IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES."-A com-
munication from abroad by Samuel Johnston, of Brockport, New
York United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 17th June 1872.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
5 Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES,"
a communication, to be as follows:—

page_text: The frame of the machine consists of a continuous bar or strip of
wrought iron bolted to the tongue. The bearings of the axle are bolted
to the said frame. The driving wheel turns loosely on the axle, and has
cast or otherwise secured on it an internal gear wheel, into which meshes
a pinion on one end of the countershaft, on whose other end is a bevel
gear wheel. The bearing of the countershaft is a sleeve secured in any
suitable way to the main frame. The said pinion slides on the counter-
shaft, and is made fast or loose thereon to throw the cutting machinery
into or out of gear by means of a lever and the usual slot and feather.
A plate bolted or otherwise secured to the left rear corner of the frame
supports the rear end of the crank shaft sleeve, the front end of which is
rigidly secured (either directly or intermediately) to the frame. Within
the said sleeve is the crank shaft, on whose front end is a bevel pinion
meshing into a bevel wheel, and on its rear end is the crank wheel, to
which is connected the pitman that reciprocates the knife bar. The
support of the driver's seat is bolted to a projection from the counter-
shaft bearing or is secured in any convenient way to the frame. The
footboard is fastened to the main frame and tongue.
To a shoe on the inner end of the finger bar is rigidly attached the
drag bar, suspended at its front end by a link from a bent lever, so that
it can be moved up and down and also turn on its axis within a slotted
hanger. This hanger is fastened to the tongue, and the said bent lever
may be supported by it. An upright standard is also rigidly secured to
the front end of the shoe. To the top and foot of this standard are
pivoted two parallel bars, whose other ends are pivoted to the plate at
the left rear corner of the frame. The top of this standard is forked,
and the ends of the forks are recessed on the inside to receive a ball on
the outer end of the upper bar, so as to form a ball-and-socket joint.
The pressure of the forks against the ball is regulated by an adjusting
screw.
To the rear of the tongue is bolted the support of the suspension lever,
to which one of the said bars is connected by a chain or other flexible
connection. The said bars and standard form a parallel motion, and in
combination with the suspension lever and flexible connection enable
the cutting apparatus to be raised from the ground in mowing, and
adjusted at various heights in reaping. The drag bar serves to draw the

page_text: cutting apparatus forward as the machine advances, and to support the
said apparatus against strains which tend to wrench it from the machine,
while the parts which compose the parallel motion enable the cutting
apparatus to support the machine, and prevent its toppling over.
By means of the tilting lever, drag bar, and ball-and-socket joint at
the upper angle of the parallel motion next the cutting apparatus, the
finger beam may be tilted so as to elevate or depress the points of the
guard fingers.
When the machine is to be used for reaping, the grain platform and
raking apparatus are attached to it by bolting the main beam of the said
platform to the inner shoc and the divider to the outer shoe. The said
beam extends inwardly beyond the shoe, and to this inner extension is
bolted the standard which supports the raking apparatus.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 14th December 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patents Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special licence
that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as the said William Robert Lake, 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 HARVESTING MACHINES," a communication to me from abroad by Samuel

page_text: frame. The sleeve C supports the rear end of the crank shaft. The
front bearing of the shafting consists of two sleeves E, F, made in one
piece, from which project two arms G, G. This bearing is formed with
suitable lugs bolted to the front and sides of the frame. The upper
sleeve E supports the front end of the second countershaft, and the lower
slceve F that of the crank shaft. The ends of the arms G, G, are formed
into sleeves to support the first countershaft.
The driving wheels H, H, turn loosely on the axle I, and may be
provided with the usual locking ratchets. The bearings of the axle are
bolted to the main frame. To the outer wheel is rigidly attached an
internal gear wheel J, meshing with a pinion K on the outer end of the
first countershaft, which is parallel to and. in front of the axle, and has
on it a bevel gear wheel L, meshing with a bevel pinion M on the rear
end of the second countershaft. This second countershaft is parallel
to the pole or line of draught of the machine, and has on its front end
another internal gear wheel N, into which meshes a pinion O on the
front end of the crank shaft. The aforesaid pinion K slides on its shaft,
and may be made fast or loose thereon to throw the machine into or out
of gear by means of the usual shipping lever and slot and feather.
To the wheel on the rear end of the crank shaft is attached in tho
usual manner the inner end of the pitman or rod whose outer end is
forked, the ends of the forks being recessed on the inside to receive the
ball Q on the head of the knife bar R, thus forming a ball-and-socket
joint. The pressure of the forks against the ball Q is regulated by the
adjusting screw S.
To the rearward projection T" of the inner shoe T, which is in one piece
with the finger beam U or rigidly attached thereto, is pivotted the outer
end of the coupling arm W, whose inner end is forked to embrace a
ball V on the end of a hanger secured to the frame of the machine. The
joint between the hanger and coupling arm is of the same construction
as that between the aforesaid pitman and knife head, or the ordinary
ball-and-socket joint may be used. There is a stop Z on the coupling
arm to prevent the inner end of the finger beam from rising above a
certain height.
The rear end of the drag bar A¹ is rigidly attached to the front of the

page_text: its axial motion. The draft rod B¹ is of the bent form shown in the
Drawing. Its front end is pivoted at C₁ to the tongue, and its other end
passes through a lug D' on the front bearing of the shafting, and is held
loosely therein by a nut on either side of the lug D', so that the outer
angle E¹ can rise and fall.
-
The tilting lever F" is supported on the tongue, and connected by a
link G¹ to the draft rod. H' is the suspension lever, also supported on
the tongue, and connected with the coupling arm by a rod and chain I',
or other flexible connection. The chain passes over a pulley J¹ on the
rear end of the tongue, which extends to the rear of the frame, and
above the rearwardly inclined coupling arm. The gearing is covered by
a plate attached to the front portion of the frame, and which supports
a driver's seat and footboard. The pivotal connections of the shoe T,
with the draft rod in front and the coupling arm in the rear, permit
the finger beam to be turned around the axis of the drag bar and folded
on the frame for transportation.
The ball-and-socket joint at V permits the finger beam to be tilted
by means of the tilting lever connected by a link to the draft rod, the
movement of which lever elevates or depresses the front end of the drag
bar, and thereby the points of the guard fingers. By means of the
suspension lever H' and its connection with the coupling arm, the inner
end of the finger beam may be adjusted at different heights in reaping,
and may be lifted in mowing till it comes in contact with the stop Z,
after which, if the lever be still moved forward, the finger beam will be
lifted bodily from the ground.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the
same, I wish it understood that I claim,―
The frame made of a continuous bar of wrought iron set up edgewisc
and bent into substantially the form shewn.
The tongue extending to the rear of the frame and forming a point of
suspension for the coupling iron.
The inner shoe constructed with a rearward projection in combination
with a coupling arm extending from the rear of said shoe to the rear of

page_text: the frame, and a drag bar extending from the front of said shoe, and
connected directly or intermediately with the tongue.
The combination of the drag bar with the draft rod, constructed and
arranged substantially as described.
The combination, substantially as described, of the forked pitman with
the ball on the knife head.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
savontu tura
Witness,
JAMES EDWARDS,
8, Southampton Buildings,
W.C.
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)