IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WINDLASSES AND IMPLEMENTS APPLICABLE TO STEAM CULTIVATION
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Howard, Agricultural Engineer, and Edward
Tenney Bousfield, Engineer, both of Bedford, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WINDLASSES AND IMPLEMENTS
APPLICABLE TO STEAM CULTIVATION."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Howard and Edward
Tenney Bousfield at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 25th February 1861.
We, JAMES HOWARD, Agricultural Engineer, and EDWARD TENNEY Bous-
FIELD, Engineer, both of Bedford, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WINDLASSES AND IMPLE-
MENTS APPLICABLE TO STEAM CULTIVATION," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to improvements in the construction of the
windlass used in the cultivation of land by steam power under the system
known as that of Smith's, of Woolston. Hitherto it has been the practice,
when throwing the winding drums out of gear, to use two distinct motions, the
one for disengaging the driving pinions from the drum teeth, and the other
for applying a brake to the released drum to prevent the too rapid running off
of the rope. Now the object of this part of our Invention is to bring the
brake into action on its drum simultaneously with throwing the drum wheel
out of gear with its driving pinion. To this end we propose to mount the
winding drums on excentrics, through which an axle passes loosely, and is
secured to the windlass frame. The outer side of each drum carries a ring of

page_text: teeth cast upon a projecting flange; into these teeth the driving pinions
respectively take. The shaft of these pinions has its bearings in brackets
carried by the main axle and framework. From the inner side of each of
these brackets project brake blocks, which project under the flange of the
adjacent drum. Attached to the excentrics of each drum is a lever, by means
of which the excentrics can be turned on their axis, which movement raises
the drum teeth into gear with the driving pinion or lowers the drum, and thus
throws it out of gear. As the drum is lowered the inner face of its flange
comes in contact with the brake block, and the weight of the drum being thus
thrown on the brake block the requisite friction will be obtained. This
depression of the drums may likewise be effected by means of a two-throw
crank shaft, or other equivalent contrivance that will admit of the weight of the
drums assisting the operation of throwing them out of gear with the driving
pinions. And we contemplate employing this principle wherever it may be found
advantageous in the construction of windlasses. The windlass is mounted on
a pair of travelling wheels, and to secure it in position for working cutting
blades temporarily attached to the ends of the drawing shafts are forced into
the ground, whereby the anchoring of the windlass is effected.
The second part of the Invention relates to the construction of double-action
ploughs to be used in connection with hauling ropes actuated by steam power,
the object being to simplify the construction of such ploughs and increase their
efficiency. The plough bodies are fitted to parallel beams connected together
by screws, which form an expanding framework, thus allowing of the plough
bodies receiving relative lateral adjustment. The beams each carry on their
opposite sides a plough body, one being made right-handed and the other left-
handed, for the purpose of ploughing alternately in opposite directions. The
framework on which the plough bodies are mounted is supported at each end
of a carriage fitted with wheels, which regulate the depth of furrow, and are
used to steer the implement. The hauling ropes are attached to the opposite
ends of the plough. To each end carriage is fixed a rock lever, which is
intended to raise and depress the plough bodies as required. In order.to.turn
over the plough bodies (which is requisite on arriving at the end of the field)
and-bring the other set into action to produce the return furrows, the under
set is first raised out of the ground by levers, and an axial motion is then given
to the framework, or the plough bodies may be mounted loosely. on a fixed
central beam, and receive an axial motion thereon instead of the beams them-
selves 'being turned. The lifting lever is connected to, and may, if preferred,
form the steering lever. This will enable the attendant, while steering the
plough, to lift the plough bodies out of the ground. The steering is effected

page_text: by locking the forward wheels of the implement, the lever being reversed at
each traverse of the implement. We would remark, that the same arrange-
ment may be applied to the construction of scarifiers and other like imple-
ments.
The last part of our Invention relates to improvements in the construction
of cultivators, scarifiers, and harrows, operated by steam power. To prevent
the necessity for turning round cultivators and scarifiers, to reverse the direc-
tion of the shares or tines, or even to turn over or elevate the shares or tines,
we fit these implements with double-pointed or double-edged tines or shares,
which will act in either direction. These double-pointed tines we-so mount
that they will be free to rock slightly on their beams by the action of the
draught upon them. The same object may be accomplished by fitting the
implement with double tines pointing in opposite directions, the hinder ones
following in the wake of the forward ones. The tine bars are braced together
at their opposite ends by means of cross bars, forming a kind of end framing.
Through sockets in each of the end frames the stalks of a pair of steering
wheels pass, which wheels are by preference made with a V-edged periphery
to ensure their taking a good hold of the ground. The stalks of each pair of
wheels we connect together at their upper ends, so as to form a parallel
motion, and to the cross bar of this parallel motion we joint a lever which
moves or works on a fixed fulcrum. On to this lever fits a steering handle,
which is operated by the attendant seated at the opposite end of the imple-
ment. As both ends of the implement are similarly constructed the attendant
is enabled to apply this handle or lever to the steering of either pair of wheels,
according to the direction in which the implement is working. The draught
ropes are attached, as in the plough, to the opposite ends of the implement.
When applying this part of our Invention to harrows we attach the steering.
wheels to the draw bars at the opposite ends of the set of harrows..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 24th August 1861.
.. TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
HOWARD, Agricultural Engineer, and EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD, Engineer,
both of Bedford, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of February, in the year of our

page_text: Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield, Her special license
that we, the said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said James Howard
and Edward Tenney Bousfield, our 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WINDLASSES AND IMPLEMENTS APPLICABLE TO STEAM
CULTIVATION," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said James
Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield, by an instrument in writing under our
hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, 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 James Howard, on behalf of myself
and of the said Edward Tenney Bousfield, do hereby declare the nature of
our 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 Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates, firstly, to improvements in the construction of the
windlasses used in the cultivation of land by steam power under the system
known as that of Smith's, of Woolston. Hitherto it has been the practice to
use two distinct motions when throwing the winding drums out of the
gear,
one for disengaging the driving pinion from the drum teeth, and the other for
applying a brake to the released drum to prevent the too rapid running off of
the rope. Now the chief object of this part of our Invention is, by the act of
throwing the drum wheel out of gear with its driving pinion, to bring the
brake into action on its drum.
In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 shews our improved
windlass in side elevation; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a
side view, on an enlarged scale, of one of the windlass drums and its attach-
ments mounted according to our Inyention; and Fig. 4 is a cross section of
the same.
:.
A, A, are the end frames of the windlass, secured together by the axle B of

page_text: the travelling wheels C, C, being keyed thereto, and also by cross tie rods;
D, D, are the drawing shafts, bolted securely to the end frames. Mounted:
loosely on the axle B is a pair of hollow, excentrics E with closed ends (see
Fig. 4), which are intended severally to receive one of a pair of winding
drums F, F. These excentrics are turned so as to present a smooth surface
to the bosses of their respective drums, which are intended to rotate freely
thereon; and they are also bored to fit the axle B, on which the excentrics'
will be required to receive occasionally an axial motion. Each drum carries
at its outer side a ring of teeth cast upon a projecting flange a, a, and into
these teeth the driving pinions b, 6', respectively take. The shaft c of these
pinions has its bearings in the end frames, and to it is keyed a driving pulley d
for receiving motion from an adjacent agricultural engine. Attached to the
inner face of each end frame is a bracket e for receiving and supporting a
brake block f. These blocks project under the flanges of the adjacent drums.
Cast on to the outer end of the excentric E of each drum is a socket for
receiving a lever G, by means of which the excentrics can be severally turned:
on the axle B.
It will be understood that the operation of the windlass drum is to wind up
the tension or drag rope, and to let out the slack rope simultaneously. These
operations each drum is caused alternately to perform, and it is to prevent the
drums giving off too much slack in the act of changing the operations of the
drums, and during the working of the implement that our improvements under
this head of the Invention are mainly directed. By the depression of the
lever G, the excentric to which it is attached will be caused to lift its drum,
say, the drum F¹, and bring the drum teeth into gear with the driving
pinion 6', the rotation of which will cause the drum to wind-up the drag
rope, and draw the plough or cultivator attached thereto across the field
under operation. The other drum will during this operation be giving off
slack rope to permit of the progress of the plough or other implement to the
hinder end of which the slack rope is attached. When, however, the imple-
ment has reached the end of its traverse, it is necessary to reverse the action
of the two drums, the lever G of the drum F¹ is therefore depressed, and that
of the other drum raised. These motions will bring the drum F into gear
with its driving pinion b, and the drum F¹ will be brought down upon the
brake block, and held in close contact therewith by its own weight, which will
ensure the requisite friction between the drum and the brake block. Thus it
will be understood that the instant the driving power is thrown off the drum,
it will be enabled to maintain the requisite tension upon that portion of the
rope which is now in its turn become the slack rope. To permit of.a portion

page_text: only of the weight of the barrel being thrown upon the brake block, adjustable
stops g are provided; the same being set in slots formed in the end frames.
Upon these the levers G respectively rest when lowered to throw the drums
out of gear.
In order to secure the windlass in the field in the proper position-for
working, we provide pointed cutting blades H, H, which we temporarily attach
to the ends of the drawing shafts. By forcing these blades into the ground
when the windlass is brought to the required position, the windlass will be
prevented from "giving" to the drag of the draught rope. We would remark
that instead of using excentrics as described, the depressien of the drums may
be effected by means of a two-throw, crank shaft, or other equivalent contri-
vance that will admit of the weight of the drums assisting the operation of
throwing them out of gear with the driving pinions, but we prefer the arrange-
ment above described. This principle of mounting the winding drums we
contemplate; employing wherever it may be found advantageous in the con-
struction of windlasses.
The second part of our Invention relates to improvements in the construc-
tion of cultivators and scarifiers operated by steam power, the object being to
prevent the necessity for turning round these implements at the land's end, or
for turning over or elevating the shares or tines in order to reverse their
direction.
In Sheet II. of the Drawings Fig. 5 is a plan view, and Fig. 6 a side eleva-
tion of a cultivator constructed according to our Invention. A, A, is the
frame of the implement consisting of tine bars or beams braced together and
stiffened in any well known way, and fitted with a seat B, B, at each end for
the attendant. The frame is mounted on two pairs of steering wheels C, C,
the stalks or stems a, a, of which pass through sockets in the end frames.
These wheels are by preference made with a V-edged periphery to ensure
their taking a good hold of the ground. The stalks of each pair of wheels we
connect together at their upper ends by a coupling bar b jointed to arms c, c,
keyed to the stalks, and thereby form a parallel motion. To the cross-bar b
of this parallel motion we joint a lever d which moves or works on a fixed
fulcrum below the seat B. The ends of the lever d are intended to receive a
steering handle e, which is operated by the attendant seated at the opposite
end of the implement to that which is being steered.. As both ends of the
implement are similarly constructed the attendant is enabled to apply this
handle to the steering of either pair of wheels according to the direction in
which the implement is working. The hinder pair of wheels is locked or
fastened by means of a removable staple or catch ƒ passed through the seat B.

page_text: The tine bars are provided with sockets f suitable for receiving double-pointed
tines or shares D, D, which are intended to rock slightly therein by the action
of the draught upon them, in order to operate on the soil in either direction.
The double tines are secured in their sockets by a fulcrum pin f, as shewn
best in the enlarged view, Fig. 7. To allow of their rocking, the sockets are
made with inclined ends, and to ensure the tines standing to their work at
the required inclination, which must be regulated according to the nature of
the soil, and the depth intended to be reached, we provide regulating
screws g, g, which are tapped into their respective sockets parallel with the
line of draught, and act as stops against the opposite sides of the tines.
It will now be understood that the tines being free to work in their sockets
to a certain determinate amount when the draught is put on to the implement
in the direction of the black arrow Fig. 6, (the draught ropes being attached
to the opposite ends of the implement), the tines will dip into the ground and
take the position shewn in the Figure, but when the direction of the draught
is reversed, the tines will rock into the dotted position, and will be ready to
act in the opposite direction, thus rendering it unnecessary either to turn the
implement or raise the tines out of the ground. It will also be understood
that the shares or points used will depend upon the nature of the work in
hand, and that they may readily be changed to adapt the implement to the
operation of scarifying.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of improvements in the
construction of windlasses and implements applicable to steam cultivation, and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be
understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent, we claim,―
First, mounting the drums of windlasses so as to admit of their being raised
and lowered in the manner and for the purpose above set forth, and also the
means described for anchoring portable windlasses.
Secondly, constructing cultivators and scarifiers with double tines or shares
capable of yielding to the draught of the implement, in the manner and for
the purpose above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Howard, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
JAMES HOWARD. (L.S.)