IMPROVED ARRANGEMENTS TO RENDER ROAD STEAMERS APPLICABLE FOR VARIOUS FARMING OPERATIONS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Head, Engineer, of Ipswich, in the
County of Suffolk, and Robert William Thomson, Civil Engineer,
of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian, for the Invention of
" IMPROVED ARRANGEMENTS TO RENDER ROAD STEAMERS APPLICABLE FOR
VARIOUS FARMING OPERATIONS."
Sealed the 9th May 1871, and dated the 18th February 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Head and Robert
William Thomson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 18th February 1871.
We, JOHN HEAD, Engineer, of Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk,
and ROBERT WILLIAM THOMSON, Civil Engineer, of Edinburgh, in
the County of Mid Lothian, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVED ARRANGEMENTS TO RENDER ROAD STEAMERS APPLICABLE
FOR VARIOUS FARMING OPERATIONS," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object to render road steamers conveniently
applicable for various farming operations, so that they may be made.
more useful than when arranged for tractive purposes only, and the

page_text: improvements are applicable, firstly, to that class of road steamers in
which the cylinders of the engine are inverted, and work downwards to
a transverse crank shaft, which at its ends gives motion to a pair of
driving wheels, one on either side of the steamer, and we prefer that
the boiler should be vertical and placed between the driving wheels.
According to our Invention wo mount a short horizontal shaft longi-
tudinally at the back end of the road steamer in bearings upon transverse
pieces of the frame. One end of the added longitudinal shaft overhangs
the back end of the steamer and has fixed upon it a pulley, or fly wheel
pulley, and at the opposite end.of the shaft is a bevil wheel gearing
into a bevil wheel on the transverse crank shaft. From the pulley or
fly wheel pulley motion may be given by a strap or belt to thrashing,
sawing, grinding, or other farm machinery when the engine is not in
use for tractive purposes.
In a modification of this arrangement we fix a drum or flanged pulley
upon the overhanging end of the added longitudinal shaft for hauling
ploughs or other implements by means of a wire rope, but in order to
obtain a sufficiently slow motion of the drum or pulley, the shaft is in
this case driven by bevil wheels from a second motion shaft which
second motion shaft may also serve as heretofore for giving a slow motion
to the driving wheels of the traction engine.
In each of the arrangements above described the added parts may be
removed when the road steamer is travelling, or ordinary engaging and
disengaging appliances may be fitted to admit of their being thrown
into and out of gear as required.
According to another arrangement we place the crank shaft of the
engine longitudinally and couple it by bevil wheels with a transverse
shaft which transmits motion to the pair of driving wheels and forms
the first motion shaft of the gearing. Motion may be transmitted from
this first motion shaft to a second motion shaft as heretofore, when tho
driving wheels are to be driven slowly. The end of the crank shaft
overhangs the back end of the engine, and has a fly wheel pulley fixed
upon it. When the engine is to be used for giving motion by a band
or belt to thrashing, sawing, grinding, or other farm machinery, the
bevil wheels may be thrown out of gear and the engine may then be
used like any ordinary portable engine with a quick running fly wheel.
ง

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Head and Robert William Thomson in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th August 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, Joun
HEAD, Engineer, of Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk, and ROBERT
WILLIAM THOMSON, Civil Engineer, of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid
Lothian, send grecting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Jolin Head and Robert William
Thomson, Her special licence that we, the said John Head and Robert
William Thomson, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said John Head and Robert William Thomson, our
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
"IMPROVED ARRANGEMENTS TO RENDER ROAD STEAMERS APPLICABLE TO VARIOUS
FARMING OPERATIONS," upon the condition (amongst others) that wc, the
said John Head and Robert William Thomson, our executors or ad-
ministrators, by an instrument in writing under our 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 Scal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said John Head and Robert Williamı
Thomson, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement in writing, reference
being had to the accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
Our said Invention has for its object to render road steamers con-
veniently applicable for various farming operations, so that they may
be made more useful than when arranged for tractive purposes only.

page_text: And in order that our said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, we hereunto append a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and representing by
way of example three of the various modifications of which our improved
arrangements are susceptible. The same reference numerals are used
to mark the same or like parts wherever they are repeated in these
Drawings.
Our improvements are applicable, firstly, to a class of road steamers
or traction engines of which an example is shown in sectional plan in
Figure 1, in side elevation in Figure 2, and in end elevation in Figure 3.
In this example the cylinders 1 of the engine are inverted and their
connecting rods work downwards to a transverse crank shaft 2, which
at its ends gives motion to a pair of driving wheels 3, one on either side
of the steamer, and we prefer that the boiler 4 should be vertical and
placed between the driving wheels as shown.
Our improved arrangements consist in mounting a short horizontal
shaft longitudinally at the back end of the road steamer in bearings
upon transverse pieces or parts of the frame 6. One and of this added
longitudinal shaft 5 overhangs the back end of the steamer frame 6,
and has fixed upon it a pulley or fly wheel pulley 7, and at its opposite
end this shaft has fixed ou it a bevil wheel 8 gearing into a bevil wheel 9
on the transverse crank shaft 2. From the pulley or fly wheel pulley 7,
motion may be given by a strap or belt to thrashing, sawing, grinding,
or other farm machinery when the cugine is not in use for tractive
purposes.
A second modification of our improved arrangements is shown in
Figures 4 and 5, which are respectively a fragmentary sectional plan
and side elevation. In this example we fix a drum or flanged pulley 7,
upon the overhanging end of the added longitudinal shaft 5, for hauling
ploughs or other implements by means of a wire rope, but in order to
obtain a sufficiently slow motion of the druun or pulley 7, the shaft 5 is
in this case driven by bevil wheels 8, 9, from a second motion shaft 10,
which second motion shaft 10, may serve as heretofore for giving a
slow motion to the driving wheels 3 of the traction engine or road
steamer when required.
In each of the arrangements or modifications herein-before described,
the added parts may be removed when the road steamer is travelling, or

page_text: ordinary engaging or disengaging appliances may be fitted to admit of
their being thrown into or out of gear as required.
According to a third arrangement or modification shown in Figure G,
which is a fragmentary plan we place the crank shaft 2, 5, of the engine
longitudinally, and couple it by bevil wheels 8, 9, with a transverse
shaft 10, which transmits motion to the pair of driving wheels 3, either
directly or through another shaft when a slower motion is desired. The
end of the longitudinally placed crank shaft 2, 5, overhangs at the back
of the engine and has a fly wheel pulley 7 fixed upon it. When the
engine is to be used for giving motion by a band or belt to thrashing,
sawing, grinding, or other farm machinery, the bevil wheels 8, 9, may
be thrown out of gear and the engine may then be used like any
ordinary portable engine with a quick running fly wheel.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, we have to state that we do not
restrict ourselves to the precise details herein described or delineated,
but that what we believe to be novel and original and claim as the
Invention secured to us by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is, the rendering of a road steamer applicable for various farming
operations by arranging on it a longitudinal shaft with an overhanging
pulley, and connected by bevil wheels to the gearing of the driving
wheels as herein-before described.
In witness whercof, I, the said Robert William Thomson, (on
behalf of the said John Head and myself,) have hereunto set my
hand and scal, this Fifteenth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.