IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES FOR HAULING AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS, AND ALSO IN TRACTION ENGINES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Webb, of Smallwood Manor, Uttoxeter, in
the County of Stafford, for the Invention of 'IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES
FOR HAULING AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS, AND ALSO IN TRACTION ENGINES."
Sealed the 3rd June 1864, and dated the 11th December 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Webb at the
Office of the Commissioners or Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th December 1863.
I, THOMAS WEBB, of Smallwood Manor, Uttoxeter, in the County of
Stafford, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN ENGINES FOR HAULING AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS, AND ALSO IN TRACTION
ENGINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in engines for hauling
agricultural implements, and also in traction engines. In agricultural engines
which work the hauling rope by means of a nipping drum, in order to render
the engines locomotive it is usual to employ gear by means of which the
hinder carrying wheels- of the engine may be driven from the crank shaft. In
soft land, however, the adhesion of these wheels is not always sufficient
effectually to propel the engine.
According to. my Invention I drive also the leading or locking wheels in
such a manner as to leave them free both to lock and to rise and fall inde-
pendently in passing over uneven land. I employ for the purpose the nipping
drum, which at other times serves for hauling the implements, and this I do

page_text: in the following manner:-The wheels are made to turn freely on the axle,
which is made with a boss or enlargement in the centre, serving as a bearing
for a vertical axis, the two ends of which are also held in bearings in a forked
piece. This forked piece has a horizontal stem, which is held and able to
turn in a bearing fixed to the engine. By the turning of the horizontal stem
of the forked piece in its bearing, the wheels are allowed to rise and fall
independently, to follow the inequalities of the land travelled over, and the
locking round of the wheels is obtained by the movement of the axle about
the vertical axis. For driving the wheels a small nipping drum is mounted
on the vertical axis before mentioned, and this is driven by an endless rope
passing around it and also around the main nipping drum. On the same
axis two bevilled wheels are also mounted, the one under and the other over
the axle, and they gear with other similar bevilled wheels fixed on tubes,
which are able to turn freely on the axle, and these tubes at their outer ends
are capable of being clutched with the wheels. Thus when the main nipping
drum is driven it rotates the two leading wheels without interfering with their
locking motion, and when required for rapid turning one or other of the two
wheels may be thrown out of gear. When the engine is required for hauling,
the endless rope is removed from the main nipping drum. In place of using
the main nipping drum for driving the fore wheels, an extra nipping drum
may be employed for the purpose. Or for the small nipping drums chain
wheels or other gear may be substituted.
A similar arrangement may be employed in traction and other engines. If
desired the hinder wheels as well as the leading wheels may be arranged to
lock and rise and fall independently of the engine, as above described, and
the power may then be communicated to the hinder or main driving wheels in
a similar manner to that herein-before set forth.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Webb in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th
June 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WEBB, of Smallwood Manor, Uttoxeter, in the County of Stafford, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of

page_text: Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Webb, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Webb,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Webb, 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, 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
ENGINES FOR HAULING AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS. AND ALBO IN TRACTION
ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas
Webb, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 Thomas Webb, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in engines for hauling
agricultural implements and also in traction engines. In agricultural engines
which work the hauling rope by means of a nipping drum in order to render
the engines locomotive it is usual to employ gear by means of which the
hinder carrying wheels of the engine may be driven from the crank shaft.
In soft land, however, the adhesion of these wheels is not always sufficient
effectually to propel the engine.
According to my Invention I drive also the leading or locking wheels
in such a manner as to leave them free both to lock and to rise and fall
independently in passing over uneven land. I employ for the purpose the
nipping drum which at other times serves for hauling the implements, and
this I do in the following manner-The wheels are made to turn freely
on the axle, which is made with a boss or enlargement in the centre, serving
as a bearing for a vertical axis, the two ends of which are also held in bearings
in a forked piece. This forked piece has a horizontal stem, which is held and
able to turn in a bearing fixed to the engine. By the turning of the horizontal
stem of the forked piece in its bearing the wheels are allowed to rise and fall
independently, to follow the inequalities of the land travelled over, and the
locking round of the wheels is obtained by the movement of the axle about

page_text: the vertical axis.
For driving the wheels a small nipping drum is mounted
on the vertical axis before mentioned, and this is driven by an endless rope
passing around it and also around the main nipping drum. On the same
axis two bevilled wheels are also mounted, the one under and the other
over the axle, and they gear with other similar bevilled wheels fixed on tubes
which are able to turn freely on the axle, and these tubes at their outer ends are
capable of being clutched with the wheels. Thus when the main nipping
drum is driven it rotates the two leading wheels without interfering with
their locking motion, and when required for rapid turning one or other of
the two wheels may be thrown out of gear. When the engine. is required
for hauling, the endless rope is removed from the main nipping drum.
In place of using the main nipping drum for driving the fore wheels an extra
nipping drum may be employed for the purpose. Or for the small nipping
drums chain wheels or other gear may be substituted.
A similar arrangement may be employed in traction and other engines.
If desired, the hinder wheels as well as the leading wheels may be arranged
to lock and rise and fall independently of the engine, as above described, and the
power may then be communicated to the hinder or main driving wheels in a
similar manner to that herein-before set forth.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood
and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings
hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side view partly in section, and Figure 2 is a vertical section,
of an engine arranged according to my Invention, and suitable for hauling
agricultural implements. This engine is arranged so that the fore wheels are
capable of locking, and also of being driven when required; the driving
is effected in the arrangement shown by means of an extra nipping drum on
the same axis with the main nipping drum..
a, a, is the boiler of the engine, and b is the main nipping drum mounted
under the boiler, and arranged in the manner usual in Fowler's ploughing
engines; c, c, are the fore wheels of the engine, they are able to turn freely
on their axle d, this axle is enlarged at the centre, and has a bearing formed
in it for the vertical axis e, in which the said axis is able to turn freely. The
axis e is also held in the bearings f, f, of the forked frame f, which has a
stem carried in a bearing on the bracket g, fixed to the under side of the
boiler; is a nipping drum mounted on the axis e, it takes an endless rope i,
which also passes around the extra nipping drum k on the axis of the main

page_text: nipping drum, and so the axis e is driven when the engine is at work. The
endless rope i passes loosely around the drums h and k, so that it can readily
be removed when it is not required for use. On the axis e two bevilled
wheels and m of different sizes are fixed, they gear respectively with the
bevilled wheels n and o, which are fixed on tubes p and q, so that these tubes
revolve on the axle d when the axis e is driven; r, r, arc clutches of ordinary
construction, and worked by levers in the ordinary manner, by means of which
the tubes p and q can be made fast with the wheels c, c, and unclutched when
required; s is a winding drum mounted on the same axis as the nipping
drum, it is used to wind up the hauling rope when not required for use. If in
place of the extra nipping drum k, the main nipping drum bis employed, the
drum would be shifted on the axis e to be brought opposite to it. If it be
desired the hind wheels also of the engine may be arranged to lock, and to be
driven for this purpose, the arrangement may be similar to that before
described, except that the form of the bracket g will usually require to be
varied to suit the form of the boiler and the height of the hinder axle. An
additional nipping drum is in this case mounted on the axis of the main
nipping drum. If the engine be required for traction only the main nipping
drum b and the drums are dispensed with. It is evident that in place
of the nipping drums h and k, and the rope i, chain wheels and a driving
chain may be employed, as may also other similar gear, but the arrangement
shown is preferred.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Webb, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
THO. WEBB. (L.S.)