Improvements in or relating to Cultivators.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Mar., 1893-Accepted, 29th July, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Cultivators.
A communication from THE MASSEY-HARRIS COMPANY, LIMITED, of Toronto,
County of York, Province of Ontario, Canada, Agricultural Implement
Makers.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent 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 :-
The objects of the invention are:-
1. To provide simple means by which the movement of the lifting lever shall
throw the pressure bar lever out of connection with its quadrant ;
2. To provide simple means for locking the lifting lever when the teeth are
raised;
3. To strengthen the spring tooth where it is apt to break by the reaction of the
tooth after passing a stone or other obstruction ;
4. To provide simple and effective means whereby the spring teeth may each be
independently set and retained at different angles relative to the soil under
cultivation;
5. To design an extremely light frame for a cultivator capable of resisting the
greatest torsion or twisting strain it may be subjected to by the action of the teeth
of the cultivator when in use.
6. To arrange an adjustable shoe by which the depth at which the tooth shall
enter the ground may be regulated.
And it consists, essentially;
1. Of a plate located between the pressure lever and its quadrant and means for
operating the said plate so as to cause it to push the lever out of connection with
its quadrant;
2. Of a hook fixed to one of the tooth sections and arranged to engage with the
lifting lever when the teeth are raised from the ground;
3. Of a curved plate held on the curved spring tooth by the bolt which secures
the tooth to its seat;
4. Of a curved or S-shaped spring tooth having a slot or elongated hole near its
top and through which hole the retaining bolt passes; room being left between the
bolt and end of the hole to permit the longitudinal adjustment of the tooth and of a
washer having a teat on its bottom side to project through the elongated hole in
the tooth;
5. Of a side frame composed of two metal bars secured together at the draft bolt
and rigidly connected one on top and one on the bottom of two cross-bars on which
the cultivator teeth are fastened.
6. Of a plate curved and set in the reverse direction to the curve of the teeth
and so connected to a tooth or other convenient part that it may be adjusted to
come in contact with the ground when the point of the tooth shall have entered the
ground as far as desired.
Figure 1 is a rear perspective view of a cultivator provided with these improve-
ments and set ready for work, only one tooth section being shown.
Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of a cultivator provided with the improvements
with the teeth raised from the ground, only one tooth section being shown.
Figure 3 is an enlarged detail of a quadrant with the plate removed to expose
the operating cam.
Figure 4 is an enlarged detail of the hinged plate on the quadrant.

page_text: Figure 5 is an enlarged detail showing the hook which connects with the lifting
lever.
Figure 6 is an enlarged detail showing the curved plate for strengthening the
curved spring.
Figure 7 is a detail of the S-shaped tooth with elongated hole showing also the
application of the adjustable shoe by which the depth at which the tooth shall
enter the ground may be regulated.
Figure 8 is a detail of the washer with teat.
Figure 9 is a detail of the, draft bolt end of one of the side frames of a section.
In the drawings A represents the pressure bar lever rigidly connected at A' to
the pressure bar B, journalled on the frame B' of the machine. A portion of the
lever at A is formed to engage within the notches of the quadrant C, the spring
of the lever being sufficient to hold it in a notch and yet not enough to prevent it
being withdrawn when desired. C' are the pressure springs, one end of each being
connected to the pressure bar B, and the other bearing on the frame of the tooth
section.
D is a plate provided or hinged at a to the quadrant C and located between the
lever A. and its quadrant C.
E is a cam (see Figure 3) located between the plate D, and the quadrant C, the
face of the said cam being formed so that when set in a particular position, the
plate D will be vertical and rest against the face of the quadrant Ċ behind its
notches.
F is a spindle to which the cam E is connected. This spindle is journalled in a
suitable bearing attached to or formed upon the quadrant C.
G is a crank fixed to the spindle F.
H is a rod_connected to the crank G and to a crank I projecting below the
lifting roller J.
K is a lever fixed to the lifting roller J.
It may here be stated that in machines of the general construction illustrated it
has been necessary when it was desired to raise the teeth clear. of the ground, to
first disengage the pressure bar lever from its notched quadrant, otherwise the
pressure springs and their connections would be subjected to an excessive and
injurious strain when the tooth sections are elevated.. By the adoption of this
invention it is not possible to raise the teeth sections without first disengaging the
pressure bar lever from its quadrant. This will be seen on reference to the
mechanism just described and which I will now once more refer to. When
the lifting lever K is pushed back it of course revolves the lifting roller J and.as
there is a certain slack in the chains which connect this roller to the toothed
sections, the spindle F which is connected to the lifting roller, as already described,
will first rock in its bearing and move the cam E, so as to cause its high surface to
push against the plate D which acts against the lever A and pushes it clear of its
notches so that it will be perfectly free to move before the sections commence to
rise. By the time that the teeth have been raised the desired distance from the
ground, the lifting lever K, will come in contact and engage with the hook L
which hook is fixed to one of the tooth sections M and thereby the teeth are
supported as required. When the lever K is disengaged from its hook L the
teeth will fall to the ground, and the pressure bar lever A will remain in the
position indicated in Figure 2 until it is desired: to put extra pressure upou
the, cultivating, teeth. This pressure is given by drawing back the lever A and
fixing it to the quadrant C by causing the said lever to engage with one of the
notches in the said quadrant. With the view of pushing the plate D back into its
vertical position behind the notches in the quadrant, a horn d is provided (see
Figure 4) which extends from the plate.. D in front of the quadrant C towards
which quadrant. the horn is curved. This, horn prevents the lever A from
accidentally passing between the plate D and the quadrant C and when the said
lever comes in contact with its curved surface, the plate is returned to its former
position. With the view of preventing the plate D falling too far from the

page_text: a and
quadrant C a horn f is provided which projects below the pivot or hinge
comes in contact with the pole N when the plate has fallen the required distance
from the quadrant.
In practice it has been discovered that the curved spring teeth after passing an
obstruction rebound or react with such power that the teeth are frequently broken
at the point where the strain is most severely felt. This point it is found is at or
near the bolt hole through which the retaining bolt Q which connects the tooth
to its seat passes. To strengthen the teeth at that point on each tooth is placed a
curved plate O which is held tightly against its spring tooth P (see Figure 6)
by the bolt which secures the said tooth to its seat. While it is correct to state
that the curved plate O is held against its spring tooth P it should be mentioned
here that the plate O is curved at a larger radius than the tooth P so that when
the tooth rebounds, the curved plate O acts as a buffer against which the spring P
gradually comes into contact commencing at a point near its bolt increasing its
contact surface in proportion to the rebound of the tooth. This buffer thereby
distributes the strain over a greater surface and prevents the teeth from breaking.
R is a washer through which the retaining bolt Q passes. Upon the bottom side
of this washer a teat S projects sufficiently far to fit into the elongated hole T,
made in the top end of the spring tooth P (see Figures 67 and 8). The hole T is
made just long enough to admit the retaining bolt Q and the teat S. Owing to
the curved shape of the tooth P and means described for holding it in position it
may readily be adjusted and held at the required angle to take the ground like a
cultivator or pass over it more like a harrow. By setting the washer R so that its
teat S shall project into the hole T behind the retaining bolt Q, the cutting point
of the tooth is thrown forward so as to enter the ground more strongly and thus
cultivate deeper than when the tooth is adjusted longitudinally so as to admit the
teat S in front of the retaining bolt Qin which case the cutting point of the
tooth P is thrown back so as to enter the ground more lightly and thus act more
like a harrow.
In the construction of the frame of each tooth section M U and V represent the
cross-bars on which the cultivator teeth are fixed.
e is a metal bar laid on top of the cross-bars U and V and is a corresponding
metal bar held against the bottom of the cross-bars U and V by means of the
bolts which
9,
pass through the bar e, cross-bars U and V and bar f as indicated.
From the inner cross-bar V the bars e and fare bent towards each other and an
eye-bolt is formed at the point where the ends of the two bars are connected.
This hole is intended to receive the draft bolt i connected to the frame of the
machine. If the cross-bars U and V are round, a flat is usually cut in the said
cross-bars, as indicated in the drawing for the reception of the bars e and f, or the
said bars e and may be arched to fit over the cross bars. Owing to the manner
in which the two bars e and are connected together a strong truss is formed
which will effectually resist a torsion or 'twisting strain caused by the teeth B,
while at work and a perfectly rigid frame is secured constructed of very light
material. The same principle is carried out in the construction of the beam provided
for the shoe or runner j (the broad application of which is described hereafter).
This beam is composed of two bars k securely bolted one on top and one on the
bottom of the cross-bars U and V. Their rear ends are brought together and
secured by the castings to which the shoe j is secured as indioated. In the manner
shown, a very strongly trussed beam is secured which may be made of very light
material and yet be sufficiently strong to withstand any strain which may be
directed against it by the shoe or runner; when in operation.
Although this improved frame is specially adapted for that class of cultivator in
which the teeth' are grouped on two or more independently working sections, it will
of course be understood that my correspondents do not confine themselves to the
use of the said frame for that class of cultivator, as of course it may be used
whenever it is applicable.
All who have used spring tooth cultivators of the class described will have

page_text: noticed when the pressure on the teeth is made sufficiently strong to ensure that
their points shall enter the hard clay, that in passing over a soft piece of ground
they sunk in too far causing unnecessary labour for the team. With the view of
remedying this defect, a curved plate or shoej of steel or other suitable material is
taken and adjustably connected preferably to the spring tooth P shown in Figure 7
shaping the said shoe so that its end shall extend from and behind the spring
tooth P even with the lowest point that it is desirable the spring tooth should enter
the ground. It is preferred to connect the shoej to the spring tooth P by means
of a clip bolt m passing around a saddle n fitted onto a curved tooth P and forming
a recess into which the shoej fits, the said plate being held in position by a cross-
block o fitted over the ends of the clip bolt m aud clamped against the shoe j by
means of the nuts on the said bolts. It will be noticed on reference to Figure 7
that by thus connecting the shoej to the tooth P the former may be easily adjusted
on the plate and held in any desired position so as to regulate the depth at which
the tooth shall be permitted to enter the ground.
My correspondents do not confine themselves to connecting the curved plate
directly to the curved spring tooth as it may be connected to the tooth sections
(see Figures 1 and 2) or to any other point where it will operate in the same way
without departing from the spirit of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said inven-
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondents, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1 claim is :-
1. A pivotted lever engaging with a notched quadrant a plate located between
then and means for operating the plate so as to disengage the lever from the notched
quadrant, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. A pivotted lever engaging with a notched quadrant a pivotted plate located
between them and having a horn projecting behind its pivot substantially as and
for the purpose specified.
3. A pivotted lever engaging with a notched quadrant a pivotted plate located
between them and having a horu projecting from it in front of the notched quadrant,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
4. A pressure bar lever, a plate pivotted between the said lever and its quadrant
in combination with a cam fixed to a spindle and located behind the pivotted
plate and means for operating the same substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
3. The pressure-bar lever, a plate pivotted between the said lever and its quadrant
in combination with a cam fixed to a spindle and located behind the pivotted plate
and a rod connecting a crank on the cam spindle to a crank on the lifting roller
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
6. A lever connected to the lifting roller in combination with a hook fixed to
one of the tooth sections and designed to engage with the lifting lever substantially
as and for the purpose specified.
7. The combination with a curved spring tooth of a curved plate held on the
tooth by the bolt which secures the tooth to its seat substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
8. A curved or reversed S-shaped spring tooth having a slot or elongated hole
near its top and through which hole the retaining bolt may pass, substantially as
and for the purpose specified.
9. A curved or S-shaped spring tooth having a slot or elongated hole near its
top in combination with the retaining bolt and washer having a teat projecting into
the elongated hole, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
10. A curved spring tooth having its top end curved backwardly to fit onto its seat,
thence shaped to form a reverse S the cutting point projecting forwardly, substan-
tially as and for the purpose specified.
11. A side frame composed of two metal bars secured together at the draft bolt
end and rigidly connected one on top and one on the bottom of two cross-bars to

page_text: which the cultivator teeth are fastened substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
12. A shoe or runner supporting beam composed of two bars the ends of which
are held close together by a casting on which the shoe or runner is fastened the
said bars being connected one on top and one on the bottom of the cross-bars U and V
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
13. A plate curved and set in the reverse direction to the curve of the teeth and
so connected to the teeth or other convenient part that it may be adjusted to come
in contact with the ground when the point of the tooth shall have entered the
ground so far as desired, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 1st day of March 1893.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.