Ax IMPROVED MODE OF WORKING STEAM TILLING IMPLEMENTS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Howard, Agricultural Engineer, and Edward
Tenney Bousfield, Engineer, both of Bedford, in the County of Bedford,
for the Invention of "Ax IMPROVED MODE OF WORKING STEAM TILLING
IMPLEMENTS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Howard and
Edward Tenney Bousfield at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 27th April 1866.
'I, JAMES HOWARD, Agricultural Engineer, and EDWARD TENNEY
BOUSFIELD, Engineer, both of Bedford, in the County of Bedford, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MODE OF
WORKING STEAM TILLING IMPLEMENTS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a method of working two steam ploughs or
tilling implements simultaneously on what is well known as the "double
engine system." There are two plans of working this system at present, in
use; one is to operate each engine alternately, the implement being hauled-to
and fro between the two engines; this plan has the disadvantage of only
working each engine half its time. The other plan of working the "double

page_text: engine system" is to combine the power of bothe engines in hauling one
implement, but it has the disadvantage of complicating the apparatus and
making it difficult of adjustment. A Patent granted to Mr. John Tulloh
Osborn, and bearing date 23rd July 1846, No. 11,304, sets forth a method of
working two implements simultaneously, but his plan presents serious
obstacles to getting the implement into fresh ground, and varying the number
of times and width of the implement.
Now the object of our Invention is to remove or avoid all these difficulties
and objections, and to this end we operate two implements simultaneously by
two engines, which being placed at opposite sides of the field draw the im-
plements to and from a given line dividing the field transversely into two
parts.
If one side of the field is stiffer than the other the division line may
be drawn nearer to one or other of the land's ends so as to equalize the work
of each engine. The engines are each fitted with two winding drums which
are geared to the driving shaft independently of each other, and alternately hanl
in and pay out the traction ropes, which ropes pass across the field from land's
end to land's end and are connected to their respectivo winding drams and to
the implements which they are intended to operate..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield in the. Great
Seal Patent Office on the 27th October 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
HOWARD, Agricultural Engineer, and EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD, Engineer,
both of Bedford, in the County of Bedford, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by ПTer 'Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight 'hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant iunto us, the
said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield, Her special licence that we,
the said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield, our executors, adminis
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said James Howard and Edward
Tenney Bousfield, 'our 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 "An

page_text: IMPROVED MODE OF WORKING STEAM TILLING IMPLEMENTS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said James Howard and Edward Tenney
Bousfield, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our, 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 we, the said James. Howard and Edward Tenney
Bousfield, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be, particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say)
.
This Invention relates to a method of working two steam ploughs or tilling
implements simultaneously on what is well known as the "double engine
system." There are two plans of working this system at present in use; one
is to put each engine alternately into operation. By this means a single
implement is hauled to and fro between the two engines; this plan has the
disadvantage of only working each engine half its time. The other plan of
working the "double engine system" is to combine the power of both engines
in hauling one implement, but it has the disadvantage of complicating the
apparatus and making it difficult of adjustment. A Patent granted to
Mr. John Tulloh Osborn, and bearing date Twenty-third July, One thousand
eight hundred and forty-six, No. 11,304, sets forth a method of working two
implements simultaneously with a pair of engines; but his plan presents
serious obstacles to getting the implement into fresh ground, and to varying
the number of tines and width of the implement.
Now the object of our Invention is to remove or avoid all these difficulties
and objections, and to this end we operate two. implements simultaneously by.
two engines, which being placed at opposite sides of the field. draw.the
implements to and from a given line dividing the field transversely into two
parts. If one side of the field is stiffer than the other the division line may
be drawn nearer to one or other of the land's ends so as to equalize the work
of each engine. Each engine is fitted with two winding drums, which are
geared to the driving shaft independently of each other, and alternately, haul
in and pay out the traction ropes. These ropes are connected to their respec-
tive winding drums and to the implements which they are intended, to operate
and pass across the field from land's end to land's end...
.>

page_text: In the accompanying Drawing we have shewn in plan view the engines and
ploughs or cultivators coupled up and intended to be employed according to
our Invention.
'
A, A¹, are the two engines constructed by preference on the principle of the
Patent granted to us the within-named James Howard and Edward Tenney
Bousfield, January Fifteenth, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, but
engines of any other approved construction may be employed. Each of these
engines is fitted with two winding drums or barrels B', B³, B³, B, by the rotation
of which the hauling ropes are alternately coiled and uncoiled. These barrels
are thrown into and out of gear respectively as the coiling or uncoiling of
the rope is required to be effected; C is the hauling rope attached to the
titting implement D, and E is the hauling rope attached to the tilling imple-
ment F. These two tilling implements are simultaneously hauled; either towards
or from a datum line a, b, placed either midway or at any other suitable
position between the engines, each engine operating alternately upon the
implements D and F. The mode of operation is as follows:-The winding
drum B' having hauled the implement D from the dotted position near the
engine A to the drawn position, and the drum B having hauled the imple-
ment F from the dotted position near the engine A¹ to the drawn position,
and the ropes from the drums B and B having been drawn off by the rear
end of the implements D and F; the engines are now to be advanced on
the headlands a distance equal to the width of another bout, in order that
the implement may be enabled to take up new ground. When the advance
of the engines has taken place, the winding drums B³, B³, have been dis-
engaged, and the drums B³, B', thrown into gear, the implements are again
drawn towards the engine. The attendants now steer them into frosh
ground, the implement D being brought opposite the space marked D', and
the implement F opposite the space marked F¹. The continued hauling of
the drums B and B will now effect a repitition of the tilling operation, but
in the reverse direction to that of the last bout, the engine A drawing the
implement D, and the engine A¹ drawing the implement F. Thus the two
engines will act together, but they will each operate upon the implements
D and F alternately, confining the operation of each implement to its own
portion or side of the field. Thus the progression of the engines along the
headlands will be in advance equal to the width of one "bout," whereby the
operation of getting the implements into new ground will be as easy as when
working in the ordinary way.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "An Improved Mode
of Working Steam Tilling Implements, and explained the manner of carrying

page_text: the same into effect, we wish it to be understood that under the above in
part recited Letters Patent we claim, the tilling of land by the aid of two
engines acting simultaneously upon the tilling implements in the manner and
for the purpose above described.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Howard and Edward Tenney
Bousfield, have hereunto set our hands and seals, the Twenty-fifth day
of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-six
JAMES HOWARD.
(L.B.)
EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD. (L.S.)