IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Clayton Mewburn at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th
May 1867. A communication from abroad by Leander McCormick
and Lambert Erpelding, both of Chicago, in the United States of
America.
1. JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
HARVESTING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to that class of hinge joint harvesting machines in
which the tongue is rigidly secured to a main frame carrying a seat for the
driver, and mounted upon two wheels, both of which act as drivers; while one
end of the finger beam is hinged to the rear end of a supplementary frame
hinged to the forward part of the main frame, and capable of rising and falling
freely to conform to the undulations of the ground over which it is passing.
The improvements consist, first, in combining with a main frame balanced
upon two supporting and driving wheels, and having a rigid tongue projecting
from its forward end, and a driver's seat mounted upon the rear end, a supple-
mentary frame hinged at its forward end to the main frame in advance of the main
axle and in line with the countershaft, and having the cutting apparatus hinged
to the rear end of the supplementary frame in such manner as to have both
a rising and falling and an axial movement independent of the main frame.
Secondly, in combining with a supplementary frame, hinged as described, a
finger beam pivoted at the heel of the shoe to the inner rear corner of the
supplementary frame by a swivelling joint, and at the front of the shoe to a
pivoted coupling arm passing over the supplementary frame and secured to

page_text: the outer side thereof, and a rocking lever pivoted to the supplementary frame
and coupling arm to rock the finger beam axially. Thirdly, in a lever which
serves both to lock the finger beam, and to raise it horizontally or parallel
to the ground. Fourthly, in combining with the hinged finger beam a
rocking lever to rock the beam axially, and a lifting and locking lever which
raises the beam horizontally.
Fiftbly, in a novel mode of connecting the
finger beam to the frame. Sixthly, in a swivelling pitman box.
These improvements will be fully understood by the following description
of a machine constructed according thereto :-A stout rectangular main frame
is supporting upon two driving wheels mounted on a common axle.
A tongue
is rigidly secured to and projects in front of the frame, while a seat for the
driver is mounted upon springs on the rear of the frame. This seat can be
moved backwards and forwards on bars, being provided for this purpose with
horizontal slots through which a bar passes underneath the seat. Internally
geared spur wheels on the driving wheels gear into spur pinions on a counter
shaft turning in brackets underneath the main frame, and provided with the
usual backing ratchets. A bevil wheel on the countershaft drives a cor-
responding pinion on a crank shaft (turning in bearings on the supplementary
frame) which drives the cutters by a crank and pitman in the usual way. The
bevil wheel runs loosely on the shaft and is thrown into and out of gear by a
sliding clutch operated by a shifting lever. The pitman box consists of two
semicylindrical bearings or journals. within which a crank pin works. The
boxes each have recesses in which pivots on the pitman fit. The bifurcated
ends of the pitman have screws cut on them; a bar is placed on them to form
the bearing for the upper box and is held down by nuts; a guard plate is
placed over these nuts and held down by screw nuts. By this mode of con-
struction the pitman is free to traverse round the crank pin, or to turn axially,
to accommodate itself to the rising and falling and rolling motion of the finger
beam, and the nuts are prevented from being shaken loose by the vibration of
the pitman. The supplementary frame consists of two parallel longitudinal
side pieces 'connected by suitable cross bars; the inner side piece is longer
'than the 'other, and the two are connected by a curved metal brace or cross
'piece, which lies upon and extends beyond the supplementary frame and is
bent down so as to form a lug in which to pivot the hinge of the finger beam.
'This cross piece is formed with a flange so as to embrace the end and top of
the side piece, to which it is firmly fastened both by vertical and horizontal bolts,
thus securing great rigidity and preventing the rocking or twisting of the frame,
the cross piece, the coupling arm hereafter referred to, and the shoe forming a
triangular frame. The finger beam is firmly secured at its inner end to a shoe

page_text: having upon it two lugs; a rod is pivoted to play vertically in the rear lug of
these two while it has an axial rotation in the lug of the cross piece so as to
allow the finger beam to rise and fall at its outer end, and to rock axially to
raise or lower the points of the guards while it also rises and falls with the
supplementary frame. A curved coupling arm or brace is pivoted to the front
lug of the shoe curving over the supplementary frame and pivoted to the outer
of the two longitudinal side pieces or beams. A bifurcated bracket is secured to
the lower end of this coupling arm, a locking cam plays in this bracket, and is
connected by a cord or chain with a locking lever on the main frame, the chain
passing over a crescent-shaped cam pivoted to the frame by one horn. When
the toe of the locking cam is depressed by raising the locking lever it abuts
against the heel of the finger beam so as to prevent its divider end from
falling below a horizontal plane when the finger beam is raised from the
ground. The rear end of a lifting lever is pivoted in the lug of the cross
piece, and extends forward and upward above the main frame within reach
of the driver. The bifurcated bracket before referred is pivoted to this lever
as well as to the coupling arm, so that by raising or lowering the lever the
points of the guard finger are raised or lowered. A spring detent and segment
rack serve to hold the lifting lever in any position desired. As the machine
advances (when in operation) the supplementary frame rises and falls to conform
to the undulations of the ground over which the shoe passes, while the divider
end of the finger beam is free to rise and fall above or below the plane of the
shoe. The driver can raise or depress the points of the guards by means of
the lifting lever. When he lifts the finger bean by raising the locking lever
the crescent-shaped cam bears against the shoe and keeps the finger beam level
while being raised by the lever. When the beam is raised to its greatest
height this cam is vertical, and the strain being parallel with the lever forms
a self-locking device to hold the finger bean in its elevated position. As the
lug of the cross piece and the coupling arm extend beyond and below the
supplementary frame while the lugs of the shoe extend above the shoe, the
finger beam can easily be turned up so as to rest against the frame for
transportation.