F of the drum I. Fitted to a feather on this shaft 3
is a sliding clutch 5, which by means of a rock lever 6 is caused to
and
engage with clutch teeth formed on the boss of the spur pinion 2*,
thereby ensure the driving of the shaft 3, and consequently of the drum
with which it is connected. The spur pinion 2* gears
pinion 7, which runs loosely on the longitudinal shaft 8.
this pinion is also fitted with clutch teeth, into which takes a clutch 9
that slides on a feather on the inner end of the shaft 8, and is actuated
by the rock lever 6. This shaft 8 carries a spur pinion 10 (Fig. 2),
which gears into the wheel F of the drum H; when therefore the
clutch 9 locks the pinion 7 to its shaft rotary motion will be communi-
cated through the shaft 8 to the drum H, and simultaneously (the
cluch 5 being thrown out of action) the drum I will cease to be
driven.
into a spur
The boss of
Our Invention relates, secondly, to an improvement in lifting and
turning at the land's end the tilling implement employed in connection
with steam ploughing engines. For this purpose each side wheel of the
implement is fitted with a swinging prop or sling, which, when brought
to the ground, will serve as a fulcrum to lift the tines out of work, and
leave the implement free to turn. The sling carries a claw and a swivel
piece, on which the implement is intended to turn.
In Sheet III. of the Drawings Fig. 1 shews in side elevation a tilling
implement fitted with our improvements; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the

page_text: same; and Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a portion of the implement
shewing the sling in action. The sling is composed of two plates of
wrought iron a, b, a being a flat plate, and a cranked plate. These
plates embrace the travelling wheel A, and swing freely on its axle.
They are connected together at their lower ends by bolts and nuts or
rivets, which also serve to connect to the sling a cranked foot piece c.
To the under side of this foot piece is applied a swivel piece d, which
when the sling is in action forms a bearing on which the tilling imple.
ment may turn as on a turntable. The plate a is furnished with a
claw a*, which when the implement is at work follows the travelling
wheel, dragging along upon the ground. While the sling is in this
position a scraper 6* rivetted to the plate 6 serves to clear the travelling
wheel of dirt. e is a chain pendent from the framing B of the implement,
and connected to the plate 6 of the sling. This chain has a twofold
purpose, vizt., to suspend the sling in the dotted position of Fig. 1 while
the implement is being transported from one place to another; and,
secondly, to act as a check and prevent the sling from passing beyond a
vertical position. While the implement is in action the slings will act
simply as scrapers to the wheels, but when the implement has arrived at
the headland, and the return rope comes into action, a slight back
motion is given to the implement. This causes the claw to take hold of
the ground, and the further back motion of the implement will bring
the sling with its foot into a perpendicular position or nearly so (as
shewn at Fig. 3), thus lifting the wheels A and tines C clear of the
ground. On one or other of these swivel bearings d the implement will
turn by the further pull of the rope until the head of the implement
comes into the line of draught for the return journey.
The onward movement of the implement causes the sling and foot to
resume their normal position in the rear of the wheel.
The Invention relates, lastly, to improvements in the well known
cutting disc anchorage used in connection with hauling ropes in stean
cultivation. Instead of fitting the anchor as heretofore with one pulle
around which the rope passes, we fit two pullies on the same fram
and by placing them at a suitable distance apart, the width between th
two ropes (when working an engine on the opposite headland) is mad
sufficient for the passage of a wide implement as well as for the shiftin
of the rope porters. The onward movement of the anchor instead
being effected as heretofore at each successive run of the implement (

page_text: Howard &
the attendant putting into action suit
forward by the passage of the slack rope, or on his releasing catches to
is
means of our Invention either made continuous during the passage of
the slack rope or when the movement of the anchor is adjusted to the 5
length of the run, its operation or onward movement for the width of
the tilling implement is automatic. This is effected by rotating or con-
trolling the rotation of the drum to which the guide headland rope is
attached by a pawle and rock lever, or equivalent mechanism set in
action, say by a crank on the axle of the pulley over which the slack ]
or hauling rope runs.
In Sheet IV. of the accompanying Drawings one mode of carrying
out this part of the Invention is shewn in several views. Fig. 1 is a plan
view of the anchor, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; A
are the ordinary cutting discs carrying the framing B; C, C¹, are the
pulleys around which the hauling rope passes, and D is a drum around
which the anchor or headland rope D¹ is coiled; E, are the draught shafts
of the anchor. The rope D' is fitted with an eye D2 through which a
tine E¹ projecting from the under side of one of the shafts passes, which tine
serves as a stop for arresting the onward progress of the anchor. The
end of the rope D¹ is anchored to the ground as usual. On the axle of
the pulley C is a bevil pinion F (see the detached view Fig. 3), which
shews this pulley and the gearing connected therewith on an enlarged
scale. Gearing into the bevil pinion F is a bevil wheel G which is
keyed to a crank shaft G', and to which rotary motion is imparted by the
passing of the hauling rope over the pulley C. Jointed to the opposite
ends of the crank shaft are links H, H¹, which connect with rock
levers I, I', mounted on a cross shaft I². These links H, H¹, are
capable of adjustment on their respective levers I, I', either nearer to
or further from their fulcrum, for the purpose of regulating the amount
of vibration to be imparted to those levers; K, K, are ratchet wheels
keyed to the shaft I, and into these ratchet wheels take pawles carried
by the levers I, I'. By the reciprocating motion therefore of these.
levers, caused by the rotation of the crank shaft G', an intermittent
axial motion will be given to the shaft I. A pinion Is on the end
of this shaft gears into a spur wheel D³ on the drum D, and thus an
axial motion is transmitted to the drum, whereby it is caused to
wind up any desired length of rope at each bout, and thereby traverse

page_text: the anchor along the headland a distance equal to the width of the
telling implement; the tine E2 being first raised out of the ground by
the tension of the rope D¹ to permit of this movement.
same.
A modification of our improved anchor is shewn at Figures 1 and 2,
5 Sheet V., Fig. 1 being a plan view, and Fig. 2 a side elevation of the
Instead of the links and rock levers, we employ in this case
change wheels, which transmit motion from the pulley C to the drum D,
and thus enable it to take up the rope D¹, and traverse the anchor along
the headland. Fig. 3 shews the pulley C detached and on an enlarged
scale; Figures 4 and 5 shew a further modification of our automatic
anchor. In this instance instead of driving the drums through one of the
pulleys over which the hauling rope passes, we apply the rotation of that
pulley to the withdrawal of a stop, the action of which is to arrest the
axial motion of the drum, and which when withdrawn will allow the
drum to uncoil the headland rope a length equal to the length of
shift required. This action is simply the inverse of that already
described. The rope D¹ is anchored and serves as a retaining rope, and
the drum D is fitted with a chain wheel D³, around which passes an
endless chain D3 that is held at tension by a chain wheel D. This
latter is made adjustable to adapt it to hold at tension chain of any given
length. The length of the chain in this case will be determined by the
width of the implement in use. The chain is fitted with a stop D³,
which as the chain rotates is brought into contact with a bolt E, which
bolt is jointed to and operated by a rock lever E' having its fulcrum
at E2. A crank pin C* on the axle of the pulley C as it comes round
in the direction of the arrow 1, rocks the lever E¹, and withdrawing the
bolt releases the chain, the drag on the hauling rope F being now
reversed (in the direction of the arrow 2) will reverse the rotation of
the crank pin and bring back the bolt E to the locking position. The
anchor will now be moved forward, the drum D being at the time free
to give out the headland rope. When however the anchor has moved
the required distance its progress will be arrested by the stop D³ on the
chain coming into contact with the bolt E. A switch piece is provided
on the tail of the lever E¹ to prevent the crank pin C* acting upon it
except when the direction of rotation of the pulley C is reversed.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improvements
Jained the manner of

page_text: described.
Thirdly. The means above described whereby the tilling implement
is raised at the land's end automatically and the turning facilitated.
Lastly. The means above described or any mere modification thereof
for regulating the rate of progression of the anchor according to the 10
width of the implement worked in connection therewith.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Howard and Edward Tenney
Bousfield, have hereunto set hand and seal, the Twenty-third
day of May, in the year of Our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-three.
1