A GRASS-CUTTING MACHINE
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William McIntyre Cranston, of No. 11, New Broad
Street, London, Agent, for the Invention of "A GRASS-CUTTING MACHINE."
-A communication from abroad by Walter Abbot Wood, of Hoosick
State of New York America
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William McIntyre Cranston at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 29th April 1859, pursuant to the 9th Section of the
Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MCINTYRE CRANSTON, of No. 11, New Broad Street, London, Agent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "A GRASS-CUTTING
MACHINE," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and
have made solemn declaration that it has been communicated to me from
abroad by Walter Abbot Wood, of Hoosick Falls, County of Rensselaer, State
of New York, America.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William McIntrye Cranston, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification under my band and seal fully
describes and ascertains the nature of .the said Invention, and the manner in

page_text: which the same is to be performed, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings (that is to say) :-
:-
Plate 1: Fig. 1, represents a perspective view of the machine; Fig. 2 repre-
sents a side view, with the wheel removed.
Plate 2: Fig. 1, represents a perspective view of the machine; Fig. 2 repre-
sents a top plan; Fig. 3 represents a side view, with the wheel removed to
show better the parts behind it.
Plate 3: Fig. 1, represents in perspective a portion of the cutting apparatus,
composed of fingers and finger-bar cutters and cutter bar; Fig. 2 represents
a vertical section taken longitudinally through one of the fingers and the
finger bar.
The nature of my Invention consists, first, in the manner of attaching the
cutter bars carrying the cutters to the main frame of the machine in such
a manner that while the driver in his seat may ease the machine over the
greater obstructions, the finger bar, by its own elasticity and connections in
part to the frame, will raise and lower itself over the lesser inequalities in the
ground.
Second, the manner in which I combine and arrange the finger bar and
fingers to prevent their becoming clogged or choked, and also to afford a
support for the cutter bar and cutters.
In the above-mentioned Drawings, Plate 1, A, A, A, A¹, represents a
rectangular frame balanced upon an axle B, that is supported upon two
carrying and driving wheels C, C. One of the rails or longitudinal pieces A'
of the frame projects further forward than the other for the purpose that will
be hereafter described. The arms E, E, to which the driver's seat F and
foot support G are attached, are connected to the main frame at a point nearly
perpendicular over the axle B, and act in connection with the weight of the
driver in his seat as levers to raise or lower the forward end of the frame.
The draft pole D is attached rigidly to the main frame, its heel starting from
a point near the axle B, which projects forwards and upwards, so that its
point may be connected to the breasts or necks of the team, and it serves also
as a counter lever to the arms E, E. On the inner face of the supporting
or driving wheels C, C, are made the cog gears H, H, which mash or take
into pinion I, I, on the ends of the shaft l, and give motion to said pinion.
Immediately joining are hubs or drums e, e, which contain self-acting clutches
that connect the pinions with the shaft when the machine advances, but
disconnects them when backed or when turning the machine around, the pinion
on the outside of the circle continues clutched to said shaft l, whilst the other
pinion at the centre of the circle may remain stationary, and the shaft turn

page_text: without it, or the two may turn in opposite directions, the object being to use
both wheels as drivers, but when turning around or backing the machine to
allow one or both of the pinions to become loose, and thus not drive, or com-
municate motion to the cutters, said shaft 7 is supported in suitable boxes, a, a,
on the main frame behind the axle B; at or near the centre of this shaft is a
bevel gear K, that mashes with or takes into a bevel pinion b, on the rear end
of crank shaft L, which extends forward to the line of the cutter bar, and has
upon its forward end a crank or wrist pin f, to which the cutter bar may be
connected by a pitman, and by which motion may be given to said bar, and the
cutters upon it vibrated in the usual manner. Plate 1: Fig. 1, M represents a
thin flat bar secured to the long rail A¹ of the frame and projects from thence.
towards the cutter bar side of the machine. This bar M, for the sake of
lightness, strength, and elasticity, may be made of steel or cold rolled iron; I
do not, however, limit its construction to any specific material: to the projecting
end of this bar M is attached to the end of the bent bar N, that projects
downwards sufficiently to form a shoe, and shield N' for the hinge or joint
when the connecting rod is attached to the cutter bar. The opposite end of
this bent bar N has a loop d (Figs. 1 and 2), upon it which goes over or around
the axle B, so that the wheel on that side or both of them may drop into a
depression; or the shoe part N¹ may pass over any inequalities without injury
to the cutters, inasmuch as the loop d allows the axle B to play up and down
in it, and the spring of the bar M will allow the heel of the finger bar O, with
the bent bar N to rise or fall to any inequalities in the ground. O is the finger
bar, permanently attached to the bent bar or shield N₁, and may taper from that
point to its outer end. It is made quite thin (to give it the elasticity it should
have) of cold rolled iron, the cutter bar may be of steel or cold rolled iron,
which is also made light and thin, so that when the outer end or any portion.
of the finger bar should meet any obstruction, both the finger and cutter bars
may yield or spring within themselves as well as to receive the yield or spring
of the bar M. Plate 2: Figs. 1, 2, and 3. J represents a bent bar, having
its rear end connected with a joint to the axle B, or to the frame at or near
the said axle, where there is the least motion in the machine extending down-
wards and forwards to form at g, a shoe or shield to protect the end of the
cutter bar and cutters, and thence continuing forward and upward, it termi-
nates in a round shank or rod. h, which passes up between, and is held to the
frame by friction pullies or rollers i, i, so that it may play up and down at that
end, there being a button k, on the top of the said shank to prevent it from
falling too low, the spring of the bent bar K, which is made thin and light,
and elastic, for the purpose of allowing the loose end h of itself to play up

page_text: and down. The finger bar K is secured to the bent bar at m, and said bar
may be extended, as shown at K', and curving upwards be fastened to the
main frame at n, or the part K¹ may be a separate bar from the finger bar and
fastened to the bent bar J, and to the frame at or near the point indicated by
the Drawing at n, but in either event, it should possess sufficient elasticity to
allow the finger bar to rise and fall as it surmounts the ordinary undulation
or inequalities of the surface of the ground.
The finger and cutter bars in this as in the one described and shown in
Plate 1, and marked O, are made thin, light, and tapering, so that in yielding
to the inequalities of the ground the bars J and K shall not be required to
give the whole motion, but said finger and cutter bars shall also be elastic
within themselves. In slight undulations they may compensate for the whole
springing, but when greater ones, exist, then the bars J and K come to
their aid.
Plate III., Figs. 1 and 2, A represents the finger bar, which may be a flat
plate or bar of iron, with its front edge a beveled or cut under, as shewn in
Fig. 2; the fingers B, B, B, B, may be cast in sections of two, three, or more
fingers to the section, the under portion 6 of said fingers have cast upon their
rear portions a shield c, the back edge d, which is beveled or cut away, the
reverse of the beveled edge of the finger bar, and so as to make with it the
inclined joint, as shown in Fig. 2; the shield c projects both ways horizontally
from the guard B, so as to entirely close up the space between said figures,
and they rise up far enough to be flush with the top surface of the cutter
bar e, thus allowing all the cut material that might otherwise clog the cutter
bar to pass freely over said cutter bar. The caps f,f,f, f, of the fingers
extend back over the cutter bar e, and have upon them horizontal projections
g, g, extending in both directions, so that when the series of sections are
arranged on the finger bar, said projections will form an unbroken line
throughout the length of the finger bar, and their front edges between the
fingers are rounded up to afford an easy passage for the cut material to move
backward. Between the fingers of each section there is a lug n, Fig. 2, pro-
jecting rearwards further than the rear line of the projections g, and underneath
this lug is cast a block i, that extends down far enough to rest upon the top of
the finger bar A, and through this lug g, block i, and the finger bar A, passes
a bolt or rivet k, which, together with the bevel or mitre joint for the under
fastening, make a firm and complete union between the fingers and finger bar.
The block i projects forward, as shown in Fig. 2, until it meets the shield c,
and is there united to the shield; in the front portion of this block i a recess is
formed, that will receive the cutter bar e and leave its top surface flush with

page_text: the top surface of the under portion 6 of the finger. n is a cap or projection
extending over the rear of the cutters, to hold them to their supports;
m, m, m, are the cutters, and o the slot through the guards or fingers in and
through which the cutters vibrate.
This construction and arrangement of fingers and cutter bar have no
exposed contact surface when short grass or gummy matter can lodge and
accumulate, and at all times frees the cutters from tendency to become
clogged.
Having thus fully described the nature and object of this Invention, what I
claim is,
First, the connecting the bent bar N, Plate 1,) that carries the finger and
cutter bars to the main frame by the spring plate M, and to the axle B by the
loop d, so that the finger bar may rise and fall independent of the wheels,
or the main frame independent of the finger bar, substantially as herein.
set forth.
I also claim connecting the bent bar (J, Plate II.,) to the axle B by a joint,
and allowing its other end free vertical motion between guides, substantially as
set forth.
I also claim in combination with the bent bar (J, Plate II.,) for sustaining
the finger and cutter bars, the continuation of the finger bar K and its
attachment to the main frame, substantially as set forth.
I also claim the manner above described (and shewn, Plate III.,) of con-
structing the fingers or guards and uniting them to the finger bar, substantially
as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William McIntyre Cranston, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.