CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS KNOWN AS REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES
Year: 1868

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas Howcroft and Alexander
McGregor at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 5th September 1868.
We, THOMAS HOWCROFT and ALEXANDER MCGREGOR, both of the
Firm of Picksley, Sims, and Company, Limited and Reduced, of Bedford
Leigh, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS
KNOWN AS REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in that class of
agricultural implements known as reaping and mowing machines.
The improvements relate, first, to reaping machines having one main
driving wheel only. The gearing actuating the knives is contained
within and shielded by a dished or dome-shaped cover or case cast.
together and forming part of the framework of the machine; the
lower and forward end of this framework is cast with a flange to

page_text: which the finger bar and sleeve are bolted. In the centre of the
dome-shaped cover or case the main or driving axle wheel is firmly
keyed or fixed; this dome-shaped cover or case has an internal spur
wheel cast on or bolted to its outer face immediately under or inside
the revolving circular plate that covers it; this revolving circular
plate is free to turn on the main axle, and the main driving wheel is
free to turn on the boss or nave of the revolving circular plate; this
boss or nave is of sufficient length to carry an ordinary clutch gear
by which the main driving wheel and revolving circular plate can at
once be connected or disconnected; when disconnected the driving
wheel alone revolve when travelling from one field to another, when
connected the gearing receives 'motion through the revolving circular
plate; this plate carries one or by preference two wheels equidistant
from each other, and at such a distance from the internal spur wheel
that they work into it, and at the same time into a pinion on the
boss or nave of the large bevel wheel, which bevel wheel and pinion
turns freely on the main shaft, and are shielded within the dome-
shaped cover or case; the bevil wheel gives motion to a bevil pinion
on an inclined shaft which through the medium of a crank pin and
connecting rod at its lower end gives motion 'to 'the knife bar; the
inclined shaft turns in a long tubular bearing or cannon bushed at its
two ends forming part of the frame. The shafts are attached to the
main axle by wrought-iron arms, and we attach a lever 'to the same
by which the cutter bar can be either raised or lowered at pleasure,
whether the machine is at work or not.
In constructing mowing machines according to the second part of our
Invention we adopt a modification of the before-described combination
of gear and framework which is formed with a long cross tube or cannon
bearing through which the main or driving shaft of the driving wheels
passes; this shaft we make several inches longer than the cross tube for
the purpose to be hereafter described. At each end of the main or driving
shaft is a driving wheel which is enabled to back or turn in one direction
without causing the main shaft to turn therewith; but when the driving
wheels are going forward 'the shaft is forced to rotate by means of ratchet
wheels and pawls. The main shaft is free to turn in the long cross tube
of the coinbined dome-shaped cover or case and frame; shielded therein
is a large bevil wheel and spur pinion turning freely upon the main

page_text: shaft; also shielded within the dome-shaped cover or case is a pair of
Cross arms, with a long boss, or nave; this boss or nave, has a clutch
gearing formed on its outer face, and by means of a sliding clutch upon
the main shaft the cross arms can at once be connected with or discon-
nected from the main shaft by means of a small hand lever through an
opening in the case or cover; the cross arms upon the boss carries the
two intermediate wheels which work into the internal spur-wheel. cast
or bolted to the dome-shaped case, and also into the spur pinion on the:
boss or nave of the bevil wheel, which latter communicates motion to
the knife bar in the manner described in the first part of our Invention..
The said driving shaft previously referred to is made several inches.
longer than the transverse tube of the frame.
"
In order therefore to convert the said mowing machine into a perfect
reaper wo effect the following alteration:-When used as a mower
the whole of the framework and its component parts are made to slide
upon the main axle towards the outer wheel, and are kept in position by
means of a hinged collar or other loose packing which is equal in length
to the difference between the main driving shaft and the long cross tube
of the frame.. When required to be used as a reaper this hinged collar
or loose packing is removed and the framework made to slide in the
opposite direction towards the inner wheel, and the collar or other loose
packing secured to the opposite end. The draught pole or shaft. is
attached by means of a cast jacket and two wrought-iron arms which are
fitted to the main axle on either side close inside the driving wheels,
which admits of the draught pole keeping the same relative position with,
regard to the driving wheels either as a mower or reaper.. We attach or
cast on the upper front side of the frame a bracket, and by means of two..
sets of holes in the jacket containing the draught pole firmly bolt it to.
the same in the position for either mowing and. reaping..
A third part of the Invention consists in tlie application of a self-acting
sidė delivery apparatus to a two-wheeled mowing machine. According
to this part of our Invention we prefer adopting a different arrangement
of the framework and gearing combined with the cover or case in order-
to admit of the better attachment of the self-delivering apparatus, and
keeping, the finger bar in the same relative position to the self-delivery.
rakes. The arrangement consists in giving motion to. the main axle:

page_text: through the two driving wheels by means of ratchet wheels and pawls
in the manner previously described in the second part of our Invention
relating to mowing machines.
The main driving axle is free to turn within the long cross tube of the
frame. Turning freely upon the axle and shielded within the cover or
case is placed a large bevel wheel which by means of the usual clutch
gearing can be at once connected or disconnected to or from the main
axle; this bevel wheel gears into a bevel pinion on the end of a short
intermediate shaft which turns in a tubular bearing cast to the front end
of the case or frame, and at right angles to the main driving shaft; on the
outer end of the short intermediate shaft is fixed an internal or external
toothed spur wheel which give motion to a spur pinion fixed on the front
end of the crank shaft; this crank shaft works through a tube also at
right angles to the main axle, but some distance below the same, and
lying in a horizontal position when the machine is at work. The tube
in which the crank shaft turns forms a principal part of the framework
of the machine, and underneath this tube and hinged to it is a bracket to
which is attached the finger bar; to this hinged bracket is also attached
an upright standard or standards which support a horizontal tube or
pipe; this horizontal tube or pipe is placed at right angles to the forward
motion of the machine and forms a bearing within which the shaft that
carries the delivery rakes revolve. Motion may be communicated to the
delivery rake shaft by means of a pitch chain and pulleys direct from the
main driving wheel shaft. On the inner end of the delivery rake shaft
we fix or key a circular plate; this plate has a half round groove across
the centre of its face, and a circular plate with a corresponding half
round groove is bolted thereto. Through the tube formed by the two
half round grooves the spindle or shaft which carries the two delivery
rakes is free to turn; to this spindle the delivery rakes are fixed at right
angles to one another. As the shaft revolves the rake arm dips into the
standing corn some distance in front of and parallel with the knife bar.
On the standard next the circular plate we fix a steel cam or quadrant
which catches a projection on the arms of the rakes as they revolve
and cause them suddenly to sweep round the platform in a horizontal
direction, performing one quarter of a revolutation, the opposite in its
turn performing the same operation to the outer circular plate. Upon
the rake shaft we attach two gatherers which revolves with the rake

page_text: shaft and acts upon the "crops" alternately with the "rakes." The
object of this part of our Invention is to allow the driving wheels to
accommodate themselves to the inequalities of the land without altering
the relative position of the delivery rakes and finger bar.