A NEW OR IMPROVED IMPLEMENT FOR BREAKING UP LAND.
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Pirie, of Nether Kinmundy, in the
County of Aberdeen, North Britain, for the Invention of "A
NEW OR IMPROVED IMPLEMENT FOR BREAKING UP LAND.
Sealed the 21st November 1873, and dated the 14th June 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Pirie at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th June 1873.
I, THOMAS PIRIE, of Nether Kinmundy, in the County of Aberdeen,
North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of
"A NEW OR IMPROVED IMPLEMENT FOR BREAKING UP LAND," to be as follows,
that is to say :-
This Invention which relates to an improved arrangement or con-
struction of implement for disintegrating or reducing heavy or clay lands
to a fine mould, and thereby rendering such lands more suitable for the
reception of green crops than hitherto, consists of a series of cutters or
knives attached by compound swivels or joints to a framing or beam,

page_text: which is supported upon a leading wheel at the forward end, and upon
carrying wheels at the rearward end of the apparatus.
The cutters or knives, of which any suitable number may be employed,
are inclined at an angle towards the rearward end of the implement, and
are arranged one behind the other in the framing or beam, which is
placed diagonally with the length of the apparatus.
The axis of the carrying wheels is attached to the framing or beam by
means of a swivel pin or stud, and a guiding lever is jointed thereto,
by operating which the carrying wheels and cutters or knives may be
turned to any angle relatively with the framing or beam, and thereby
cause the cutters or knives to operate upon any desired breadth of
land.
The leading wheel is caused to move in unison with the carrying
wheels and cutters or knives by means of connecting rods attached to a
cross head on the guiding lever, and also to a cross head on the upper
end of the axis or bearing of the leading wheel. Similar cross heads
are placed on the upper extremities of the cutters or knives, and by
means of this arrangement, when the guiding lever is raised, the
points of the cutters or knives are thrown rearwards clear of the ground,
or when the guiding lever is turned to the right or left of the implement
the wheels and cutting edges of the cutters or knives are correspondingly
turned.
In lieu of attaching the cutters or knives to the framing or beam by
compound or swivel joints as herein-before set forth, they may be
attached thereto by means of ordinary pins or studs, in which case the
cutters or knives have a forward and backward motion only, the said
motion being effected by means of a rod attached to the guiding lever,
and to the upper extremities of the cutters or knives, the leading wheel
being caused to turn in unison with the carrying wheels by means of a
rod attached to the axis of the latter, and to a crank on the axis of the
former.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Pirie in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 13th December 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
PIRIE, of Nether Kinmundy, in the County of Aberdeen, North Britain,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
36th year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas Pirie, Her special license that I,
the said Thomas Pirie, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Thomas Pirie, my executors, administrators,
or 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 "A NEW OR IMPROVED IMPLEMENT FOR
BREAKING UP LAND," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Thomas Piric, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
scal, 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 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 Thomas Pirie, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention, which relates to an improved arrangement or con-
struction of implement for discntegrating or reducing heavy or clay.
lands to a fine mould, and thereby rendering such lands more suitable
for the reception of green crops than hitherto, consists of a series of
cutters or knives attached by compound or swivel joints to a framing or

page_text: beam, which is supported upon a leading wheel at the forward end and
upon carrying wheels at the rearward end of the apparatus.
The cutters or knives, of which any suitable number may be employed,
are inclined at an angle towards the rearward end of the implement, and
are arranged one behind the other in the framing or beam which is placed
diagonally with the length of the apparatus.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood I
now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner
in or under which the same is or may be used or practically carried into
effect, that is to say :-
On Sheet 1 of the Drawings hereunto appended Figure 1 is a side
elevation, and Figure 2 a plan of one arrangement of the implement
constructed in accordance with my said Invention. As shown by these
Figures the apparatus consists of a framing or beam A, within which a
series of cutters or knives B, inclined towards the rearward end of the
implement, are supported, the stems or shanks at the upper end of each
cutter or knife B being passed through a hole or opening formed in an
inclined block C, which is supported in the framing or beam A by swivel
pins a, passed through the sides of the framing or beam, as shewn, and
on which the knives or cutters are free to turn through an arc in a
vertical plane. The framing or beam A is supported at the forward
end upon a leading wheel D, carried in a castor E, the shank or stem of
which is passed through an opening formed in a block G placed in the
framing A, as shewn. A series of holes 6 are formed in the castor E,
through any of which the pin c, securing the castor in position may be
passed, thereby regulating the height from the ground of the forward
end of the framing or beam A. At its rearward end the framing or
beam A is supported upon carrying wheels H, the axis I of which is
passed through an eye formed at the upper end of a swivel pin or stud J
placed in a hole or opening formed in the block K at the rearward end
of the framing and secured in position by a nut d.
Figure 3 (Sheet 1) is a detailed view of the swivel pin or stud J. The
shaft I is also passed through the forked end of a lever L, and to the
lever L the cutters or knives B are attached by cross heads M and con-
necting links N as shewn. By means of this arrangement when the
guiding lever L is operated to the right or left of the implement the
carrying wheels H and cutters or knives B are turned to any desired

page_text: angle relatively with the framing or beam A, thereby causing the cutters
or knives to operate upon a greater or less breadth of land. The con-
necting links N are jointed at e to allow of the motion of the lever L and
the links when the lever is so turned. The leading wheel D is caused to
move in unison with the carrying wheels H and cutters or knives B by
means of a connecting rod X, attached at one end to the axis I of the
wheels H, and at the opposite end to a crank O, situate upon the upper
end of the castor E of the leading wheel D, as shewn; or the leading
wheel may be caused to move in unison with the carrying wheels H by
placing a cross head on the lever L, and attaching it by links to a similar
cross head placed on the upper end of the castor E. Behind the
carrying wheels H a raiser or coulter P is hung from the guiding lever L,
the blade of which has a twist or turn towards one side of the implement,
as shewn on the Drawings, and by the raiser or coulter P the land cut or
disintegrated by the cutters or knives B is broken up into a loose
condition. The cutters or knives B are sunk into and raised out of the
ground as desired by depressing or raising the rearward end of the
lever L through an arc in a vertical plane, whereby the cutters or
knives B and blocks C are correspondingly turned through an arc on the
swivel pins or studs a. To allow of the free motion of the cutters or
knives in this direction the connecting links N are jointed at f, as shewn.
At the rearward end of the framing or beam A. a tail piece or bracket R
is fixed, having a cross head S formed on its upper end. The forward
extremity of a rod T, attached to the lever L, enters beneath the cross
head S when the cutters or knives are in position for effecting the
breaking up or disintegrating operations. By this means the lever Lis
locked in position, thereby preventing the cutters or knives from rising
out of the ground. When it is desired to raise the cutters or knives the
rod T is pulled rearwards against the resistance of the spring / until the
forward end thereof is clear of the cross head S, after which the lever L
and cutters or knives may be raised, as herein-before set forth.
Under a modified arrangement of the implement illustrated in side
elevation at Figure 1, and in plan at Figure 2, Sheet 2, of the Drawings,
the inclined blocks C of the cutters or knives B, in lieu of being made
to swivel are fixed rigidly between the sides of the framing or beam A.
The framing or beam A is supported at the forward end on a leading
wheel D, the block f of which is free to swivel on the pin or stud a. The
axis of the carrying wheels F are held in slots formed in brackets G

page_text: situate on opposite ends of a shaft H, as shewn at Figure 2, which
shaft H passes through the forked end of the lever I attached to the rear-
ward end of the framing or beam A by a pin b, on which the lever is
free to swivel.
Figure 3 of the Drawings is a transverse section of the lever I at the
joint thereof with the framing or beam A. A bar J is attached to the
forward end of the lever I to which the upper ends of the shanks or
stems of the knives or cutters B are attached by connecting links K, as
shewn. This arrangement regulates the breadth of land acted upon by
the cutters or knives B by operating the lever I in a right or left-hand
direction and so as to turn the carrying wheels E and cutters or
knives B to a greater or less angle relatively with the framing or
beam A. The depth of penetration of the cutters or knives B into the
ground is regulated by a toothed segment S placed on the shaft H and
which gears into a screw or worm wheel L situate on a shaft M, the
rearward end of which is provided with a handle N by which the
attendant actuates the apparatus. The forward end of the shaft M is
attached by a universal joint to a screw O, the thread on which gears
with a corresponding screw thread formed at the interior of the rod P,
the forward end of which is attached to the upper extremity of the
castor E of the leading wheel D. When the handle N is operated, the
worm wheel or screw L in turning the quadrant or toothed segment S
causes the shaft H and brackets G to move through an arc thereby
either raising or depressing the carrying wheels E and correspondingly
raising or depressing the rearward end of the framing or beam A, whilst
the forward end of the framing is similarly raised or depressed by the
screw O drawing or pushing the rod P to or from the rearward end of
the implement and thereby turning the castor E through a vertical arc
on the swivel pin or stud a. A raiser or coulter X is provided in con-
junction with the implement, the operation of which is similar to that of
the raiser or coulter P herein-before described in reference to Sheet 1 of
the Drawings.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the system, mode, or manner in or under which the same
is or may be used or practically carried into effect, I would observe in
conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore
claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent is,-

page_text: First. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting
the apparatus or implement for breaking up heavy land, substantially as
herein-before described.
Second. A series of cutters or knives combined with gearing for
turning their cutting edges to the right or left in unison with the
wheels of the implement, substantially as and for the purposes herein-
before described.
Third. A series of cutters or knives having their cutting edges inclined
rearwards for the purpose of reducing or pulverising heavy land, as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Piric, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of December, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-three.