IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING MACHINES.
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Hornsby, of Grantham, in the County of Lincoln,
and John Innocent and George Thomas Rutter, both of Spittlegate, in the
County of Lincoln, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING
MACHINES.
"3.
Scaled the 24th May 1878, and dated the 1st April 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Hornsby, John
Innocent, and George Thomas Rutter at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents on the 1st April 1878.
JAMES HORNSBY, of Grantham, in the County of Lincoln, and JOHN INNOCENT
and GEORGE THOMAS RUTTER, both of Spittlegate, in the County of Lincoln.
IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING MACHINES."
65
The object of this Invention is mainly to give the driver more perfect command
over the machine, so that whilst sitting on his seat he can readily raise or lower
the machine, throw the machine in or out of gear, tilt the machine, and also vary
the rate at which the rakes deliver the cut crop from off the platform.
The main wheel of the machine is mounted upon a stud axle fixed upon an arm
which is able to turn about the axis of the first motion pinion, and the raising and
lowering of the machine is effected by a spindle passing through the fixed axle upon
which the main wheel turns. The spindle may have on its outer end a worm wheel,
into which gears a worm which can be turned by a crank handle within reach of
the driver, whilst on the inner end of the spindle is a pinion which gears with a
toothed are carried by the frame. When the spindle is turned the arc and frame
will be raised or lowered.
A spring is interposed between the arc and the frame to prevent concussion in
passing over uneven ground. The throwing the driving mechanism in or out of
gear with the main wheel is also effected through the axle. A rod is carried through

page_text: the axle, and this when moved by the driver actuates a lever upon the arm which
carries the stud axle of the main wheel. The lever shifts a clutch fork, and the
clutch fork acts upon the first motion pinion, and slides the pinion endwise on its
spindle, so as to move it up to or away from a driving pin which the spindle carries.
A spring tends to force the pinion into gear, and it is held out when requisite by a
catch which the driver can release at pleasure.
The tilting of the machine is effected as described in the Specification of a Patent
No. 3482, in the year 1875, by means of a lever within reach of the driver. We pass
through the axis of the lever another axis, and on the outer end of this axis we fix
a lever handle with a catch upon it to take into notches in a fixed rack or quadrant,
so that the lever handle can be held in any desired position. On the inner end of
the axis is a lever arm, from which an upward or downward movement can be
given to the finger used for shifting the switch piece of the cam by which the action
of the rakes is controlled, so as to bring this finger opposite to any one or other of
the revolving cams which act upon it, and thereby vary the rate of delivery, as
described in the Specification of the Patent No. 2890, in the year 1876.
The bracket which carries the cam for controlling the action of the rakes we cast
in one piece with the cam.
Instead also of using switch pieces turning on centres to cause the trucks of the
rake arms to run on the inner or outer tracks of the fixed cam, we in some cases
use sliding switch pieces, and work them in the same way that the turning switch
pieces were previously worked, and as is described in the Specification of the Patent
above mentioned.
To support the inner side of machine when the platform and cutters are turned
up for travelling we form on or secure to the bracket to which the platform is hinged
an axle in such a manner that the axle may remain below the platform when the
platform is turned down for work, and be ready, to have a wheel placed upon it
whenever the platform is turned up for travelling.
The outer end of the platform we support on a castor wheel connected, as hereto-
fore, to the divider plate by a double joint, and at the same time we form the arm
which carries the axis of the wheel in two parts, jointed together with a horizontal
joint, and with a worm on one part gearing into a rack or are on the other part, so
that by turning the worm the outer end of the platform can be raised or
lowered.
The divider plate we secure to the top of the finger bar instead of to its under
side, as heretofore, so that it may offer less obstruction to the passage of the machine
over the ground.
The arrangements herein-before described for enabling the driver readily to control
the action of the machine are applicable to machines provided with a pole for two
horses, or with shafts for one or more horses.