IMPROVEMENTS IN SEED DRILLS AND HARSH HOR
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Sargeant, of Great Houghton, in the County of
Northampton, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEED DRILLS AND
HARSH HOR"
Sealed the 24th April 1878, and dated the 16th November 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Sargeant at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th November 1877.
WILLIAM SARGEANT, of Great Houghton, in the County of Northampton.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEED DRILLS AND HORSE HOES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in seed drills and horse hoes.
I construct a seed drill in such manner that its hind wheels may be steered, and
thereby enable the implement to be steered by a man walking behind it. For this
purpose the axle of each of the hind wheels is made to project from an upright axis.
The upright axes
which has a lever steerage handle projecting backwards from it.
have also arms projecting from them, which are coupled together by a link, so that
when one is turned by its lever steerage handle the other turns with it. There is
also a link carried forward from an arm on one of the axes to steer the front wheel
When turning at a
or wheels at the same time that the hind wheels are steered.
headland the front wheel (or wheels) is automatically disconnected from the hind
wheels, and acts as a caster wheel whilst the horses are turning or whilst it is being
turned by hauling tackle, and when the implement is again drawn forward the
front wheel again comes under the control of the lever steerage handles; or the
disconnecting and connecting of the front wheels with the steerage levers may be
effected by hand.
For driving the seed delivery apparatus, I convey motion to it from one of the
hind wheels by a spindle rising up through the vertical axis from which the axle of
of this wheel is carried.
To facilitate the grooving of the ground for the reception of the seed when working
in hard ground, I affix in front of the ordinary coulters a sharp cutter, the stem of

page_text: which passes through the centre of the coulter, and is keyed or secured to it. The
cutters are thus removeable, so that they may be taken away when working on land
where they are not required.
In the same way to that above described the hind wheels of horse hoes may be
steered, and the front wheel or wheels be disconnected from them when turning the
implement at a headland.
"
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Sargeant in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th May
1878.
WILLIAM SARGEANT, of Great Houghton, in the County of Northampton.
IMPROVEMENTS IN SEED DRILLS AND HORSE HOES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in seed drills and horse hoes.
I construct a seed drill in such manner that its hind wheels may be steered, and
thereby enable the implement to be steered by a man walking behind it. For this
purpose the axle of each of the hind wheels is made to project from an upright axis
which has a lever steerage handle projecting backwards from it. The upright axes
have also arms projecting from them, which are coupled together by a link, so that
when one is turned by its lever steerage handle the other turns with it. There is
also a link carried forward from an arm on one of the axes to steer the front wheel
or wheels at the same time that the hind wheels are steered. When turning at a
headland the front wheel (or wheels) is automatically disconnected from the hind
wheels, and acts as a castor wheel whilst the horses are turning or whilst it is being
turned by hauling tackle, and when the implement is again drawn forward the
front wheel again comes under the control of the lever steerage handle; or the
disconnecting and connecting of the front wheel with the steering levers may be
effected by hand.
For driving the seed delivery apparatus I convey motion to it from one of the
hind wheels by a spindle rising up through the vertical axis from which the axle of
this wheel is carried.
To facilitate the grooving of the ground for the reception of the seed when working
in hard ground, I affix in front of the ordinary coulters a sharp cutter, the stem of
which passes through the centre of the coulter, and is keyed or screwed to it. The
cutters are thus removable, so that they may be taken away when working on land
where they are not required.
In the same way to that above described the hind wheels of horse hoes may be
steered, and the front wheel or wheels be disconnected from them when turning the
implement at a headland.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect, I have shewn in the Drawings hereunto annexed a seed drill constructed
as above described.
Figure 1 shews in perspective a side elevation of the implement,

page_text: Figure 2 shews a similar view of the front castor wheel and parts in connection
with it, when this wheel is drawn round to turn the implement at a headland.
Figure 3 shews a vertical section through the vertical axis of the fork which carries
the axis of the front castor wheel.
Figure 4, a similar section through the vertical axis which carries the axle of
one of the hind wheels, viz., the one from which motion is conveyed to the seed
measurers.
Figure 5 shews a general plan view of the steering gear.
In the implement shewn in these Figures, a is a triangular frame with a bearing b
at its apex to receive the vertical axis of the fork of the front castor wheel, and
with other bearings c (at the end of the beam which forms the base of the triangular
frame) to receive upright axes d; these axes at their lower ends have studs c
standing out from them, upon which are mounted the hind wheels f, as is seen most
clearly at Figure 4. To the upper end of each of the axes d is secured a lever
handle g which extends backwards, as shewn at Figures 1 and 5. Each of the axes &
has also an arm h standing out from it, and these arms are linked together by a
link i, so that when one axis is turned the other turns with it. The opposite axis d
to the one shewn at Figure 4 has also secured to its upper end another arm k, from
which passes a rod to effect the steering of the front castor wheel. For this purpose
the rod is connected at its front end to one arm of a bell-crank lever l, which is free
to turn around the upright axis of the fork of the front castor wheel. At the
extremity of the other arm of this lever is a notch m into which drops the end of a
bar n, which bar is jointed by a horizontal joint to the fork axis; thus, when the
crank is turned the fork axis turns with it, and so the front wheel is steered
together with the hind wheels. The draft bar o is free to turn on a pin p in front
of the fork axis, and carries a cam surface concentric with the pin p; the cam
surface is lowest in the centre, and rises on either side. Upon it rests a roller 8
carried by a tube t which can rise and fall upon the exterior of the bearing of the
fork axis. When the draft bar is carried round by the horses to turn the implement
the cam surface raises the roller s and the tube t, and this by a ring which the
tube t carries, as shewn in the Drawings, acts against a screw v carried by the bar n,
before mentioned, and lifts this bar out of the notch m; the vertical axis of the
castor wheel fork is thus set free from the steerage gear of the hinder wheels, and
the front wheel then acts simply as a castor wheel.
Other arrangements than that above described might be adopted for automatically
setting free the front castor wheel from the steerage gear of the hind wheels when
turning the implement at a headland; or, as before stated, the setting free of the
castor wheel may be effected by hand.
The way in which motion is conveyed from one of the hind wheels to the seed
measuring apparatus is clearly shown at Figure 4. On the nave of the wheel is a
bevel toothed wheel w gearing with a corresponding bevil wheel on the lower end of
an axis x which passes up through the centre of the vertical axis d. On the top of
the axis is another bevilled toothed wheel; this gears with a corresponding bevilled
toothed wheel on the axis of which is a toothed wheel y, and from this wheel motion
is transmitted to a toothed wheel on the axis which passes through the seed box
and which carries the measuring cup wheels, as is usual. The cup wheels as they
revolve supply measured quantities of seed to the seed tubes, which deliver the seed
behind the coulters.
The arrangement of the cup wheels and seed box, and of the coulters and means
of raising and lowering the coulters, is similar to that now commonly adopted in
seed drills, so that it is unnecessary to give any description of them.
As before stated, the means herein-before described for steering the wheels of seed
drills may also be applied to horse hoes.
At Figure 6 I have shewn the way in which I affix a sharp cutter in front of the
coulters of seed drills to facilitate the grooving of the ground for the reception of
seed when the ground is in a hard state.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-

page_text: forming the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to the
precise construction of seed drill shown in the Drawing hereunto annexed, but that
what I claim is,-
First. The combined arrangement, substantially as herein-before described, for
steering and turning seed drills and horse hoes.
Second. Giving motion to the seed measuring apparatus of seed drills from one of
the binder wheels by means of an axis x concentric with the vertical axis d that
carries the pin or axle upon which the wheel turns, substantially as herein-before
described.
Third. The application of sharp cutters in front of the coulters of seed drills,
substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Sargeant, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-eight.
WILLIAM SARGEANT. (L.S.)