IMPROVEMENTS IN IMPLEMENTS FOR TILLING LAND."
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Burton and Alfred Greig, both of the
Steam Plough Works, Leeds, in the County of York, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN IMPLEMENTS FOR TILLING LAND."

page_text: frame supported at its ends upon carriages, each provided with two
wheels. The frame is able to be raised and lowered, sliding on vertical
guide rods forming part of the carriages. The wheels of the carriages
can be steered or locked by steering gear. At the centre of the frame,
midway between the carriages, a beam is carried on a vertical pivot or
axis. This beam has the ploughs or tilling tools mounted upon it, and
when at work it stands at an angle to the frame.
The implement is not turned at the headland, but the beam is swung
over from side to side, and the tilling tools upon it are also turned
partly round. These motions are effected by the action of the hauling
rope.
The draft ropes are connected with levers jointed to the frame
near the centre, one on either side of the pivot or axis of the beam, and
the levers are linked together, so that whilst the lever to which the
hauling rope is attached stands parallel to the frame, the other lever
with the return rope attached stands at right angles to the frame.
The
At the end of each bout when the direction of winding is reversed,
the levers swing round and an arm on the lever which is being pulled
upon then comes in contact with a projection on a drum at the centre
of the frame and turns the drum partly round, thereby causing it to wind
up short lengths of two chains passing to the ends of the frame.
chains are led under pulleys on the ends of the frame, and then ascend
to attachments on the carriages, so that when the chains are wound up
the frames are raised and the ploughs or tilling tools are lifted out of
the land. A catch bolt locks the drum when it has been turned and
holds the frame in the position to which it has been raised, whilst the
further motion of the levers draws over the beam, turning it around the
central pivot or axis until it inclines at an opposite angle to the main
frame. This motion is obtained by a direct connection by chain
between the lever of the slack rope and the beam carrying the tilling
tools. The ends of the beam traverse in guides fixed to the frame:
As soon as the beam has been moved to its new position the imple
ment itself commences to be drawn along, and the wheels having been
locked round by the steering gear the implement travels diagonally on
to new ground.

page_text: At the proper time the man on the implement draws out the catch
bolt and the frame descends carrying the ploughs or tilling tools into
work.
The ploughs or tilling tools are connected with the beam by vertical
stems having arms upon them, which are all coupled together by con-
necting rods so that they turn simultaneously. They move at the time
when the beam swings over in consequence of link connections between
the arms and a fixed centre on one side of the frame.
The steering is effected by a hand wheel, screw, and quadrant carried
by the frame, and rods pass from the quadrant to crank arms on the
upper ends of vertical stems carrying the stud axes on which the wheels
turn. The stems of the four wheels are so coupled together that they
move in unison.
In some cases we mount the beam provided with ploughs or tilling
tools upon a cultivator frame supported upon a single pair of wheels on
a cranked axle.
By the action of levers to which the hauling rope is attached the axle
is turned partly round at the end of the bout, and the ploughs or tilling
tools are so lifted out of the ground. The strain on the hauling rope
also causes the implement to turn round, and at the same time the
beam, the leading end of which is supported by a castor wheel is
caused to move across the frame around its pivot; and the ploughs or
tilling tools are also turned, as already described in respect to the four
wheeled implement.
25 SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Burton and Alfred Greig in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 22nd June 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ROBERT
BURTON and ALFRED GREIG, both of the Steam Plough Works, Leeds,
30 in the County of York, send greeting.

page_text: the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five,
in the thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs
and successors, give and grant unto us, the said Robert Burton and
Alfred Greig, Her special license that we, the said Robert Burton
and Alfred Greig, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Robert Burton and Alfred Greig, our exe-
cutors, 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 IMPLEMENTS FOR TILLING LAND," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Robert Burton and Alfred Greig,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in. writing under
our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us
or them, 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 Robert Burton, on behalf of
myself and the said Alfred Greig, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in implements for
tilling land.
In order to plough or till to a moderate depth a considerable breadth
of land at each traverse an implement is employed consisting of a long
frame supported at its ends upon carriages, each provided with two
wheels. The frame is able to be raised and lowered, sliding on vertical
guide rods forming part of the carriages. The wheels of the carriages
can be steered or locked by steering gear. At the centre of the frame,
midway between the carriages, a beam is carried on a vertical pivot or
axis. This beam has the ploughs or tilling tools mounted upon it, and
when at work it stands at an angle to the frame.

page_text: The implement is not turned at the headland, but the beam is swung
over from side to side, and the tilling tools upon it are also turned
partly round. These motions are effected by the action of the hauling
rope.
The draft ropes are connected with levers jointed at the frame
near the centre, one on either side of the pivot or axis of the beam,
and the levers are linked together, so that whilst the lever to which the
hauling rope is attached stands parallel to the frame the other lever
with the return rope attached stands at right angles to the frame.
At the end of each bout when the direction of winding is reversed,
the levers swing round, and an arm on the lever which is being pulled
upon then comes in contact with a projection on a drum at the centre
of the frame and turns the drum partly round, thereby causing it to
wind up short lengths of two chains passing to the ends of the frame.
The chains are led under pulleys on the ends of the frame, and then
ascend to attachments on the carriages, so that when the chains are
wound up the frames are raised and the ploughs or tilling tools are
lifted out of the land. A catch bolt locks the drum when it has been
turned, and holds the frame in the position to which it has been raised,
whilst the further motion of the levers draws over the beam, turning it
around the central pivot or axis until it inclines at an opposite angle to
the main frame. This motion is obtained by a direct connection by
chain between the lever of the slack rope and the beam carrying the
tilling tools. The ends of the beam traverse in guides fixed to the

page_text: when the beam swings over, in conséquence of link connections
between the arms and a fixed centre on one side of the frame:
.
The steering is effected by a hand wheel screw and quadrant carried
by the frame, and rods pass from the quadrant to crank arms on the
upper ends of vertical stems carrying the stud axes on which the wheels
turn. The stems of the four wheels are so coupled together that they
move in unison.
In some cases we mount the beam, provided with ploughs or tilling
tools, upon a cultivator frame supported upon a single pair of wheels on
a cranked axle.
By the action of levers to which the hauling rope is attached, the
axle is turned partly round at the end of the bout, and the ploughs or
tilling tools are so lifted out of the ground. The strain on the hauling
rope also causes the implement to turn round, and at the same time the
beam, the leading end of which is supported by a castor wheel, is
caused to move across the frame around its pivot, and the ploughs or
tilling tools are also turned, as already described in respect to the four
wheeled implement.
plough constructed according to our Invention.
a, a, is the main frame; it is supported at its ends upon carriages, one 2
of which is shown in elevation at Figure 3. Each carriage consists of a
rectangular cross frame 6 provided with wheels c, c, fixed upon the
upright spindles d, d. The wheels can be adjusted in their positions
upon these spindles to regulate the depth of ploughing. The wheel on
one side of the carriages runs on the unploughed land, and may be a
smaller than the other and provided with a flange.
The spindles d are coupled and connected with an arm on the toothed
arc e mounted on the frame a, and the arc e is controlled by a worm on
the axis of the steering wheel f, as the Drawings clearly shew. By.

page_text: means of this mechanism the implement is steered. g, g, are guide
bars on the cross frame on which the main frame is mounted, and it.
can be slidden up and down upon them. is the beam carrying the
plough bodies i, i; it is fixed on an axis k carried on the frame a, as is
shewn by the sectional view, Figure 1. The outer ends of the beam /
are further supported by curved guides a' forming part of the frame a.
Each of the plough bodies is mounted on a spindle a passing through
a bearing or socket provided for it on the beam h. are arms on the
spindle i, and is a rod connecting all the arms for the purpose of
causing all the plough bodies to turn simultaneously when the direction
of ploughing is reversed. m, m, are links passing from the rod to
a fixed point on the frame a, so that when the beam h is swung over
from one side of the frame a to the other the plough bodies are all
turned round from one working position to the other.
levers to which the draft or hauling ropes are connected.
12, 1, are two
In Figures 1 and 2 the implement is represented with these levers in
the position they occupy when travelling from right to left. When the
direction of draft is changed the levers n, n, (which are connected by a
rod n¹) swing each through a quarter circle, and this motion is utilized
to raise the ploughs out of the land and set them with the beam which
carries them ready for the return journey.
Each lever n has an arm n³ which as the lever swings from its position
at right angles to the frame a to its position parallel to the said frame
comes into contact with a projection o¹ upon a drum o mounted on the
axis k, and so turns the drum o partly round. Afterwards the arm n²
escapes past the projection o². The drum o, which is also shewn by the
Figures 5 and 6, being thus turned winds up the chains p, p, which at
their other ends are fastened to the upper part of the frame b. The
chains
p pass beneath pullies as on the main frame and consequently
when the chains p are strained tight the frame 6 is lifted, and with it
the beam carrying the plough bodies. When the frame a is thus
raised it is retained by the lever bolt q until the workman liberates it
when he is ready to recommence ploughing, after having steered the
implement on to its new line of work. The projections o' are jointed
to the drum o, and are provided with a spring, as is shewn, in order
that the arms n may be able to pass them when the lever n swings
a,

page_text: back from its position parallel to the frame a to its position at right
angles thereto.
The levers are also connected with the beam / by chains », and
these connections cause the beam to swing across the frame a when the
direction of draft is reversed, so that the leading end of the beam is
always outwards or towards the ploughed land.
The construction of the tilling implement may be varied, for instance,
instead of the plough board working alternately, each edge leading, as
in Figure 1, we arrange double plough heads, each carrying two mould
boards, as shewn in Figure 7.
Figure 8 is a plan shewing a beam carrying plough bodies and
mounted on a cultivator frame a, which is hauled by means of ropes
attached to the forked lever ; c, c, are the main carrying wheels.
mounted on a cranked axle.
When the direction of draft is changed the lever b swings over, and
in so doing it is caused to turn the axle of the wheels c partly round,
thereby lifting the frame and raising the tilling tools out of the ground,
as in other well-known cultivating implements, and there are means of
retaining the parts as heretofore until the workman desires to
recommence ploughing, after the implement has been turned round
into the position indicated by the dotted lines. The plough beam is
swung over from side to side of the frame at the end of each bout, as
in the implement previously described, and the plough bodies are at the
same time turned partly round.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention and the
manner of performing the same, we would have it understood that we
claim,-
First. The construction of implements for tilling land, substantially
as described.
Second. The combination of the main frame a supported at its ends
on carriages on which it can be raised and lowered, and carrying a
swinging beam on which plough bodies are mounted, substantially as
described in respect to Figures 1 to 7.
Third. The use of the bauling ropes to automatically raise the main

page_text: frame, to swing over the plough beam, and turn round the plough
bodies, substantially as described.
Fourth. The combination with a cultivator frame (which is turned
round at the end of each bout) of a swinging plough beam carrying
moveable plough bodies, substantially as described in respect to
Figure 8.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Burton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.