IMPROVEMENTS IN MOWING AND REAPING. MACHINES."
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Wilson, of Wood Hey, Bebbington, in
the County of Chester, Gentleman, and Henry Burch, of Bedford
Leigh, in the County of Lancaster, Draughtsman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOWING AND REAPING. MACHINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Wilson
and Henry Burch at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,,
with their Petition, on the 11th July 1873.
We, WILLIAM WILSON, of Wood Hey, Bebbington, in the County of
Chester, Gentleman, and HENRY BURCH, of Bedford Leigh, in the
County of Lancaster, Draughtsman, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES," to
be as follows:-
-
These improvements relate more particularly to that description of
mowing or reaping machines in which the draught pole is attached to
the frame at a point between the two travelling wheels, and the driver's

page_text: seat is placed at the back of the machine, in a line or nearly so with
the draught pole.
The object of the first part of our Invention is to enable the draught
pole and driver's seat to be so capable of adjustment, according to the
nature of the crop or the weight of the driver, as not to cause any undue
weight to bear on the horses' necks while working. We accomplish this
by having slotted holes in that part of the frame to which the draught
pole is attached so that by slackening the bolts which secure it the
draught pole together with the whole of the apparatus for carrying the
driver may be shifted forward or backward, so as to be on a proper
balance for the easy working of the horses.
66
"
The second part of our Invention relates to the manner of connecting
the gear frame and "
draught frame" in those machines in which
the "
gear frame" is made to slide on the cross arm of the " draught
frame."
"
Instead of making the forward connection rigid, we make use of a
lever or link so adjustable that the " gear frame can be made to form
a variable angle with the draught pole, thereby allowing the cutters and
fingers of the machine to point up or down, as the nature of the crop to
be operated upon may require.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Wilson and Henry Burch in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 10th January 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
WILSON, of Wood Hey, Bebington, in the County of Chester, Gentle- 2
man, and HENRY BURCH, of Bedford Leigh, in the County of Lancaster,
Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said William Wilson and Henry Burch, Her
special license that we, the said William Wilson and Henry Burch, our

page_text: executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
William Wilson and Henry Burch, 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 MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William Wilson
and Henry Burch, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, or their, or one or 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 we, the the said William Wilson and Henry
Burch, 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 :-
These improvements relate more particularly to that description of
mowing or reaping machine in which the draught pole is attached to
the frame at a point between the two travelling wheels, and the driver's
seat is placed at the back of the machine in a line or nearly so with
the draught pole.
The object of the first part of our Invention is to enable the draught
pole and driver's seat to be so capable of adjustment, according to the
nature of the crop or the weight of the driver, as not to cause any undue
weight to bear on the horses' necks while working. We accomplish this
by having slotted holes in that part of the frame to which the draught
pole is attached, so that by slackening the bolts which secure it the
draught pole together with the whole of the apparatus for carrying the
driver may be shifted forward or backward, so as to be on a proper
balance for the easy working of the horses.
the "
the "
""
The second part of our Invention relates to the manner of connecting
gear frame and "
draught frame" in those machines in which
gear frame is made to slide on the cross arm of the draught
frame, but which improvements are equally applicable to other con-
structions of reaping or mowing machines.

page_text: Instead of making the forward connection between the gear frame
and draught frame rigid we make use of a lever or link so adjustable
that the gear frame can be made to form a variable angle with the
draught pole, thereby allowing the cutters and fingers of the machine to
point up or down as the nature of the crop to be operated upon may
require.
In order that this our said Invention may be the more readily seen
and understood, we have hereunto annexed a Sheet of Drawings illus.
trative of our improvements, upon which Fig. 1 is a side view of a
mowing and reaping machine drawn to a scale of about 1 inches to the
foot; and Fig. 2 a side sectional view of part of Fig. 1. Similar letters
marked on both views are used to denote similar parts.
A represents the draught pole; B, the seat iron; C, the foot plate and
bracket for supporting the seat iron; D, is the draught frame; and E,
the gear frame. In the draught frame D slots a, a, are formed, through
which the bolts b, b, pass, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and so, secure the
draught pole and seat iron to the draught frame in any position within
the length of the slots a, a; and thus the draught pole A, together with
the whole of the apparatus for carrying the driver can be shifted by
slackening the bolts b, b, to the position shown in dotted lines, or to any
internediate point, in order to adjust the weight upon the horses' necks,
according to the nature of the crop or weight of the driver. The forward
part of the gear frame E and of the draught frame D are connected
together by the lever G, which is mounted upon a stud H. projecting
from the side of the draught frame, and has its eccentric slot I embracing
a stud K secured upon the gear frame, so that by drawing back the lover
G (which the driver can do without leaving his seat to the position
shewn by the dotted lines, or to any intermediate position) the angle of
the gear frame, with respect to the draught pole, may be adjusted to the
greatest nicety in order to cause the cutters and fingers of the machine
to point or be tipped up or down, as the nature of the crop to bé
operated upon may require. The notched quadrant L, affixed by pre-
ference to the side of the draught frame, affords facility for securing the
lever G and gear frame at the requisite angle, for which purpose the said
lever is provided with a sliding catch M, which takes into either of the
notches of such quadrant, and so holds the lever and gear frame in the
required position.

page_text: Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this,
our said Invention, together with the best methods with which we are
acquainted for carrying the same into practical effect, we wish it to be
understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details,
relative proportions, or dimensions of the various parts of the apparatus
illustrated on the accompanying Drawing, and herein-before described, as
the same may be considerably varied without departing from the Inven-
tion, but what we claim is,-
1st. The adjustable method of securing the draught pole and driver's
seat to the draught frame in mowing and reaping machines as and for
the purposes herein-before described and illustrated on the accompanying
Drawing.
2nd. The use and application of a lever and eccentric slot to mowing
and reaping machines for causing the cutters and fingers of such
machines to point up or down as and for the purposes herein-before
described and illustrated on the accompanying Drawing, or any mere
modification of the same.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Wilson and Henry Burch
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eighth day of
January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-four.
Witness,
JOHN G. WILSON,
Patent Office,
71, Market St.,
Manchester.
WILLIAM WILSON. (L.S.)
HENRY BURCH.
(L.S.)