Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 17th May, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 14th Dec., 1888
I, JOHN VENABLE GIBBONS, of Hazeley Iron Works, near Tetsworth, Oxfordshire,
Implement Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This my invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in hay rakes
and tedders and which invention has for its object, firstly, to render the teeth
or prongs of said hay rakes and tedders flexible, and secondly to make said teeth
or prongs capable of being easily and quickly replaced and adjusted in case of
breakage.
Hitherto it has been found that when hay rakes and tedders have been used upon
uneven ground, that the teeth or prongs are apt to come forcibly into contact with
the ground or other hard substance thus causing them to snap. Furthermore when
no adequate provision has been made for quickly and easily replacing the broken
tooth or prong, a delay is occasioned.
By this my invention the aforementioned disadvantages are overcome in a neat,
simple and expeditious manner hereinafter described.
The main part of my invention consists essentially in making each prong or tooth
of the bay rake or tedder of good steel, and twisting said tooth or prong so as to
form at or about midway its length a short spiral spring, thus imparting to the tooth
or prong a great amount of flexibility, thereby enabling it to give or recede under
the circumstances aforesaid.
The second part of my invention consists of the means whereby the aforesaid
teeth or prongs are attached to the stock of the machine which is accomplished as
follows.
The stock has at or near its extremity a square or other shaped hole throug
which is passed a hoop of bar iron or other metal. At a short distance from the
hoop is another hole, through which is passed a piece of bar iron or other metal,
having a number of holes corresponding to the number of teeth or prongs, and
which holes are drilled transversely through the diameter of said piece of bar iron.

page_text: Each of the teeth or prongs are bent over at right angles in such a manner that
when the said teeth or prongs are passed through the iron or metal hoop afore-
described, the bent over extremities of the teeth or prongs may be readily spring into
the holes in the aforedescribed piece of bar iron. By this arrangement one or more
teeth when broken can be quickly replaced without disturbing the others.
Dated this 17th day of May 1888
HORN & SON,
Agents on behalf of Applicant.
I, JOHN VENABLE GIBBONS, of Hazeley Iron Works, near Tetsworth, Oxfordshire,
Implement Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
This my invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in hay rakes and
tedders, and which invention has for its object, firstly to render the teeth or prongs of
said hay rakes and tedders flexible, and secondly to make said teeth or prongs capable
of being easily and quickly replaced and adjusted in case of breakage.
Hitherto it has been found that when hay rakes and tedders have been used upon
uneven ground, that the teeth or prongs are apt to come forcibly into contact with
the earth or other hard substance thus causing them to snap. Furthermore when no
adequate provision has been made for quickly and easily replacing the broken tooth
or prong, a, delay is occasioned.
By this my invention however the aforementioned disadvantages are overcome in a
neat, simple and expeditious manner hereinafter described, reference being had to the
accompanying drawings and the figures and letters of reference marked thereon,
similar letters indicating like parts throughout.
:
Fig. 1 is a perspective elevation of my improved hay rake or tedder. Fig. 2 is a
perspective view showing the manner in which my improved hay rake or tedder is
applied to the machine. Fig. 3 is a perspective elevation showing an alternative
method of attaching the tines or teeth to the stock. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of
the attachment device shown in Fig. 3.
In the drawings, A refers to the stock which is preferably made of wood, having at
its ends two square ferrules a a¹ and upon its underside, a square or other shaped piece
of wood A¹ which may be held in position by suitable bolts a², and which piece of
wood A¹ forms a bearing for the cranks upon the crank-shaft B.

page_text: Each of the forks C consist essentially of four or more teeth or tines c, which should
be made of good steel, but which might also be made of any other suitable metal,
and which are formed with spiral springs c. It is essential that the prongs or
tines c and shanks of each tooth should be in a central plane with the spiral
springs c, inasmuch as greater strength and pliability is thereby attained. The
teeth or tines are bent over at right angles at e* and are sprung into suitable
holes d in the piece of pipe or bar D which is passed through a hole a³ formed
in the stock A.
A suitable hoop or loop E is passed through a hole at in the stock A in such a manner
that it cannot turn from out. of the position shown. Said hoop or loop E has formed
upon its edges half circular grooves e for the purpose of preventing the teeth or
tines c from moving out of place; but it will be readily understood that a square
piece of metal having a series of holes for the tines, made through it, may be sub-
stituted for the loop E.
By this arrangement of the forks Cany one or number of the teeth or tines may
be detached and quickly and easily replaced in the manner as follows:-A tooth or
tine when desired, may be grasped by the shank and sprung from out of the
holes d when it will readily fall from out of the hoop E. In order to replace a
tooth or prong it is passed through the loop E from the underside and allowed to
spring into holes d in the bar D.
A modified form of the means for the attachment of the teeth or tines is shown in
Figs. 3 and 4 in which, as before, A represents the stock, a' one of the ferrules, the
fork, c, the teeth or tines formed with spiral springs c¹, c³ the shanks of said teeth or
tines, that part of each prong which is bent at right angles, d holes for the insertion
of the tines into the piece of pipe D, a³ hole in the stock A for the insertion of the
piece of pipe D, and E the hoop or loop, all of which parts are herein before described.
In this modification however I employ in addition to the parts aforesaid two pieces of
metal F (Fig. 4) having holes fand slots f¹. The two outer tines are passed through
the two holes before they are passed through the hoop E. The pieces of metal F
are then raised into a horizontal position when the inner two tines will enter the
slots. The two strips of metal F are then entered into the slot a' as shown
together with the hoop E. The two pieces of metal serve to keep the teeth or tines
an equal distance apart. i also employ a piece of metal G and a bolt H secured in
the stock A by a linch or other pin the piece of metal G being bent as shown
and having its ends formed into hooks g which hook into the hoop or loop E and
retain it in position when adjusted over the bolt H as shown. A slot as is formed in
the end of the stock A in which the loop or hoop E and the pieces of metal Fare
adjusted as shown.
Should it at any time be necessary to remove one or more of the teeth or tines the
operation may be readily accomplished as follows:-The linch pin is removed and
likewise the bolt II; the hooked piece of metal G can then be readily removed and
the hoop or loop E together with the pieces of metal G taken from out of the slot a³,
It will then be found that by allowing the hoop or loop E to slide towards c', that
by a slight manipulation one or more or all of the teeth or tines may be removed.
A reversal of the aforesaid operation enables the several parts to be readjusted in a
simple, neat and expeditious manner.
The forks as described in Figs. 1 and 3 may when desired have their stocks formed
above the rod D in the form of ordinary hand-fork handles, which enables them to
be used by hand in the manner of an ordinary fork.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is: --
1st) In a hay rake or tedder, the forks having teeth or tines formed with spiral
springs as shown, and said teeth or tines attached to the stock or handle in any
suitable manner, all substantially as and for the purposes herein before set forth.
2nd) In a hay rake or tedder, the combination with the stock A constructed as

page_text: shown and described, the metal bar D having holes d, the hoop or other suitably
shaped piece of metal E adapted to pass through the stock A, and having half round
or other shaped grooves e, the teeth or prongs c coiled into spiral springs c: all of
which are adjusted to the stock A, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore
described and shown with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings hereunto
annexed.
3rd) In a hay rake or tedder, in combination, the stock A, the piece of pipe or other
hollow piece of metal D, the tines or teeth c having springs c¹, the hoop or loop E, the
pieces of metal F having holes and slots f¹, the hooked piece of metal G and the bolt H
having a linch or other pin h, all adjusted to the stock A, substantially as and for the
purposes herein before described and shown, with reference to Figs. 3 and 4 of the
drawings hereunto annexed.
4th) In a hay rake or tedder, a fork constructed as described and shown with
reference to Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawings, but having the stock formed as a handle
whereby said fork may be manipulated by manual labour, substantially as and for the
purposes herein before described.
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