IMPROVEMENTS IN LAWN MOWING MACHINES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Bryce Brown, of 18, Cannon Street, in the
City of London, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Bryce Brown
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th August 1865.
I, JAMES BRYCE BROWN, of 18, Cannon Street, in the City of London, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LAWN MOWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in lawn mowing machines.
In constructing lawn mowing machines, I make the spiral cutters in the
usual form, and consisting of a number of blades ranged spirally round an axis
or shaft. The ends of this shaft are set in such a manner that they are
capable of sliding with the shaft upwards or downwards, their motion being
adjusted by set screws to each journal; these being placed both above and
below the journal, and by this means the cutters may be set accurately to the
cutting edge of the sole plate. These journals are placed in the frame or side
plates of the machine. The front rollers of the machine I make of wood or
iron, revolving upon a shaft, the ends of which are placed loosely in cast or
wrought iron or other bearings, and these bearings can be lowered or raised
so as to be adjusted to the proper cut.

page_text: The two large rollers or drums of the machine I make of cast iron, and
place them loosely upon a wrought-iron shaft, the rollers being separate and
independent, and the ends of the shaft being placed in bearings fixed to the
side plates of the machine.
By means of a self-acting double clutch placed between the bosses of the
drums I am enabled to make the shaft and consequently the cutters revolve
only when one or both of the drums are revolving forwards.
The motion of the drums when revolving forwards is carried to the cutters
by spur wheels and pinions, one spur wheel being placed upon the drum shaft
and gearing into a pinion revolving on a stud on the side frame of the machine;
on this pinion is a stud wheel similar to the one on the drum shaft, and this
stud wheel gears into a pinion on the cutter shaft. I make the intermediate
or stud wheel and pinion fixed together, and to revolve on a fixed stud, by
which means I obtain increased revolutions to the cutters.
I make a brush or fan of india-rubber, hair, fibre, or other suitable material,
revolving in a box fixed partly in front and 'over the cutter into which the
grass is thrown by the cutter; this brush or fan delivering the grass into
a box behind the machine, which box can be emptied of the grass while
the machine is in motion, thereby dispensing with a grass box in the front
of the machine and allowing the revolving cutters to work close to the edges
of the grass plots, shrubs, and plants. I greatly increase the power to the
revolving cutters by having driving rollers placed on both front and back of
the machine, the cutters being between in place of having only one driving
roller behind the cutters, as is usual.
I make the handles to change from the back to the front of the machine,
and vice versa, so that the machine may be either pushed or drawn.
The side plates or frames, wheels and pinions, drum, scraper, shafts, tie rods,
and side frames of the grass box and other parts of the machine I make of
malleable cast iron, by which means I avoid the breakage of these parts,
which continually occurs when constructed of cast iron only.
In some cases I employ an endless gut band for driving the revolving
cutters of the machine, by which combination the driving of the cutter shaft
is simplified.
By the improvements above described, I am enabled considerably to
improve the general appearance and practical utility of lawn mowing

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Bryce Brown in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 16th February 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
BRYCE BROWN, of 18, Cannon Street, in the City of London, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
James Bryce Brown, Her special licence that I, the said James Bryce
Brown, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said James Bryce Brown, 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 LAWN MOWING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Bryce Brown, 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 In-
vention, 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 James Bryce Brown, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, 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 lawn mowing machines.
In constructing lawn mowing machines I make the spiral cutters in the
usual form, and consisting of a number of blades ranged spirally round an axis
or shaft. The ends of this shaft are set in such a manner that they are
capable of sliding with the shaft upwards or downwards, their motion being
adjusted by set screws to each journal, these being placed both above and
below the journal, and by this means the cutters may be set accurately to the
cutting edge of the sole plate. These journals are placed in the frame or side
plates of the machine. The front rollers of the machine I make of wood or

page_text: iron revolving upon a shaft, the ends of which are placed loosely in cast or
wrought iron, or other bearings, and these bearings can be lowered or raised
so as to be adjusted to the proper cut..
The two large rollers or drums of the machine I make of cast iron, and
place them loosely upon a wrought-iron shaft, the rollers being separate and
independent, and the ends of the shaft being placed in bearings fixed to the
side plates of the machine.
By means of a self-acting double clutch placed between the bosses of the
drums I am enabled to make the shaft, and consequently the cutters revolve
only when one or both of the drums are revolving forwards.
The motion of the drums when revolving forwards is carried to the cutters
by spur wheels and pinions, one spur wheel being placed upon the drum shaft,
and gearing into a pinion revolving on a stud on the side frame of the
machine; on this pinion is a stud wheel, similar to the one on the drum shaft,
and this stud wheel gears into a pinion on the cutter shaft.
I make the intermediate or stud wheel and pinion fixed together, and to
revolve on a fixed stud, by which means I obtain increased revolutions to the
cutters.
The side plates or frames, wheels and pinions, drum, scraper, shafts, tie
rods, and side frames of the grass box, and other parts of the machine I make
of malleable cast iron, by which means I avoid the breakage of these parts,
which continually occurs when constructed of cast iron only.
By the improvements above described, I am enabled considerably to
improve the general appearance and practical utility of lawn mowing
machines.
Figure 1 is a side view, and Figure 2 a plan, of a lawn mowing machine
constructed according to my Invention.
a, a, are the side frames of the machine, which are connected together by
the sole plate 6 passing across the machine, and bolted securely to the frames
at each end; c, c, are arms fixed at the hinder ends of the frames a, a, and
having handles d, d, fixed to them; e, e, are cross rods for strengthening the
machine; is the spiral cutter of the machine; it is constructed in the usual
'manner, and its axis is mounted in brasses, or other suitable bushes, which are
capable of being set up or down by screws, so that the cutter may work accu-
rately with the sole plate; f¹, f', are the lower screws, on which the brasses
or bushes rest; and f2, f2, are upper screws, which secure the caps over them;
g is the main axis, it turns in brackets g' bolted to the side frames, and bas
upon it the two drums h, h, which carry and drive the machine. The drums h
are able to turn freely on the axis 9, and between them is a disc
keyed

page_text: thereon; it has ratchet teeth on each face, 'as is clearly shown at Figure 3,
which is a longitudinal section of the drums, and also shows the parts in
connection. therewith. Figure 4 is an end view of the parts shown at
Figure 3, but with one of the drums removed. i, i, are: rings,. turning freely
on the axis g, and having clutch teeth upon them, which engage with similar
teeth on the bosses of the drums h; but loosely, so as to allow the drums to
make a small part of a rotation independently of the rings i; k, k, are stop
rings, clamped on to the axis to prevent the drums sliding longitudinally upon
it;,, are pawls taking into the ratchet teeth of the disc g³, so as to compel
the axis to rotate when either of the drums is turning forwards. When,
however, either of the drums rotates backwards, it travels a short distance
independently of its ring i, so that a projection h¹ on the boss of the drum
may strike the tail of the pawl i, and throw it out of gear with the teeth, so
as to set the drum free to revolve without the axis. When the drum again
revolves forward, it also travels a short distance without the ring i, so that
another projection h³ on the boss of the drum comes up and strikes the tail of
the pawl i,. and thus it is again thrown into gear. with the teeth of the disc g³ ;
1,1, are small rollers to support the machine in front, they turn freely on a bar
or axis carried by standards m, m, secured to the frame by bolts passing
through slotted holes, so that the rollers / may be set up or down according to
the closeness of the cut which it is desired to make; n, n, are draw bars,
which are secured to the upper ends of the standards m. The side frames a, a,
are continued in front of the small rollers to carry a grass box o.
The cutter is actuated in the following manner:-On the main axis g is
keyed a spur wheel p, which gears with a pinion q, turning on a stud set on
one of the side frames a; cast in one piece with. this pinion is another spur
wheel r, and this again gears with a pinion on the axis of the spiral.cutter ;
the method of mounting the wheels q and r, with their stud on the side frame,
is shown at Figures 5 and 6. By employing a pinion and spur.wheel cast or
fixed together, and turning on a stud on the frame to transmit the power from
the main axis to the cutter, a suitable speed of rotation is easily and simply
obtained..
In some cases I employ a brush or fan of india-rubber, hair fibre, or other
suitable material revolving in a box fixed partly in front and over the cutter,
into which the grass is thrown by the cutter; this brush or fan delivering the
grass into a box behind the machine, thereby dispensing with a grass box in
the front of the machine, and allowing the revolving cutters to work close to
the edges of the grass plots, shrubs, and plants. A machine thus arranged is
shown in side view at Figure 7, and a plan of the same at Figure 8. The

page_text: general construction of the machine is similar to that already described, but
being a machine of larger size it is geared on both sides. The parts of the
frame overhanging the front rollers also are dispensed with, and the
standards 8, 8, are substituted.; they carry an axis, on which a fan t is
mounted; its blades are conveniently made of light hoop iron. The Drawing
represents the end of the fan case removed. The fan is driven by the spur
wheel u, gearing with the stud wheel r, and also with a pinion on the fan
axis. Or the fan may be driven by an endless band passing round pulleys on
its axis, and on that of the spiral cutter, as is indicated by the red lines; the
grass box o is in.this arrangement hung between the hand levers, and the fan
taking the grass from the cutter throws it over the top of the plate u* into
the grass box. The plate u* is attached at the back to the bar w of the frame,
clearly shown in section at Figure 10, and in front it rests on a bar carried
by the standards x, x.
In this machine also the arrangement of the clutches,
through which the drums h drive the main axis, is modified here; they are
ordinary clutches with ratchet teeth, held in gear by a spiral spring; each of
them has a recessed ring in it, into which a pin on an arm y enters.. At their
hinder end they are jointed to a projection y¹ from the cross bar w, and over
them a clip y fits; this clip is fixed on an arm y, which at its rear end is
jointed to the handle z, and the handle is jointed at 2¹ to the cross bar w of
the frame. When the handle is raised upwards it carries the clip y³ forward
with it, and this draws together the arms a with the clutches, and so throws
the cutter out of gear.
I greatly increase the power to the revolving cutters by having driving
rollers placed on both front and back of the machine, the cutters being
between them in place of having only one driving roller behind the cutters, as
is usual. Figure 11 shows a train of gear suitable for this arrangement. It will
be seen that the side frames are somewhat lengthened, and front rollers are
applied similar to the back rollers, and they are geared with the spiral cutter
in a similar manner; the machine may in other respects be arranged as
already described.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim,-
First, the application for transmitting motion from the driving axis to the
axis of the spiral cutter of a pinion and spur wheel formed or fixed together,
and mounted on a stud on the side frame, as described.
Second, the application of a fan for receiving the cut grass from the spiral
cutter, and throwing it into a receiver at the back of the machine, as
described.

page_text: Third, the application of driving rollers in front of the spiral cutter in addition
to those at the back, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Bryce Brown, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
J. B. BROWN. (L.S.)