A NEW AND USEFUL MACHINE FOR MOWING GRASS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Fisk Russell, of the State of Massachusetts, of the
United States of America, for the Invention of "A NEW AND USEFUL
MACHINE FOR MOWING GRASS."
Sealed the 26th January 1855, and dated the 21st November 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Fisk Russell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st November 1854.
I, FISK RUSSELL, of the State of Massachusetts, of the United States of
America, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "A NEW AND
USEFUL MACHINE FOR MOWING GRASS" to be as follows:-
I do not claim supporting the frame of a mowing machine on two or more
wheels; but what I do claim as a part of my Invention, when two wheels
only are employed for the support of such frame, is, placing the axis of the
secondary_supporting wheel aside of, and not in line of, the primary wheel,
and disposing the secondary wheel back of, or on one side of, the driving shaft.
My Invention further consists in combining one of the cams of the machine
with a lever of it by means of a bifurcated rocker, made to clasp the edge of the
cam, and to rotate in the end of the lever.
My Invention further consists in a peculiar mode of making each cutter or

page_text: knife of the machine so that when such cutter shall be oscillated through or by
a guard tooth of the machine, it shall produce a drawing circular cut.
It further consists in combining two knives so that they shall project in
opposite directions from one center plate or bar, in order that either of the
knives may be used in connection with the guard teeth of the machine, and
either of said knives be made to serve as a lever to the other whenever
circumstances may require the same.
My Invention further consists in a peculiar manner of constructing and
applying to the cutter bar a raking board for moving the cut grass away from
the standing grass while the machine is in operation, such board being made
in two independent parts, and each fixed to the raking bar, the back board
being applied thereto by a spring, which allows it to play up and down while
the front board is stationary.
My Invention further consists in arranging and combining with the cutter
adjacent to and in rear of its junction with the main frame, and in rear of the
cutters next thereto, a grass turning or raking board, the same being applied so
as to turn over and away from the frame the grass of a swath, in. order that
when the machine returns over, and cuts that over which its frame was
previously carried, there may be a clear path for the knife bar holdfast.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Fisk Russell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st March 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FISK
RUSSELL, of the State of Massachusetts, of the United States of America, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of November, A.D. 1854, in the
18th year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Fisk Russell, Her special license that I, the said
Fisk Russell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Fisk Russell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and with 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 the Isle of Man, an Invention of "A NEW

page_text: AND USEFUL MACHINE FOR MOWING GRASS," upon the condition [amongst others]
that I, the said Fisk Russell, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and to cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office, or Office of Her Majesty's Com
missioners of Patents, within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Fisk Russell, do hereby declare the
nature of my Invention to be fully described and ascertained in and by the
following Specification, and the accompanying Drawings, letters, figures, and
references thereof:-
In the said Drawings, Figure 1 denotes a top view of the machine. Figure 2
is a side elevation of it, taken on that side at which the primary or driving
wheel is situated. Figure 3 is an elevation of the opposite side of it. Figure 4
is a longitudinal section of the knife or cutter bar, and exhibits the arrangement
of the knives, and the manner in which they are applied thereto. Figure 5 is
a transverse sectional view of the driving cam and the bifurcated rocker frame
and lever thereof. Figure 6 is a transverse section of the cutter bar and its
cutters, the same being made to exhibit a sectional view of one of the guard
teeth. Figure 7 is a top view of one of the knives as separated from the
machine.
In the said Drawings, A represents a carriage or main rectangular frame,
supported on two wheels B, C, the former being a driving as well as a supporting
wheel, that is to say, its periphery is armed with a series of projections or teeth
a, a, extended from it, as in the wheels of other well-known reaping machines.
This wheel carries on the inner surface of its rim an internal geer b, into
which a pinion D, affixed to one end of a driving shaft E, is made to engage.
This driving shaft extends across the frame, and is supported in boxes, as
seen at c, c, c, and carries a cam wheel F. The axis of the secondary wheel C
is not disposed in line with that of the primary wheel B, but is arranged aside
from the same, and so that the secondary wheel shall be disposed entirely on
one side of the driving or cam shaft, it being understood that the two wheels
are made of.the same or about the same diameter. The cam is so formed as
-to-impart-a-reciprocating-vibrating-movement-to-an-inclined-lever-G,-which
works on a fulcrum at H. The said lever carries a bifurcated rocker frame I,
that is made to turn in-one end of the lever, and to clasp the serpentine edge
of the cam wheel, and to carry two friction rollers d, e, they being placed on
opposite sides of the cam wheel. By means of the rocker frame the cam wheel

page_text: is enabled to operate the lever to much better advantage, and with less noise
and friction, than would be the case were the lever applied to the cam by means
of a stationary fork, or its equivalent. The lower end of the lever extends into
a mortice made in a long slide bar K, that is supported so as to slide in a
groove formed in the cutter bar L, that is fastened to and extends from a hold-
fast M, as seen in the Drawings, the said holdfast being a bent piece of metal
formed and made to extend down therefrom, as seen in Figure 3. The said
cutter bar has projected from it a series of guard or hook teeth, as seen at
N, N, N, between each two of which a moveable oscillating tooth O is made
to play, the said tooth being made to turn horizontally upon a center pin or
fulcrum f, extended upwards from the cutter bar. In tho construction of these
teeth, they are formed triangular, or approximating thereto in shape, and two
of them are made to extend in opposite directions from one common center
plate or bar g, as seen in the Drawings. Each of these teeth has a round
hole formed through it, each hole being at an equal distance from the hole i
of the central plate. The lever teeth so formed are arranged on the cutter bar,
as seen in the Drawings, their central holes being supported on stationary
fulcra or pins h, k, k, while their back or rearmost holes are made respectively
to receive pins extending upward from the slide bar K. When the teeth are
so arranged they may be covered by a cap plate P, made to extend partially
over them, as seen in the Drawings. By the reciprocating longitudinal move-
ment of the slide bar, each of the cutting teeth directly between each of the
guard teeth will have imparted to it an oscillating movement, such as will not
only cause it to cut with a guard tooth, like a common pair of scissors, but with
a slight drawing stroke, such as will impart to it a great advantage in sever-
ing grass. Should any one of the teeth become dulled or injured, it may be
removed from its fulcrum and turned around over the sliding bar, so as to
bring its fellow tooth into its place; the fellow tooth having been placed under
the cap plate of the cutter bar, will be protected from injury by such cap
plate. To the outer end of the cutter frame I affix a raking board Q, and I
construct such raking-board in the following manner, the object of it being
to move the cut grass away from the standing grass. Such board is made in
two independent parts 1, m, cach of which is atiixed to the raking or cutting
bar, the back board being applied thereto by a spring n, which allows it to
play up and down, and slide on the front board while the latter is stationary.
As raking boards have-heretofore been constructed under such an application,
the horizontal and upright parts have been.connected-together-and-so-hinged-
to the cutter bar as to cause both to rise simultaneously when passing over an

page_text: obstruction. In my improved raking board, the upper portion or front part
remains stationary, while the other portion is moveable, such a method of
constructing a raking board causing it to operate to much better advantage
than when made in the other way, as above set forth.
I apply to the main frame of the machine, or I arrange and combine with
the cutter bar adjacent to and in rear of its junction with the main frame, and
in rear of the cutter immediately next thereto, a grass turning or raking board
R, the same being applied so as to turn over and away from the frame the cut
grass of a swath, in order that when the machine is returned over and made to
cut that over which it was previously carried, there may be a clear path for the
knife bar holdfast to travel in; without the application of the raking boards, in
the above described manner, such path would be likely to be obstructed by the
cut grass or grain, and to an extent disadvantageous to the correct operation
of the machine.
Having thus described my Invention, what I claim is as follows:-
I do not claim the supporting of the frame of a mowing machine on two
or more wheels; but what I do claim, when two wheels only are employed
for the support of such frame, is, the above specified arrangement of the
secondary supporting wheel with respect to the main driving shaft; such
arrangement consisting in placing the axis of the secondary supporting wheel
aside of, and not in line with, that of the primary wheel, and disposing the
secondary wheel back of, or on side of, the driving shaft, so as to operate
essentially as described.
I also claim combining the cam with the lever by means of a bifurcated
rocker frame, made to clasp the edge of the cam, and to rotate in the end of
the lever, as specified.
I also claim the making each cutter or knife as herein-before specified, so
that when it shall be oscillated through or by a guard tooth, it shall produce
a drawing circular cut, as herein-before set forth and described.
I also claim the combination of two knives, so that they shall project in
opposite directions from one center plate or bar, so that either of the knives
may be used in connection with the guard teeth, and either be made to serve
as a lever to the other whenever circumstances may require.
I also claim the manner in which I construct-and-apply-to-the-cutter-bar-
the raking board for moving the cut grass away from the standing grass, such
board being made in two independent parts l, m, and each fixed to the raking
bar; the back board being applied thereto by a spring n, which allows it to
play up and down, while the front board is stationary.

page_text: I also claim arranging, and combining with the cutter bar adjacent to and in
rear of its junction with the main frame, and in rear of the cutters next thereto,
the
grass turning or raking board R, the same being applied so as to turn over
and away from the frame the cut grass of a swath, in order that when the
machine returns over, and cuts that over which the frame was previously
carried, there may be a clear path for the knife bar holdfast..
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my signature and seal, this