IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND SPREADING GRASSES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Howard, Agricultural Engineer, and Edward
Tenney Bousfield, Engineer, both of Bedford, in the County of Bedford,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND
SPREADING GRASSES."
Sealed the 23rd August 1867, and dated the 28th March 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Howard and Edward
Tenney Bousfield at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 28th March 1867.
We, JAMES HOWARD, Agricultural Engineer, and EDWARD TENNEY BOUS-
FIELD, Engineer, both of Bedford, in the County of Bedford, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY POR CUTTING
AND SPREADING GRASSES," to be as follows:-
The first part of our Invention has for its object the raising of the cutting
apparatus of mowing machines from the ground whilst the machine is in
motion. Heretofore a hand leverage has been employed for this purpose; but
this arrangement renders it difficult for the driver to manage his horses pro-

page_text: perly in turning at the end of the swathe. We propose to overcome this
difficulty by supporting the cutting apparatus and the mechanism for trans-
mitting the motion from the driving wheel to the cutter bar on a rocking
frame and by a suitable lever, which is depressed by the foot to raise the
cutting apparatus from the ground at the driver's pleasure, thereby leaving
both hands free to manage bis team; this rocking frame is mounted on the axle
of the running wheels, and the foot lever for operating it is connected to an
arm projecting from a cross bar of the frame by a bolt which will admit of
the adjustment of the lever to the height suitable for the attendant, who
while sitting on the driver's seat presses with his foot on the head of the
lever when the machine has arrived at the end of the swathe, and thus rocks
the frame and lifts the cutting apparatus clear of the ground preparatory to
turning to renew the mowing operation. The finger bar of the cutting appa-
ratus is hinged to an arm that is jointed to and depends from the rear of the
rocking frame, and the drop of this arm and the finger bar is regulated by a
rod pendent from the rocking frame and coupled to the forward end of the
pendent jointed arm. In order to give a proper and variable inclination to
the cutter bar, the "drag bar," (the use of which is described in the Provisional
Specification of a Patent granted to one of us, bearing date 21st Dec.
1866 (No. 3868,) is made adjustable by means of a crank lever catching into
a notched segment forming part of the rocking frame; this drag bar is bolted
at its lower end to the finger bar, and its forward end passes through and is
free to move in a slotted curve on the side of the rocking frame, and an arm
or coupling affixed to the upper end of this drag bar is jointed to the crank
lever. The rocking therefore of this lever will cause the drag bar to tip the
finger bar, and consequently the cutter bar which slides therein, to the desired
inclination to act upon the grass. This arrangement in no way interferes with
the relative positions of the knife bar and its connecting rod, but it allows of
the rod delivering its thrust in the same right line, whatever may be the
inclination of the finger bar. In order to keep the fingers sharp and to prevent
clogging we perforate the stem of the finger, or slot it through, instead of
leaving it solid as heretofore; this will allow of the discharge of any
accumulations on the fingers that might otherwise interfere with the proper
working of the machine.
"
The second part of our Invention has reference to improvements in
machinery for spreading the grass when cut. In order to simplify and other-
wise improve the construction of the machine we mount the ordinary tine
barrels on a central shaft, which carries at either end an excentric block, and
on the external parts of these excentrics we fit the travelling or propelling

page_text: wheels. By giving an axial movement to the excentrics we are enabled to
adjust the position of the barrels with respect to the ground, and by the same
excentrics the action of the barrels can be reversed and thrown out of gear.
For facilitating the spreading of very long grasses, and where it is not
desirable to lift the grass over the machine, we provide each fork head with
two sets of tines, one set being straight and the other curved; and these sets
are attached to opposite sides of the fork head. The heads being held in
position by the pressure of yielding springs may be easily turned on their
pivots, and thus one or other of the sets may be brought into action. The
one set is intended to be used for spreading the newly cut grass, and the other
set for turning the grass when partially dried.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 28th September 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HOWARD, Agricultural Engineer, and EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD, Engineer,
both of Bedford, in the County of Bedford, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield, Her special licence that
we, the said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said James Howard and
Edward Tenney Bousfield, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND SPREADING GRASSES,"
upon the
condition (amongst others). that we, the said James Howard and Edward
Tenney Bousfield, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our, 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

page_text: 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 James Howard, on behalf of myself
and of the said Edward Tenney Bousfield, do hereby declare the nature of our
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):-
The first part of our Invention relates to the raising of the cutting apparatus
of mowing machines from the ground whilst the machine is in motion and the
adjustment of the angle of inclination of the cutter bar. It has been customary
hitherto to use a hand leverage for the raising of the cutting apparatus, but
such an arrangement renders it difficult for the driver to manage his horses
properly in turning at the end of the swathe. We now propose to support
the cutting apparatus and the mechanism for transmitting the motion from the
driving wheel to the cutter bar on a rocking frame, and by means of a suitable
lever which admits of depression by the foot to raise the cutting apparatus
from the ground at the driver's pleasure, thus leaving both hands free when
requisite for the driver to manage his team.
In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly
in section, of so much of a mowing machine constructed according to our
Invention as will serve to explain the nature of the improvements, and Fig. 2
is a back elevation of the same.
A is the rocking frame, consisting of two side pieces of cast iron secured
together by transverse tie rods a, a¹; this rocking frame is mounted on the
axle B of the running wheels, and which axle by means of a bracket arm C
supported thereon carries the driver's seat and supports the inner end of the
draft pole; D is the foot lever for operating the rocking frame; it is connected
by means of a bolt to a horn a* projecting from the cross bar or tie rod a of
the frame A, and extends beyond and bears against the under side of the
axle B as its fulcrum. The horn a is provided with a series of bolt holes
which will admit of the adjustment of the lever to the height suitable for
bringing the foot plate with which the lever is provided within easy access of
the foot of the attendant while sitting on the driver's seat. The finger bar
of the cutting apparatus shewn at E is hinged to an arm F that extends
across the rear of the machine, and is jointed to and depends from the off side
of the rocking frame. The drop of this arm and the finger bar E is regulated
by a rod G pendent from the near side of the rocking frame and coupled to
the forward end of the pendent jointed arm. It will now be understood that

page_text: when the machine has arrived at the end of the swathe the driver has merely
to press with his foot on the head of the lever, and he will thus be enabled to
lift the cutting apparatus clear of the ground preparatory to turning to renew
the mowing operation. In some cases, however, it may be convenient to use
the hands, and to allow of this we propose to extend the lever upwards beyond
the foot plate, as shewn by dots in Fig. 1. In order to give a proper and
variable inclination to the cutter bar, the "drag bar" (the use of which is
described in the Specification of a Patent grauted to one of us, bearing date
Twenty-first December, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, No. 3368,)
is made adjustable by means of a crank lever catching into a notched segment
forming part of the rocking frame A; this arrangement is clearly shewn in
Fig. 1, where H is the cutter bar which carries and operates the knives,
imparting the requisite reciprocating motion thereto in the usual way. I is
the drag bar bolted at its lower end to the finger bar E, and its forward end
passes through and is free to move in a slotted curve A¹ cast on the side of tho
rocking frame A; i is a coupling rod affixed to the upper end of this drag bar;
this rod i is jointed to the crank hand lever K, which has its fulcrum on the
rocking frame A and is made to spring into the notched segment formed for it
on the frame A; the rocking of this lever K will cause the drag bar to tip
the finger bar, and consequently the cutter bar which slides therein to the
desired angle or inclination for the cutters to act upon the grass, and when
allowed to drop into its notched segment it will retain the cutter bar at that
angle. This arrangement in no way interferes with the relative positions of
the knife bar and its connecting rod, but it allows of the rod delivering its
thrust in the same right line whatever may be the angle of inclination of the
cutter bar. To keep the fingers sharp and to prevent clogging we propose in
those cases to perforate the stem of the finger, or slot it through, instead of
leaving it solid as heretofore; this will allow of the discharge of any accumu-
lations on the fingers that might otherwise interfere with the proper working
of the machine.
The second part of our Invention has reference to improvements in machi-
nery for spreading the grass when cut. In order to simplify and otherwise
improve the construction of the machine we mount the ordinary tine barrels.
on a central shaft having excentric journals, which have for their bearings
excentric blocks, and on the external parts of these excentric blocks we fit
the travelling or propelling wheels. By giving an axial movement to the
excentrics we are enabled to adjust the position of the barrels with respect to
the ground, and by a similar motion of the shaft the action of the barrels can
be reversed or thrown out of gear at pleasure.

page_text: This arrangement of grass spreader is shewn in Sheet II. of the Drawings,
where Fig. 1 is a transverse vertical section taken in the line of the axis of
the tine barrels; Fig. 2 is a section taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1, and
looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 3 is a partial side elevation shewing
the means for locking the adjustable parts in position; and Fig. 4 is a partial
section of the tine barrels.
A, A, are the tine barrels, mounted as usual on a central shaft B; this
shaft is formed with excentric journals, which are free to turn in excentric
blocks C; these blocks are enclosed, and have their bearings in gear boxes D,
which form hollow naves for the running wheels; cast on the inner periphery
of each of these boxes is a ring of spur teeth C¹, by means of which the tine
barrels are rotated as usual. Each tine barrel is cast with a spur pinion A',
which is concentric therewith and with the shaft B; these pinions A¹ are
driven from the rings of spur teeth by intermediate pinions E and F; these
pinions E and F are mounted on stud axles carried by an extension of the
excentric blocks C, as shewn best at Fig. 2. The pinions E and F are
geared together, and the pinion E, which is the larger of the two, also gears
with the ring of spur teeth on the box D. At Fig. 2 the pinion A¹ is shewn
in gear with the pinion F, but by giving the shaft A an axial motion it may
be thrown into gear with the pinion E, or out of gear with both pinions; the
block C has attached to its outer end a circular plate G, in which holes are
made to receive a spring stop pin affixed to the excentric journal. By means
of a key H (see Fig. 3) the shaft is turned, and the stop pin is thus moved
up to and allowed to fall into one or other of the holes 1, 2, 3, made in the
plate G. When the pin is in the position 1, as shewn at Fig. 3, the pinion A¹
is in gear with the pinion F. To throw the pinion out of gear the pin is
moved round to the hole 2, and to bring the pinions A and E into gear to
reverse the motion of the barrels the pin is moved round to the hole 3 by the
key H. For lifting the tine barrels the clamping nut 4, which connects the
block with the shaft I, is slackened, and the excentric blocks are pulled round
-to bring the larger radius of the blocks below the journals.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improvements in
Machinery for Cutting and Spreading Grasses," 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,-
Firstly, the arrangement above described for facilitating the raising of the
cutting apparatus of mowing machines from the ground.
Secondly, the means above described for giving a proper and variable
inclination to the cutter bar.

page_text: Thirdly, the means above described for regulating the position of the tine
barrels with respect to the ground, and for throwing them in and out of gear,
and reversing their action.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Howard, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-seventh day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
JAMES HOWARD. (L.S.)