IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM AND OTHER PLOUGHS to be as follows
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I, WILLIAM CHARLES MORTON of Coleshill in the County of Warwick Officer
Inland Revenue do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN STEAM AND OTHER PLOUGHS to be as follows, that is to say :—
"
My invention has for its object improvements in steam and other ploughs so that
a number of plough shares may be connected together to act behind a traction
engine or behind horses or other animals. Each plough share follows the engine or
other power but has a certain amount of individual liberty of action vertically or
in a partly radial and partly vertical line which is of very great importance in the
ploughing of uneven ground such for instance as that laid in undulating ridges for
the purpose of drainage. The shares follow the engine or animals each one
performing its task independently of the others, for instance, if there are a number
of shares together one outer share may be descending a ridge and the other outer
share ascending the opposite side of the same. The plan adopted at present for
multiplying the number of shares by rigidly attaching them to one back bone is
ineffectual for more than say two shares and it is evident that this must be so on
uneven ground for one share would be cutting much deeper than another indeed
one might be the full depth and another almost out of the ground.
I will first explain the construction of one share according to my invention:-
The share is fixed by rivets or otherwise between two quadrant plates projecting
backwards the two ends of these plates being strengthened by a cross bar uniting
them. The hind part of the quadrant carries a friction wheel or wheels which only
comes into use when the plough share is lifted away from its work. Hinged to the
cross bar by a main pivot is a stout arm the point of which forms the advance
knife, the after portion ending in an eye for connection to a diagonal main
attachment bar to which either an engine or animals may be coupled. This knife
arm passes between the two quadrant plates of the plough share aforesaid and it
has also a projecting arm or lifting lever which serves as a connection between the
various shares and is for the purpose of lifting the share out of the ground from its
work for as this arm is drawn forward by the man in charge the friction wheel
aforesaid at the back of the quadrant is brought down into contact with the
ground and the share and the cutter is then by the same action simultaniously
lifted out and clear of the ground. A friction wheel is carried by each main pivot
to regulate the depth of the cutter in the ground. The lever arm is provided with
a compensating slot at the point where it crosses the quadrant plates through

page_text: which a pin passes and by which the share is lifted. The connecting rod across the
top of the lifting levers attached thereto by links which afford a certain amount of
independent liberty to each share. A chain attached to the engine lifts the whole
number of shares together and a similar arrangement serves in the case of animals-
Of course there is no objection to the shares being lifted singly or in groups. In
the case of the use of a powerful engine in ploughing, both a right hand and left
hand plough may be used one being connected to each back corner of the back
carriage of the engine and a double plough may be connected to a convenient
central projecting bar from the back carriage to run between the right hand and
left hand ploughs to complete the set of furrows so as to leave no gaps.
The pitch
of the furrows are easily regulated by a set bolt which allows the inclination of
the diagonal main attachment bar to be made greater or less something like the
joint of a parallel rule.

page_text: I, WILLIAM CHARLES MORTON of Coleshill in the County of Warwick Officer
Inland Revenue do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN STEAM AND OTHER PLOUGHS" and in what manner the same is to be performed
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement that
is to say:
My Invention has for its object improvements in steam and other ploughs so that
a number of plough shares may be connected together to act behind a traction engine
or behind horses or other animals. Each plough share follows the engine or other
power but has a certain amount of individual liberty of action vertically or in a
partly radial and partly vertical line which is of very great importance in the
ploughing of uneven ground such for instance as that laid in undulating ridges for
the purposes of drainage. The shares follow the engine or animals each one
performing its task independently of the others for instance if there are a number
of shares together one outer share may be descending or ridge and the outer share
be ascending the opposite side of the same. The plan adopted at present for
multiplying the number of shares by rigidly attaching them to one back bone is
ineffectual for more than say two shares and it is evident that this must be so on
uneven ground for one share would be cutting much deeper than another indeed
one might be the full depth and another almost out of the ground.
I will first explain the construction of one share according to my invention:
The share is fixed by rivets or otherwise between two quadrant plates projecting
backwards the two ends of these plates being strengthened by a cross bar uniting
them. The hind part of the quadrant carries a friction wheel which only comes
into use when the plough share is lifted away from its work. Hinged to the cross
bar by a main pivot is a stout arm the point of which forms the advance knife, the
after portion ending in an eye for connection to a diagonal main attachment bar tó
which either an engine or animals may be coupled. This knife arm passes between
the two quadrant plates of the plough share aforesaid and it has also a projecting
arm or lifting lever which serves as a connection between the various shares and is
for the purpose of lifting the share out of the ground from its work-for as this
arm is drawn forward by the man in charge the friction wheel aforesaid at the
back of the quadrant is brought down into contact with the ground and the share
and the cutter is then by the same action simultaneously lifted out and clear of the
ground. A friction wheel is carried by each main pivot to regulate the depth of
the cutter in the ground. The lever arm is provided with a compensating slot at
the point where it crosses the quadrant plates through which a pin passes and by
which the share is lifted. The connecting rod across the top of the lifting levers
attached thereto by links which afford a certain amount of independent liberty to
each share. A chain attached to the engine lifts the whole number of shares
together and a similar arrangement serves in the case of animals of course there is
no objection to the shares being lifted singly or in groups In the case of the use
of a powerful engine in ploughing both a right hand and left hand plough may be
connected to the rear of the engine and a double share plough may run between
to make up the gap and complete the set of pinions.
In order that my invention may be more perfectly understood and the better
carried into practice I have attached hereunto two sheets of drawings which will
serve to illustrate the principle. Of course the details of construction and design

page_text: may be varied without departing from the main features which I will now describe
by reference to the drawings:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a set of six ploughs in work and
Figure 2 is a side elevation of one share B and section lifted from the ground
merely leaving the friction wheel A to carry the weight when not in work.
Figure 3 is a plan shewing a similar set of ploughs in work but many of the
details are not shewn in each view as being quite unnecessary for the purpose
of explanation and therefore complicating the matter.
There are two quadrant plates C between which the plough share B is fixed in a
firm manner the ends of the quadrant plates C being united and strengthened by
the cross bar O'. Hinged to the cross bar C¹ by a pivot E is a stout arm D the
front of which forms the knife F the after portion ending in the eye H for
connection to the main bar K to which either an engine or horses may be coupled
in the case of the latter the man's seat would be mounted upon the top and the
shafts to the front but the engine specified in my Specification No 2732 and dated
the 5th day of February 1884 is the most suitable for the purpose. The knife
arm D has hinged to it the projecting sub or lifting arm L which also serves as a
connection between the several shares of one set and is for the purpose of lifting
the shares above the ground as shewn by Figure 2 and this is accomplished by the
hand gear M or by the engine winding up the chain N and so drawing the cross
bar P forward bringing with it the supplimental chains or links R, R¹ which are
attached to each share frame. The lever L and share frame C may be connected
by the rod S and compensating slot U so as to rise together. As before stated
when the shares are lifted from the ground the friction wheels A carry the weight
but when the ploughs are in work the wheel T regulates the depth of the cutter in
the ground. The width of the furrows are regulated by altering the inclination of
the main bar K by removal into others of the holes W.
Where a powerful engine is used two sets of ploughs may be attached one on
each side of its rear.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
The improvements in steam and other ploughs of the quadrant or other frame
carrying the plough on the centre E controlled by the arm D and bar P capable of
being lifted from their work and substantially as herein set forth.
Dated this 5th day of November 1884.