Improvements in Mowing Machines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 7th June, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Mar., 1890-Accepted, 7th June, 1890)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mowing Machines.
We EDWARD CHRISTOPHER BLACKSTONE of Stamford in the County of Lincoln,
Agricultural Implement Maker, and BRYAN BRANSON, of Grantham, in the same
County, Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
-
This invention has for its object a novel construction of mowing machine in
which the cutter bar will be at liberty to follow the inequalities of the ground
more readily than heretofore.
In carrying out this invention, we employ driving wheels having either internal
or external teeth, with which gear pinions on the first motion spindle.
The main casting is mounted in bearings in the ends of brackets or arms which
are keyed on the main axle, and these brackets or arms may be made with a shield
to enclose and protect from dirt the gearing.
The main casting is arranged either in front or in rear of the main axle, and
it is made to enclose and carry the first motion spindle and bevel wheel, and also
the crank spindle for driving the knife bar. As the first motion spindle runs
through the main casting, and takes its bearings in the same, the spindle can
rotate independently of the casting, and the casting can roll or oscillate indepen-
dently of either the arms or the spindle.
The pole bracket is pivotted to the main axle, and carries a bell crank with
lever handle, to which is connected, by a link, one of the brackets or arms, so that
the relative positions of the pole and the working parts may be adjusted as
desired.
By this means, the vertical distance between the pole bracket and the first
motion spindle may be varied, as required, to suit the height of horses.
The hinge beam is supported at one end, by the main casting, and at the other
end joins the slade of finger bar, which is provided with an adjustable guide or
leading wheel by which the points of the fingers may be tipped so as to bring
them down to, or raise them off the ground, as desired.
A hinge beam stay is also provided, which is rigidly attached, at one end, to
the beam, but its free end is slotted to embrace the main casting, so that it can
rise and fall with the beam, and at the same time rock with the main casting and
the cutting apparatus.
To the free end of the beam the cutter bar is hinged, and means are provided
for adjusting the joint between the beam and the cutter bar, so that the cutter
bar may always be kept square with the crank.
In some cases we may find it desirable to attach or joint the finger bar direct
to the main bracket, which may be formed with a lateral extension for the
purpose.
In the Mowing Machine as above described, the first motion spindle and the
cutter bar are on the same side of the main axle, and the cutter bar is, as far as
practicable, in a line with the first motion spindle, on which, by reason of its
connections, it is capable of rocking, so that as the leading wheel causes the points
of the fingers to rise, on passing over uneven ground, the back of the cutter bar
will fall, and vice versa, and as the cutter bar, with the knife, connecting rod, and
crank, have a rolling motion controlled by the leading wheel, the bar is allowed
to follow the inequalities of the surface of the ground more freely than heretofore,
being quite independent of the travelling wheels and the pole-bracket or rigid parts
of the machine.
The crank end of the connecting rod we make U or similar shaped, to embrace
a bush provided with an oil cup, and the bar connecting the two arms we tap to

page_text: receive a screw by which the bush and oil cap are held firmly in position, or the
bush may be secured by a strap.
Instead of placing the guides for the whippletree slides underneath the pole, we
attach them to the sides. In this position the slides can be easily lubricated, and the
whippletree is 'held level.
The whippletree is attached to the slide by a central bolt, and the slide is formed
with a loop, to which may be attached a draw bar from the hinge beam.
Do th
CT1000
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.
'COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mowing Machines.
We, EDWARD CHRISTOPHER BLACKSTONE, of Stamford, in the county of Lincoln,
Agricultural Implement Maker, and BRYAN BRANSON, of Grantham, in the same
county, Mechanic, 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 :-
Our invention relates to mowing machines and it consists chiefly in the provision
sof improved means for enabling the cutter bar to follow the inequalities of the ground
more freely than heretofore by hingeing or pivotting the main casting or framing
carrying the hinge beam to a part of the machine nearer the said hinge beam and
knife bar than the axle to which it has hitherto been the practice to hinge it'; but our
invention also comprises other improvements all as hereinafter described.
In carrying our invention into practice we key or otherwise fix upon the main
axle of the machine brackets or arms, the free ends of which serve as bearings for the
main casting to hinge or turn in and the first motion spindle is journalled within the
said main casting.
By this arrangement the spindle can rotate independently of the casting and
the casting can hinge or turn independently of either the arms or the spindle. The
main casting is arranged at the front or rear of the main axle according as to whether
the machine is to have a front or back axle and it is constructed to enclose the first
'motion spindle and the bevel wheels for driving the crank spindle which operates the
knife, the said crank spindle being also enclosed within it.
The first motion spindle is provided with spur pinions which are driven from the
driving or carrying wheels in the usual manner.
is
The hinge beam which is hinged to the main casting in the usual manner,
provided with a stay which is slotted so as to embrace a block journalled on the free
end of one of the arms or brackets herein before described thereby enabling the beam
*to move freely up and down and at the same time prevent it being strained by the
pressure on the cutter bar.
The free end of the hinge beam is hinged to the cutter bar in the usual manner and
-means 'are provided for adjusting or bringing them into their proper relative positions
after having been thrown out of alignment by the wear of their connecting, joint due
to the constant strain on the cutter bar.
•
The lock bar we preferably attach to the joint pin instead of providing special
means for its attachment as has heretofore been the case.
The pole bracket is fixed or keyed upon the main axle and is connected to one of
'the' brackets or arms by means of a chain or sliding bolt capable of adjustment, by
means, of screwed nuts or by a bell crank hand lever working over a notched quadrant.
By this arrangement the. pole bracket serves to support the brackets and parts con-
-nected thereto and the adjustment allows of the relative positions of the said pole
'bracket and arm being varied to suit the height of the horse employed.
The crank for driving the knife we prefer to form double so as to enable the crank
shaft to be extended and supported by means of an additional bearing on the crank
*shield,

page_text: Suitable means are provided for lubricating the pin of the said crank.
Instead of placing the guides for the whippletree slides underneath the pole as is
usual, we attach them to the sides of the same. By this arrangement the sides can be
easily lubricated and the whippletree is maintained in a level position. The said
whippletree is attached to the slide by a central bolt to which is attached a loop or eye
for connecting the pole by a draw bar to an extension on the hinge beam.
We construct the crank end of the connecting rod of a U or similar shape to receive
the two halves of the bush. A curved spring is arranged in connection with the said
bush, the centre of which bears upon the upper side of the bush while its ends are in
contact with the sides of the U-shaped end which sides are connected by a bolt and
nut, so that, by turning the said nut, the sides of the U-shaped end will be drawn
together so as to take up the wear of the halves of the bush and the ends of the spring
will be pressed nearer together thereby causing the centre of the said spring to press
on the top of the bush.
We also make use of an improved form of rod stop by means of which the con-
necting rod can be more readily removed than heretofore. Upon the slade just above
the knife end we arrange a grease box to lubricate the slide and the knife end.
Instead of constructing the track board, that is to say, the board attached to the
outside dividing shoe of a mowing machine for clearing a track, with a flat plate on
its under edge, we preferably arrange an angle iron instead, it being fastened to the
said board by means of bolts and nuts.
To enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe how it can be
carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a sectional plan of the main portion of a mowing machine constructed
according to our invention.
Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same the section being taken on the
line, of figure 1.
Figure 3 is a plan of the pole bracket and some of the adjacent parts.
Figures 4 to 12 are views of details fully hereinafter described.
Similar reference letters indicate similar parts throughout the drawings.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a, a are the driving or carrying wheels mounted on
the main axle b and c is the first motion spindle which is driven from the teeth a' on
the said wheels through the medium of spur pinions c¹, c. d is the crank shaft driven
from the spindle c through the medium of bevel wheels d¹ and d² and serving to
actuate the knife (not shewn in the drawing) by means of the crank e connecting rod
or pitman e¹ and sliding block or knife end e f is the hinge beam to which is jointed
the cutter bar f provided with the fingers f2, and 3 is the slade or shoe attached to
the said bar and carrying the adjustable guide or leading wheel is the pole
which is connected by the pole bracket g₁ to the main axle 6 and which carries the
driver's seat g². 93 is the lever handle and g* the foot lever for lifting the hinge beam
and cutter bar through the medium of the chain y³.
All the foregoing parts are of known construction.
We will now describe our improvements.
h, are the brackets or arms which are fixed on the main axle by screws * or
the like and i is the main casting journalled thereon at . The first motion
spindle c is also journalled in the interior of the journals of the main casting.
By this arrangement it will be seen that the cutter bar f¹, knife, and parts connecting
them to the main casting, and the main casting itself, have an oscillating or hingeing
movement at a point nearer to them than the main axle and upon the first motion
guide spindle c and independent thereof thereby enabling the said bar and knife to
follow the inequalities of the ground more freely than heretofore.
jis the stay which is attached to the hinge beam f and j¹ is the slot therein to
enable it to embrace the block journalled on the free end of the bracket h¹. The
said stay is shewn detached in side and end elevation in figures 4 and 5
respectively.
For adjusting the relative positions of the hinge beam ƒ and cutter bar flas
herein before described we form the joint or hinge by means of two bosses k, k¹ which

page_text: and
passing
at the
work on the pin 1 on the said cutter bar and are provided with pink,
nuts, k to enable them to be attached to the said hinge beam, the pin
through a hole at the front of the said beam and the pin k³ through a slot
rear, so as to enable the cutter bar to be brought into alignment with the hinge beam,
the pin moving in the said slot, while the pin ² serves as a pivot for the cutter
bar to turn upon. After having been moved into alignment we prefer to insert in
the space in the slot behind the pin a metal packing piece so as to take the
In figure 1 the nut on the pin is omitted in order to
strain off the said pin.
.clearly show the slot k³.
m is the lock bar which is attached to the cutter bar, through the medium of the
joint pin l.
o (figure 2) is the chain which connects the bracket to the pole bracket g' the
said chain being united to the bracket g' by an adjustable screw o¹. Instead of the
chain o a sliding bolt may be employed as shewn in detached view in Figure 5. In
this case the bolt is connected to the bracket g¹ in a similar manner to the chain o,
but at its lower end is provided with a head o² upon which rests the bracket hi
through the medium of an extension o³ through which the said bolt passes.
These arrangements allow the pole to bend under the weight of the hinge beam and
cutter bar when they are lifted, without affecting the arm or bracket h¹. Instead of
the screw o¹ we sometimes make use of the bell crank hand lever p working over a
notched plate p' on the pole bracket as shewn clearly in detached view in
Figure 6.
As shewn in Figures 1 and 2 the crank for driving the knife is formed double
or with an additional portion e* so as to enable the crank shaft d to be extended and
supported in an additiona! bearing on the crank shield d. For lubricating the
pin of the said crank we form the crank pin d with a hole de plugged at both ends
as shewn in detached view at Figure 6. This hole communicates with the surface of
the crank pin by one (or more) holes d' and with the outside of the crank by means
of a hole d³, a set screw do being used to seal the hole d³ when charged with
lubricant.
In Figures 1 and 29, 9 are the whippletree guides and q' the slide which works
thereon, the said guides being formed (as shewn) and placed at the sides of the pole g.
22 is the bolt and q³ the loop or eye for connecting the pole g by the draw bar q* to
the extension g' on the hinge beam f.
Figures 7 and 8 are an end and side sectional elevation of the crank end of the
connecting rod e¹, it being formed of a U-shape as shown to receive the bush r.
$ is
the curved spring which bears upon the said bush and against the sides r¹ of the end
of the rod and st, 2 the bolt and nut respectively, by tightening which the spring s
will be caused to bear upon the bush as hereinbefore described, and the wear of the
bush taken up.
In figure 1 and also in Figures 9, 10 and 11 which are a plan, rear and end
elevation respectively, is shewn our improved form of rod stop or holder which
comprises the bearing piece t hinged at t¹ to a bracket t attached to the slade or
shoe f³. To the front end of the piece t is hinged the spring arm t³ the free end of
which engages when locked beneath a projection t* on the bracket t the other end of
the arm t³ engaging in a recess to in the piece t as shewn clearly in the drawing. In
order to raise the piece t to release the connecting rod e¹ the spring arm t³ must
be disengaged from the recess and turned into the position shewn by the dotted
lines in Figure 10. This movement, by reason of the cam shape of the under edge
of the free end of the arm t³, will lift the piece t into the position shewn also by
dotted lines. The piece t can then be further turned on its pivot by lifting the
arm t³.
u, Figure 2, is the grease box which we arrange on the slade 3 above the sliding
block or knife end e² which forms the connection between the connecting rod e¹ and
the knife.
Figure 12 is a section of the lower part of my improved track board shewing the
angle iron v fastened by bolts and nuts v¹, v².

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is :—
1. A mowing machine the main casting of which oscillates upon an axis parallel
with the main axle and at a point between the latter and the line of the cutter bar
substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
2. A mowing machine having its main casting to which the hinge beam is connected
mounted in arms or brackets projecting from the main axle and adapted to oscillate
therein the axis of oscillation being coincident with the axis of the first motion spindle,
substantially as described.
3. In a mowing machine a slotted stay in combination with the hinge beam,
substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
4. In a mowing machine, the hinge of the construction described in combination
with the slot for adjusting the relative positions of the hinge beam and cutter bar,
substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
5. In a mowing machine having its main casting arranged as described the
combination of the lock bar with the joint pin, substantially as described.
6. In a mowing machine having its main casting adapted to oscillate as described,
a chain or sliding bolt for connecting the pole bracket to one of the brackets
supporting the said main casting, the said chain being arranged so as to be adjustable
substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in figures 1, 2 and 3 of
the accompanying drawings.
7. The alternative means for adjusting the chain claimed in claim 6, substantially
as described and illustrated in figure 6 of the accompanying drawings.
8. In a mowing machine having an oscillating main casting as claimed in claim 1,
a double crank in combination with a bearing formed on the crank shield, substantially
as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
9. In a mowing machine having an oscillating main casting as claimed in claim 1
and a double crank one of the bearings for which is formed on the crank shield,
forming the crank pin hollow to receive a lubricant substantially as described with
reference to Figure 6ª of the accompanying drawings.
10. A mowing machine, the whippletree guides for which are at the sides of the
pole, substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.
11. In a mowing machine a connecting rod or pitman the crank end of which is of
a U-shape and provided with a spring for imparting pressure to the bush, substantially
as described and illustrated in figures 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings.
12. In a mowing machine having an oscillating main casting as claimed in claim 1,
a rod stop or holder constructed and operating substantially as described and
illustrated in figures 1, 9, 10 and 11 of the accompanying drawings.
13. In a mowing machine having an oscillating main casting as claimed in claim 1,
a track board which is provided with an angle iron bottom, substantially as described
with reference to figure 12 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 3
1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.