IMPROVEMENTS IN MOWING to be as follows:- MACHINES AND IN COMBINED MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
I SAMUEL BRASSINGTON BAMFORD of the Firm of Henry Bamford and Sons of
Balance Street Uttoxeter in the County of Stafford Agricultural Engineers do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOWING
to be as follows:-
MACHINES AND IN COMBINED MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES
"
My invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described which improve-
ments are applicable to mowing machines and also to mowing machines combined
with reaping machines.
My invention has for its object to facilitate the raising of the finger bar.
carrying the knives of the mowing machine at the pleasure of the driver of the
machine whenever the machine approaches a gutter or an obstacle which it is
desirable the finger bar should avoid.
I will describe my invention in connection with a mowing machine.
In mowing machines having enclosed gearing I construct and arrange the parts
of the mechanism for lifting the finger bar in the following manner The lifting
chain is attached to the short end of a lever turning upon a centre on the hinge
bar and the long arm of the said lever bears upon the swan neck lever jointed to
the hinged shoe carrying the finger bar. When the lifting chain is raised the
hinged bar turns upon that of its two hinges most distant from the shoe and the
finger bar and knife rise from the ground without materially changing their
inclination to the ground.
To support the finger bar in a vertical position when the machine is travelling a
vertical notch is made on the underside of the long arm of the lever on the hinged
bar and near the end of the said lever. When the finger bar is raised into a
vertical position the cross end of the swan neck lever is brought opposite the said
notch and engages therein thereby maintaining the finger bar in the vertical
position to which it has been brought.
In applying my invention to mowing machines having open gearing I make on
the underside of the short arm of the lever on the hinged bar a projection which

page_text: when the long arm of the said lever is raised through a small-angle bears on a
projection on the hinged shoe and the further motion of the lever lifts the finger
bar and hinged bar.
To support the finger bar in a vertical position in mowing machines of this kind
I make on the underside of the short arm of the lever on the hinged bar a notch
and on the hinged shoe I fix a pin in such a position that when the finger bar is
brought into a vertical position the said pin takes into the said notch. The finger
bar and knives are thereby fixed in the vertical position to which they have been
brought.
The application of my improvements to mowing machines having reaping
machines combined with.them differs in no essential respect from their application
to mowing machines as herein before described.
1

page_text: I SAMUEL BRASSINGTON BAMFORD of the firm of Henry Bamford and Sons of
Balance Street, Uttoxeter in the County of Stafford, Agricultural Engineers do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOWING
MACHINES AND IN COMBINED MOWING AND REAPING MACHINES and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
"
My invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described which improve-
ments are applicable to mowing machines having enclosed gearing, that is to say to
mowing machines in which toothed gear operating the reciprocating knife is
enclosed in one case as represented in the accompanying Drawing and also to
mowing machines of the like kind combined with reaping machines.
My invention has for its object to facilitate the raising of the finger bar
carrying the knives of the mowing machine at the pleasure of the driver of the
machine, whenever the machine approaches a gutter or an obstacle which it is
desirable the finger bar should avoid.
I will describe my invention in connection with a mowing machine.
In mowing machines having enclosed gearing I construct and arrange the parts
of the mechanism for lifting the finger bar in the following manner.
The lifting
chain is attached to the short end of a lever turning upon a centre on the hinge
bar and the long arm of the said lever bears upon the swan neck lever jointed to
the hinged shoe carrying the finger bar. When the lifting chain is raised the
hinged bar turns upon that of its two hinges most distant from the shoe and
the finger bar and knife rise from the ground without materially changing their
inclination to the ground.
To support the finger bar in a vertical position when the machine is travelling,
a vertical notch is made on the underside of the long arm of the lever on the
hinged bar and near the end of the said lever. When the finger bar is raised into
a vertical position the cross end of the swan neck lever is brought opposite the
said notch and engages therein thereby maintaining the finger bar in the vertical
position to which it has been brought.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in plan and Figure 2 in side
elevation a mowing machine having enclosed gearing the said machine containing
my improvements; Figure 3 is a front elevation of a portion of the machine.
In Figures 1 and 2 the different parts of the case enclosing the toothed gearing
for driving the reciprocating knife are marked x the said gearing receiving motion
from the axle of the travelling wheels y y and transmitting the motion to the said
knife in the ordinary way.
My new or improved mechanism for lifting the finger bar of the machine
consists of the following combination of parts.
a is the lifting chain connected at one end to the short arm of the hand lever k
in the ordinary way. The lower end of the said chain a is attached to the short
arm of the lever b turning on the centre c (see Figure 3) carried by the hinge
bar d and the long arm of the said lever b bears upon the turned or right angled
end e of the swan neck lever e jointed at d to the hinged shoe f carrying the
finger bar g. The hinged bar d turns upon the two centres or hinges d² and d³;
h is the reciprocating knife of the machine working in the finger bar in the
ordinary way.
When the lifting chain a is raised by the hand lever / the hinged bar d turns
upon the hinge d³ most distant from the shoe f and the finger bar g and knife /

page_text: rise from the ground without materially changing their inclination to the ground.
On the rising of the lifting chain a the long arm of the lever b is depressed and
made to bear upon the turned end e³ of the lever e thereby locking the said lever e
and maintaining the relative positions of the joints d³ and d and as the knife and
finger bar are supported upon the said joints d³, d' the said knife and bar in rising
and falling preserve a position nearly parallel to the ground.
When the mowing machine is in use the chain a is relaxed as represented in
Figure 2 and the front or guide wheel i together with the finger bar g and knife h
are free to follow the undulations or inequalities of the ground, the finger bar g
turning upon the joint d³ and the hinge bar d turning upon the joint d. By these
two motions the finger bar is made capable of following the inequalities of the
ground and of passing any obstruction.
On operating the hand lever k to raise the finger bar g the motion of the said
hand lever k first tightens the chain a thereby locking the lever e in the manner
berein before explained and preventing motion on the joint d³; the further motion
of the hand lever k raises the finger bar g upon the joint d parallel or nearly
parallel with the ground.
'
To support the finger bar g in a vertical position when the machine is travelling,
a notch 62 is made on the underside of the end of the long arm of the lever b on
the hinge bar d. When the finger bar g is raised into a vertical position the cross
end e² of the swan neck lever e is brought opposite the said notch b² and engages
therein, thereby maintaining the finger bar g, in, the vertical position to which it
has been brought.
In applying my improvements to a combined mowing and reaping machine
I dispense with the lever b and connect the chain a to the hinge pin of the joint d³
which hinge pin is prolonged for the reception of the chain a. By this arrangement
the locking mechanism may be dispensed with when the machine is used for
reaping.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what
I claim is, of
Improvements in mowing machines and combined mowing and reaping machines
having enclosed driving gear:-
First The construction and combination of parts herein before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing for locking the joints d³, d' of the machine
so that when the finger bar is raised from the ground by lifting the hinge bar d on
its joint d² the said finger bar in rising preserves or nearly preserves its parallelism
with the ground.
Secondly The combination of the notched lever b, 62 on the hinge bar or
lever d and the turned in or cross end e² of the swan neck lever e for the purpose
of supporting the finger bar g when raised into a vertical or nearly vertical position
as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Thirdly The arrangement herein described with reference to Figure 3 whereby
the lifting chain is connected with the joint pin of the joint d³ of the hinge bar or
lever d so as to throw out of gear the locking mechanism when the machine is used
for reaping.
Dated this Sixth day of September 1884.