Improvements in Mowers and Reapers.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mowers and Reapers.
I, GEORGE COWLEY BINGHAM, of 64, New Broad Street, in the City of London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in mowers, and reapers.
The first part of my invention relates to mowers and reapers and refers
particularly to the means of raising the hinge bar and the cutting parts to clear
obstructions and similar purposes. To accomplish this I make use of a spring ·
or any suitable counterbalance to raise the cutting parts, the power of the
spring or balance being adjustable but sufficient if required to raise the parts.
In order to bring the cutting parts down to their work I connect the draft power
of the horses, or motive power employed, to work against the action of the spring
or counter balance. The draft power is connected by any known mechanical.
system, but preferably so that the effect upon the spring or counter-balance
may be adjusted. Instead of utilizing the draft power to lower the cutting
parts, and so indirectly compress the spring the draft power may be utilized
direct to compress the spring and the spring may then be connected to the
cutting parts by a catch to assist in raising them when required..
The second part of my invention refers to a method of constructing 'the main
frames of mowers particularly those known as open gear, and consists in making
the bearing parts of main shaft open underneath at the,ends and open on the
top in the centre. The shaft is then fixed in the main frame by a wrot iron
ataple with threaded ends. The staple surrounds, the, under part of the shaft
and the ends pass through the main frame and are held by nuts. on the threaded
ends.
The third part of my invention refers to a method of tilting the cutter bar.in
that class of mowers in which the main shoe and back stay are in one piece or
rigidly connected. The invention consists in constructing the end of the back
stay to be adjustable vertically in the bracket or part of the frame which
supports it. The adjustment may be made by means of a screw and nut or any
of the existing methods employed for the like purpose when applied at a different
point.
A fourth part of my invention refers to the knock off arrangement in open gear
mowers. The pinions which gear in the land wheels are recessed on the outer
ends and ratchet, teeth formed within the recess. Through the ends of the
shaft are fixed retaining pins whose ends are always within the recess of the
pinions and can engage the ratchet teeth in one direction. A spring behind
the pinion keeps the pin in contact. with the ratchet teeth, but the pinions can
be simultaneously withdrawn by any of the usual knock off arrangements when
the springs will be compressed.
thin 21 'dow of TJ 10001

page_text: Improvements in Mowers and Reapers.
I, GEORGE COWLEY BINGHAM, of Lyndhurst House, Lower Clarence Road,
Norwich, in the County of Norfolk, formerly of 64, New. Broad Street, in the
City of London, Engineer, 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
My invention relates to improvements in mowers and reapers.
It refers particularly to the means of raising the cutting parts and their
connections, by the use of which invention the bar can be raised or lowered at
the required moments without any action on the part of the operator if, desired.
To accomplish this I make use of a spring or any suitable counterbalance
to raise the cutting parts; the power of the spring or balance being adjustable
but sufficient if required to raise the aforesaid parts.
In order to bring the cutting parts down to the working position I connect
the draft power of the horses or motive power to work against the action of the
spring or counterbalance.
The draft power can be made to work against the action of the spring or
counterbalance directly or through any intermediate. mechanical arrangement.
In the accompanying illustrations Figs. 1 & 2 I show an arrangement of the
invention in which the cutting parts and their connections are raised by a
compensating spring.
In Figs. 1 & 2 (a) represents the cutting bar which is hinged to the hinge
bar (b) at (6) and the hinge bar is connected to the main frame (c) at (c) all of
which connections are arranged in a manner at present in common use.
To the locking lever (d) which locks the hinge bar (6) to the cutting bar (a)
the lifting link (e) is attached. The link (e) is also connected to one arm of
the bell cranked lever (k). The lever (k) is connected by a stop (f) to the
second lever (f) to which the draft rod (h) and spring. (9) are attached."
It will be seen by this arrangement that the tension of the spring (9) can be
made to raise the cutting bar and its connections, and the tractive force com-
municated through the draft rod (h) can be made to reduce the action of the
spring as desired by varying the proportion of the arms of the lever (f).
When the horses are stopped therefore the spring works with its full effect. in
raising the cutting bar, but when the cutting bar gets into work the draft is
then greatest and the effective force of spring is most-reduced.
In Figs. 3 & 4, the elevation and plan respectively, another arrangement is
shown in which the weight of the driver of the machine is used, as a counter-
balance to raise the bar.
In Figs. 3 & 4. (a) represents the drivers seat made fast to the seat spring
bar (b) which is hinged to the pole socket (c). The pole socket may be part of
the main frame (k) as shown. The seat bar (b) is connected by the rod (e), to a
lever (which lever is suitably mounted on any part of the machine or its
attachments, and is shown mounted in the illustrations upon the pole socket (c).
The lever () is connected by means of a stop (f) to the second lever (✓ 1) to
which the locking lever (d) is connected by the link (7), and the hand lever (h)
is also attached. The draft. rod (2) to which the motive power is coupled is
connected to the same lever (f) as the rod (e) which connects the seat bar (b)
to the lever (f). It will be seen from the description of the parts given, that
the weight of the driver tends to lift the cutting parts through the link (9),
a greater force being obtained by the driver lifting the hand lever (h).
The draft power of the horses or motive power being transmitted through
11-

page_text: the draft rod (2) tends to raise the driver and lower at the same time the cutting
parts. By so proportioning the leverage the weight of the driver can be made
sufficient to easily lift the cutting parts when the machine is not cutting.
The driver can bring the cutting parts down to their cutting position before.
entering the crop by standing on the hand lever (h) the projection (¹) being
provided for that purpose.
By means of the stop. (f) in Figs. 1 & 2 and (") in Figs. 3 & 4 the bar can be
lifted independently of the power derived from the compensating spring or the
weight of the driver.
The hand levers or other parts may be fitted with retaining catches to hold
the parts in any desired position up or down.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
Claim 1. In mowers or reapers the employment of the weight of the driver or
operator to counterbalance, wholly or partly, the weight of the cutting parts,
in combination with the employment of the draft power to counteract, wholly
or partly, the effect of the weight of the driver or operator.
Claim 2. In mowers or reapers the attachment of the draft power to a lever
(or any known substitute for a lever), in a manner to oppose the action of a
spring or counterbalance, (or a number of either or combination of both), attached
to the same lever, the tendency of which spring or counterbalance is to raise
the cutting parts when the said lever engages with a second lever (or any
known substitute for a lever), to which the cutting parts are attached. The
first and second levers being constructed to engage in one direction only in
the extent of their movements and in such manner as to enable the cutting
parts to be raised independently of the action of the spring or counterbalance
and the draft power.
Dated this 2nd dow of Anril 1000