IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING OR HARVESTING MACHINES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Lewis, of Kettering, in the County of
Northampton, Implement Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING OR HARVESTING MACHINES."
Sealed the 16th August 1870, and dated the 13th June 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Lewis at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the:
13th June 1870.
I, GEORGE LEWIS, of Kettering, in the County of Northampton,
Implement Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING OR HARVESTING MACHINES," to be
as follows:-
My Invention of improvements in rcaping and harvesting machines
relates to an improved mode of constructing the rakes or gatherers of
self-raking reaping or harvesting machines.. Heretofore the teeth of
the rakes have usually been fixed in a bar, and when a tooth becomes
accidentally broken it cannot be repaired until the broken piece be driven
or punched out with some difficulty. The object of my Invention is to

page_text: construct the rake in such a manner that broken teeth may be removed
and the rake repaired with facility, the teeth may also be adjusted in
length as may be required. To this end instead of fixing the butt ends
of the teeth in holes made in the holding bar for the purpose I divide
this bar longitudinally down the centre, and I secure the two parts
together by clamping screws. The teeth may be made of twice the
usual length or of any other convenient length, and are simply held in
place in the holding bar of the rake by being clamped between the
divided bar by the tightening screws so as to hold them firmly in the
holes made in the bar for the purpose. Should one or more teeth be
broken it will only be necessary to loosen the clamping screws and
either remove the broken tooth and replace it by a new one, or else to
push forward the remaining length of the teeth (if it be long enough)
until the point is in line with the points of the other teeth, the whole
may then be tightened up again as before.
By means of my improvement I am enabled to dispense with the
necessity of having extra rakes for swathe delivery as the ordinary plain
gatherers can be prepared to receive the teeth when required, and these
teeth can be added in a few minutes; or teeth may be plained in the
gatherers but drawn back so as to be out of use, but yet so arranged
as to be pushed forward when wanted.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Lewis in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 13th December 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
LEWIS, of Kettering, in the County of Northampton, Implement Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said George Lewis, Her special licence that I,
the said George Lewis, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said George Lewis, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,

page_text: 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 REAPING OR HARVEST-
ING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
George Lewis, 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 George Lewis, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say) :-
My Invention of "Improvements in Reaping and Harvesting
Machines" relates to an improved mode of constructing the rakes or
gatherers of self-raking reaping or harvesting machines. Heretofore the
teeth of the rakes have usually been fixed in a bar, and when a tooth
becomes accidently broken it cannot be repaired until the broken piece be
driven or punched out with some difficulty. The object of my Inven-
tion is to construct the rake in such a manner that broken teeth may
be removed, and the rake repaired with facility, and the teeth may also
be adjusted in length as may be required.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn at Fig. 1 a plan view,
and at Fig. 2 an edge view of the holding bar of a harvester con-
structed according to my Invention; Fig. 3 is a cross section of the
same shewing the manner of securing or holding the wooden teeth or
pins in the holding bar. It will be seen on referring to these Figures that
instead of fixing the butt ends of the teeth in holes made in the holding
bar for the purpose I divide this bar longitudinally down the centre
into two parts a and a', and I secure the two parts together by clamping
screws b, b, b, b. The teeth c, c, c, c, may be made of twice the usual
length, or of any other convenient length, and pointed at both ends if
desired, and are simply held in place in the holding bar of the rake by
being clamped between the divided bar a, a¹, by the tightening screws
b, b, so as to hold them firmly in the half holes made in the bar for

page_text: the purpose. Should one or more of the teeth c, c, bo broken it will
only be necessary to loosen the clamping screws b, b, and either remove
the broken tooth and replace it by a new one, or else to repoint and
push forward the remaining length of the tooth (if it be long enough)
until the point is in line with the points of the other teeth; the whole of
the teeth may then be tightened up again as before.
By means of my improvements I am enabled to dispense with the
necessity of having extra rakes for swathe delivery, as the ordinary plain
gatherers can be prepared to receive the teeth when required, and
these teeth can be added in a few minutes; or the teeth may be placed
in the gatherers, but drawn back between the parts a, a', of the
holding bar, so as to be out of use, but yet so arranged as to be pushed
forward when wanted and made to project, and when properly ranged
level they may be secured by a clamping in the manner already
explained.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in Reaping
or Harvesting Machines," and having explained the manner of carrying
the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters
Patent as aforesaid, holding or securing the teeth of reaping or harvesting
machines in the holding bar by clamping them between two bars which
are tightened up on the teeth by means of tightening screws or other
equivalent devices as herein set forth.
In witness whercof, I, the said George Lewis, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, the Eighth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
CRORCE LEWIS
GEORGE LEWIS. (L.S.)