Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 8th May, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 8th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 9th Mar., 1889
I EDWARD CHRISTOPHER BLACKSTONE of the Firm of Jeffery and Blackstone of
Stamford in the County of Lincoln, Agricultural Implement Makers, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to what are known as "self-acting" rakes, and the invention
consists in a novel arrangement of mechanism for raising the tines, and for regulating
the position of the tines with respect to the surface of the ground, according to the
nature of the crop.
In carrying out my invention, I provide a rocking frame, the side pieces of which
are formed like hell cranks, which are mounted on the main axle. In the front of this
frame are pivotted the tines or teeth, and at the rear is a shaft on which the pawls
are keyed. Ratchet wheels on the main axle are also provided, and also a stop to
release the pawls as usual.
The pawls are counterweighted so that their tendency is to fall into gear with the
ratchets, but they are held out of gear by a hook which enters between the prongs of
a forked piece, also keyed on the pawl shaft.
The hook is formed at one end of a cranked arın, which is pivotted near the hook
end to a counterweighted arm mounted loosely on, and projecting forward of the pawl
axle. The other end of the cranked arm is pivotted to an arm keyed on a short axle
carried by the frame of the machine. On this axle is a lever handle by which the
axle may be rocked, so as to alter the position of the rocking frame, to regulate the
height of the tines or teeth from the ground.
The tines are held in the desired position by a nut on one end of this axle, which
draws up a serrated plate on the other end into contact with a similar surface on the
frame of the machine.
As
The unlocking of the hook to release the pawls is effected either by a hand or foot
lever suitably mounted, and which bears. against the underside of the hook arm.
the lever is depressed, it raises the hook out of gear with the forked detent, and
allows the pawls to fall into the ratchet teeth, by which means the rocking frame, as
the machine moves forward, is tipped downwards, and the tines are raised.

page_text: When the pawl reaches the stop, it is forced out of the ratchet, and by reason of its
counterweight, is held out of gear; the hook falls into the forked detent, and places
the pawls in the position to fall onto the ratchet wheel when again released.
The above described arrangement is simple and effective, and is not likely to get
out of order.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Horse-rakes.
I EDWARD CHRISTOPHER BLACKSTONE, of the Firm of Jeffery & Blackstone, of
Stamford, in the County of Lincoln, Agricultural Implement Makers, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to what are known as "self-acting" horse rakes, and consists
in. a novel arrangement of mechanism whereby the dip or position of the tines with
respect to the surface of the ground is regulated (according to the nature of the crop
to be gathered), and the action of the tines is controlled.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a "self-acting" horse rake fitted with my improvements,
the near travelling wheel being removed.
Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of the same, and,
Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the machine, taken in the line 1, 2 of Fig. 2,
shewing the tines as adjusted to the proper dip for acting upon a corn crop.
In these Figures, A A are the travelling wheels, mounted loosely on a dead axle A',
and fitted with ratchet wheels A2-B B is the main frame, made fast to the dead
axle A', and extending forward to receive the shafts for the draught horse, and forming
a rigid structure with the shafts.
The forward end of this frame serves to carry a pair of adjusting plates, by means
of which the adjustment of the dip of the tines is effected, as will be hereafter
explained.
C is the tine frame, fulcrummed on the axle A¹, and formed with cranked side bars
and two intermediate cranked bars, all of which are braced together at their front
ends. In rear of this bracing piece is fitted the tine rod C³, on which the tines C³ are
mounted. The rear and elevated end of the frame C carries a divided rocking pawl

page_text: shaft C', each half of which shaft carries a pawl,-one for each travelling wheel. The
portions of the divided shaft are mounted in sleeve bearings C, made fast to the tine
frame, and supported at their inner ends by the intermediate cranked bars C-C are
weighted pawls keyed to the outer ends of the shafts C³, and taking respectively into
the teeth of the ratchet wheels affixed to the travelling wheels A.-The inner ends of
the pawl shafts are fitted with radial plates C, which are flanged at their upper edge,
and formed with a pair of detents on their inner faces. These detents or projections,
when the pawl shafts are in their normal position relatively to each other, are intended
to receive between them a hook or pendent finger d, bolted to a central beam D.-
This hook or finger is made taper, to facilitate its introduction between the detents,
and it terminates in a wedge shape, to enable it to bring the opposed detents in line
with each other. The object of this finger is to lock the divided pawl shaft and keep
the pawls out of action while the raking is proceeding.-The bean D is supported, at
its front end, on a pivot pin fitted to a pair of adjusting plates D' D³, carried by the
main frame B.-This beam D is further supported by being pivotted, at the point 1,
to a forked lever D³, which embraces the inner ends of the sleeve bearings C, and is
extended upwards to form a handle D for the attendant.-The pendent finger dis
wide enough to hold the detents of both plates C, so that both weighted pawls may
be held out of action by it while the raking action is proceeding. When, however,
the finger is raised clear of the detents, and the machine is being turned, one
pawl will, by reason of the pawl shaft being divided, be free to act independently
of the other, and lift the tines clear of the ground.
The descent of the finger d to the locking position is automatic, it being drawn
down by the dropping of the tine frame, (facilitated, when required, by a weight
on the handle D) to the position of Fig. 1.-This descent of the finger is effected
by reason of the connection of the beam D with the tine frame through the forked
lever D³, the movement of which towards a horizontal position is arrested by a
stop on the beam D.-The beam D is fitted at its forward end with a troad
plato D, and at its opposite end with a handle D, which is in addition to the
handle D already referred to. The position of the pivot 1, when the machine is at
work, is, as shown at Fig. 1, considerably below a line drawn from the pivotted end
of the beam D to the centre of the pawl shaft. When the pivot pin 1 is thus depressed,
the beam D and the forked lever D will lock the tine frame in position, but, on the
locking beam D being raised to the position shewn in Fig. 4, the tine frame will be
free to rock on its fulcrum, for the purpose of lifting the tines clear of the crop.
The adjustment of the tines or teeth is effected in the following manner :-An
adjusting plate D' is set up vertically on the forward end of the frame B, and near
to its centre, and is secured to it by screw bolts.-The centre of this plate D¹ forms
a bearing for a short transverse shaft D*, to one end of which is keyed a second.
adjusting plate D². The opposite end of this shaft is carried by a bearing on the
frame B, and projecting through this bearing, it receives an adjusting .nut, the
extremity of the shaft being threaded for that purpose..
Keyed to a shaft D* is a hand lever d², and between the boss of this hand lever
and the outer bearing of the shaft, is a coiled spring d³, which serves, when the nut d'
is slackened, to force the plates D' D' apart, and thereby admit of the axial adjust-
ment of the loose plate D.-The contact surfaces of the two plates are cast with a
ring of interlocking projections, so that, when brought together, and secured by the
adjusting nut d', they will become firmly connected.
The plate D is furnished with a lug on its periphery, to receive a pivot pin, which
connects it with the locking beam D, as already explained, and, through the forked
lever D³, pivotted to that beam, with the tine frame. According, therefore, to the
adjustment of the plate D with respect to the fixed plate D', so will the normal
position of the rocking frame be fixed with respect to the main frame and axle, and
so will the tine rod C be either raised or lowered, and consequently the tines with
respect to the ground, to suit the nature of the crop with which the machine has to
deal. When the tine rod C is sufficiently lowered to allow the tines to rest on the
main axle A', it follows that any further lowering of the tine rod C₁ will necessarily

page_text: lift the point of the tines from the ground. Inversely, if the tine rod be raised
while the points of the tines rest on the ground, any further raising of the rod C₁ will
lift the tines clear of the axle altogether, and allow them perfect freedom to follow
any inequality of the ground on which they rest.
The dropping of the pawls into gear with their ratchet wheels, for the purpose of
lifting the tines clear of the crop, is effected by the withdrawal of the finger d from
between the two detents of the plates C.-This may be done in either of three ways,
according to the convenience of the attendant, viz. :-By depressing the tread plate D³,
or by lifting either of the handles D or D, to bring the beam D into the position of
Fig. 4. When this is done, the shafts C will be free to rock and allow the pawls
to drop into gear with their respective ratchet teeth. At the same time, the position
of the pivot 1 is raised, so as to be above a line drawn from the pivotted end of
beam D to the centre of pawl shafts C³, thereby unlocking the tine frame, and leaving
it free to be raised automatically by the further traverse of the horse rake.
It will now be understood that the continued progress of the machine along the
field will cause the travelling wheels, by their ratchets and pawls, to tip the tine
frame, and thereby lift the tines clear of the ground, and of any crop or substance
that they have collected, leaving it on the ground in windrows. When, however, the
tines have reached the raised position of Fig. 5, the weighted pawls will be brought
into contact with stops a standing up from the axle A¹, and being then tripped, the
tine frame will fall, together with its tines, to the normal position of Fig. 1. This
will again bring the finger d down to its position between the detents of the plates C,
and thereby prevent the weighted pawls from dropping again into gear with their
ratchets. When the weighted pawl is thrown out of gear, by the stop a, its balance
weight prevents it from falling in again. Then the bevelled end of the finger d falls
upon one of the detents, thus bringing the balance weight of the pawl over the
centre, ready to drop again in gear with its ratchet wheel whenever the finger is
again withdrawn. The finger then resumes its original position, and the pivot
does so likewise. The beam D and lever D' are then again in "lock," and the
swinging frame cannot shift its position until the finger d is again removed and
the point 1 is raised.
From the foregoing explanation, it will be understood that in order to set the tines
to any desired position, say, that illustrated at Fig. 3, it will only be necessary to
shift the adjusting plate D2, so as to draw forward the cranked beam D a sufficient
distance to ensure the proper dip of the frame C, which will draw the tines upwards
over the axle A, on which they rest as on a stop bar. When the desired position
is thus attained, the plate D2 is locked in its adjusted position by the nut . The
seat for the attendant is supported by an arm E standing up from the main
framing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
The arrangement of mechanism above described for adjusting the dip of the tines in
self-acting horse-rakes, to suit the crop intended to be gathered in; locking the tine
frame in its adjusted position, and retaining the lifting pawls out of action while the
raking is proceeding.
DL: 01
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