IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Whitaker, of Leicester, Agricultural
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING
MACHINES."
Sealed the 11th December 1866, and dated the 14th June 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Whitaker at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th June 1866.
I, JOHN WHITAKER, of Leicester, Agricultural Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING
MACHINES," to be as follows:-
The Invention has for its object improvements in reaping and mowing
machines, and consist, firstly, in employing, in addition to the ordinary cutter
bar an auxiliary cutter bar which is fixed in the finger bar so that the cutting
edges are protected by the "fingers," the ordinary cutter bar will as usual slide
within or upon the finger bar and be moved to and fro by a crank; by these
means the two cutters will act as a pair of shears, and will more effectually
and easily cut the crop. The auxiliary cutter bar is fixed so as to be readily
removeable for sharpening; or instead of employing a separate auxiliary

page_text: cutter bar the fingers of the finger bar may be so formed as to receive
separate cutters fixed therein, but capable of being readily removed therefrom
for sharpening; or the fingers may be so formed as to be capable of being
readily sharpened when required.
The Invention consists, secondly, in improved means of raising the cutter
bar from the ground so as to allow it to pass over stones or other obstacles or
to facilitate travelling from place to place. For this purpose I affix the
finger bar to an axis which is supported in bearings carried by the frame to
which the driving axis and gearing are attached; to the axis carrying the
finger bar I affix a lever, which by means of a chain passing partly around
suitable pulleys is connected to a quadrant on a lever handle which is capable
of being fixed in any desired position.
The Invention also consists in improved means of adjusting the height of
the finger bar from the ground. This is effected in the following manner :-
The frame carrying the axis to which the finger bar is attached is supported
upon the driving axis with a capability of moving thereon independently of the
frame carrying the pole, which latter frame is maintained at a uniform distance
from the ground by means of a castor or roller fixed thereto or to the pole.
The height of the finger bar from the ground is adjusted by means of a chain
fixed at one end to the frame carrying the axis to which the finger bar is
attached, the other end of the chain is affixed to a quadrant to which a lever
handle is attached. Instead of the chain described a toothed rack and toothed
quadrant may be employed for this purpose.
The Invention also consists in applying in addition to the lugs or projections
on the wheels a rim or flange which will greatly facilitate the running of the
machine upon common roads, and at the same time will not interfere with the
working of the machine when cutting crops.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Whitaker in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th December 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WHITAKER, of Leicester, Agricultural Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of June, 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

page_text: unto me, the said John Whitaker, Her special licence that I, the said
John Whitaker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said John Whitaker,
executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agrée 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 "Im-.
PROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Whitaker, 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 John Whitaker, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
The Invention has for its object improvements in reaping and mowing
machines, and consists, firstly, in employing in addition to the ordinary cutter
bar an auxiliary cutter bar which is fixed in the finger bar so that the cutting
edges are protected by the "fingers," the ordinary cutter bar will as usual
slide within or upon the finger bar and be moved to and fro by a crank; by.
these means the two cutters will act as a pair of shears and will more
effectually and easily cut the crop, the auxiliary cutter bar is fixed so as to
be readily removeable for sharpening.
The Invention consists, secondly, in improved means of raising the cutter
bar from the ground so as to allow it to pass over stones or other obstacles
or to facilitate travelling from place to place. For this purpose I affix the.
finger bar to an axis which is supported in bearings carried by the frame to
which the driving axis and gearing are attached, to the axis carrying the
finger bar I affix a lever which by means of a chain passing partly around
suitable pulleys is connected to a quadrant on a lever handle which is capable
of being fixed in any desired position.
:
The Invention also consists in applying in addition to the lugs or projections
on the wheels a rim or flauge which will greatly facilitate the running of the
machine upon common roads and at the same time will not interfere with the
working of the machine when cutting crops.
And in order that my Invention may be more fully understood and readily

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan, Figure 2 a side view, and Figure 3 a back view of so
much of a combined reaping and mowing machine as will enable me to
describe my improvements applied thereto. a, a, is the ordinary cutter bar
which as usual slides within or upon the finger bar b and is moved to and
fro by a crank, c as is well understood; d is an auxiliary cutter bar, which
according to my Invention is fixed to the finger bar by screws or other
suitable means, so that the cutters d' fixed thereto may lie within the fingers b
by which the cutting edges of the cutters d' will be protected, by these means
the two cutters will act as a pair of shears and will more effectually and
easily cut the crop. The auxiliary cutter bar d by removing the screws
connecting it to the finger bar 6 may also be readily removed for sharpening.
For the purpose of facilitating the raising of the cutter bar from the ground so
as to allow it to pass over stones or other obstacles, or to facilitate the removal
of the machine from place to place, I employ the following arrangement:-
The finger bar b is as is now well understood connected to an axis e with
which it is capable of turning, the axis e is carried in suitable bearings f, f
fixed to the frame of the machine, and has fixed on the end thereof a lever e¹
to the end of which a chain g is connected as shewn, this chain after passing
around guide pulleys h, h', passes to the segment or quadrant i to which it is
connected; this segment or quadrant is fixed to or forms part of a lever bandle i,
which is capable of turning upon a centre of motion ; to the lever handle is
connected a spring catch, which takes into suitable notches formed in a fixed
segment or quadrant j, a crank lever is connected by pin joint to the lever
handle, and by a link or connecting rod to the catch, a spring, acting
'to press the upper part of the crank lever outwards. When it is desired to
raise the cutter bar from the ground, so as to allow it to pass over any obstacles,
the lever bandle is turned on its centre of motion, thereby causing the
chain g to be wound around the segment or quadrant i. The cutter bar may
be held in any suitable position by the catch taking into one or other of the
teeth formed in the fixed segment or quadrant by pressing the crank lever i
towards the lever handle i, the catch may be removed from the teeth and
the cutter bar allowed again to come into operation. The wheels k it will be
seen by reference to the Drawings are provided with a rim or flange kin
addition to the lugs or projections usually employed therewith, thereby
affording facility for travelling upon common roads without in any way inter-

page_text: fering with the working of the machine, and at the same time permitting the
employment of scrapers for the purpose of freeing the wheels of the earth
adhering thereto as will be well understood.
In my Provisional Specification I described various modifications of the
auxiliary cutter bar, as also a method of adjusting the height of the finger
bar from the ground, but since the filing thereof I have found that the
methods I proposed to adopt are not new and I lay no claim thereto.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the mode in which
I carry the same into effect, I would have it understood that what I claim
is-
First, the application of an auxiliary cutter bar to reaping and mowing
machines in the manner herein shewn and described.
Secondly, I claim the mode berein shewn and described of raising the
finger bar from the ground so as to facilitate its passing over stones or other
obstacles.
And, thirdly, I claim the application of a rim or flange to the supporting
wheels of a reaping or mowing machine, in addition to the lugs or projections
ordinarily employed, substantially as and for the purpose herein shewn and
described.
In witness whereof, the said John Whitaker, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Twelfth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
5
FRED. HARRIS,
Patent Agent,
35, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane.
JOHN WHITAKER. (L.S.)