Improvements in Machines for Outting Grass and other Orops.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Oct., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 7th July, 1892-Accepted, 20th Aug., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Outting Grass and other Orops.
We, JAMES HORNSBY, JOHN INNOCENT and JEREMIAH MONEY, all of
Spittlegate Iron Works, Grantham, in the County of Lincoln, Engineers, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
11
In order to raise the cutter bar and keep it parallel to but clear of the ground.
when out of action and yet to allow it free play when in action we adopt the
following arrangement:-We pivot the slade fixed to the inner end of the bar
to one end of a lever whose other end is pivotted to the frame of the machine.
This lever has pivotted to it a bell crank lever to one end of which a lifting chain
is attached. To lift the cutter bar the driver pulls upon the chain by means
of a lever causing the bell crank lever to turn about its pivot and bringing the
arm to which the chain is attached against a stop on the lever pivotted to the frame
of the machine thus causing this lever to be raised about its pivot carrying with
it the slade pivotted to its outer end. At the same time the other end of the bell
crank lever comes against a projection on the heel of the slade thus preventing
the slade from turning on its pivot so that the continued movement of the chain
lifts the cutter bar parallel to itself and to the ground. When the chain has been
slacked again and the cutter bar lowered on to the ground the bell crank lever
drops away from the projection on the heel of the slade so that the cutter bar
can now turn freely up or down about its pivot to follow the inequalities of the
ground.
We drive the cutters from the main axle of the carrying wheels by a chain and
chain wheels instead of by spur gearing as is usual. The chain wheel is fixed to a
sleeve mounted on the axle near its middle and is put into and out of gear
by a clutch of ordinary construction and each of the carrying wheels is provided
with an independent backing ratchet. The chain from the chain .wheel drives
a second chain wheel to whose axis is fixed a bevel pinion gearing with a bevel
pinion on the crank shaft. The crank pin carries a sleeve free to rotate upon it.
The centre portion of this sleeve is spherical on the outside but with a flat at one
point. The sleeve is received into a fork at one end of the connecting rod the
flat allowing it to be passed between the jaws of the fork. The inside of the fork
is spherical to fit upon the sleeve which is secured in it by a bolt passing from one
jaw to the other and resting upon the flat thus preventing the sleeve from turning
in one direction whilst the spherical form of the parts allows its play in the other
direction. This arrangement not only prevents undue strains being thrown on
the crank pin and counecting rod by reason of the vibration or twisting of the
frame of the machine but it also permits the other end of the connecting rod to
be very readily attached to the end of the cutter without bending or springing the
connecting rod as is generally necessary.
Dinesh dow of October 1801
JAMES HORNSBY.
JOHN INNOCENT.
JEREMIAH MONEY.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Outting Grass and other Crops.
We, JAMES HORNSBY, JOHN INNOCENT and JEREMIAH MONEY, all of
Spittlegate Iron Works, Grantham, in the County of Lincoln, Engineers, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
In order to raise the cutter bar and keep it parallel to but clear of the ground
when out of action and yet to allow it free play when in action we adopt the
arrangement shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, Figure 1 being a plan partly in
section Figure 2 a left hand side elevation and Figure 3 a rear elevation. In
these figures the cutter bar is shown turned up vertically and out of use but in
Figure 3 the horizontal or working position is indicated in dotted lines. In these
Figures also many of the parts of the machine having no bearing on the present
invention are omitted. We pivot the slade a fixed to the inner end of the cutter
bar bat a¹ to one end of a lever c whose other end is pivotted at c³ to the frame of
the machine. This lever c has pivotted to it at d' a bell crank lever d to one end
of which a lifting chaine is attached. To lift the cutter bar 6 the driver pulls upon
the chain e by means of a lever not shown in the drawings causing the bell crank
lever d to turn about its pivot and bringing the arm to which the chain is attached
against a stop on the lever c pivotted to the frame of the machine thus causing
this lever to be raised about its pivot c¹ carrying with it the slade a pivotted to its
outer end. At the same time the other end of the bell crank lever comes against
a projection a³ on the heel of the slade a thus preventing the slade from turning
on its pivot a' so that the continued movement of the chain lifts the cutter bar
parallel to itself and to the ground. When the chain e has been slacked again
and the cutter bar 6 lowered on to the ground the bell crank lever d drops away
from the projection a³ on the heel of the slade a so that the cutter bar can now
turn freely up or down about its pivot a¹ to follow the inequalities of the ground.
As shown in Figures 1 and 2 we drive the cutters from the main axle g of the
carrying wheels g₁ by a chain and chain wheels and h³ instead of by spur
gearing as is usual. The chain wheel ¹ is fixed to a sleevej mounted on the axle
near its middle and is put into and out of gear by a clutch of the construction
shown in Figures 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.
"
9.
Figure 4 being a vertical transverse section and Figure 5 a vertical longitudinal
section of the clutch, k is a driving boss and disc fixed to the axle
Pivotted
to it are two pawls 1, 7 shown to a larger scale at Figures 7 and 8. are the
pivots, are the pawls and are pins projecting through radial slots in the disc.
mare springs tending to force the pawls into ratchet teeth on the inside of the
sleeve. n is a plate free to turn on the boss and having in it eccentric slots n' through
which the pins pass. n³ are pins or projections on the plate n serving as handles
by which it can be turned to throw the pawls into and out of gear with the ratchet
teeth. Each of the carrying wheels is provided with an independent backing
ratchet not shewn in the drawings. The chain h from the chain wheel drives a
second chain wheel to whose axis is fixed a bevel pinion gearing with a bevel
pinion 9 on the crank shaft r. The crank pins carries a sleeve t not shewn in
Figures 1 and 2 but illustrated separately at Figures 9 and 10 free to rotate upon
it. The centre portion of this sleeve is spherical on the outside but with a flat
at one point. The sleeve is received into a fork at one end of the connecting
rod u the flat allowing it to be passed between the jaws of the fork. The inside
of the fork is spherical to fit upon the sleeve which is secured in it by a bolt u¹
passing from one jaw to the other and resting upon the flat thus preventing the
sleeve from turning in one direction whilst the spherical form of the parts allows
its play in the other direction. This arrangement not only prevents undue strains

page_text: being thrown on the crank pin and connecting rod by reason of the vibration
or twisting of the frame of the machine but it also permits the other end of the
connecting rod to be very readily attached to the end of the cutter without bending
or springing the connecting rod as is generally necessary.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In machines for cutting grass and other crops the combination of the lever
pivotted to the frame of the machine, the cutter bar pivotted to the lever and
means for locking the cutter bar to the lever when the latter is raised substantially
as described.
2. In machines for cutting grass and other crops, the combination of the lever
pivotted to the frame of the machine, the slade carrying the cutter bar pivotted
to the lever, the bell crank lever also pivotted to the lever and stops upon the
lever and slade to come against the arms of the bell crank lever substantially as
described.
3. In machines for cutting grass and other crops the combination of a chain
wheel loose upon the axle of the main carrying wheels, a clutch for connecting
the chain wheel to the axle, a second chain wheel driven by a chain from the first,
a bevel pinion upon the axis of the second chain wheel gearing with a bevel
pinion on a crank axis and a connecting rod from the crank to the cutter
substantially as described.
4. In machines for cutting grass and other crops the means of attaching the
connecting rod to the crank pin substantially as described.
5. Machines for cutting grass and other crops substantially as described and
shewn in the drawings.
Dated this 6th day of Tul. 1900
JAMES HORNSBY.
JOHN INNOCENT.
JERH. MONEY.