Improvements in Apparatus for Shearing or Clipping Sheep or other Animals.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Apr., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 5th Sept., 1892-Accepted, 8th Oct., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Shearing or Clipping Sheep or
other Animals.
We CHARLES BURGON and HARRY BURGON, both of Malin Bridge near
Sheffield, in the County of York, Sheep Shear Manufacturers do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
This invention relates to instruments for shearing or clipping sheep and other
animals, such as are described in the Specification of a previous application for
Letters Patent dated the 12th day of February 1892 No. 2805 and the improve-
ments consist, first, in an improved mode of mounting the forked crosshead upon the
vibrating or oscillating lever by which the top cutters are driven and of applying
a spring to press the said cutters on the comb-plate with the necessary pressure,
and, secondly, in an improved construction of the pivotal axis upon which said
vibrating lever oscillates whereby the working loose of said axis as heretofore made
is obviated.
According to the first improvement the forked crosshead is provided with but
two prongs, instead of three as before, and it is carried by a socket adapted to fit
and pivot freely upon the oscillating or vibrating lever so that the pressure of the
crosshead will be divided equally between the two prongs or limbs which must
necessarily press upon the two ends of the top cutter plate with equal pressure
whereby an equal distribution of the pressure on the top cutter plate is ensured.
In combination with such loosely-pivoted forked crosshead a spring occupying
the position of the centre prong of the fork is mounted in the end of the vibrating
lever, said spring being adapted to bear upon the top cutter plate before the
forked crosshead bears upon it so that the pressure is applied to the top cutters
first through the medium of the spring and then through the limbs of the forked
crosshead, which may be made to bear upon the cutters with a dead unyielding
pressure.
The spring is carried by a shank fitting in a socket in the end of the vibrating
lever arm aud secured by a cross-pin passed through both, the pin projecting
through a slot in the socket of the forked crosshead.
The end prongs of the crosshead engage with the top cutter plate in the usual
way for the purpose of driving it.
The improvement in the pivotal axis of the oscillating or vibrating lever consists
in forging a central stud solid with the rocking base plate, screw-threading it, then
after placing the vibrating or oscillating lever in position screwing upon it a sleeve
fitting in the boss of the vibrating lever screwing down hard upon the base plate
and forming the bearing surface for the lever to vibrate upon, said sleeve having a
flange or head adapted to enclose the bearing balls in their chamber and retain the
lever securely in position.
After so mounting the parts, they are secured against any possibility of working
loose by driving a pin into a longitudinal hole bored in the end of the centre stud,
whereby the latter is expanded so as to cause it to bind tightly in the sleeve
without injuring the screw thread. The parts can only be dismounted by drilling
out or otherwise removing the drift pin. Or if desired the hole may be expanded
by a conical drift or punch without being permanently plugged by a pin.

page_text: Instead of using a sleeve, the vibrating lever may pivot directly on the stud and
be secured thereon by lock nuts.
Deted this 14th dow of Anwil 1900
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
C. BURGON,
H. BURGON,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Shearing or Clipping Sheep or
other Animals.
We, CHARLES BURGON and HARRY BURGON both of Malin Bridge, near
Sheffield, in the County of York, Sheep Shear Manufacturers, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
This invention relates to instruments for shearing or clipping sheep and other
animals such as are described in the Specification of previous Letters Patent dated
the 12th day of February 1892 No. 2805; and the improvements relate, first, to
securing the forked crosshead upon the vibrating lever by which the top cutters
are driven together with a spring to press centrally on the said cutters, and,
secondly, to an improved construction of the pivotal axis upon which said
vibrating lever oscillates whereby the working loose of said axis as heretofore made
is obviated.
According to the first improvement the forked crosshead (which has only two
prongs, one near each end, that bear on and engage by lugs with the top cutter
plate in the usual way) is carried by a collar pivoting freely upon the vibrating
lever so that the pressure of the crosshead. will be divided equally between the
two prongs, the position of the centre prong being occupied by a spring carried
by a shank mounted in a socket in the vibrating lever, both the crosshead and
the spring shank being secured by the same cross-pin passed through both, the
pin projecting through slots in the collar of the forked crosshead so as to retain
said crosshead in position on the lever whilst permitting it to oscillate sufficiently
to adapt itself to and bear equally upon the top cutter plate.
The improvement in the pivotal axis of the vibrating lever consists in forging
a stud solid with the rocking base plate and applying on said stud a sleeve
fitting in the boss of the vibrating lever and forming the bearing surface for
the lever to vibrate upon, said sleeve having a flanged head adapted to enclose
the bearing balls in their chamber and retain the lever securely in position.
The stud is preferably screw-threaded and the sleeve tapped to screw thereon and
it is prevented from working loose by driving a conical drift or punch into a
hole bored in the end of the centre stud whereby the latter is expanded so as to
cause it to bind tightly in the sleeve without injuring the screw-thread. Or
instead of securing the sleeve by expanding the stud it may be secured by a jam-
nut, or instead of screwing the sleeve on the stud so that it forms a jam-nut it may
be merely slipped thereon and be secured by two jam nuts.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, wherein
Figure 1 is a part longitudinal sectional elevation of so much of the machine as
is necessary to illustrate the improvements and
Figure 2 is a plan of the vibrating lever separately.
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation shewing the sleeve screwed on the stud and
secured by a jam nut.
Figure 4 shews the sleeve slipped on and secured by two jam nuts,

page_text: Figure 5 is a sectional detail shewing the preferred form of spring latch for the
pressure adjusting screw.
The same letters of reference denote like parts in all the figures.
A is the lower cutter or comb plate, B the top cutter plate, C the vibrating
lever, D its forked cross-head, and E the rocking base plate carrying the pivotal
axis of said lever. The cross-head D has two prongs d which bear on and embrace
the ends of the top cutter plate B and engage by studs in holes therein, as described
in the said former Patent before referred to. This crosshead has a central collar D¹
fitting loose on the cylindrical arm of the lever C and extending the whole length
of said arm so as to obtain a sufficient length of bearing to enable it to resist the
strain upon it. It is secured thereon by the ends of a cross-pin f being received in
circumferential slots f¹ in the collar D so as to permit the free oscillation of the
latter on the arm of lever C. F is a spring pressing centrally on the top cutter
plate B said spring being formed on a shank F received in a socket in the arm of
lever C in which it is secured by the same cross-pin f before mentioned driven
through holes in the lever arm and shank a shoulder F' on the shank abutting
against the end of said tubular socket. The form of this spring and the level of
its extremity with regard to the prongs d of the fork is such that the pressure of
the lever C on the top cutter plate B is first applied through this spring. The
fork D pivoting freely on the lever C is at liberty to adjust itself so that the
pressure of its two prongs d upɔn the top cutter plate shall be equal under all cir-
cumstances and in all positions of the lever C, this freedom of self-adjustment being
necessary inasmuch as in order to ensure as efficient a cutting action towards the
extremities of the stroke of the cutters as at the middle it is found in practice
desirable to grind the upper surface of the comb-plate A with a very slight concave
curvature in the transverse direction.
The rocking base plate E is pivoted on a cross-pin e in the main frame as before
and has formed in one with it by drop forging or otherwise a stud G upon which is
fitted a sleeve H to form the bearing surface of the lever C. The stud G_is
preferably screw-threaded, as shewn in Figures 1 to 3 and the sleeve H internally
threaded and screwed thereon at the same time as or after it is inserted in the boss
of lever C. The sleeve has a flanged head to enclose the bearing balls and hold
the lever down. A central hole is bored in the end of stud G which is expanded
(after the sleeve is screwed hard down on the base plate E) by a taper drift-pin
temporarily or permanently driven in. In Figure 3 the sleeve is screwed on the
stud and secured by a jam nut g' and in Figure 4 the sleeve is simply slipped on
the stud and secured by two jam nuts gª g².
In other respects the machine is similar in construction and operation to that
described in the Specification of the previous Patent hereinbefore referred to.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we
lay no claim to pivoting the crosshead about the longitudinal axis of the vibrating
lever as such is claimed in our previous Patent aforesaid, but that what we
claim is :-
1. A shearing or clipping machine having a forked crosshead adapted to bear on
and engage with the ends of the top cutter plate and pivoting freely on the arm of
the vibrating lever, and a spring adapted to bear on the top cutter plate and carried
by a shank fitted in the vibrating lever arm, both the crosshead and spring shank
being secured by a cross-pin traversing the spring shank and vibrating lever and
received in circumferential slots in the crosshead collar so as to maintain the con-
nection of both the spring and crosshead with the lever whilst permitting the
pivotal motion of the crosshead, as described.
2. In the herein described shearing or clipping machine, the combination, with
the rocking base plate, of a stud forged integrally therewith and of a sleeve secured
thereon and adapted to fit in the boss of, and to form the bearing surface for, the
vibrating lever, as specified.

page_text: 3. The combination, with the screw-threaded stud forged integrally with the
rocking base plate and with the sleeve or nut screwing thereon, o'a drift-pin
forced into a hole in the end of the stud so as to expand the same, as specified.
Dated this 5th day of September 1892.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
C. BURGON,
H. BURGON,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.