IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHING AND CULTIVATING LAND BY STEAM POWER, AND IN MACHINERY USED FOR SUCH PURPOSES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Beards, of Stowe, in the County of Bucks,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHING AND CULTIVATING LAND
BY STEAM POWER, AND IN MACHINERY USED FOR SUCH PURPOSES."
Sealed the 3rd February 1860, and dated the 27th September 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Beards at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th September 1859.
I, THOMAS BEARDS, of Stowe, in the County of Bucks, do hereby declare
the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHING AND CULTIVATING
LAND BY STEAM POWER, AND IN MACHINERY USED FOR SUCH PURPOSES," to be
as follows:-
Heretofore when giving motion to ploughs by ropes worked by steam power
it has been the usual practice to move the implement a distance sideways after
each bout equal to the width of the sets of ploughs, so that the work produced
at each bout is close alongside of the work produced by the previous bout.
Now, when ploughing by steam power according to my Invention, the
ploughing is produced in the ordinary way, as when ploughing with horses,
that is to say, the plough or set of ploughs, after having been hauled from one
headland to another, is moved a distance sideways equal to several widths of
the plough, and is then hauled back to the first headland. The plough is
then again moved sideways, so as when hauled to the opposite headland to
form a furrow next to the furrow first made, and so on until the land between

page_text: the two furrows first formed has all been ploughed. For this purpose along
the headland on which the engine which gives motion to the ropes is placed
two pulleys are anchored, at a distance apart from each other equal to the
width of land between the furrows to be first formed. Ropes from the engine
pass round these pulleys, and one of the ropes then passes around a pulley at
the opposite headland; this rope must be sufficiently long to pass back to the
first headland, and the ends of both ropes after passing around the pulleys are
connected to the fore part of the plough. After the plough has been hauled
by one rope from one headland to another, a short rope is connected to the
fore part of the plough, and the plough is drawn a distance sideways along the
headland by winding this rope on a small portable windlass; this short rope is
then disconnected from the plough, and the other hauling rope is caused to
haul back the plough to the first headland, the plough bringing back with it
the first hauling rope, which at this time is allowed to run free. The end of a
rope from another small portable windlass is then again connected to the head
of the plough, and the plough is by it again moved a distance sideways along
the headland, so that when the first rope again hauls the plough, it may form
a furrow next to the furrow first formed, and so on until the land between the
two furrows first formed has all been ploughed, the pulleys being moved a
distance sideways equal to the width of the plough or set of ploughs after every
alternate bout; the pulleys are then moved to a fresh piece of land, which is
ploughed in a similar manner. When the slack ropes are being hauled back
with the plough, they may be passed over an additional pulley anchored at the
headlands, so that they may be drawn directly after the plough, and not drawn
diagonally to the furrows, as would otherwise be the case. In constructing
machinery for giving motion to hauling ropes for hauling ploughs or other
agricultural implements, I mount at the back end of a portable steam engine,
and parallel with the crank shaft, an axis, on which two drums turn loosely,
but which drums can be alternately thrown into gear and be caused to turn
with the axis by clutches; motion is communicated to this axis from the crank
shaft by means of an endless chain and chain wheels. To each of the drums
the end of a rope is attached, and the two ropes pass under pulleys carried
from the framing of the engine at a short distance from the ground; these
ropes then pass around pulleys, as above described, and the plough or other
implement is moved backwards and forwards by throwing the winding drums
alternately into gear with the axis on which they are mounted, the drums
when not in gear with the axis turning round freely and allowing the rope to
be drawn out.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Beards in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th March 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
BEARDS, of Stowe, in the County of Bucks, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Beards, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Beards, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Thomas Beards, my 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHING AND CULTIVATING LAND BY STEAM
POWER, AND IN MACHINERY USED FOR SUCH PURPOSES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said. Thomas Beards, my executors
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, 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.
or
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Beards, 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:-
Heretofore when giving motion to ploughs by ropes worked by steam power
it has been the usual practice to move the implement a distance sideways after
each bout equal to the width of the sets of ploughs, so that the work produced
at each bout is close alongside of the work produced by the previous bout.
Now, when ploughing by steam power according to my Invention, the
ploughing is produced in the ordinary way, as when ploughing with horses,
that is to say, the plough or set of ploughs, after having been hauled from one
headland to another, is moved a distance sideways equal to several widths of
the plough, and is then hauled back to the first headland. The plough is then

page_text: again moved sideways, so as when hauled to the opposite headland to form a
furrow next to the furrow first made, and so on until the land between the
two furrows first formed has all been ploughed. For this purpose along the
headland on which the engine which gives motion to the ropes is placed two
pulleys are anchored, at a distance apart from each other at least equal to the
width of land between the furrows to be first formed. Ropes from the engine
pass round these pulleys, and one of the ropes then passes around a pulley at
the opposite headland; this rope must be sufficiently long to pass back to the
first headland, and the ends of both ropes after passing around the pullies are
connected to the fore part of the plough. After the plough has been hauled
by one rope from one headland to another, a short rope is connected to the fore
part of the plough, and the plough is drawn a distance sideways along the
headland by winding this rope on the barrel of a small portable windlass; this
short rope is then disconnected from the plough, and the other hauling rope is
caused to haul back the plough to the first headland, the plough bringing back
with it the first hauling rope, which at this time is allowed to run free. The
end of a rope from another small portable windlass is then again connected to
the head of the plough, and the plough is by it again moved a distance sideways
along the headland, so that when the first rope again hauls the plough it may
form a furrow next to the furrow first formed, and so on until the land between
the two furrows first formed has all been ploughed, the pulleys being moved a
distance sideways equal to the width of the plough or set of ploughs after every
alternate bout; the pulleys are then moved to a fresh piece of land, which is
ploughed in a similar manner.
The diagram hereunto annexed shews an arrangement of hauling ropes,
pulleys, and apparatus for giving motion to ploughs and other agricultural
implements for cultivating the soil by steam power in the manner above
described. A is an engine for giving motion to two hauling ropes; the rope a¹
nearest the land to be ploughed is passed round the pulley B, and from there
passes across the whole width of the field around the pulley C, and back again
to the point D on the first headland, where it is connected to the front of the
plough. The other hauling rope a³ passes around the pulley E, which is
anchored at a distance from the point D equal to several widths of the plough,
and is then attached to the front of the plough. The engine is now set in
motion and caused to wind up the rope a', by which the plough is drawn from
the pulley B to the pulley C; the plough is then hauled a distance sideways
so as to be opposite the pulley E, and the hauling rope a³, which before was
running free, is now wound on to its drum, so as to haul the plough up to the
pulley E; the plough is then again moved a distance sideways towards the

page_text: pulley B, so that when again hauled on by the rope a', it may form a furrow
alongside of the furrow first formed, and so on until the land between the
two furrows first formed has all been ploughed, the pulleys C and E being
moved a distance sideways of about one yard for every four furrows formed by
the plough. The numbers at the ends of the lines representing the furrows
indicate the order in which the furrows are formed.
When the land between the furrows 1 and 2 has been all ploughed, the
pulleys are moved to a fresh piece of land, which is then ploughed in a similar
manner.
Figures 1 and 2 shew respectively a side view and plan of the portable
windlass I prefer to employ for hauling the plough sideways each time that it
arrives at the headlands. a is the barrel of the windlass, to which motion is
communicated by the small toothed wheel 6 turned by the crank handle b';
projecting from the under side of the front of the framing of the windlass there
are two prongs c, c, which, when the windlass is being employed for hauling
the plough sideways, are pressed into the ground, as shown; and the windlass
is further prevented from moving by a bar d driven into the ground through
the ring e on the back end of the framing of the windlass. When the slack
ropes are being hauled back with the plough, they may be passed over an
additional pulley anchored at the headlands, so that they may be drawn directly
after the plough, and not drawn diagonally to the furrows, as would otherwise
be the case.
In constructing machinery for giving motion to hauling ropes for hauling
ploughs or other agricultural implements, I mount at the back end of a
portable steam engine and parallel with the crank shaft an axis on which two
drums turn loosely, but which drums can be alternately thrown into gear, and
be caused to turn with the axis by clutches, as is well understood. This axis
I prefer to carry on a wrought-iron frame bolted to the back end of the
framing of the engine, so that the drums may be detached from the engine by
removing these bolts. The drums I prefer to be about six feet in circum-
ference, and I prefer that the axis of the drums should be at a distance of
about 3 feet from the ground; around each of the drums a quantity of wire
rope is wound, there being double of the amount of rope wound on one drum
to that wound on the other. Motion is communicated to the axis of these
drums by a chain wheel on one end of the axis of these drums, being driven by
an endless chain to which motion is communicated by a chain wheel on the
crank shaft of the engine, the chain wheel on the axis of the drums being of
larger diameter than the chain wheel on the crank shaft of the engine, so that
the crank shaft of the engine makes several rotations for one rotation of the

page_text: drums. The frame bolted to the back of the engine also carries another axis,
which is below the axis of the drums, and is parallel with it. This second axis
is supported at a distance of about eighteen inches from the ground; on this
axis there are two rollers, each of which is of the same length as the drums
under which they are placed, and is about one-foot in diameter, and each
roller is furnished at its ends with flanges. The wire rope from each drum
passes under the pulley which is below it, so that it may pass parallel with the
ground to the pulleys B and E anchored at the headland, as above described,
and the plough or other implement is moved backwards and forwards by
throwing the winding drums alternately into gear with the axis on which they
are mounted, the drums, when not in gear with the axis, turning round
freely and allowing the rope to be drawn out.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Beards, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
THOMAS BEARDS.
(L.S.)