IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MOWING AND REAPING
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Matthew Langtree Peters, of Stockport, and William
Harkes, of Lostock Gralam, both in the County of Chester, Agricultural
Implement Makers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR MOWING AND REAPING."
Sealed the 7th October 1864, and dated the 12th April 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Matthew Langtree Peters
and William Harkes, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 12th April 1864.
We, MATTHEW LANGTREE PETERS, of Stockport, and WILLIAM HARKES, of
Lostock Gralam, both, in the County of Chester, Agricultural Implement
Makers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS. IN MACHINERY FOR MOWING: AND REAPING," to be as follows :—
This Invention consists, first, in placing the cutters in a line with the axis
of the driving wheel, instead of placing them either before or behind, as now
customary; this position allows the cutters to follow the inequalities in the
ground. Secondly, in connecting the shafts for the horse and the seat of the driver
to a swivel frame connected to a centre stud in the main frame of the machine
for enabling the machine to be worked alternately to and fro across the field,
and in locking the same with self-acting catches. Thirdly, in making double
cutters with knife edges at each edge of the blade, and in making the guides
through which the cutters work to project on both sides of the blade.

page_text: Fourthly, in supporting the cutters in a frame, which frame is acted upon
when required, from both sides of the machine, by two treadles and levers, to
enable the driver to raise or lower the cutters at pleasure when backing or
when a stone or other obstacle has to be avoided. When the machine is used
for reaping, the platform for the attendant who rakes.up the corn is swivelled
over and turned round with the shafts and the seat for the driver when the
direction of motion is reversed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Matthew Langtree Peters and William Harkes, in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 11th October 1864.******
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, MATTHEW
LANGTREE PETERS, of Stockport, and WILLIAM HARKES, of Lostock Gralam,
both in the County of Chester, Agricultural Implement Makers, send
greeting.
:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us the
said Matthew Langtree Peters and William Harkes, Her special license that
we, the said Matthew Langtree Peters and William Harkes, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Matthew
Langtree Peters and William Harkes, 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 In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MOWING AND REAPING," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Matthew Langtree Peters and
William Harkes, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our, or their, or one of our or 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 we, the said Matthew Langtree Peters and William
Harkes, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what

page_text: .manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, that is to say :-..
This Invention consists, first, in placing the cutters in a line with the axis
of the driving wheel, instead of placing them either before, or behind, as now
customary; this position allows the cutters to follow the inequalities in the
ground. Secondly, in connecting the shafts for. the horse and the seat, of the
driver to a swivel frame connected to a centre stud in the main frame of.. the
machine, for enabling the machine.to be worked alternately to and fro àcross
the field, and in. locking the same with self-acting catches. Thirdly, in making
double cutters with knife edges at each edge of the blade, and in making the
guides through which the cutters work to project on both, sides of the blade.
Fourthly; in supporting the cutters in a frame, which frame is acted upon,
when required, from both sides.of the machine, by two treadles and levers to
enable.the driver to raise or lower..the cutters. at pleasure when backing ór
when a stone or other obstacle has to be avoided. When the machine is used
for reaping, the platform for the attendant who rakes. up the corn, is swivelled
over and turned round with the shafts and the seat for the driver; when the
direction of motion.is reversed..
:
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, we will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet, of
Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1. is a side elevation, Figure 2 a front view, and Figure 8.a. plan
of a machine for mowing and reaping, constructed according to our imprové-
ments.
a is the framing; b, the main driving wheel; and, c, c,.two small. bearing
wheels, between but extending beyond which are the cutters d; the centre
of the cutters being in line with the axis of the wheel 6, consequently the
cutters are raised or lowered according to the inequalities of the ground over
which the wheel b'passes, whereas in machines of the ordinary construction
having the -cutters either before or behind the centre of the driving wheel,
the cutters do not follow the inequalities of the ground.. The seat for the
driver is supported by the swivel frame f, to which the shafts g for the horse
are attached; the seat swivels upon the centre stud h, which is supported
above in the semicircular part of the framing a, and below in a foot step.
To the front of the swivel frame fis fixed a stud for the locking lever i, by
which the swivel frame is secured to the main framing a. The cutters & are
made with cutting edges on both sides, they are fixed to the rod d to which
a rapid to-and-fro motion is given as usual by the crank pin in the disc j,
which is fixed on the diagonal shaft ; at the upper-end-of-this-shaft is

page_text: fixed the bevel pinion je driven by the bevel wheel k, fixed on the shaft k¹,
to which is also fixed the pinion e, driven by the wheel 6', fixed to the spokes
of the driving wheel 6; the cutters & pass through the guides d', these guides
also project on both sides of the blade to which they are attached, this
blade is fixed to the cutter frame 1, which is jointed at 12 to the main framing
a. When it is requisite to raise the cutters for backing, or to raise them over a
stone or other obstacle, the driver depresses the treadle m, which is connected
by the chain m² to the cutter frame 1. There are two treadles m, one
projecting towards each end of the machine to enable the driver to raise the
cutters when required in whichever direction the machine may be working.
To the outer end of the cutter blade is fixed a large guide in which is a
hole for the stud projecting from the platform o, the other end of the platform
is held by a stud fitting in a bridle projecting from the cutter frame l³, on
these two studs the platform o, which is only required when the machine is
used for reaping corn, swivels, the platform is connected to the swivel frame f
by the chain o'. The machine is now supposed to be moving in the direction
of the arrow in Figure 3, as soon as it arrives at the end of the field the
driver by acting on the locking lever i liberates the swivel frame f, the horse
in turning round then causes the driver and the frame f to swivel on the
centre stud h, thus bringing the shafts into the position shewn by dots in
Figure 1. The lever i then locks the swivel frame f to the main framing a,
and the machine is ready for traversing the field in the contrary direction to
that in which it had been moving, the main parts of the machine remain
in their original positions, and the cutters having cutting edges at both sides
are in position for reaping or mowing. When the platform o is applied to
the machine for reaping, the swivelling round of the frame falso turns over
the platform and brings it into the position shewn by dots in Figure 1. The
lever p fits in a groove in the boss of the wheel k, and is for drawing this
wheel out of gear with the pinion ", when the cutters d are not in motion.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, we declare that we claim,—
First, placing the cutters in line with the axis of the driving wheel, as
shewn and described.
Secondly, connecting the shafts of the horse and the seat of the driver to a.
swivel frame in the manner and for the purposes described.
Thirdly, making double cutters with knife edges on both sides, as shewn
and described.
Fourthly, the arrangement of parts for raising and lowering the cutters
from both ends of the machine, as shewn and described.

page_text: And lastly, the combination of the platform with the swivel frame, as
shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Harkes, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Eighth day of October, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-four.
WILLIAM HARKES. (L.B.)