IMPROVEMENTS IN LAWN MOWERS AND GRASS MOWERS FOR GENERAL USE
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William McIntyre Cranston at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th April 1877. (A communi-
cation from abroad by James Russell Parsons, of Hoosick Falls, State of New
York, U.S.A.)
William M'INTYRE CRANSTON, of 36, Worship Street, Finsbury, in the County
of Middlesox. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAWN MOWERS AND GRASS MOWERS FOR
GENERAL USE." (A communication from abroad by James Russell Parsons, of
Hoosick Falls, State of New York, U.S.A.)
This Invention relates to improvements in lawn mowers and grass mowers for
general use, and consists,-
Firstly. Of sectional or segmental blades, fitted spirally upon a revolving shaft,
which blades act upon both long and short grass and weeds to sever them by contact
with a ledger blade or bar fixed in the front of the machine by a diagonal cut,
while the grass is between fingers and projecting points.
The Invention consists, Secondly. In fitting fingers or projecting pins upon or to
the ledger plate, or its holding bar, for dividing or separating the grass, and for
presenting it to revolving cutters.
The Invention is clearly shown in the annexed Drawings.
A, Figure 1, represents one side of the main frame of a lawn mower, and C
represents the opposite side thereof. These two sides A and C are connected
together at their front ends by the bar G, and at their rear ends by the bar M.
B is a drum or roller which extends nearly across the machine between the side
pieces A and C, and fitted in suitable bearings thereon.
The drum B rolls upon the ground when the machine is propelled or drawn for-
ward, and by means of suitable gearing gives motion to the cutters, as will be more
fully herein-after described. The side pieces A and C extend forward of the cutters,
and at their front ends are attached upon suitable bearings the wheels F, F. These
wheels roll upon the ground, and support the front part of the machine. Upon the
end of the shaft, which is the axis of the drum B, is fastened a gear wheel, which
gears into a center or connecting gear D, and which gears into another pinion E on
the end of the shaft which carries the cutters. L is a shaft with which a series of
cutters K, K, and I, I, are fastened. H is a ledger plate, made of steel or other
suitable substance, which presents a straight cutting edge, against which the cutters

page_text: K, K, and I, I, revolve, and is so arranged as to be made adjustable by the set
screws b and c at each end so as to bring the cutting edge into a proper relative
position to the cutting edge of the revolving cutters K, K, and I, I. The series of
cutters K, K, and I, I, are arranged radially to the axis of the shaft L.
I prefer to make the series of cutters K, K, and I, I, in sections, and slip the
sections on the shaft L, but they may be made so that each one of the cutters K, K,
and I, I, can be screwed into the shaft L, or fastened thereto by any well-known
mechanical means.
In Figure 1 the points land m represent the extreme points of one pair of the
cutters K, K; the points n and o represent the extreme points of one pair of cutters
I, I. Each pair of cutters K, K, and I, I, is located radially on the shaft L, and on
opposite sides thereof.
The several pairs of cutters K, K, and the several pair of cutters I, I, are each
located spirally along the line of the length of the shaft L with reference to the
circumference of the shaft L.
On the under side of the ledger blade H are fastened at suitable intervals
fingers a, which fingers serve to hold up the portions of grass to be cut, and keep
them from being pushed by the revolution of the cutters longitudinally along the
ledger blade before it is cut, and thus leave it uncut altogether, or cut with too
high a stubble, and also to protect the ledger blade from being injured in passing
over an uneven surface. These fingers are located on the ledger blade at a point
determined by the revolution of the points 7 and m of the cutters K, K, and the
points n and o of the cutters I, I.
The whole of the revolving cutters are made with cutting edges, which strike
spirally across the edge of the ledger blades, and can be ground like the ordinary
cutters in the lawn mower, so that all points in the cutting edges when the shaft L
is made to revolve will describe a cylinder.
One wing of any pair of cutters K, K, is so arranged that when the shaft Lis
made to revolve it will cut from right to left and pass across the ledger blade
between one pair of fingers a, a, while the opposite wing of the same pair of cutters
K, K, will cut from left to right and pass across the ledger blade between the sanie
pair of fingers. The same is true of the several pairs of cutters I, I. Thus it will be
seen that each pair of cutters cuts alternately in different directions, and the cutting
edges of the revolving cutters being made short present a somewhat broken surface
to the face of the uncut grass, and thus allow the grass to stand vertically between
the cutters.
At the rear end of the frame can be attached handles J, J, by means of which
the operator can propel the machine; or any suitable device can be arranged to
draw the machine by horse power, or otherwise.