IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Charles Ransome, of Ipswich, in the County
of Suffolk, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING
MACHINES." A communication from abroad by Thomas Robinson, of
Elizabeth Street. Melbourne. Australia.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Charles Ransome
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 1st June 1861.
I, ROBERT CHARLES RANSOME, of Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk, do hereby
declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING
MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in reaping and mowing
inachines, and consists, firstly, in so arranging these machines that the same
instrument which removes the crop when cut from the platform to the side of
the machine, also acts as a fly to lay the crop into the fingers or fixed stops, as
it is about to be acted on by the cutters. For this purpose four or other
number of arms are mounted on a vertical axis at one end of the line of
cutters; this axis is driven from the main or driving wheel of the machine;
the arms are so mounted on the axis that they are caused to rotate with it.
The ends of the arms furthest from the axis are, however, capable at the same
time of rising and falling; to these ends of the arms rakes or boards are

page_text: attached, which, as the axis rotates, lay the crop as required immediately in
front of the cutters, and then as they are carried round by the axis they are
caused to sweep along the platform upon which the crop falls, and remove the
crop in sheaves or bundles to the side of the machine. In order that the rakes
or boards at the ends of the arms may first be at a suitable height to act on the
crop to lay it as the cutters are about to act upon it, and afterwards be at a
suitable height to sweep along the platform to deliver the crop at the side of
the machine, the under sides of the arms which carry the rakes or boards are
furnished with rollers, which rest upon a circular cam surface placed around
the axis, which cam surface is so shaped as to give the necessary rise and fall
to the boards or rakes, the ends of the arms being free to rise and fall, as
above mentioned.
The Invention also consists in making what are known as the finger plates
of reaping and mowing machines of half-round or semicircular iron, or of
tubular or ridge iron.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Charles Ransome in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 30th November 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
CHARLES RANSOME, of Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Robert Charles Ransome, Her special licence that I, the said Robert
Charles Ransome, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Robert Charles Ransome, 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 REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES," a
communication to me from abroad by Thomas Robinson, of Elizabeth Street,
Melbourne, Australia, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Robert Charles Ransome, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-

page_text: ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the saine 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 Robert Charles Ransome, 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 reaping and mowing
machines, and consists, firstly, in so arranging these machines that the same
instrument which removes the crop when cut from the platform to the side of
the machine, also acts as a fly to lay the crop into the fingers (or fixed stops)
as it is about to be acted on by the cutters. For this purpose four or other
number of arms are mounted on a vertical axis at one end of the line of
cutters; this axis is driven from the main or driving wheel of the machine;
the arms are so mounted on the axis that they are caused to rotate with it
the ends of the arms furthest from the axis are, however, capable at the same
time of rising and falling. To these ends of the arms rakes or boards are
attached, which, as the axis rotates, lay the crop as required immediately in
front of the cutters, and then as they are carried round by the axis they aro
caused to sweep along the platform upon which the crop falls, and remove the
crop in sheaves or bundles to the side of the machine. In order that the
rakes or boards at the ends of the arms may first be at a suitable height to act
on the crop to lay it, as the cutters are about to act upon it, and afterwards be
at a suitable height to sweep along the platform to deliver the crop at the side
of the machine, the under sides of the arms which carry the rakes or boards
are furnished with rollers, which rest upon a circular cam surface placed
around the axis, which cam surface is so shaped as to give the necessary rise
and fall to the boards or rakes, the ends of the arms being free to rise and fall,
as above mentioned.
In order that the manner of performing the Invention may be clearly under-
stood, I will proceed to describe the Drawings.
Figure 1, shews a side view, Figure 2 a plan, and Figure 3 a back.view, of
a reaping or mowing machine constructed according to the Invention. In the
different views the same letters are used to indicate the same parts wherever
they occur..
In the Drawing I have only shown such parts of the machine as will enable
me to point out the peculiarity of the Invention.
A, A, is the framing of the machine; B is the driving wheel of the machine;

page_text: C is a shaft, one end of which turns in bearings C¹, supported in the framing,
and on the other end of this shaft is a cog wheel D, which is driven by another
wheel D', on the axle D" of the driving wheel B. There is a pinion E which
works in the teeth of the driving wheel, for the purpose of giving motion to
the cutting apparatus, but as that apparatus forms no part of the Invention,
and as it is similar to machines in ordinary use, no description thereof will be
necessary. On the other end of the shaft C to that at which the wheel D is
fixed is a bevil wheel E. An upright frame F is attached to the framing A,
and it is supported by rods F, bolted to the framing of the machine, to which
frame is affixed the cam G, the surface of which is formed of a series of rises and
falls; this cam is supported in its position by the tie rods H, which are bolted
to the frame at H¹; I, I, are friction rollers, which are placed on the arms J, J,
of the rakes K; the heads of the rakes are supported by means of tie rods L ;
the rakes are strengthened by iron plates bolted to them, and are placed over
the upright shaft M, and secured by pins, and are so adjusted as to be capable
of the movement which will allow them to rise and fall as required. On the
lower end of the shaft M is a bevil wheel N. O is the platform on to which
the corn or grass is laid when cut, one of tho rakes being shewn in tho
Drawing, Figure 1, in the act of delivering it to the side of the machine.
Having described the different parts, I will now describe its action.
The machine being drawn along in the ordinary manner, the wheel D, on
the shaft C, is driven by the teeth of the wheel D', on the driving axle D", by
which motion is given to tho wheels D, on the shaft C, and also to the wheel
E', which, gearing into and driving the wheel N on the upright shaft M, by
which rotary motion is given to that shaft and the rakes thereon. The rakes
are so adjusted to the cam surface G, that the arms of the rakes will, in their
working round, press upon the irregular surfaces of the cam, and so rise and
fall according to the rises and falls thereon, the friction being relieved by
means of the friction rollers I. By examining the Drawing it will be readily
understood that as one of the arms is acting as an ordinary fly for laying the
corn ready to be cut, the next one is collecting and carrying it to the side of
the machine, where it is delivered off the platform; it then in its onward
motion rises out of the way of the crop, and so on; these arms alternately
perform the operation of laying the corn or grass ready to be cut, and removing
it to the side of the machine. In some cases only one rake will be necessary
to remove the cut corn, then the others will be used as gatherers. On the axis
of the driving wheel is a clutch box T, by the shifting of which the wheels D
and D' may be put out of gear when the rakes are not required to be used.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of

page_text: performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself
to the precise details, so long as the character of the Invention be retained,
nor do I claim any of the mechanical parts separately; but what I claim as
the improvements in machines for reaping and mowing is, the application of a
series of rakes or other similar instruments, which in their rotary action, by
being brought in contact with a series of suitable cam surfaces, are caused to
act as an ordinary fly for laying the corn, and afterwards removing it when cut
at the sides of the platform in bundles, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Charles Ransome, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
ROBERT CHARLES RANSOME. (LS.)