IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International
Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention
Sealed the 26th January 1869, and dated the 26th November 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 26th November 1868.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office,"
No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES," a communi-
cation, to be as follows:-
The general characteristics of this Invention are the use and adapt-
ability of a series of revolving and rising and falling arms which serve
for drawing in the standing grain to the cutters, and one of which, at the

page_text: will of the driver or operator riding on the machine, may be made to
act as a rake to sweep the grain from the platform to the ground.
The nature of the said Invention consists in the manner of driving
and controlling the series of arms in their revolving, rising, and falling
and rolling or rocking motion, severally and collectively as will be
explained, so that they may properly perform their assigned duty,
whether that duty for the time being is to reel in the grain to the
cutters or to remove the cut grain from the platform or grain table.
A toothed wheel, disc, or head supported by its hub on a stem or post is
continuously revolved when the machine is in motion by a pinion fixed
on a shaft which is driven through suitable gearing and an intermediate
shaft from the main carrying and driving wheel of the machine. In
bearings upon the disc or wheel, but remote from its centre, are hung
crossed axles which are bent at their line of crossing, so that they may
pass each other and still revolve though hung in the same plane. Upon
these cross shafts are journals set at right angles to each other, or nearly
so, and also remote from the centre of the disc; upon these journals the
hubs of the rake or reel arms are placed, and with them they revolve,
and at the same time upon them they can roll, as will hereafter be
explained, to make them act as rakes or beaters at the will of the
operator who rides on the machine. Upon each of the hubs there are
three studs or projections; there is also a slot in each hub through which
a pin passes into its journal, which pin and slot define the extent of the
rolling motion of the rakes or beaters, whilst the lugs, studs, or pro-
jections either aid in turning the rakes or beaters or prevent their
turning, as the case may be. Upon the disc there are curved cams or
arms, one for each rake or beater, cach of which arms is placed at or
near the heel of the rake' or beater with which it works in connection.
There are also upon the said disc four hinged or pivoted dogs, all alike,
and one for each rake or beater. The rake or beater arms are connected
to their hubs by a bent metallic shank, and are made adjustable on this
metallic piece, so that the point of the rake may be raised or lowered
by passing a screw through a slot in the metal shank piece. There are
also upon the upper side of the disc four studs or projections, which
when the arm they are opposite or nearest to is to act as a rake aid to
take the strain of the rake when it is sweeping a gavel from the
platform. Underneath the disc there are fixed camways and a hinged
adjustable or rising and falling cam ledge or rail, over and against which

page_text: the curved shanks of the beaters move, and by which through a bent
lever extending up to within convenient reach of the driver or operator
on his seat the said beaters may be raised whilst they are in motion or
lowered as circumstances may require to move them farther from or
nearer to the platform. The arm that acts as a rake not touching this.
hinged camway, but dropping beyond it is not influenced by it as a rake,
so that the beaters may be raised or lowered whilst in motion, but the.
rake maintains a uniform motion and does not rise. Though the arms.
are all alike, hung alike, and can be operated alike, yet when any one
of the series becomes a rake it moves in a uniform unchangeable path;
but whenever again that same arm becomes a beater it can be raised or
lowered in parallel or horizontal planes at pleasure, whilst the one that
acts for the time being as a rake takes and moves in the unchangeable
path. Upon the stem or post, or rather over it and over the hub of the
toothed disc or wheel, is placed a sleeve or hub which has upon it a.
hinged dog whose point or nose projecting through the said sleeve will
(if not otherwise controlled) pass into one of a series of four holes in
the said hub; so long as the nose of the dog thus unites the sleeve and
hub they will revolve together and with the toothed wheel or disc, and.
the particular rake or arm that the hole it occupies represents will.
continue to work as a rake whilst all the others act as beaters. To stop
the rake from working or to allow any other of the series that have been
acting as beaters to change, come in, and act as a rake a forked latch is
arranged on a hinged lever, which may be attached to the stationary cam-
way, or to the main frame, or any other permanent part of the machine,
and extend into a position where the driver with his foot or otherwise
may control and operate it. When the arm that has been acting as a
rake is to be thrown out the forked latch is raised, and when the dog
comes around its tail piece passes in between the forks and draws out-the
nose of the dog, disconnecting the sleeve and hub, and holding the sleeve
still whilst the hub with the toothed wheel or disc continues to revolve.
When this is done, and so long as the latch is held up, all of the arms
will act as beaters, or as a reel, and no raking will be done. When one
of the arms is to act as a rake the forked latch is dropped, and the nose
of the dog will take the first hole in the hub that comes opposite to it
and again unite the two hubs, or the sleeve and hub and the arm
represented by that hole will act as a rake, so that the operator can let
one arm of the series act as a rake constantly or throw it out and again
let it or any other one in as he pleases. So long as the latch is down the

page_text: tail of the dog will pass it without touching, and consequently no change
in the raking and reeling will occur; but when enough straw has not
accumulated to make a proper sized gavel on the platform, then the rake
may be thrown out of action and no raking be done, or another arm let
into action as a rake when enough straw or grain has accumulated.
Upon the sleeve is a pivoted dog having two arms upon it, one at its
upper end and the other at its lower end; the upper arm takes against
the lower ends of the series of pivoted dogs or arms (one for each rake,
arm, or beater), which dogs or arms are pivoted on and move with the
toothed wheel or disc, as heretofore described, to turn such of the arms
as act as beaters, but which allows the one acting as a rake to pass
without turning, and the lower arm moves in a camway which turns
the pivoted dog and moves the upper arm into its proper working
position. The position of this dog defines the arm of the series that acts
as a rake, but has nothing to do with those of the series that act as beaters.
On each of the rake axles and for the rakes of each of the axles there
are bent arms which project below the disc or wheel, and upon the end of
each arm there is a friction roll which runs upon camways as they move
around so as to aid in giving proper position to the rakes or beaters
when passing that part of their circuit. When the arm that is to act as
a rake arrives at or near where the beaters are turned to make them act
as a reel the dog is thrown up against the point of the stationary curved
or cam piece on the disc by means of one of the projections or arms of
the pivoted dog, which arm in its camway turns the said dog, and thus
causes the other projection to bear against the lower end of one of the
dogs on the disc and move its upper end against the cam piece, so that
the said piece and dog form a continuous bearing for the rake and
prevent its turning or rolling on its journal. When a beater arm comes
around the dog instead of acting against the cam piece catches upon
its shoulder a projection upon the rake hub and holds it so that another
projection will rest upon or move over a projection on the toothed
wheel or disc and not coming against the said projection the beater can
turn or roll upon its journal and act as a reel; as the beaters are rolled
into action their teeth are turned back so as not to move the grain on
the platform. The rake and beaters drop into action in a direction
contrary to that of the toothed disc or wheel.
In a modification of my Invention a crown wheel is supported on a
vertical iournal or shaft and driven by suitable gearing from the main

page_text: wheel. On this crown wheel are hung radially the hubs of the revolving
armis, so that whilst they revolve with said wheel they may also have a
rising and falling motion on their journals; but this rising and falling
motion of the arms is not in a line radial to the wheel, but in lines at
right angles to the hubs or radii of the wheel. Around the crown wheel
in planes oblique to the plane of the said wheel there are two permanent
camways, upon which friction rollers on the beater or reel arms run,
and also a friction roller on the rake arm. The last-mentioned roller is
longer than the others, and runs also on a permanent ledge on one of the
said camways, by which ledge the said roller is directed upon a switched
or movable camway, whereby the rake and rake arm may be raised.
The revolving arms are each furnished with a tail piece for holding them
from rising at certain points or positions.. A foot lever extends into a
position where it is. readily accessible to the driver, and the driver by
pressing down this lever raises up the switch camway.. Underneath the
crown wheel there is pivoted a camway, to which is fastened a. bent arm,
and the point of this bent arm passes into or through a loop on the foot
lever. To a projection on one of the supports of the permanent cam-
way there is pivoted a dog, and on the same projection and in close
proximity to the dog there is pivoted a trigger. A stud on the dog
enters a cam slot in the trigger, so that the moving of one will operato
the other, and the moving of the foot lever admits of the operation of
both through the trigger. The said dog has a shoulder, which when the
switch camway is raised takes under the foot lever and holds it and
the camway both up. The trigger is weighted so that when not other-
wise controlled its weighted end will drop. Just before the tail pieces-
of the revolving arms arrive at the hinged and movable camway they
pass over a permanent cam, which prevents the rising of the rake or
recl heaters, and the location of this cam is such that whilst the tail of
the beater arm is passing over it the beater itself is entering the standing
grain to reel or draw it towards the cutters, and at this point of its
operation it should be held somewhat up to its work to prevent its
leaving the grain. By the time the beater has.drawn its portion of the
grain to the cutters and it is severed from the stubble the tail piece.
of that beater has passed beyond the cam, and it is then free to be raised
up out of the way. As the rake serves also as a beater or reel it is held
to the grain by its tail piece moving against the cam, but as the. rake
performs another duty which the beaters do. not perform, namely,, that of
sweeping the grain from the platform or passing over without touching

page_text: it, as occasiom may require, other provision for holding or releasing it
must be made, and this is done by a hinged camway which is operated
by the foot lever. When the tail piece of the rake arm comes to the tail
piece of the dog it moves the trigger from under the foot lever, the
switchway drops, and the camway rocks back into position for catching
the tail piece of the rake at the next rotation. As the arms come to the
steep part of the camway they are raised and remain so until they are
about to drop and reach into the grain to reel it into the cutters. The
rake and beater heads arc fastened to the revolving arms by a bolt, set
screw, slot, and arm, and at each of the bearing points serrated, notched,
or otherwise roughened metallic bearing pieces are placed so that when
adjusted and drawn together they cannot readily change position.
Upon the extreme outer ends of the rake and beater heads are placed
supplementary arms, which can be raised or lowered at pleasure, and
will reach farther out into the standing grain and move closer to the
outside dividing board, as may be desired. The arm on the rake head is
held in its adjusted position by the roughened pieces above mentioned,
but those on the beaters may be simply bolted.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 25th May 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Consulting
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her
special licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert
Lake, 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,

page_text: exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and.
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "In-.
PROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Robert Lake, 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 William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 accompanying
Drawings forming a part of this Specification:
The general characteristics of this Invention are the use and adapt-
ability of a series of revolving and rising and falling arms which
serve for drawing in the standing grain to the cutters, and one of
which at the will of the driver or operator riding on the machine may
be made to act as a rake to sweep the grain off from the platform on to.
the ground.
The nature of the said Invention consists in the manner of driving
and controlling the series of arms in their revolving, rising, and falling-
and rolling or rocking motion severally and collectively, as will be-
explained, so that they may properly perform their assigned duties:
whether that duty for the time being is to rcel in the grain to the:
cutters or to remove the cut grain from the platform or grain table..
To enable those skilled in the art to make and use the said Invention-
the following description thereof is given in connection with the
Drawings.
Figure 1 represents in perspective one form of this Invention as
attached to a special kind of harvesting machine, but its use is not.
confined to any special machine, as it is equally applicable to any side.
draft machine.
Figures 2 and 3 represent in perspective detached portions of the
rake and reel driving mechanism not distinctly seen in Figure 1.
Figure 4 represents in perspective a modification of the plan shown

page_text: Figure 1, in WHICH Mounication the fake anu reel arms have one
motion less than those in Figure 1, simply revolving and rising and
falling, while those in Figure 1 in addition to their revolving and rising
and falling motion have a rolling motion on their journals.
Figures 5, 6, and 7 represent detached portions of the modifications
shown in Figure 4, and which are not so clearly shown in the said
Figure 4.
A toothed wheel disc or head A supported by its hub q on a stem
or post B is continuously revolved, when the machine is in motion
by a pinion a fixed on the shaft C, the said shaft C being turned or
driven from the main carrying and driving wheel D by or through the
toothed wheel E, which meshes with a pinion on the end of the shaft F
and thus drives it. The opposite end of the shaft F has a bevel wheel b
upon it which works in a bevel wheel c on the shaft C, which is thus
driven and in turn drives the wheel disc or head A. In bearings d, d,
upon the wheel A, but remote from its centre, are hung the crossed
axles G, H, which are bent at their line of crossing, so that they may
pass each other and still revolve though hung in the same plane.
Upon these cross shafts are journals e, e, set at right angles to each
other or nearly so, and also remote from the centre of the wheel A
and upon these journals e, e, thus located the hubs I of the rake or
reel arms are placed, and with them they revolve and at the same
time upon them; they can roll as will hereafter be explained to make
them act as rakes or beaters at the will of the operator who rides on
the machine. Upon each of the hubs I there are three studs or pro-
jections 1, 2, 3; there is also a slot 4 in cach hub, through which a
pin 5 passes into its journal, and which pin and slot define the extent
of the rolling motion of the rakes or beaters, whilst the lugs, studs,
or projections either aid in turning the rakes or beaters or prevent
their turning, as the case may be. Upon the wheel or disc A there
are curved cams or arms f, one for each rake or beater; each of which
arms is placed at or near the heel of the rake or beater that it works
in connection with. There are also upon the wheel or disc A four
hinged or pivotted dogs g all alike, and one for each rake or beater.
The arms and the dogs g work in connection with the turning or
holding of the rakes or beaters as the case may be, and as will be
hereafter explained. The rake or beater arms J are connected to their
hubs I by a bent metallic shank K, and are made adjustable on this

page_text: metallic piece, so that the point of the rake may be raised or lowered
by passing the rear screw 6 through a slot in the metal shank piece K.
There are also upon the upper side of the wheel or disc A four studs
or projections 7, which when the arm they are opposite or nearest to
is to act as a rake aid to take the strain of the rake when it is sweeping
a gavel from the platform. Underneath the wheel or disc A there
are camways, shown in general in Figure 2, which are fixed camways,
but there is hinged at the point 8 an adjustable or rising and falling
cam ledge or rail h, over and against which the curved shanks K of
the beaters move, and by which through a bent lever i extending up
to within convenient reach of the driver or operator on his seat, the
said beaters may be raised individually or in their series capacity as
such whilst they are in motion or lowered, as circumstances may require
to move them further from or nearer to the platform. The arm that
acts as
a rake not touching this hinged camway h, but dropping
beyond it is not influenced by it as a rake, so that the beaters may
be raised or lowered whilst in motion, but the rake maintains a uniform
motion and does not rise. Though the arms are all alike, hung alike, and
can be operated alike, yet when anyone of the series becomes a rake
it moves in a uniform unchangable path. But whenever again that
same arm becomes a beater it can be raised or lowered in parallel or
horizontal planes at pleasure, whilst the one that acts for the time
being as a rake moves in the unchangable path. Upon the stem
or post B, or rather over it and over the hub g of the wheel A
is placed a sleeve or hub L, Figure 3, which sleeve has upon it a
hinged dog j, the point or nose of which projecting through the said
sleeve will (if not otherwise controlled) pass into one of a series of four
holes 10 in the hub q; two of these holes only are seen in the Drawing,
Figure 3, but there are four, or one for each of the rakes or beaters,"
whatever that number may be. So long as the nose of the dog j thus
unites the sleeve and hub they will revolve together, and with the
wheel A and the particular rake or arm that the hole it occupies
represents will continue to work as a rake, whilst all the others will
act as beaters. To stop the rake from working or to allow any other of
the series that have been acting as beaters to change come in and act as
a rake a forked latch k, Figure 2, is arranged on a hinged lever M,
which lever may be attached to the stationary cam way or to the main
frame or any other permanent part of the machine, and extend into a

page_text: position where the driver with his foot or otherwise may control and
operate it. When the arm that has been acting as a rake is to be thrown
out the forked latch k is raised, and when the dog; comes around its
tail piece passes in between the forks, and its contact therewith draws
out the nose of the dog, disconnecting the sleeve L and hub q, and
holding the sleeve still whilst the hub with the wheel A continues to
revolve. When this is done and so long as the latch k is held up all of
the arms will act as beaters or as a reel, and no raking will be done.
When either of the arms is to act as a rake the forked latch is dropped
(by the driver removing his foot or otherwise from the lever), and the
nose of the dog j will take the first hole in the hub g that comes
opposite to it and again unite the two hubs or sleeve and hub, and the
arm represented by that hole will act as a rake, so that the operator can
let one arm of the series act as a rake constantly, or throw it out and
again let it or any other one in as he pleases. So long as the latch is
down the tail of the dog j will pass it without touching, and con-
sequently no change in the raking and reeling will occur, but when
enough straw has not accumulated to make a proper sized gavel on the
platform then the rake may be thrown out of action and no raking be
done; or another arm let into action as a rake when enough straw or
grain has accumulated. There is upon the sleeve L a pivotted dog m
having two arms n, o, upon it, one at its upper end and the other at its
lower end; the upper arm n takes against the lower ends 11 of the series
of pivotted dogs or arms g (one for each rake arm or beater), which dogs
or arms are pivotted on and move with the wheel A, as hercin-before
described, to turn such of the arms as act as beaters, but which allow
the one acting as a rake to pass without turning; and the lower arm o
moves in a camway 12, which turns the dog m and moves the upper
arm into its proper working position at that part of its rotation. The
position of this dog m defines the one of the series of arms that acts as
a rake, but has nothing to do with those of the series that act as beaters.
Its function is to make any one of the series of arms a rake. On each
of the rake axles G, H, and for the rakes of each of the axles there are
bent arms N which project below the wheel A, and upon the end of each
arm N there is a friction roll q, which runs upon the top of the cam-
way 14 and underneath the camway 13, as they move around so as to
aid in giving proper position to the rakes or beaters when passing that
part of their circuit. When the arm that is to act as a rake arrives at

page_text: or near the point where the beaters are turned to make them act as a
reel and, as shown at 15 in Figure 3, the dog g is thrown up against the
point of the stationary curved or cam picce f by means of the pro-
jection o, which in its camway turns the dog m, and thus causes the
projection n to bear against the lower end 11 of the dog g, and move its
upper end to and against the cam piece f, so that the two pieces f, g,
form a continuous bearing for the rake, and prevent it from turning or
rolling on its journal. When a beater arm comes around instead of the
dog taking against the piece fit catches upon its shoulder (as seen
at 16) the projection 3 upon the rake hub I and holds it, so that the
projection 1 will rest upon or move over the projection 7 on the wheel A,
and by not coming against said projection the beater can turn or roll
upon its journal and act as a reel, and as the beaters are rolled into
action their teeth are turned back so as not to catch or move the grain
on the platform, and are free to yield or roll should any straw or tangled
grain catch in the teeth. The different relations of the dog and cam
piece to allow the arm to act as a beater and as a rake are shown
respectively at 16 and 17. The object of the lug 1 on the raking arm
taking alongside of the lug or projection 7 on the wheel is to sustain
the rake and take the strain from its centre of motion. The arm that
acts as a rake not turning upon its journal passes beyond (in dropping)
the hinged cam rail h and is in nowise influenced by it, and could not
be raised by it as the rake should not and does not rise as it passes over
the platform when it is to clear it of the gathered grain. The beaters
however, owing to their position and the manner in which they turn or
roll, bring their curved shanks upon the hinged camway, and they ride
along upon it, and thus the beaters can be raised or lowered at pleasure
by the driver, cither to pass over the grain on the platform or to flatten
it down by gently pressing upon it, and in rising and falling the beaters
always maintain the same horizontality, a thing they could not do if
simply hinged at one end and rising and falling upon the hinge joint.
The wheel head or disc A revolves in the direction of the arrow thereon,
but the rake and beaters drop into action in a direction contrary
to that of the wheel. The rake when at or about in the line of the
cutters is in the same plane with its journal, but the beaters when they
arrive at that line are in rear of the plane of their journals.
Of the modification of the above described rake and reel, as shown in
Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7, the following is a full description :-
The shaft a carrying a pinion 6' is rotated from the main driving

page_text: wheel of the machine in any of the usual well-known ways, and this.
pinion works into and turns a crown wheel A', which is supported on
a vertical journal or shaft c¹ supported on the frame of the machine.
On the crown wheel A' are radially hung the hubs d¹ of the revolving
arms B' so that whilst they revolve with the said wheel they may also
have a rising and falling motion on their journals; but this rising and
falling motion of the arms is not in a line radial to the wheel but iw
lines at right angles to the hubs or radii of the wheel. Around or
margining the wheel A', though in planes oblique to the plane of said
wheel, there are two permanent camways C', D', upon which the friction
rollers e' of the beater or reel arms run, and upon which also the friction
roll of the rake arm runs in part. The last-mentioned roll being
longer than those e¹ and is therefore caused to take or reach on to a
permanent ledge g¹ on the camways C', which ledge leads and directs
said roller f¹ on to the switched or movable camway ', by which the
rake and rake arm may at any time be raised up, so that the rake will
pass over the grain on the platform E' without touching it. The
arms B' are each furnished with a tail piece for holding them from
rising at certain points or positions, but which at other points or under
other circumstances do not restrain the arms from rising, as will be
explained. F¹ is a foot lever extending into a position where it is
readily accessible to the driver on his seat, and is pivotted to the frame
at . This lever F¹ extends across to and under the switch camway h',
its extreme point taking against a downward projection on the
switch camway, so that the driver by pressing down the end m³ of the
lever F with his foot or otherwise raises up the switch camway h¹.
Under the wheel A¹ there is pivotted, as at n', Figures 5 and 6, a cam-
way G to which is fastened a bent arm H¹, and the point 1', of this bent
arm passes into or through a loop p¹ on the lever F³, so that the operation
of the lever F upon its pivot will also operate the camway G¹ upon its
pivot and move it out of or into the path of the tail of the rake arm as
the action of the rake for the time being may require. To a projection r¹
on one of the permanent supports I of the permanent camway D' there is
pivotted a dog q', and on the same projection », and in close proximity
to the dog q', there is pivotted a trigger J', and a stud c¹ on the dog
enters a cam slot 2¹ in the trigger (see Figure 7), so that the moving
of one will operate the other and the moving of the lever F" admits of
the operation of both through the weighted end of the lever J'. The
dog has a shoulder 3' upon it, which when the camway h' is raised

page_text: by the lever F¹ takes under said lever and holds it and the camway
both up. The trigger is overpoised or weighted, so that when not
otherwise controlled its weighted end will drop and correspondingly
raise its other end, and as its lighter end rises it carries up the dog q¹
with it until its notch or sear 3' takes under the lever F¹ or against a
projection thereon and holds it up. The dropping of the weighted end
of the trigger J₁ brings the tail piece of the dog q' up within the path
of the tail piece of the rake arm, and as that tail piece comes around it
strikes the dog q', which moves the weighted trigger from under the
lever and allows the lever F and consequently the camway h¹ to
drop. Just before the tail pieces of the arms B' arrive at the hinged
and moveable camway G' they pass over a permanent cam K', which
prevents the rake or reel beaters from rising, and the location of this
cam K is such that whilst the tail of the beater arm is passing over it
the beater itself is entering the standing grain to reel or draw it towards
the cutters, and at this point of its operation it should be held somewhat
up to its work to prevent it from leaving the grain. By the time the
beater has drawn its portion of the grain to the cutters, and it is severed
from the stubble, the tail piece of that beater has passed beyond the
cam K', and it is then free to be raised out of the way. As the rake L'
serves also as a beater or reel it must be and is held to the grain by its
tail picce moving against the cam K', but as the rake performs another
duty which the beaters do not perform, namely, sweep the grain off from
the platform to the ground or to pass over without touching it as
occasion may require, other provision for holding or releasing it must be
made, and this is done by the hinged camway G', which is operated by
the lever F. If the lever F¹ remains untouched the rake L' will clear
the platform at every rotation of the wheel A'; but if the rake is not
to sweep the platform then the end m¹ of the lever F¹ is forced down,
which moves the cam G₁ out of the way of the path of the tail piece,
raises the switch camway h¹ and operates the dog q', and sets the
trigger J', and then the rake arm through its roller f¹ rides upon the
raised camway h' and passes over the grain upon the platform without
touching it. When the tail piece of the rake arm comes to the tail
piece of the dog q¹ it moves the trigger J' from under the lever F¹ and
the switchway h² drops, and the camway G' rocks back into position
for catching the tail piece of the rake at the next rotation. As the arms
come to the steep part of the camway, as at N', they are raised into a
vertical or nearly vertical position and remain so until they are about

page_text: to drop and reach into the grain to reel it into the cutters. The rake
and beater heads L', M', are fastened to their arms B' respectively by a
bolt and set screw and slot ¹ and an arm o¹, and at each of the
bearing points serrated, notched, or otherwise roughened metallic
bearing pieces v¹ are placed, so that when adjusted and drawn together
they cannot readily change position whilst they are susceptible of being
put into any desired position. Upon the extreme outer ends of the rake
and beater heads are placed supplementary arms P', which can be raised
or lowered at pleasure and reach farther out into the standing grain
and move closer to the outside dividing board, as may be desired. The
arm on the rake head is held in its adjusted position by the roughened
surfaces above mentioned, but those on the beaters may be simply
bolted, so that if they should strike against anything unyielding on the
platform it would simply raise the beater on its journal, but the rake
at times has not this facility of rising, as it must be forcibly held to the
grain it is sweeping from the platform, and hence its arm must be more
rigidly and firmly held against any such casualty.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and shown how the same may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, I claim under the
first part of the said Invention,-
A combined rake and reel which is composed of a series of revolving
and rising and falling arms which can turn or roll upon their journals
while revolving, and which can be used as rakes or beaters at the will of
the operator who may ride on the machine, substantially as described.
Also in a combined rake and reel, the arms of which are capable of
having a rolling motion on their axes, and in which any arm acting at
the time being as a beater or all of the beaters can be raised or lowered
while acting as such by the operator riding on the machine, so that it
or they may pass over the grain on the platform at any desired
height, substantially as described.
Also in a combined rake and recl in which any arm thereof may be a
rake or a beater at the will of the operator, so constructing or arranging
the camways that the arm which acts as a rake shall pass over the
platform at a uniform height, whilst the arms that act as beaters may
be raised or lowered in parallel lines to pass over the grain on the
platform at such height as the operator may desire, substantially as
described.

page_text: Also hanging the arms of a combined rake and reel at points remote
from the centre of motion of the wheel or head which carries them, so
that in dropping or rolling the rake and beater arms into their working
position they shall do so in a direction contrary to that in which the
wheel frame or head that carries them is moving, and so that they may
roll into a position to reach the adjustable hinged lifted and lowering
camway when used as beaters, and pass beyond or outside of it when
used as a rake, substantially as described.
Also uniting a series of rakes and beaters to their journals respectively
by curved or bent axles crossing each other, one bent upward and the
other downward for the purpose of getting the centres of motion of
the beaters or arms all in the same plane, so that they may all receive a
uniform motion from the camways which guide and influence them,
substantially as described.
Also the combination of the sleeve with its hinged dogs, the forked
latch, and the camway for the purpose of enabling the operator on the
machine to throw the arm which has been acting as a rake out and hold
it out or to allow it or any other arm of the series to run into action as
a rake whilst the remaining arms of the series act as beaters, sub-
stantially as described.
Also in combination with a series of arms that have a revolving, rising,
and falling and rolling motion on their journals a hinged camway
which may be raised or lowered to raise and lower the beaters by means
of a lever extending therefrom so as to be within reach of the driver
upon the machine, substantially as described.
Also in combination with a series of arms, one of which acts as a
rake and the others as beaters or reels, a series of hinged dogs, one of
which shall serve to adapt an arm especially to raking, whilst the others
shall adapt the other arms especially to reeling in the grain, substantially
as described.
Also in combination with a series of revolving and rising and falling
and rolling arms so turning those which act as beaters that their backs
shall be next to the grain being reeled in and thus prevent the teeth
from sweeping the grain from the platform, substantially as described.
I also claim under the modification of this Invention shown in
Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7, hinging each beater and rake separately at a
point remote from the centre of the wheel or head from which they

page_text: receive their motion, and in such a manner that they will descend in
advance of a line drawn across the centre of the wheel or head and at
the point at which the rake or beater is hinged in combination with the
camways upon which they traverse, substantially as described.
Also the combined use of two camways on a portion of the circle
traversed by the rake and beaters, one of which is traversed by the rake
and the other by the beaters, so that the rake and beaters as they
approach and pass over the platform shall move on
substantially as described.
different planes,
Also the adjustable camway in combination with the permanent cam-
way for the purpose of raising the rake over the grain on the platform
when it is desired to use the rake as a beater only, substantially as
described.
Also the combination of the two adjustable camways for controlling
the action of the rake, substantially as described.
Also in combination with the fixed or permanent camways for
guiding and controlling a series of rake and beater arms in their rotation
the lever and movable camways, dog, and trigger for allowing the
driver on his seat to control the rake and throw it out of raking action
whilst the rake itself sets the parts for allowing it to go again into
raking action, substantially as described.
Also in combination with the rake and beater heads the auxiliary
arms and the adjustable fastenings for giving such heads and arms the
requisite inclinations upon their arms, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of May, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)