IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HARROWS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Tasker, the younger, of Waterloo Iron
Works, near Andover, in the County of Hants, Engineer, for the Invention
Sealed the 16th June 1863, and dated the 9th January 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Tasker at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th January 1868.
I, WILLIAM TASKER, the younger, of Waterloo Iron Works, near Andover,
in 'the County of Hants, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HARROWS," to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of the
frames of harrows.
According to this Invention it is proposed to employ separate truss bars
between the several longitudinal beams of the harrow frame, and to connect
such truss bars to the beams in such positions as will afford the greatest
strength, by preference at right angles to the beams, which when made zig-
zag gives a diagonal trussing; any other angle, however, may be adopted.
The truss bars are formed with a shoulder or collar near each end, and are
either bolted to the beams or rivetted or keyed thereto, the ends of the truss
bars passing through the beams. Or these bars may be formed with a. foot at
one or both ends, and secured in the one case by passing the end of one bar

page_text: through the beam and foot of the next bar, and securing by means of a nut,
key, or rivetting; or in the other case by a separate bolt, pin, or rivet passing
through both the feet of the contiguous ends of the bars, and through the
beam.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Tasker in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 8th July 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
TASKER, the younger, of Waterloo Iron Works, near Andover, in the County
of Hants, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Tasker, Her special license that I, the said William
Tasker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Tasker, my executors, administrators, or 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF HARROWS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Tasker, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of
them, 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 Tasker, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
the frame of harrows.
According to this Invention it is proposed to employ separate truss bars

page_text: between the several longitudinal beams of the harrow frame, and to connect
such truss bars to the beams in such positions as will afford the greatest
strength, by preference at right angles to the beams, which when made zig-
zag gives a diagonal trussing; any other angle, however, may be adopted.
The truss bars are formed with a shoulder or collar near each end, and are
either bolted to the beams or keyed thereto, the ends of the truss bars passing
through the beams. Or these bars may be formed with a foot at one or both
ends, and secured in the one case by passing the end of one bar through the
beam and foot of the next bar, and securing by means of a nut, key, or.
revitting; or in the other case by a separate bolt, pin, or rivet passing
through both the feet of the contiguous ends of the bars, and through the
beam.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings represents a perspective plan of my improved
harrow, having the truss bars disposed at right angles to the lateral surfaces
of the beams; Figure 2 shews the truss bars disposed parallel to each other,
without regard to the zig-zag form of the beams to which they are secured.
A, A, are the ordinary zig-zag beams, trussed by means of a series of short
intermediate truss bars B, B, which in Figure 1 are disposed at right angles
to the junction surfaces of the beams, to which they are secured, and con-
sequently form a diagonal or zig-zag system of bracing.
Figures 3, 4, and 5 are details of the truss bars; Figures 3 and 4 represent
respectively a plan and side elevation of one side of the truss bars for the
arrangement of harrow shown in Figure 2, where all the truss bars are
parallel; and Figure 5 is a form of bar adapted for the diagonal arrangement
shown in Figure 1. In Figures 8 and 4 B is the bar; C is an eye formed on
one end at any required angle; and D is a screwed stem or bolt formed on
the opposite end, also at any required angle, or straight. In attaching these
truss bars the part D is passed through the beam of the barrow and through
the eye C on the contiguous end of the next truss bar, a nut a (Figure 2)
being then screwed on to the end of the part D, which tightens up the two
truss bars against the beam. In Figure 5 each end of the bar B is provided
with an eye or foot C¹ at right angles to the bar, being intended to be used in
the arrangement shewn at Figure 1, but, if required, for the arrangement
Figure 2, the feet or eyes C³, C', will be disposed at the proper angle to
suit that of the beams. These bars are secured by a separate bolt-6 passing

page_text: through the eye C³ of one bar, then through the beam, and then through the
eye C¹ of the contiguous truss bar; or they may be bolted separately to the
beams; or the two ends of the truss bar may be screwed, and have a shoulder
joined thereon, the screwed parts passing only through the beam, and tightened
up by nuts c, c, as in Figure 1, without being connected in any way with the
contiguous truss bars.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general construction and arrangement of the frames of harrows,
as herein-before described.
Second, the arranging of the truss bars of the frames of harrows diagonally
at right angles to the zig-zag surfaces of the harrows, substantially as herein-
before described, and illustrated by Figure 1 of my Drawings.
Third, the peculiar mode of connecting and attaching the truss bars of
harrows with and to the beams thereof, as herein-before described, and
illustrated by my Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Tasker, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of July, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-three.