IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE RAKES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Howard, of Bedford, in the County of
Bedford, Agricultural Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN HORSE RAKES."
Sealed the 25th September 1869, and dated the 28th June 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Howard at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th June 1869.
I, JAMES HOWARD, of Bedford, in the County of Bedford, Agri-
cultural Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE RAKES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to increase the efficiency of horse rakes,
and at the same time to simplify their construction. In order to
facilitate the lifting of the tines to clear them of the hay or corn which
they have gathered I modify the construction of rake, in which a
transverse rocking frame or cradle is employed for carrying the tine bar
or tine axle. This cradle has for its fulcrum the main axle of the
machine, and when rocked by means of a hand lever it depresses the
tine heads, at the same time raising the tine points and letting the
weight of the tines rest on the main axle. In my improved machine I
carry the tines by preference below the main axle, and I provide a

page_text: simple arrangement for lifting the tines from the ground, the power of the
horse being employed instead of that of the attendant for this purpose.
To keep the tines down to their work, and yet allow of their adapting
themselves to the inequalities of the ground some makers have applied
to the tines pressure springs. I find however that I can reduce or re-
move this tendency of the tines to rise from their work by simply
connecting together two or more tines, as I thus virtually increase the
weight upon their points as well as give lateral strength to the tines,
I prefer to connect the tines together in pairs by a cross bolt or bolts,
which also serve to secure to their heads a pair of bent arms which are
placed between the tines of each pair, and when the tines are placed
below the axle project rearwards and carry an antifriction bowle. This
bowle stands immediately over the main axle. When therefore the
cradle is tipped to raise the tines the bowles of the several pairs of tines
will bear upon the main axle, which will thus take the weight of the
tines. On the inside of each carrying wheel a ring with holes or notches
is cast to receive the ends of a pair of transverse bolts, which are
simultaneously projected by the attendant in opposite directions so as
to enter the holes or notches of the rings on the travelling wheels.
These bolts are carried by the cradle, and when projected the onward
progress of the wheels will cause the cradle to tip, thereby depressing
the tine axle bar and raising the tines out of work. As soon as the
tines are clear of the hay or corn the transverse bolts are withdrawn
by the action of a stop or its equivalent In order to prevent the cradle
from oscillating when the machine is raking, and thus raising the
tines from the ground, it is held in position by a catch or stop, or its
equivalent, which may be thrown out of action by the same movement
by which the attendant shoots the transverse bolts. In addition to the
self-acting arrangement for raising and lowering the tines I find it
convenient to provide a foot lever, which the attendant may occasionally
use for the like purpose instead of the self-acting arrangement above
described. I would remark that the mode of grouping the tines above
described as well as the placing them below the main axle I
proposo
to use also in horse rakes the tines of which are raised by hand power.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Howard in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 28th December 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HOWARD, of Bedford, in the County of Bedford, Agricultural Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said James Howard, Her special licence that
I, the said James Howard, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said James Howard, 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 Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE RAKES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Howard,
my executors or 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, -
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Howard,. do hereby declare
the nature of my 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) :-
The object of this Invention is to increase the efficiency of horse rakes
and at the same time to simplify their construction. In order to
facilitate the lifting of the tines to clear them of the hay or corn which
they have gathered I modify the construction of rake, in which a
transverse rocking frame or cradle is employed for carrying the tine bar
or tine axle. This cradle has for its fulcrum the main axle of the

page_text: machine, and when rocked by means of a hand lever it depresses the
tine heads, at the same time raising the tine points and letting the
weight of the tines rest on the main axle. In my improved machine
I carry the tines either above or below the main axle, and I provide a
simple arrangement for lifting them from the ground, the power of the
draught horse being employed instead of that of the attendant for this
purpose. To keep the tines down to their work, and yet allow of their
adapting themselves to the inequalities of the ground, some makers
have applied to the tines pressure springs. I find however that I can
reduce or remove this tendency of the tines to rise from their work by
simply connecting together two or more tines, as I thus virtually increase
the weight upon their points as well as give lateral strength to the tines.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan view of my improved
horse rake; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same taken in the line 1, 2,
of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an elevation of the rear end of the rake. In
these Figures the tines are shown as placed above the main axle.
Figures 4 and 5 shew in side elevation and plan view the mode of
mounting the tines below the main axle, in which case the axle is cranked
to allow of the tines passing under it; Figures 6 and 7 show on an
enlarged scale a mode of coupling the tines together for the purpose
before mentioned.
A, A, are the carrying wheels of the machine fitted to the main axle B.
To this axle are fixed draught irons C, C, for carrying the shafts C', C'.
D, D, is the rocking frame, having for its fulcrum the axle B. This
rocking frame consists of a series of crank levers a, a, connected together
at their opposite extremities by a transverse bar b, and a transverse axle c.
on the latter of which the tincs E, E, are hung. The tines E, E, I
connect together in pairs by a cross bolt or bolts c, e, see Figs. 6 and 7.
These bolts when the tines pass under the main axle, as shewn in
Figures 4 and 5, serve to secure to the heads of the tines a pair of bent
arms e', which are placed between the tines of each pair, and project
rearwards to carry an antifriction bowle c. This bowle stands imme-
diately over the main axle; when therefore the cradle is tipped to
raise the tines the bowles of the several pairs of tines will bear upon
the main axle which will thus take the weight of the tines. In like
manner the axle in the arrangement shewn in Figures 1, 2, and 3 will
take the weight of the tines when the cradle is tipped. On the inside

page_text: of each carrying wheel A, A, a disc or ring A¹ having a ring of holes on
its inner face is cast to receive the ends of a pair of transverse bolts F, F,
see Figs. 2 and 3, which are simultaneously projected by the attendant in
opposite directions so as to enter the holes of the rings A'. These bolts
are carried by the cradle D, and when projected the onward progress of
the wheels will cause the cradle to tip, thereby depressing the trans-
verse axle c on which the tines are hung and raising the tines out of
work. As soon as the tines are clear of the hay or corn the transversc
bolts are withdrawn by the action of a check chain G, connected at one
end to the shaft bar, and at the other to a cranked foot lever I mounted
on the axle c of the rocking frame or cradle D, and used to set the
bolts in action. To the inner end of this foot lever H is jointed a
sliding bar which is free to move in guides provided for it in the
cradle D, and pivotted to this bar are link rods which are
respectively jointed to the bolts F, F. It will now be understood that
when the attendant seated at I depresses with his foot the crank
lever H the bar h will be drawn upwards, and bringing the links into
line with each other will thrust out the bolts F, and cause them to lock
into the rings of the carrying wheels. The action of these wheels as
they move forward will then be to rock the cradle D on its axis, and by
depressing the forward part of the cradle to lift the tines out of work,
as shewn in dotted lines, in Fig. 2. When this lifting motion has
drawn the chain G to tension, the chain will commence to pull on the
rock lever H, and the cradle being still further tipped by the traverse of
the carrying wheels will trip the crank lever H, and cause it to act upon
and withdraw the bolts F, F. The cradle will then return to its former
position, and carry the tines to the ground. In order to prevent the
cradle from oscillating when the machine is raking and thus raising the
tines from the ground, it is kept in position by a spring stop attached to
and pendent from the seat iron. Connected with the sliding bar / is a
wedge-shaped extension piece which is intended to bear against the
spring stop K, and push it out of position when the bolts are required
to be thrown. When however the tendency of the cradle is to oscillato
the spring stop will by bearing on the wedge-shaped piece offer a
sufficient obstruction to the cradle to check its upward motions. In
addition to the self-acting arrangement for raising and lowering the tines
I find it convenient to provide a second foot lever which the attendant
may occasionally use for lifting the tines, as for instance when the
machine is required to be turned. This foot lever is shown at L, in the

page_text: plan view Fig. 1. I would remark that the mode of grouping the tines
above described as well as the placing them below the main axle I
propose to use also in horse rakes the tines of which are raised by
hand power.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements 5
iu Horse Rakes," and explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent I claim,-
First. Connecting the tines together in pairs or groups, in the
manner and for the purpose above described.
Secondly. Arranging the tines below the main axle, and throwing
thereon the weight of the lifted tines in the manner above described.
Thirdly. The arrangement above described for adapting the traction
power applied to the implement to the raising of the tines.
1
In witness whereof, I, the said James Howard, have hereunto 1
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-eighth day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
ninc.