IMPROVEMENTS IN MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Hornsby, of Spittlegate Ironworks, Gran-
tham, in the County of Lincoln, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES."
Sealed the 26th October 1866, and dated the 29th June 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Hornsby at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 29th
June 1866.
I, RICHARD HORNSBY, of Spittlegate Ironworks, Grantham, in the County
of Lincoln, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in mowing and reaping
machines.
In constructing a machine according to this Invention the draft pole or bar
is fixed to a casting or frame to which the driver's seat is fixed. This casting
or frame is formed transversely with a long bearing for the reception of a
cross tube, through which the main or driving shaft of the driving wheels
passes. At each end of the main or driving shaft or axis is a driving wheel,
which is enabled to back or turn in one direction without causing the main

page_text: shaft to turn therewith; but when the driving wheels are going forward they
by means of ratchet wheels and drivers give motion to the driving shaft.
Motion is given to the gearing of the machine by means of a toothed ring or
wheel, which receives motion when the driving wheels are moving forward,
and such toothed ring or wheel is within the driving wheel on the cutter bar
side of the draft pole or bar. Between this main wheel and the draft bar or
pole is a casting or frame which carries the gearing of the machine; this
gearing, casting, or frame is carried by two lugs or projections on the cross
tube. The gearing which is carried by the gearing frame, and which com-
municates motion from the toothed ring or wheel before mentioned to the
knife bar is as follows:-The toothed ring or wheel gives motion to a pinion
on a short shaft or axle carried by the gearing frame or casting. On this short
shaft or axis is a bevilled toothed wheel which gives motion to a bevilled
pinion on an inclined shaft or axis, which shaft or axis by a crank pin and
short link, or connecting rod at its lower end gives motion to the knife bar.
The inclined shaft or axis turns in a long bearing bushed at its two ends
forming part of or fixed to the gearing, casting, or frame. The finger bar is
at its end next the draft pole or bar fixed to and carried by another casting
or frame, which is. connected to the long tubular bearing of the inclined shaft
or axis by two bearings or straps, on which this casting or frame and the
finger bar can turn when such parts rise and fall or are raised off the land.
The fore end of the casting or frame to which the finger bar is fixed projects
forward of such bar and is supported at its forward end by a small wheel, the
position of the axis of which is capable of adjustment. The small wheel and
forward part of the frame or casting of the finger bar is lifted off the land by
a quadrant and chain acted on by a lever handle. By these arrangements the
relative positions of the crank pin on the disc at the lower end of the inclined
shaft and the end of the knife bar is not altered when the knife bar and
finger bar rise and fall by reason of the surface of the land, or when the outer
end of the finger bar is raised off the land or road on which the machine is
travelling. There is a small carrying wheel applied to the dividing shoe at
the outer end of the finger bar, the position of the axis of which is capable
of adjustment, and the point of bearing of the periphery of this wheel is as
near as may be on a line with the points of the fingers. On the cross tubo
of the main shaft is cast, or formed, or fixed a quadrant with notches, which
receive a projection or stud on a bar or lever, the lower end of which is pin
jointed to the gear frame or casting by which such frame or casting i
supported, whether the first motion pinion of the cross shaft be in or out o

page_text: gear with its wheel, and by having other notches in this quadrant provision
may be made for using different sizes of pinions to change the speeds. The
pinion on the short shaft or axis is moved out and into gear by a lever handle,
which is fixed to the cross tube of the main shaft or axis. In some cases the
fingers of the finger bar are arranged nearer together than usual, say, within
three inches, in order that when using a short link or connecting rod between
the driving crank pin and the knife bar the quantity or length of motion may be
reduced. In constructing separate angular cutters or knives in place of the
points where they come together on the knife bar, being straight butt joints,
such points are formed alternately convex and concave, so that the convexity
of one may enter the concavity of the other, and thus give and receive mutual
support. It is preferred that such convexities and concavities should be of
an angular form, but this is not essential.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Hornsby in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th December 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
HORNSBY, of Spittlegate Ironworks, Grantham, in the County of Lincoln,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Richard Hornsby, Her special licence, that I, the said Richard Hornsby, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Richard
Hornsby, 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 MOWING AND
REAPING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Richard Hornsby, my exccutors 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 Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great

page_text: 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 Richard Hornsby, 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and
to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
Figure 1 shows a plan; Figure 2, a side elevation; Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6
show some of the parts separately.
In constructing a machine according to this Invention the draft pole or
bar a is fixed to a casting or frame b, to which the driver's seat c is fixed. This
casting or frame is formed transversely with a long bearing for the reception
of a cross tube d, through which the main or driving shaft e of the driving
wheels f,f, passes. At each end of the main or driving shaft or axis e is a
driving wheel f, which is enabled to back or turn in one direction without
causing the main shaft e to turn therewith, but when the driving wheels are
going forward they by means of ratchet wheels g, g, and drivers h, h, give
motion to the driving shaft. The drivers are pin-jointed to the naves of the
wheels, and are pressed on by springs in the usual manner.
Motion is given
to the gearing of the machine by means of a toothed ring or wheel i, which
is fixed to the driving shaft or axis e, and the ratchet wheels 9, 9, are also
fixed to the driving shaft or axis, and they receive motion when the driving
wheels are moving forward; one of the ratchet wheels g forms part of the ring
or wheel i, and such toothed ring or wheel i is within the driving wheel on
the cutter bar side of the draft pole or bar. Between this main wheel and
the draft bar or pole a is a casting or frame j, which carries the gearing of
the machine; this gearing, casting, or frame is carried by two lugs or pro-
jections k on the cross tube to which the gearing frame is pin-jointed. The
gearing which is carried by the gearing frame j, and which communicates
motion from the toothed ring or wheel before mentioned to the knife bar /, is
as follows: The toothed ring or wheel i gives motion to a pinion m¹ on a
short shaft or axle m, carried by the gearing frame or casting j. On this
short shaft or axis m is a bevilled toothed wheel m², which gives motion to a
bevilled pinion m³ on an inclined shaft or axis m', which shaft or axis by a
crank pin m³, and short link or connecting rod mo at its lower end gives
motion to the knife bar 1. The inclined shaft or axis turns in a long bear-
ing j¹ bushed at its two ends, forming part of or fixed to the gearing, casting,
or frame j. The finger bar n is at its end next the draft pole or bar a

page_text: fixed to and carried by another casting or frame, which is connected to the
long tubular bearing of the inclined shaft or axis by two bearings or straps
jj, on which this casting or frame and the finger bar can turn when such
parts rise and fall or are raised off the land. The fore end of the casting
or frame to which the finger bar is fixed projects forward of such bar, and is
supported at its forward end by a small wheel j, the position of the axis of
which is capable of adjustment. The small wheel and forward part of the
frame or casting of the finger bar is lifted off the land by a quadrant and.
chain o acted on by a lever handle o'. By these arrangements the relative
positions of the crank pin on the disc at the lower end of the inclined shaft
and the end of the knife bar is not altered when the knife bar and finger bar
rise and fall by reason of the irregularities of the surface of the land, or when
the outer end of the finger bar is raised off the land or road on which the
machine is travelling. I would, however, remark that other means have
before been resorted to in order to retain the finger bar, the cutter bar, and
the crank constantly in the same relative positions, whether the finger and
cutter bars are raised or otherwise; but in the present arrangement the end
of the cutter bar is jointed concentrically with the crank shaft, which is situated
between the pole or line of draft and the end of the finger bar. There is a
small carrying wheel p applied to the dividing shoe at the outer end of the
finger bar, the position of the axis of which is capable of adjustment, and the
point of bearing of the periphery of this wheel is as near as may be on a line
with the points of the fingers. On the cross tubed of the main shaft is cast or
formed or fixed a quadrant d' with notches, which receive a projection or stud
on a bar or lever d², the lower end of which is pin-jointed to the gear frame
or casting by this bar d², such frame or casting is supported in either of two
positions, that is to say, whether the first-motion pinion of the cross shaft be
in or out of gear with its wheel, and by having other notches in this quadrant
provision may be made for using different sizes of pinions to change the speeds.
This first-motion pinion on the short shaft or axis is moved out and into gear
by a lever handle q, which is fixed to the cross tube of the main shaft or axis.
In some cases the fingers of the finger bar are arranged nearer together than
usual, say, within three inches, in order that when using a short link or con-
necting rod between the driving crank pin and the knife bar the quantity or
length of motion may be reduced, but this is not essential. In constructing
separate angular cutters or knives r, r, Figure 1, according to part of my
Invention, in place of the points where they come together on the knife bar,
being straight butt joints, such points as at s', s¹, are formed alternately

page_text: convex and concave, so that the convexity of one may enter the concavity of
the other, and thus give and receive mutual support. It is preferred that
such convexities and concavities should be of an angular form, but this is not
essential.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Hornsby, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
RICHARD HORNSBY. (L.S.).