IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES
Year: 1872

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Henry Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
. 17th June 1872.-A communication from abroad by Auguste
Bernard Albaret, of Paris, in the Republic of France.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES," a com-
munication to me from abroad by Auguste Bernard Albaret, of Paris, in
the Republic of France, to be as follows:-
==
This Invention relates to various important modifications in reaping
and mowing machines, and consists,―
First. In the modification of the teeth of the cutting knife.
Second. The axes of the connecting rod and of the knife are made
hollow so as to form an oil reservoir and prevent inert strains. The regular
lubrication of the axes is thus readily obtained by means of the centrifugal
force and inertia.
Third. In the means employed to compensate for the play in the

page_text: i
Fourth. In the modification of the gear which is moved by the feet
and placed in front of the driver, and which admits of the rakes and
cutting knife being put in gear, and their motion being arrested instan-
taneously.
Fifth. In the mode of setting or attaching the horses, which is effected
by means of two saddles distributing the weight of the driver on the
back of the horses.
Sixth. In the jointing or hinging of the teeth of the rake so as to
admit of their rectilinear or.rotatory motion.
Seventh. In the means employed in order to obtain this motion.
In carrying out this Invention the tooth of the knife is made so as to
work on all its points. It is of a triangular form, and the two sides are
serrated or fluted; the angle which the two sides forms is slightly rounded
and cut like a sickle, so as to prevent it by its to-and-fro and forward
motion from driving back the stems of the crops to be cut, to which
defect the ordinary form of tooth is liable; or two sides only are serrated
or fluted and the extremity left without a bevel edge.
The axis of the connecting rod at the side of the driving axle is hollow
and forms an oil reservoir. It is filled by withdrawing a small wooden
stopper which is replaced as soon as the reservoir is full. The oil is
discharged. from the effects of centrifugal force through a small hole,
which hole is drilled at an angle determined in relation to the axis of the
fly wheel and the bearing is thus lubricated. The angle and diameter
of the hole are so regulated as not to supply more than the desired
quantity of oil for efficient lubrication. The bearing is also perforated:
with two small holes at the part on which the connecting rod is fitted,
the rod being formed with rounded projections at that part, so that the
oil will penetrate into the rubbing parts.
The pin of the cutter bar is also made hollow, and also forms an oil
reservoir; it is filled by uncovering a hole concealed beneath the cap of a
the connecting rod; the pin is fitted very accurately in the cap in order
to prevent the escape of the oil. A small hole is provided, such hole
being drilled at an angle which is determined as in the case of the crank
pin, but in the present case the oil necessary for lubrication is supplied
by means of the inertia. A guide is employed to prevent the pin being 3
withdrawn.

page_text: The cutter bar is so made as to compensate for the wear caused by the
working; it is provided with a split lug or projection, the parts of which
are tightened by means of a bolt with two nuts; a small wooden key
serves to fill the space between the two parts in order to prevent the
escape of the oil.
The seat of the driver is fixed on a spring which rests on the pole;
the driver being seated, gives motion to the rakes and the knife with the
foot, such motion being imparted by raising the extremity of a spring
which is also fixed on the pole. The spring has a stop on a heel, the
object of which I shall describe. On each side of the pole there are two
small flat uprights of iron connected together by cross pieces; one of
the cross pieces, viz., that of the lower portion, receives a small iron rod
which imparts motion to the pinion of the driving wheel. This cross
piece is situate under the spring and catches under the stop of the latter,
slightly raising it. The upper cross pieces serve as a support for the feet
of the driver, and to throw the parts out of gear by pressing against the
frame until the stop on the spring is reached. This motion separates
the pinion from the pin to which it imparts motion. On raising the
spring the pinion which is no longer maintained by the rod is pressed
back by a spiral spring, the pin is inserted in its notch, and motion takes
place..
The horses are attached to the machine by means of two saddles which
are fixed on the horses' backs with their straps.
A wooden cross piece having a slot at its two extremities serves to
connect the two horses and to maintain them at the proper distance
apart. This cross piece rests on the two saddles, and two pins attached
one to each saddle pass through the cross piece in the two slots, so that
the horses have full liberty. At the centre of the wooden piece there is
disposed a hook with a screwed portion and hand nuts. The pole is
connected to the wooden cross piece by a small linked chain which takes
on to this hook. The hand nuts admit of the driver varying the
inclination of the pole according to the height at which the crop is to
be cut.
•
In all reapers provided with a rake which turns around a vertical axis
it happens that the rake in its rotatory motion bends the stems before
the cutting takes place. The stems being maintained between the teeth
of the rake are obliged to follow its direction and are bent on one side,

page_text: consequently there is an abundance of stems on that side which hinders
the formation of a good sheaf; this effect is more apparent when the
corn is higher. In order to obviate this inconvenience it is proposed to
make the teeth of the rake jointed or moveable, so that they will not
work until after the cutting is effected, and the sheaves are laid on the
platform so that the rakes in fact form wings and simply serve for turning
off the sheaves.
The momentary suspension of the action of the teeth may be obtained
by rotatory motion or by rectilinear motion, that is to say, by raising the
teeth of the rake behind or before it or by inclining them in its plane,
the principle object being to prevent the teeth from acting before the
cutting, and also to prevent the teeth coming in contact with the sheaf
when it has been projected on to the ground after the traverse of the
teeth over the platform.
In order to obtain this result I employ the motion herein-after
described.
The teeth of the rake are fixed on a wooden cylinder turning around
its axis; at the extremity of this cylinder at the side of the large wheel
of the machine, there is secured an iron crank forming a right angle with
the teeth of the rake; this crank carries a roller at its extremity, a spiral
spring maintains the teeth constantly reversed. When the reaper advances
the roller comes against an angle piece after having traversed along an
iron guide picce; the latter piece raises the roller and consequently
causes the crank to turn. The teeth of the rake are placed in a vertical
position opposite the cutter, and the roller is brought under another iron
guide piece which maintains it in that position until the departure from
the platform, which departure may vary as required. When the roller
leaves the iron guide the spring comes into action and brings the teeth
back into their original position; the rake teeth leave parallelly, following
the end of the platform. The sheaf is thus left free and the trail which
ordinarily takes place is prevented. The same mechanism may obviously
be adapted to other systems now in use.