An Improved Rake and Weed Eradicator Combined.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Septs, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 18th July, 189!-Accepted, 22nd Aug., 1391
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Rake and Weed Eradicator Combined.
1, ALBAN EDWARD RAGG of Romsdal Beaumont, Jersey, Channel Isles,
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:--
My invention of an improved rake and weed eradicator combined is more
especially designed for cleaning or weeding gravel walks or drives and the like
and consists in forming upon or attaching to the top or head of the rake, i.e. that
portion of the rake into which the teeth are rivetted, a plain or preferably serrated
blade such that when the teeth of the rake are uppermost this said blade shall
form a tool by which when pushed forward or used after the ordinary manner of
using the "Dutch-hoe" the weeds are cut off or pulled up by the roots; the
apparatus being then turned over for the teeth of the rake to come into play for
their ordinary use.
I prefer the serrated blade the outline of which I construct identical with that
of the blade or knife of an ordinary mowing or reaping machine on account of its
greater tendency to pull up the weeds by the roots rather than merely cutting off
the tops and leaving the roots in the ground, to aid in which process I purposely
leave the serrated blades slightly blunt.
By means of my combined apparatus I am enabled to do more than double the
work in a given time than can be done by the present method of using two or more
tools whilst at the same time the rake portion of my apparatus is in no way
deteriorated for ordinary purposes and the cost of manufacture and introduction
into the markets for sale is considerably less than the two or more tools now
generally used for the work and the simplicity of carrying about and working
with one tool only must manifestly lessen labour and prove of much greater
convenience.
Dated this 22nd of September 1890.
ALBAN EDWARD RAGG.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Rake and Weed Eradicator Combined.
I ALBAN EDWARD RAGG of Romsdal Beaumont, Jersey, Channel Isles 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:-
My invention of an improved rake and weed cradicator combined is more
especially designed for cleaning or weeding gravel walks or drives and the like
and consists in forming upon or attaching to the top or head of the rake, i.e. that
portion of the rake into which the teeth are rivetted, a plain or preferably serrated
blade such that when the teeth of the rake are uppermost the said blade (here-
afterwards also called the eradicator) shall form a tool which when pushed forward
or used after the ordinary manner of using the "Dutch hoe" the weeds are cut off*
or pulled up by the roots. The apparatus being then turned over for the teeth of
the rake to come into play for their ordinary use.
I prefer the serrated blade the outline of which I construct identical with that
of the blade or knife of an ordinary mowing or reaping machine on account of its
greater tendency to pull up the weeds by the roots rather than merely cutting off
the tops and leaving the roots in the ground to aid which process I purposely leave

page_text: the serrated blade or eradicator slightly blunt that is to say whilst sharpening the
teeth after the manner in which the same class of blades are sharpened for use in a
mowing or reaping machine I prefer not to bring them up to a
"knife edge."
The accompanying drawings represent my invention.
Fig. 1, is a perspective view of an ordinary rake and weed eradicator combined,
(shewing, what I prefer, a serrated blade or eradicator A) constructed on the
simplest and therefore most useful manner in which it appears to me it can be
manufactured, that is to say having the blade or eradicator A a loose or separate
portion from the rake head, B, the said blade or eradicator being affixed to the
rake head B by utilizing the tops of the teeth of the rake as rivets; that portion
of the blade or eradicator which projects beyond the rake head B being bent at a
suitable angle to the said rake head to make it convenient for use after the manner
of a Dutch hoc.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the blade or eradicator shewing holes ready punched for the
insertion of the top of the teeth which form the rivets for affixing it to the rake
head.
.
Fig. 3 is a section of a rake and eradicator combined, together with a portion of
the socket C. The said section being formed by a line drawn through the point of
the tooth Fig. 1 to the centre of the hole of the same figure.
h
30
Fig. 4 is a side view of a rake and eradicator combined in the right position for
using or working the eradicator, that is to say with the teeth of the rake itself
uppermost.
Fig. 5 being an end view of a combined tool such as I have described shewing
how the eradicator A may be drawn or forged out of the solid head of the rake B
in which case the blade or eradicator and the rake head would form one piece.
The contour of the blade or eradicator from an end point of view as shewn
at A Figs. 1. 3. 4. 5. or in other words a section formed by a line drawn through
the point of any of the teeth or serrations of the eradicator at right angles to the
back of the same, may be either straight as shewn at A Figs. 1 and 3 or slightly
curved as shewn at A Figs. 4 and 5.
The blade or eradicator when plain or not serrated being identical with the
se: rated one before the teeth are formed in it, I have not specially shewn in the
drawings.
And here I would distinctly state that the manner in which my combined rake
and weed eradicator is attached to a wooden or other handle forms no part of my
invention. It may be attached by means of a socket C, Figs. 1. 3 and 4 which is
the ordinary form of attachment, or a spike or tang may be formed on the rake
head to drive into the wooden handle or otherwise; hence in Fig. 5, to clearly
illustrate this, I have shewn a form of rake head and eradicator combined without
reference to any such attachment whatsoever. Also I would state that the shape
of the teeth of the rake itself may be of any preferable or usual form, either
straight as shewn in Figs. 1. 3. and 5. or slightly curved as shewn in Fig. 4
according to the desire of the manufacturer or purchaser the said teeth likewise
forming no portion of my invention.
I work or use my invention in the following manner, I first place the apparatus
or implement in such a position that the blade or eradicator shall be on the lower
side, the teeth of the rake itself being uppermost, as shewn in Fig. 4, and then use
the said blade or eradicator in the same manner as a Dutch hoe would be used,
then having cut off or pulled up the weeds by such means, 1 reverse the position
of the apparatus so that the teeth of the rake itself may come into play as shewn
in Fig. 1. for the usual work to which a rake is applied.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :
1. The combination of a rake and weed eradicator where such eradicator is
worked or used after the manner of a Dutch hoe.

page_text: 2. The apparatus or implement as herein fully shewn and described for the
purpose set forth.
Dated this 16th day of July 1801
ALBAN EDWARD RAGG,
Applicant.