IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE RAKES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Gustavus Rollins, of Old Swan Lane, in the
City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE RAKES."-
A communication from abroad by Alzirus Brown, residing at Worcester,
Massachusetts, United States of America.
Sealed the 20th November 1866, and dated the 26th May 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Gustavus Rollins
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th May 1866.
I, JOHN GUSTAVUS ROLLINS, of Old Swan Lane, in the City of London, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE
RAKES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in horse rakes.
Figure 1 of the annexed Drawings is a side sectional elevation of horse
rake constructed according to the Invention, the line a, a, Figure 2, indicates
the plane of section; Figure 2 is a plan or top view of the same. Similar
letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two Figures.
A, A, are two wheels; B, their axle, and C, C, shafts attached thereto, the
shafts being braced, as shown at a, a, a, see more particularly Figure 2; D is
the driver's seat which is attached to the ends of springs 6, the front ends of
said springs being attached to the braces a. The seat and springs are omitted
in Figure 2, in order that more important parts may be clearly shown. The
back end of the shafts C, C, extend a trifle back of the axle B, and to the back

page_text: ends of the shafts beyond the back part of the axle a rake head E is connected
by joints or hinges c, the hinges being at the under side of the rake head, as
shown clearly in Figure 1, so that the head may work thereon as a fulcrum.
The rake head E is parallel with the axle B, and a series of wire teeth F are
attached, the said teeth being coiled once or twice around the head as usual
in order that they may have a certain degree of elasticity. To the rake head E
a bar F is attached at right angles, and to the outer end of this bar two arms
G, H, are pivoted; the front end of the arm G is pivoted to a lever 1, the lower
eud of which is jointed to the braces a, as shown at d, and to the lower end
of the arm H one end of a treadle J is pivoted, the opposite end of the
treadle being pivoted to the braces a as shown at e; a treadle K is also pivoted
to the brace a at e, and this treadlo is connected to the front part of the arın
G by a rod f. L is a rope which is fitted on the teeth M, the rope being
either looped around the teeth or the teeth passes between its strands so that
the rope may be raised and lowered on the teeth.
The operation is as follows:-The driver is on the seat D, his feet being
placed on the treadles J, K, by operating which the rake teeth F may bo
raised and lowered, an arbitrary or positive movement being given the rake
in both movements. The head E in working on the joints c serves to counter-
poise the teeth F; for instance, in depressing the treadle J the head E is
turued so that its centre of gravity will pass over to the front side of joints c,
and the gravity of the head will therefore assist in elevating the teeth F..
The driver may at any time assist the feet by operating the lever I with his
hand. The teeth F will not penetrate or harrow up light ground as the rake
bead E turus freely on its joints c, and this in connection with the elasticity
of the teeth precludes the possiblity of the ground being cut into by the teeth,
at the same time the teeth are kept down so that they will not be raised
casually, but still be allowed to conform to the inequalities of the ground.
The rope L prevents the hay from passing up too far on the teeth F, so that
the hay may always be readily discharged therefrom as the teeth are raised.
If the bay were allowed to pass up closely to the head E it could not be
freely discharged, as it would be in that portion of the teeth which when
aised are nearly in a horizontal position. I would remark that by attaching
the lever nearer to or further from the end of the arm G, the teeth F may
be adjusted higher or lower from the ground; this is an important feature
for in raking grain the teeth do not require to be so low as in raking
grass.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Gustavus Rollins in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 22nd November 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
GUSTAVUS ROLLINS, of Old Swan Lane, in the City of London, send greeting...
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Gustavus Rollins, Her special licence that I, the said John Gustavus
Rollins, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Gustavus Rollins, 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 HORSE RAKES," a communication to me fron abroad
by Alzirus Brown, a person resident at Worcester, Massachusetts, United
States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Gustavus Rollins, 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, 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 John Gustavus Rollins, 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 thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in horse rakes.
Figure 1 of the annexed Drawings is a side sectional elevation of horse
rake constructed according to the Invention, the line a, a, Figure 2, indi-
cates the plane of section; Figure 2 is a plan or top view of the same.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two Figures.
A, A, are two wheels, B, their axle, and C, C, shafts attached thereto,
the shafts being braced, as shown at a, a, a, seo more particularly Figure 2 ;
D is the driver's seat which is attached to the ends of springs b, the front ends

page_text: The seat and springs are
of said springs being attached to the braces a.
omitted in Figure 2, in order that more important parts may be clearly shown.
The back ends of the shafts C, C, extend a trifle back of the axle B, and to
the back ends of the shafts beyond the back part of the axle a rake head
E is connected by joints or binges c, the hinges being at the under side of
the wake head, as shown clearly in Figure 1, so that the head may work
thereon as a fulcrum. The rake head E is parallel with the axle B, and a
series of wire teeth F are attached, the said teeth being coiled once or twice
around the head as usual in order that they may have a certain degree of
elasticity. To the rake head E a bar F is attached at right angles, and to
the outer end of this bar two arms G, H, are pivoted, the front end of the arm
G is pivoted to a lever I, the lower end of which is jointed to the braces a, as
shown at d, and to the lower end of the arm H one end of a treadle J is
pivoted, the opposite end of the treadle being pivoted to the braces a, as shown
at ; a treadlo k is also pivoted to the braces a at e, and this treadle is
connected to the front part of the arm G by a rod f. L is a rope which is
fitted on the teeth M, the rope being either looped around the teeth or the
teeth pass between its strands so that the rope may be raised and lowered on
the teeth.
The operation is as follows:-The driver is on the seat D, his feet being
placed on the treadles J, k, by operating which the rake teeth may be raised
-and lowered, an arbitrary or positive movement being given the rake in both
movements. The head E in working on the joints c serves to counterpoise the
teeth F; for instance, in depressing the treadle J the head E is turned so
that its centre of gravity will pass over to the front side of joints c, and
the gravity of the head will therefore assist in elevating the teeth F.
The driver may at any time assist the feet by operating the lever I with
his hand. The teeth F will not penetrate or harrow up light ground as
the Take head E turns freely on its joints c, and this in connection with the
elasticity of the teeth precludes the possibility of the ground being cut into by
the teeth; at the same time the teeth are kept down so that they will not be
raised casually, but still be allowed to conform to the inequalities of the
ground. The rope L prevents the hay from passing up too far on the teeth
F, so that the hay may always be readily discharged therefrom as the teeth
are raised. If the hay were allowed to pass up closely to the head E it could
not be freely discharged, as it would be in that portion of the teeth which
when raised are nearly in a horizontal position. I would remark that
by attaching the lever I nearer to or further from the end of the arm G the
teeth F may be adjusted higher or lower from the ground. This is an im-

page_text: portant feature, for in raking grain the teeth do not require to be so low as in
raking grass.
I do not claim the wire teeth F attached to the head E as shown, for such
device mounted on wheels is in quite common use and known as the wire
tooth horse rake; but having thus described the Invention, what I claim
and desire to secure by Letters Patent is, the arrangement of the treadles J,
k, lever I, rake head E, arms G, H, bar F¹, joints c, and adjustable rope L,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Gustavus Rollius, have hereunto
set my band and seal, this Eighth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
JOHN G. ROLLINS. L.B.)