IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING MACHINES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Thomas Burgess, of Brentwood, in the
County of Essex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING
MACHINES."
Sealed the 1st March 1867, and dated the 8th September 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Thomas Burgess
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th September 1866.
I, CHARLES THOMAS BURGESS, of Brentwood, in the County of Essex,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
REAPING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in reaping machines, and
consists, firstly, in an improved arrangement of mechanism for delivering the
cut crop in bundles from off the platform on to which it falls when cut.
In reaping machines as now constructed it is commonly the case to employ
what is termed a reel or fly to lay the crop as it is cut on to the platform, and
for one or it may be more of the beaters of the fly to be a rake, which after
it has passed over the knife is by turning on an axis at one side of the
platform caused to sweep over the platform and push the cut crop laying upon
it off one of its sides; this is objectionable, as the outer end of the rake must
then necessarily travel at a greater speed than its inner end.
Now according to my Invention I cause the rake after it has passed over
the knife to remain parallel with the knife as it moves back over the platform,
and at the same time I give to it an endway motion towards the draught side
of the machine; an inclined board is also placed at the back of the platform,

page_text: which as the cut crop is pushed backwards by the rake directs it away from
the standing crop to leave a clear track for the machine at its next round;
by this means the cut crop will he pushed nearly in a straight line off the
back of the platform, as in a back-delivery machine, and at the same time it
it will leave a clear track on the side of the machine next the standing crop.
When the reel or fly is mounted on a horizontal axis above the knife, as is
usually the case, I prefer to give these motions to the rake in the following
manner: The rake I arrange to be carried from the axis of the reel by arms
at an angle to it, and after the rake has passed over the knife the lower ends
of the inclined arms are caused to move inwards towards the draught side of
the machine; this gives the endway motion to the rake, and at the same time
moves it further from the axis, by which means it is caused to keep close
down on to the platform as it moves over it. In order that the arms that
carry the rake may move inwards, as above described, they are made capable
of turning on short pins projecting out from the axis of the reel at right
angles to it, and the arms are prolonged beyond these pins in order to carry a
beater or board on the opposite side of the axis; the arms are caused to turn
on these pins at the time required by means of a fixed cam surface, against
which two rollers carried by one of the arms are caused to bear, one roller
being on either side of the axis, and both rollers constantly bearing against
the cam surface.
Another improvement consists in causing the rake as it moves over the
platform to remain in a vertical position or nearly so in order that it may not
tend to lift the crop in its upward motion as it leaves the platform. When
the rake is carried in the manner above described I prefer to effect this by
attaching the board to the inclined arms that carry it by pins projecting out-
wards from the arms at an angle in such manner that as the arms are moved
inwards towards a vertical position, as above described, the outer ends of the
pins are lowered. The inward motion of the arms by tending to incline the
pins downwards counteracts the tendency to incline the pins upward arising
from the rotary motion of the arms around the axis of the reel, and thus the
rake is kept nearly in a vertical position whilst moving over the platform.
Another improvement consists in an arrangement of mechanism for readily
moving some or all of the beaters of a reel or fly to or from the axis that
carries them; for this purpose the arms that carry the beaters are arranged
to be capable of sliding endwise to and fro in guides on a plate capable of
turning around the axis, and to each arm a toothed rack is attached which
gears with a pinion fast on the axis, by this means if the arms be rotated in
one or other direction around the axis they will simultaneously be moved

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Thomas Burgess in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 8th March 1867.
ม
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
THOMAS BURGESS, of Brentwood, in the County of Essex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Charles Thomas Burgess, Her special licence that I, the said Charles
Thomas Burgess, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others.
as I, the said Charles Thomas Burgess, 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 REAPING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Charles Thomas Burgess, my executors or admi-
nistrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of tho
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
the said Charles Thomas Burgess, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, 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 reaping machines, and
consists, firstly, in an improved arrangement of mechanism for delivering the
cut crop in bundles from off the platform on to which it falls when cut.
In reaping machines as now constructed it is commonly the case to employ
what is termed a reel or fly to lay the crop as it is cut on to the platform, and
for one or it may be more of the beaters of the fly to be a rake which after
it has passed over the knife is, by turning on an axis at one side of the plat-
form, caused to sweep over the platform and push the cut crop laying upon it

page_text: off one of its sides; this is objectionable, as the outer end of the rake must
then necessarily travel at a greater speed than its inner end.
Now according to my Invention I cause the rake after it has passed over
the knife to remain parallel with the knife as it moves back over the plat-
form, and at the same time I give to it an endway motion towards the draught
side of the machine; an inclined board is also placed at the back of the plat-
form, which as the cut crop is pushed backwards by the rake directs it away
from the standing crop to leave a clear track for the machine at its next
round. By this means the cut crop will be pushed nearly in a straight line
off the back of the platform as in a back-delivery machine, and at the same
time it will leave a clear track on the side of the machine next the standing
crop. When the reel or fly is mounted on a horizontal axis above the knife,
as is usually the case, I prefer to give these motions to the rake in the following
manner: The rake I arrange to be carried from the axis of the reel by arms
at an angle to it, and after the rake has passed over the knife the lower ends of
the inclined arms are caused to move inwards towards the draught side of
the machine, this gives the endway motion to the rake, and at the same
time moves it further from the axis, by which means it is caused to keep close
down on to the platform as it moves over it. In order that the arms that
carry the rake may move inwards as above described they are made capable
of turning on short pins projecting out from the axis of the reel at right
angles to it, and the arms are prolonged beyond these pius in order to carry
a beater or board on the opposite side of the axis, the arms are caused to
turn on these pins at the time required by means of a fixed cam surface,
against which two rollers carried by one of the arms are caused to bear, one
roller being on either side of the axis, and both rollers constantly bearing
against the cam surface.
Another improvement consists in causing the rake as it moves over the
platform to remain in a vertical position, or nearly so, in order that it may not
iend to lift the crop in its upward motion as it leaves the platform. When
the rake is carried in the manner above described I effect this by attaching
the board to the inclined arms that carry it by pins projecting outwards from
the arms at an angle in such manner that as the arms are moved inwards
towards a vertical position, as above described, the outer ends of the pins are
lowered. The inward motion of the arms by tending to incline the pins
downwards counteracts the tendency to incline the pins upwards arising from
the rotary motion of the arms around the axis of the reel, and thus the rake
is kept nearly in a vertical position whilst moving over the platform.
Another improvement consists in an arrangement of mechanism for readily

page_text: moving some or all of the beaters of a reel or fly to or from the axis that
carries them. For this purpose the arms that carry the beaters are arranged
to be capable of sliding endwise to and fro in guides on a plate capable of
turning around the axis, and to each arm a toothed rack is attached which
gears with a pinion fast on the axis; by this means if the arms be rotated in
one or other direction around the axis they will simultaneously be moved
inwards or outwards, and they can be set at any required distance from the
axis by a pin, catch, or otherwise.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe
more fully the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews a front view, and Figure 2 a plan of a reaping machine.
provided with apparatus such as above described for delivering the cut crop
in bundles from off the platform on to which it falls when cut.
In these Figures a is the platform of the machine, fixed immediately behind.
the knife as is usual; b is the inclined board at the back of the platform; c is
the axis of the reel, from which are radial arms that carry four beaters d, d,
d', d', which is the number I prefer to employ; two opposite beaters d, d,
may be carried on fixed arms e, e, so that they only act to lay the crop; the
arms e, e', that carry the two other opposite beaters are rigidly connected
together at the point where they embrace the axis, and at this point pins
carried by the axis are passed through them'; in order that the arms may turn
on these pins the opposite arms e', e, are not in a line with but are at an angle to
one another. Near one end of the axis, and concentric with it, is a cam surface
carried by the standard of the framing of the machine; the opposite arms &³
at this end of the axis each carry a roller which runs on the cam surface, and
the cam surface is so formed that both rollers may always bear against it, that
is, if the cam surface has a projection on one side of the axis there is a corrc-
sponding depression on the opposite side. The cam surface is also so formed
that as each of the beaters d' is by the revolution of the axis carried over the
cutter the arms that carry it shall be at their greatest inclination to the axis,
and so that as the beater moves back over the platform the arms that carry it
shall be caused to approach to a position at right angles to the axis; the rake
will by this means be moved endwise at the same time that it is carried round
with the axis of the reel, and so whilst still remaining parallel with the knife
it will be caused to move over the platform in the direction of the arrow,
Figure 2; the rako will also by this means be kept down close to the platforin
by reason of its being moved further and further from the axis as the arms

page_text: that carry it approach more nearly to a position at right angles thereto. The
two opposite beaters d', d', may both be composed of rakes so that they shall
both deliver bundles of crop off the platform, or one only of these arms may
be so formed into a rake, the opposite beater will then be fixed at the same
distance from the axis as the beaters d, and only act as a beater to lay the
crop, or all the beaters may, if desired, be caused to act as rakes to deliver
bundles of crop. One advantage of causing the rake to move over the plat-
form in an inclined direction, as above described, is that the rake acts evenly
on the crop at both ends of the platform and moves the whole of it back at
an equal speed; the sheaf on the platform will thus not be disturbed as it is
delivered on to the ground, but as the rake acts equally on each of its ends it
will be delivered on to the ground nearly in the same position that it occupied
on the platform, and the sheaf can thus readily be gathered up for binding.
I would here remark that other methods may be adopted for causing the
lower ends of the inclined arms that carry the rakes to move at the desired
time towards the draught side of the machine, and that other methods may
also be adopted for moving a delivery rake in an inclined direction over the
platform whilst it is still kept parallel with the knife, but the arrangement
shown in the Drawing is the one that I prefer to employ.
A similar arrangement of mechanism to that above described may also be
employed in cases where it is found desirable to incline the rake somewhat
from the line of the knife as it is caused to traverse over the platform in an
inclined direction, as above described; this is accomplished by placing the
pins upon which the arms that carry the rake turn slightly at an angle to the
axis; by this means when the lower ends of the arms are moved towards the
draugt side of the machine the rake will gradually be moved into the position
shown by the red line x, y, Fig. 2.
I will now proceed to describe more fully the arrangement of mechanism
for keeping the rake in a vertical position, or nearly so as it moves over and
rises off from the platform. For this purpose the rake is attached to the
arms that carry it by pins fixed at an angle to the arms, the pins being mado
to incline to the axis, and also to incline away from the draught side of the
machine, as shown at Figures 1 and 2. Theso pins pass freely through holes
formed in an inclined direction through the board of the rake; by this means
when the lower ends of the arms are moved inwards towards the draught side
of the machine the outer ends of the pins will be lowered, thus tending to
incline the rake in the opposite direction to that in which its being carried
round with the axis of the reel tends to incline it; the rake will thus be kept
in a vertical position, or nearly so, whilst it is passing over and rising up from

page_text: the platform, and so is less liable to raise the cut crop with it than if this
motion were not imparted to it.
At Figures 3 and 4 are shewn a front view and transverse section of the
arrangement of mechanism for moving some or all of the beaters of the reel or
fly of a reaping machine to or from the axis which carries them. In the arrangê-
ment shown all the beaters are capable of being moved in this manner.
Each
of the arms that carry the beaters are capable of sliding endwise in sockets
carried by plates a which can turn freely around the axis. On each arm is a
toothed rack 6 gearing with a pinion c that is fast on the axis; by this means
if the axis be held fast and the beaters turned around it the beaters will be
moved to or from the axis according to the direction in which they are turned.
The beaters may be held in any desired position by preventing the plates a
from turning around the axis; this is effected in the arrangement shown by a
sliding key d; other arrangements may however be adopted for the purpose.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is,
First, the so arranging the delivery rake (or it may be rakes) of reaping
machines that it shall as it is moved back over the platform remain parallel
with the finger beam at the same time that it is moved endwise towards the
draught side of the machine, as described.
Second, the carrying the delivery rake or rakes by arms which are inclined
to the shaft of the reel, and which are caused to vary their angle to the shaft,
as described.
Third, the arrangement of mechanism herein described for keeping the
rako in a vertical position, or nearly so, as it passes over and rises up from the
platform.
.
Lastly, I claim the arrangement of mechanism herein described for
adjusting the distance of some or all of the beaters of the reel of a reaping
machine from their axis.
.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Thomas Burgess, havo: hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.