Year: 1897

page_text: I, HUGH JOHNSTON, of 351, Spadina Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Artist
and Inventor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide a plough having an automatically
clearing coulter, and further to provide gauge-wheels by which the depth and width
of the furrows can be readily regulated.
The improved plough comprises a suitable head or body to which the ploughshare
is secured. The other usual parts (such as the beam, draw-rods, handles etc.) of
the plough are also secured to the body in a convenient way.
The coulter consists of an inverted approximate U-shaped cutter having its
centre portion. flared out from the landside and its head or rear portion adjustably,
attached to the head and its outer or forward portion formed with a knife edge which
slants towards the point of the share. The purpose of this coulter is to cut the soil
and leave a smooth side and edge to the furrow, and further to remove obstructions.
The coulter can be adjusted to any angle by means of a lever, spring-pressed pawl
and rack, or similar means such as a worm, worm-wheel and hand-wheel.
At the forward end of the beam is a depending bracket which carries two wheels,.
one running vertically over the unbroken ground, whilst the other runs in contact
with the side of the furrow. These wheels are made adjustable as regards height,
and distance from the centre of the plough, so that the depth to which the plough
cuts and the width of furrow can be adjusted. The means for adjustment preferably
consist of cams which, by manipulation of a hand wheel or the like can be adjusted
to regulate the position of the wheels.
Bated this 20th day of March 1897
PERCY R. J. WILLIS,
Agent for Applicant.
0
I, HUGH JOHNSTON, of 351, Spadina Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Artist
and Inventor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by.
the following statement:
The objects of my invention are, to furnish a plough having an adjustable self"
clearing coulter leaning out from the line of the land side, to which it is attached,

page_text: and then curving in to said line, thus bringing the point of the coulter into co-opera-
tion with the elevated guard and underscore on the ploughshare, yet retaining the
important feature of the required space for a way of escape of obstructing matter
underground, also clearing itself of collecting obstruction aboveground. The coulter
being attached to the head of the plough instead of to the beam and leaning outward
provides room for the draw rod to be brought to the breast of the plough thus
making the most direct line of draught to the body of the plough.
The draught being thereby removed from the beam allows the beam to be raised,
which assists in getting centre adjustment of the clevis, and the beam, bearing a
guide plate, enables the minute adjusting clevis to be adopted. The turn buckle,
brace rods, and ratchet wedges give portable and adjustable handles to height of
ploughman.
A further feature of my invention is the gauge wheel to gauge the width of furrow,
which travels on the inner side of the furrow and prevents friction against the land.
Thus the introduction of my style of coulter permits a continuous chain of novelties
in my improved plough, which is plain, simple and reasonable.
Reference being had to the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 represents the mould board side view of the plough, Fig. 2.represents
the landside view of same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view in section of the beam head
and guide plate. Fig. 4 is a front view of the said beam head and guide plate.
Fig. 5 is a front view of the guide plate alone. Fig. 6 is a separate view of the
coulter. Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view of the coulter on the line CC of Fig. 6.
The following numbers shewn on the figures, aforesaid, refer to the various points
thereof.
1 is the head of the plough, to which the mould board 21, the land side 22, the
beam 2 the sole plate, the ploughshare 23, the draw rod 10, the handles and the
coulter 13 are fastened. The beam 2 is held rigid in the head of the plough by
means of clamps 3, and supports on its forward portion, the clevis and gauge
wheels 18 and 19 to regulate the depth of ploughing and width of furrow respec-
tively. The wheel 19 is free from friction with the ground, because it works on
the side of the furrow while wheel 18 runs on the unbroken ground. The clevis
is composed of a cap or head block 4 secured to the beam 2 by a pin or any other
suitable means. The under side of the cap is cut away, as shewn, to allow the
draft rod 10 to rise close to the beam 2. An adjustable guide plate 5 serves to vary the
depth and width of the furrow by means of a vertical slot 8 and a cross slot 8",
also an enlarged opening 8b. The guide plate 5 is held rigid by a bolt 9 and a
washer 17, also a stop 6, which engages the recesses 7 in the head block 4. The
draft rod 10 has a hook on one end and passes through the opening 12, terminating
in the lug 11 on the head of the plough, by which the strain comes more direct
on the body of the plough.
The coulter 13 is formed as shewn, having its upper portion flared from the land
side as shewn in Fig. 7, to give clearance for collecting stubble and liberty of motion
to the draft rod 10. The lower portion returns in the form of a curve until the point
of the coulter 13ª is in a direct line with the guard and underscore 13b. The
coulter 13 is adjustable on the head of the plough by means of a holt and nut
working in the slot (indicated by. dotted lines) and also has a pin 14 which enters
indentations similar to the fastening described with reference to the clevis, Fig. 4.
The coulter 13, when raised and back as shewn in Fig. 2, has the point 13" back
and in line with the point and underscore 13b in which position it gives vent to
grass, roots and gathering substances, and guards against obstructions, such as
stones and wood knots, between point and coulter, but still retains the unbroken
knife edge from the lower point of the plough to the surface of the ground. The
coulter 13, when down and out, as indicated in Fig. 1, in combination with the
underscore, forms a draw or shearing cut. This form of cutting edge severs any hard
substance and is used in breaking clean tough sod or prairie land. The coulter 13
may be placed in any workable position between these extremes.
The handles, 24 are inserted through loops 25 projecting upwardly from lugs 26

page_text: formed integral with the head 1 of the plough. The lugs have side flanges 27 to
prevent side movement of the lower ends of the handles.
Wedges 20, having serrations on their upper sides to engage the loops 25, permit
the handles to be raised or lowered, more or less, by being inserted a greater or less
distance, as will be readily understood. The handles are kept elevated by the brace
rods 16 held by a hook 15 on the head 1 and staples 28 on the handles. The brace
rods are fitted with internally screw-threaded sleeves 29 fitting right and left-
handed threads 30 and 31 on the brace rods. It will readily understood that by
rotating the sleeves 29 in one or the other direction, the brace rods are lengthened
to lower the handles and permit of adjustment of the wedges 20, or are shortened
to clamp the wedges between the handles and the loops 25 to retain the handles
rigid.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
-
(1) In a plough, a coulter having the form of an inverted letter U, its centre
portion flared out from the land side and its head or rear portion adjustably attached
to the head of the plough in a line with the thrust, and the outer or forward portion
drawn to a knife edge, which, as shewn, has an extremely slanting draw cut, sub-
stantially as herein set forth.
(2) In a plough, the combination of a coulter and guard and underscore, said
coulter having the form of an inverted U its centre portion flared out from the land
side and its head or rear portion adjustably attached to the head of the plough in
a line with the thrust, and the outer or forward portion drawn to a knife edge,
which, as shewn, has an extremely slanting drawn cut substantially as set forth.
(3) In a plough the combination of a coulter with the draught-rod, the coulter
having the form of an inverted U, its centre portion flared out from the land side
and its rear portion adjustably attached to the head of the plough and the draft-rod
attached to the head of the plough, substantially as herein set forth.
(4) The combination with the beam of the plough of a furrow gauge wheel
arranged to travel horizontally on the inner wall of the preceding furrow substan-
tially as set forth.
Dated this 22nd day of December 1897.