A REVOLVING RAKE FOR LIFTING OBJECTS FROM THE GROUND
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Robert Drummond, of Perth, North Britain,
for the Invention of "A REVOLVING RAKE FOR LIFTING OBJECTS FROM
THE GROUND."
Sealed the 24th October 1862, and dated the 25th April 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Robert Drummond
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 25th April 1862.
I, PETER ROBERT DRUMMOND, of Perth, North Britain, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "A REVOLVING RAKE FOR LIFTING OBJECTS
FROM THE GROUND," to be as follows:-
This implement is intended for lifting objects such as stones, hay, felt, corn
rakings, turnips, potatoes, or soil from the ground into a cart without the aid of
the human hand.
This is accomplished in the following way:-A cart similar to the common
two-wheeled cart has a rake very nearly the same as the common horse rake
trailing behind, the teeth of which have the same circle as the periphery of the
cart wheel and is drawn forward exactly between them. The shafts of the
cart are fixed outside the wheels, and between the wheels and the cart two
arms are carried round on the same centre between which the revolving rake
is fixed. Thus as the cart is drawn forward the teeth of the revolving rake
are carried round the cart from front to back and upwards between
the teeth of the trailing rake carrying whatever substance may be collected on.
them, and when the revolving rake reaches the centre of the cart the teeth
gravitate and drop their contents into the cart, then pass on at the pleasure

page_text: of the conductor. The motion for which protection is sought is that of the
revolving rake where used in lifting objects from the ground in whatsoever
way collected.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Peter Robert Drummond in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 25th October 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PETER
ROBERT DRUMMOND, Perth, North Britain, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by FHer Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of April in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Peter Robert Drummond, Her special licence, that I, the said
Peter Robert Drummond, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Peter Robert Drummond, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigus, 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 "A REVOLVING RAKE FOR LIFTING OBJECTS FROM THE
GROUND," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Peter
Robert Drummond, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Peter Robert Drunimond, 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 fol-
lowing statement:-
This Invention relates to an improved implement for lifting objects such
as stones, hay, straw, corn rakings, fett, turnips, potatoes, and the like or
manure, or other objects or substances or matters from the ground into
a cart or other suitable locomotive receptical travelling therewith or
moving thereby, or giving motion thereto. The object for which this

page_text: implement is designed is that of performing any of the operations- above
described without the aid of the usual hand labour, which is thereby intended
to be dispensed with.
The nature of the implement will be understood from the following description
thereof, and by reference to the accompanying Drawing, which shews the mode
of carrying the Invention into practical effect. The particular mode of
applying the principle thereby illustrated, may be considerably modified
in practice, but such modifications will be readily understood by the examples
Figure 1 shews a side elevation of the implement or machine in its complete
form mounted upon wheels and fitted with shafts for harnessing a horse or
other animal thereto.
Figure 2 shews an end view, and shews both the revolving and lifting rake
and the companion or trailing rake intended to be used in connection
therewith.
Figure 3 is a plan or top view of the whole. Where the same letters are
repeated in the respective Figures or Illustrations, they refer to the same
part of the machine which are shewn in different positions for the better
explanation of the form and use thereof.
The following reference to the said Drawing therefore applies to cach
Figure where the letters used appear. a is the revolving rake which is made and
mounted in the following manner:-A number of prongs or teeth are formed and
fixed to a bar so that they can turn over or gravitate, the prongs being vertical
when at the lowest point of the circle of rotation, and horizontal when turned
up through one quadrant thereof, and falling over as they ascend to the top of
the circle of rotation and resting against and supported by a back plate as they
decend through the opposite half of the circle of rotation. This back plate
and the arms which carry and cause the rake to rotate are shewn at b, b', b²;
the two arms b', 62, are centred upon dead pins c, c, inside the hub or boss of
the wheels d, d, and these arms are connected at the top by a hollow pipė,
in one or both ends of which there is a bolt el which can be shot past the
spokes of the wheels at the pleasure of the attendant, the motion of the
wheel thus actuates the rake and causes it to rotate therewith: Immediately
behind the wheel or trailing rake f is fitted, which is furnished with prongs
9, 9, 9, curved exactly to the circumference of the tire plate of the wheels
and trailing between them: The trailing or collecting rake gathers up the
matter to to be lifted at h, and as the revolving rake is turned the prongs thereof
.

page_text: pass between the prongs of the gathering or trailing rake and lift and carry
up the matter collected thereby. Inside between the wheel, a cart body
or tipping cradle or other receptical i, (under which the revolving rake
passes) is niounted upon the same axis as the main wheels and arms b',
before mentioned, this semicircular cradle or trough can be also turned
over upon the axis, or tip, when required. As the matter raised by the
revolving rake falls from it this trough or cradle receives it and when full
: the contents are discharged by tipping it as just described, and the collecting
and lifting operation are repeated and continued as long as necessary.
The trailing rake is made with eyes at j, and each prong has an independent
motion upwards upon a common axis or rod k which runs through the whole;
the ends of this rod are fixed in two arms 1, 1, of two side levers m, m,
which are mounted at m', m', upon centres and the prongs rest against a
square bar n'. The levers in pass along the side of the main wheels and are
-connected by bar n in front; this bar is hung to the cross frame 0 behind the
splinter bar of the shafts, where it can be adjusted so as to regulate the height
of the ends of the prongs of the trailing rake as the nature of the
operation to be performed may require. This adjustment may be made by fixing
an elongated link to the splinter bar and perforating the two oposite sides so
as to receive a screw pin to support the cross bar n, either in the centre,
as shewn P, Figure 2, or at both ends of the splinter bar o, or the end bar of
the levers may be suspended therefrom or from the side frame 9° by strong
springs of india-rubber so as to allow the teeth of the trailing rake to
yield slightly and prevent their being injured or broken by any immovable
substance to be passed over, and each prong may be formed so as to rise
vertically by having a slotted centre.
The cradle or cart body consists of a skeleton frame P, P, P, round the
semicircumference of which latticework of bar or hoop iron or strong wire
netting or other suitable inclosing media is fixed.
The main side frames, splinter bar, tie bar o, and shafts are made of
iron pipe, the ends and angles of which are screwed and fitted together with
screw collars and angles.
The main wheel I construct in the following manner :-The hub or boss is
made of wrought or cast iron or other metal bored to receive the ends of the
spokes which are bollow or solid, and either screwed into the boss or fixed thereto
by a separate connecting screw. The tire is then put on and fixed by passing
screws through perforations therein and into the hollow of the spokes, when
hollow or into a hole formed therein, when solid, the arms b', ², rotate upon
the inside of the boss which is slightly reduced for that purpose, and at the

page_text: end is bored to receive a screw dead pin c, which passes through a hole.
in the side of the skeleton frame of the cradle, and upon this axis the
cradle hangs and can be turned over or tipped to discharge its contents when
necessary by a lever or by hand or by a slip bolt locking on one of the spokes
of the wheel similar to that in the head bar of the revolving rake arms or frame.
This cart body or cradle may also be of a rectangular or any other convenient
shape when required and the main frame and wheels and other parts of the
machine may be of any other suitable materials or construction, but
that herein described is simple and will be found to give great strength and
lightness. The lifting and collecting rakes are made to separate from the
other mechanism and are varied in form and strength and changed at pleasure
according as the materials to be collected and raised may require, for straw
and other similar matters light pointed prongs may be used and the cross
heads be simply bolted to the wheels; for stones, strong broad pointed prongs
are used, the trailing rakes may be formed with the cross head and
connections entire, and the side levers and axis j may be dispensed with by
simply hooking the side arms to the cart. The motion of the revolving rake
may be simultaneous with that of the trailing rake, or it can be stopped by
the attendant at pleasure by shooting back the bolt e¹, until sufficient matter
is collected on the trailing rake the latter can be lifted and suspended clear of
the ground by the side levers when required.
When the cart or cradle is made of a rectangular form the trailing rake
is similarly shaped and the lifting rake then turns upon a pin working in a
slotted groove in the axis of the frame.
Having thus described the nature of ny said Invention and illustrated the
manner in which the same may be performed, I hereby further declare that I do
not restrict myself to the precise forms and dimensions shewn upon the Drawing,
and that I claim the said revolving or lifting rake or rakes operating in
conjunction or combined with the trailing rake or rakes, and the frames, levers,
and mechanism to be used therewith for the object or objects stated, formed and
actuated upon the principle or modifications of the principle herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Robert Drummond, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of October in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
P. R. DRUMMOND. (L.S.)