IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HAYMAKING MACHINES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Woodhouse Ashby, Agricultural Implement
Maker, and Thomas Yorke, Fitter, both of Stamford, in the County of
Lincoln, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
HAYMAKING MACHINES."
Sealed the 3rd September 1860, and dated the 12th March 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Woodhouse
Ashby and Thomas Yorke at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 12th March 1860.
"We, THOMAS WOODHOUSE ASHBY, Agricultural Implement Maker, and
THOMAS YORKE, Fitter, both of Stamford, in the County of Lincoln, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF HAYMAKING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain means whereby the permanent efficiency of
haymakers may be more effectually secured than heretofore. It is well known
that great difficulty has been experienced in the detaching and reversing motion
of haymaking machines, the tendency being for the pinion which transmits
the rotary motion to the axle of the tine cylinders to work itself out of gear,
which tendency increases with the working of the machine. Now in order to
improve the construction of this part of the machine we propose to mount the
tine barrels or cylinders on a solid fixed shaft and operate them in the follow-
ing manner-Upon the fixed shaft we mount a pair of sliding tubes, which we

page_text: connect together at their inner extremities by a link motion, the centre pin of
which has its bearing in a socket in the fixed shaft. The outer ends of each of
these tubes forms a hollow bearing for a spur pinion. These pinions are intended
to take respectively into the driving wheels on the opposite sides of the machine,
and to transmit the motion derived therefrom to the tine barrels or cylinders.
For this purpose the boss of each pinion is extended inwards and fitted with a
feather which takes into a groove formed in the hollow axle of the tine cylinder.
These cylinders are mounted loosely on their respective sliding tubes, so that
they are free to rotate thereon when the spur pinions are locked into their
axles. This locking is effected by the operation of a band lever connected
to one of the sliding tubes. By rocking this lever the pinion carried by the
sliding tube, to which the lever is attached, will be thrown into gear with its
driving wheel, and through the link motion connection the pinion on the other
sliding tube will be drawn into gear with its driving wheel, and thus the rotation
of the tine cylinders will be effected. A reverse movement of the lever will
instantly throw them out of action. Instead of using the link motion to slide
the pinions in and out of gear the like effect may be obtained by forming a
worm-like groove in each of the sliding tubes, and causing studs on the solid
shaft that supports the weight of the tine cylinders to project therein. By
giving an axial motion to this shaft the studs acting on the edges of the slots
will cause the tubes, together with the pinions which they carry, to slide
nearer to or further from each other, as desired. In order to protect the
travelling wheels from the inconvenience of the hay winding round the hubs
or naves, and from lodging on the beads or castings enclosing the gearing
wheels, or accumulating on the corners of the frame, near to the point of junction
with the shafts of the horse, we propose to provide at each side of the machine
guards formed of upright iron rods having diverging branches descending from
their points. One or more of these guards will project over the outer side of
each travelling wheel, and one or more will be required to shoot off the hay
in front, and also at back of each of the heads or castings which enclose the
gearing wheels.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Woodhouse Ashby, and Thomas Yorke in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 12th September 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
WOODHOUSE ASHBY, Agricultural Implement Maker, and THOMAS YORKe,
Fitter, both of Stamford, in the County of Lincoln, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Thomas Woodhouse Ashby, and Thomas Yorke, Her special license that we,
the said Thomas Woodhouse Ashby and Thomas Yorke, our executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Wood-
house Ashby and Thomas Yorke, our 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF HAYMAKING MACHINES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas Woodhouse Ashby and
Thomas Yorke, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals,
or under the hand and seal of one of us, 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 Yorke (on behalf of myself
and of the said Thomas Woodhouse Ashby) 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,.
reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters
and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
It
This Invention relates to certain means whereby the permanent efficiency
of haymaking machines may be more effectually secured than heretofore.
is well known that great difficulty has been experienced in the detaching and
reversing motion of these implements, the tendency being for the pinions which
transmit the rotary motion of the travelling wheels to the axle of the tine
cylinders to work themselves out of gear, which tendency increases with the
continued working of the machine. Now, in order to improve the construction
of this part of the machine, and effectually to prevent the pinions from
working out of gear, we propose to mount the tine barrels or cylinders on
sliding tubes, to which are fitted pinions, which receive through intermediate
pinions rotary motion from the travelling wheels. These tubes are carried by
a solid fixed transverse shaft which connects the cylinder heads together, and

page_text: by sliding the tubes end wise on this shaft, these pinions will be thrown into or
out of gear with their respective intermediate pinions.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 represents. in plan view, partly in
section, so much of a haymaking machine as will serve to explain the construc-
tion of the parts for supporting and driving the tine barrels according to our
Invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same, and Fig. 3 is an irre-
gular cross section taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1. In these Figures a, a, are
the cylinder heads which form bearings for the stud axles 6 of the travelling
wheels, and also carry the shaft c of the tine barrels or cylinders. This shaft c is
keyed securely to the heads a, a, and upon it are loosely mounted a pair of
sliding tubes d, d, which are connected together at their inner extremities
by a link motion so as to ensure their simultaneous movement endwise on the
shaft c. The link motion consists of a pair of dise plates e, e, mounted on a
centre pin having its bearing in a socket in the fixed shaft. These plates are
also connected together by two cross bolts which pass through the eyes of link:
rods ff, the other ends of which are jointed to the tubes d, d*. Each of these
tubes forms a hollow bearing for a spur pinion g, and these pinions are secured.
to the tubes by means of collars and shoulders, as shown at Fig. 2.. These
pinions gear into the intermediate pinions h, h, which, are in gear with the
spur wheels contained in the cylinder heads, and receive rotary motion from
the axles of the travelling wheels to which they are keyed for the purpose
of transmitting that motion to the tine barrels or cylinders. The boss of each
pinion g, is extended inwards, and. fitted with a feather which takes into a
groove formed in the hollow axles i of the tine cylinders. These cylinders are.
mounted loosely on their respective sliding tubes d, d*, so that they are. free
to rotate thereon when the spur pinions are locked into their axles.. This.
locking is effected by the operation of a hand lever k, connected to the sliding
tube d by the forked end of the lever rod k*, cutering an annular. groove
in. the boss of the pinion g.
By rocking this lever k the pinion carried by the sliding tube. d✶ will, be
thrown into gear with the pinion h, and through the link-motion connection
the pinion on. the other sliding tube d will be pressed into gear with its pinion
h, and thus the rotation of the travelling wheels will be transmitted. to the
tine cylinders. A reverse movement of the lever will instantly throw the tine
cylinders out of action.
Instead of using the link motion to slide the pinions in and out of gear, the
like effect may be obtained by the arrangement shewn at Fig. 4, wherein.c is
the axle connecting the cylinder heads together; d, d, the sliding tubes, and

page_text: i the hollow axles of the tine cylinders. In the sliding tubes d, d*, worm-like
grooves are formed, and into these grooves project studs from the solid shaft c.
By giving an axial motion to this shaft the studs acting on the edges of the
slots will cause the tubes, together with the pinions which they carry, to slide
nearer to or further from each other, as desired.
In order to protect the travelling wheels from the inconvenience of the hay
winding round the hubs or naves, and from lodging on the heads a, which
enclose the gearing wheels, or accumulating on the corners of the frame near
to the point of junction with the shafts of the horse, we propose to provide
at each side of the machine guards formed of upright iron rods, having
diverging branches descending from their points. One or more of these
guards will project over the outer side of each travelling wheel, and one or
more will be required to shoot off the hay in front, and also at back of each
of the heads or castings which enclose the gearing wheels.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of Improvements in the
Construction of Haymaking Machines," and explained the manner of carrying
the same into effect, we wish it to be understood that under the above in part
recited Letters Patent we claim the means above described for maintaining the
efficiency of haymaking machines.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Yorke, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
THOMAS YUKKE.
(L.S.)