IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Reid, of Monkton Miln, in the County
of Ayr, North Britain, Farmer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PLOUGHS."
Sealed the 22nd December 1871, and dated the 1st July 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Reid at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st July 1871.
I, THOMAS REID, of Monkton Miln, in the County of Ayr, North
Britain, Farmer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOUGHS," to be as follows, that is to say:—
This Invention relates to improvements which are particularly advan-
tageous for the double-furrow plough, and consists in arranging a wheel
to run in the furrow of the forward share, and within or behind the⚫
forward mould board, such wheel being connected to the plough body or
frame by a lever extending aft conveniently for the ploughman's hand.
The lever is adjustable for regulating the depth or for raising the share

page_text: over an obstruction. It also facilitates the turning of the plough at
the headlands, where the ploughman can cause the plough to be sup-
ported by it and the land wheel (which last is now generally fitted to
double-furrow ploughs) so that the plough can be swung round easily
on these two wheels.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Reid in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 29th December 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
REID, of Monkton Miln, in the County of Ayr, North Britain, Farmer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-fifth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Thomas Reid, Her special licence, that I, the
said Thomas Reid, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said
, my exccutors, 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 PLOUGHS," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Reid, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of 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 I, the said Thomas Reid, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the

page_text: following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompany
Drawings, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to improvements which are particularly
advantageous for the double-furrow plough, and consists principally in
arranging a wheel to run in the furrow of the forward share and within
or behind the forward mould board, such wheel being connected to the
plough frame or body and adjusted by means of a lever extended aft
conveniently for the ploughman's hand. The whech is adjustable for
regulating the depth or for raising the share over an obstruction. It
also facilitates the turning of the plough at the headlands, where the
ploughman can cause the plough to be supported by it and the land
wheel (which last is now generally fitted to double-furrow ploughs) so
that the plough can be swung round easily on these two wheels.
These improvemements are also applicable with three-furrow ploughs,
and are especially designed to be used in combination with improve-
ments described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me and
dated 5 May 1871 (No. 1220.)
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood I hereunto append a Sheet of ex-
planatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to and representing a
double-furrow plough, as constructed with my improvements.
Figure 1 is a plan, and Figure 2 is a side elevation of the plough,
whilst Figure 3 is a vertical section showing the arrangement of the
muzzle or hake.
The two ploughshares 1, 2, arc attached by their sheaths or skifes 3, 4,
to a horizontal framing consisting of two parallel longitudinal bars 5, 6,
connected by transverse end pieces 7, 8, and screw brackets 9, 10,
admitting of adjustment to suit different widths of furrow. The muffle
or hake 11 is formed as part of a double bell-crank lever 11, 12,
centered on one of the transverse brackets 9 and with part above and
part beneath the frame. The transverse part 12 of the bell crank has
jointed to it a forked rod 13 which is jointed to a nut 14 on a screwed
spindle 15; and this screwed spindle has its front end held in another 10
of the transverse brackets, and extends back through two supporting
brackets 16, 17, to the rear of the plough where a land wheel 18 is fixed
on it. By turning this hand wheel the ploughman can regulate the time
or action of the draught in the most convenient manner, and whilst the
plough is operating. The forward wheel 19 is on an oblique axle pin

page_text: formed on the lower end of a spindle 20, which passes up through a
socket in a boss or saddle 21 set on a horizontal stud 22 fixed to and
projecting out laterally from the frame. A link 23 is jointed to the
muzzle 11 and also to the saddle 21, in the latter case by a pin which
can be set in any one of a number of holes in the link, so as to vary the
adjustment; and when the muzzle is moved by the action of the hand
wheel 18 the forward wheel 19 is also simultaneously and correspondingly
shifted further from or nearer to the frame. The forward wheel 19 is
also adjustable by means of two levers 24, 25, extending to the rear
of the plough, one 24 being attached to the boss or saddle 21, so as
to give an angular motion in a vertical plane, and being held by a
perforated bar 26 jointed to a bracket 27 fixed to the frame. The
perforated bar 26 passes through a slot in the lever 24, and a spring
catch lever 28 jointed to the lever 24 serves to hold it in any desired
position. The upper lever 25 is jointed to the spindle 20 of the forward
wheel 19, and serves for turning that spindle so as to adjust the wheel
angularly in the horizontal plane. It is supported on a notched bar 29
fixed on the lower lever 24, and it can be set in any notch to hold it in
any desired position. Behind and within the forward share 1 there is a
lever wheel 30, partly indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2, which is
held in a forked part of a bent lever 31 jointed at its forward end to tho
sheath or skife 3. The free end of the lever 31 passes up through a slot
in the (front wheel) lever 24 and bears against an antifriction roller in
that slot, with which arrangement the one lever 24 serves for adjusting
both wheels 19 and 30. If preferred the lever 31 might be extended to
the rear of the plough to be handled separately, but with the arrange.
ment shown all the required actions can be obtained more conveniently.
On depressing the lever 24 it does not act on the lever 31 until the
front wheel 19 is about. as much depressed below the frame as it can be,
but on continuing to lower the lever 24 it ultimately acts on the
lever 31 so as to depress the wheel 30, and thereby, if required, raise
the shares and front wheel quite off the ground, so that at the headland
the plough can be easily swung round on this wheel 30 and on the land
wheel 32, which last is connected to the frame in the usual way.
When applying my improvements to three-furrow ploughs I place the
lever wheel 30 in connection with the foremost ploughshare.
In double-furrow or three-furrow ploughs in which the land wheel 32
is placed more forward than as shown on the accompanying Drawing I

page_text: prefer to place the added wheel 30 more forward also and to the outer
side of the share 1, so as to run in the previously cut furrow near the
part where the earth begins to turn out of the new furrow.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I have to state that I do not
restrict myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, but
that what I believe to be novel and original and claim as the In-
vention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is,
1. The fitting of double-furrow and three-furrow ploughs with a lever
wheel (30) applied in connection with the foremost ploughshare sub-
stantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described.
2. The combining of the levers (31) and (24) of the added and forward
wheels (30, 19,) substantially as herein-before described, so that the
ploughman has to handle only one of them.
3. The combining together substantially in the improved manner
herein described and delineated of all those parts of the plough that
may require adjusting or manipulating whilst ploughing, so that the
ploughman can efficiently control the plough from the rear.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Reid, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.
Witness.
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
THOS. REID. (L.S.)