IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE RAKES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Brassington Bamford, of the Firm of Henry
Bamford and Sons, of Uttoxeter, in the County of Stafford, Agricultural
Implement Makers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE RAKES."
Sealed the 18th November 1879, and dated the 21st June 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Brassington Bamford
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st June 1879.
SAMUEL BRASSINGTON BAMFORD, of the Firm of Henry Bamford and Sons, of
Uttoxeter, in the County of Stafford, Agricultural Implement Makers. IMPROVE-
MENTS IN HORSE RAKES."
"
My Invention consists of the improvements herein after described in horse rakes,
whereby efficiency in action and simplicity in construction are secured.
In constructing a horse rake according to my Invention I place above the main
axle of the rake a parallel bar, the said bar being supported by its ends on uprights
fixed near the ends of the main axle of the rake. The seat of the driver is supported
on the said parallel bar, the supports of the said seat being carried down below the
said bar and terminating in forked bosses, which embrace the main axle.
By this arrangement the weight of the driver is prevented from deflecting the
main axle, and the draw bars are so supported that the twisting to which they are
ordinarily exposed is largely counteracted.
I arrange the swinging frame to which the teeth of the rake are hinged and the
parts connected with the said swinging frame in the following manner:- -The said
swinging frame is so connected with a series of levers operated by a hand lever
that when the parts are allowed to take, by the action of a spring, their normal
positions, the said swinging frame is fixed in a nearly horizontal position. By
pulling the hand lever towards him the driver causes an arm turning on the
parallel bar described to act upon the series of levers, and raising one of them out
of the dead line in which the swinging frame is preserved in its horizontal position,
gives the parts liberty of motion. The said swinging frame can now descend, and
by its descent the forks are raised. On loosing the lever, the weight of the forks
and the action of the spring produce the return motions of the several parts, and
the swinging frame returns to its normal stationary position.
In order to operate the teeth of the rake so as to gather and liberate the gathered
hay I employ the following arrangement of parts:-On the boss of each road wheel

page_text: I fix a ratchet wheel, and the swinging frame carries two latches capable of being
When the
engaged with and disengaged from the said ratchet wheels respectively.
latches are engaged with the ratchet wheels the swinging frame is carried round by
the motion of the ratchet wheels until it has described such an angle as causes it to
lift the teeth of the rake sufficiently high to liberate them from the hay they have
gathered. Fixed on the frame work of the machine are two stops against which
the latches strike when the swinging frame has been raised. The latches are
thereby thrown out of gear with the ratchet wheels and the swinging frame falls
and the teeth of the rake are raised. The latches are operated by the foot of the
driver depressing a treadle, the latches having sufficient elasticity to allow them to
take into the ratchet wheels when the teeth of one of the ratchet wheels are some-
what in advance of those of the other ratchet wheel. The mechanism for raising
the teeth of the rake' may also be operated by hand instead of by a treadle..
'
SPECIFICATION-in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Samuel Brassington Bamford in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 17th December 1879.
"
SAMUEL BRASSINGTON BAMFORD, of the Firm of Henry Bamford and Sons, of
IMPROVE-
Uttoxeter, in the County of Stafford, Agricultural Implement Makers.
MENTS IN HORSE RAKES,"
My Invention consists of the improvements herein after described in horse rakes,
whereby efficiency in action and simplicity in construction are secured.
In constructing a horse rake according to my Invention I place above the main
axle of the rake a parallel bar, the said bar being supported by its ends on uprights
fixed near the ends of the main axle to the rake. The seat of the driver is supported
on the said parallel bar, the supports of the said seat being carried down below the
said bar, terminating in forked bosses, which embrace the main axle.
By this arrangement the weight of the driver is prevented from defecting the
main axle, and the draw bars are so supported that the twisting to which they are
ordinarily exposed is largely counteracted.
I arrange the swinging frame to which the teeth of the rake are hinged and the
parts connected with the said swinging frame in the following manner:-The said
swinging frame is so connected with a series of levers operated by a hand lever that
when the parts are allowed to take, by the action of a spring, their normal positions,
the said swinging frame is fixed in a nearly horizontal position. By pulling the
hand lever towards him, the driver causes an arm turning on the parallel bar
described to act upon the series of levers, and moving one of them out of the dead
line in which the swinging frame is preserved in its horizontal position gives the
parts liberty of motion. The said swinging frame can now descend and by its
descent the teeth are raised. On loosing the lever the weight of the teeth and the
action of the spring produce the return motions of the several parts, and the
swinging frame returns to its normal stationary position..

page_text: In order to operate the teeth of the rake so as to gather and liberate the gathered
hay I employ the following arrangement of parts:-
On the boss of one of the road wheels fix a ratchet wheel, and the swinging
frame carries a latch capable of being engaged with and disengaged from the said
ratchet wheel When the latch is engaged with the ratchet wheel the swinging
frame is carried round by the motion of the ratchet wheel until it has described
such an angle as causes it to lift the teeth of the rake sufficiently high to liberate
them from the hay they have gathered. Fixed on the frame work of the machine
is a stop, against which the latch strikes when the teeth have been raised. The
latch is thereby thrown out of gear with the ratchet wheel and the teeth of the
rake fall.
The latch is operated by the foot of the driver depressing a treadle which operates
on the rear elastic part of the said latch.
I will now describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in
which my Invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in plan a horse rake containing my improvements; Figure 2
is a back clevation of the same, and Figure 3 a side elevation of the same;
Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7 represent parts of the horse rake.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the Drawing.
.
"
a is the main axle of the horse rake and b the parallel bar supported by its enda
on uprights c, c. These uprights are fixed to the axlo a by set screws, one of which
is represented at d, Figure 6; e is the seat of the driver, which seat is supported on
the parallel bar 6. The arched supports f, f, of the said seat o are carried down
below the parallel bar b and terminate in forked bosses g, g, (see Figure 7) which
forked bosses embrace the main axle a. By this arrangement the weight of the
driver being supported on the parallel bar b does not deflect the main axle a.
draw bars h are connected to the parallel bar b, as represented, and constitute with
the said bar b a rigid frame, not liable to the twisting or deflection to which draw
bars as ordinarily constructed are liable.
Tho
The swinging frame i and parts connected therewith are arranged in the following
manner :-
The said swinging frame is connected to a series of levers i³, ³ (seo Figures 4
and 5). These levers 2, 3, are operated upon by hand by means of the lever l.
When the parts take by the action of the spring their normal position, as
represented in Figure 4, the said swinging frame is in a nearly horizontal posi-
tion, the three centres of the levers i and m being in the dead line n, Figure 4, and
the parts are consequently fixed in that position, the teeth being in their depressed
or lowest position. By the driver pulling the hand lever towards him and giving
it the position represented in Figure 5 the lever m is made to turn on the parallel
bar b, and being thrown out of the dead line n, Figure 4, the parts assume the
positions represented in Figure 5. By the swinging frame assuming the position,
Figure 5, the teeth x of the rake are raised. On the driver loosing the hand
lever the weight of the teeth x and the action of the spring & produce the return
motion of the several parts, which resume the relative positions represented in
Figure 4.
The lifting of the teeth x may not only be effected, as already described, by the
driver moving the hand lever k but may also be effected by the advancing motion
of the rake.
In order to effect the raising of the teeth x and the liberation of the gathered
hay by the motion of the rake the driver depresses with his foot the treadlo t.
Connected with the treadle t is a barrel y turning on the parallel bar band carrying
a short arm or pallet y³. This short arm or pallet is situated under the cranked
lever m, and the descending motion of the treadle t raises the said cranked lever m,
and thereby throws the centres out of the dead line n and unlocks the levers m,
23, 23. The arm u¹ of the lever u connected as represented to the treadlo t is at the
same time moved outwards. By this outward motion of the arm u¹ the spring
"

page_text: arm of the latch is pressed outwards, and the said latch turning on the
centre is pressed towards the ratchet wheel q fixed on the boss of the road
wheel p.
The latch r cannot however engage with the ratchet wheel q until the
swinging frame i has descended so far that the latch is below the fixed stop 8
(see Figure 6), when the latch r takes into the ratchet wheel q. The swinging t
frame is there by geared to the ratchet wheel q, and by the motion of the said wheel
When the teeth x
the said swinging frame is depressed and the teeth raised.
have reached the position, Figure 5, the latch r is brought against the stop w (see
Figure 6), by which stop the latch r is lifted from the ratchet wheel q, when the
swinging frame being no longer geared to the ratchet wheel q falls and the several
parts resume the positions represented in Figure 4. The driver only depresses the
treadlo until the latch r has engaged with the ratchet wheel g, when he lifts his
foot from the treadle and only presses on the treadle again when he wishes again to
raise the teeth x. The treadle t is prolonged backwards (see Figure 3) and termi-
nates in a handle t2, by lifting which a person at the back of the rake can effect the
action described as being effected by the foot of the driver on the treadle t.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention of
Improvements in Horse Rakes,"-
"
First. The parallel bar b supported at or near its ends on the main axle of the
rake, the said bar carrying the seat of the driver, and forming with the draw
bars h, h, a rigid frame, thereby preventing the deflection of the main axle and
the twisting of the draw-bars, as herein before described, and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawing.
Secondly. The lever mechanism, herein before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawing, connected with the swinging frame carrying the teeth of
the rake for operating upon the said swinging frame, so as to raise and lower and
lock the said frame by the action of a hand lever or by a treadle and latch, and
thereby raise and lower at the required tinies the teeth of the rake.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Brassington Bamford, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
Witness,
EDWARD POVEY,
Uttoxeter.
SAMUEL BRASSINGTON DADFORD.