IMPROVEMENTS IN LAWN MOWERS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Green and William Burrows, both of
Smithfield Iron Works, Leeds, in the County of York, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAWN MOWERS."
Sealed the 28th April 1874, and dated the 11th November 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Green and
William Burrows at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 11th November 1873.
We, THOMAS GREEN and WILLIAM BURROWs, both of Smithfield
Iron Works, Leeds, in the County of York, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAWN MOWERS," to be
as follows:-
The object of our Invention is to simplify the construction of lawn
mowers and lessen the number of parts, so that they may be cheaply
constructed, and when made may be little liable to derangement.

page_text: The main parts of the machine are a cast frame in one piece with a
handle attached, two brackets bolted to the frame and carrying between
them two axes, on one of which is a rotary knife, and on the other a
pair of carrying wheels.
The cast-iron frame consists of two side cheeks with space between
them to receive the knife. The side cheeks are connected by a sole
plate, which carries the bottom blade, and by a back plate, on which is
a socket to receive the handle. On the front face of the side cheeks the
brackets are fixed each by two screws, one screw is vertical, and serves
with the aid of a coiled spring to raise or lower the bracket to adjust
the knife to cut against the bottom blade; and the other screw is
horizontal and serves to lock the bracket securely in position when the
adjustment has been made.
The main wheels are outside the frame, and on one of them is formed
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Green and William Burrows, in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th May 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
GREEN and WILLIAM BURROWs, both of Smithfield Iron Works, Leeds,
in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us; the said Thomas Green and William Burrows,
Her special license that we, the said Thomas Green and William
Burrows, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said Thomas Green and William Burrows, 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,

page_text: within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAWN
MOWERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas
Green and William Burrows, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under
the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 Green, on behalf of
myself and the said William Burrows, 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 thereof, that is to say :—
The object of our Invention is to simplify the construction of lawn
mowers and lessen the number of parts, so that they may be cheaply
constructed, and when made may be little liable to derangement.
The main parts of the machine are a cast frame in one piece with a
handle attached, and two brackets bolted to the frame and carrying.
between them two axes, on one of which is a rotary knife, and on the
other a pair of carrying wheels.
The cast-iron frame consists of two side cheeks with space between
them to receive the knife. The side cheeks are connected by a sole
plate, which carries the bottom blade, and by a back plate, on which is
a socket to receive the handle. On the front face of the side checks the
brackets are fixed each by two screws, one screw is vertical, and serves
with the aid of a coiled spring to raise or lower the bracket to adjust 'the
knife to cut against the bottom blade, and the other screw is horizontal,
and serves to lock the bracket securely. in position when the adjustment
has been made.
The main wheels are outside the frame, and on one of them is formed
a ring of internal teeth, which gears with a pinion on the axis of the
rotary knife.
In order that our said Invention may be most fully understood and

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a side view, and Figure 2 is a plan of the machine. a, a, is
a cast frame extending across the back of the machine; it has two side
cheeks a¹, a¹, and also a socket a³, into which is fitted the handle a³.
b, b, are two brackets, which are clamped against the front of the
cheeks a¹, each by a bolt c passing through a slotted hole in the bracket.
The height of the bracket can be adjusted when the bolts c have been
slackened by means of the upright screws d, d, which enter tapped holes
in the top of the brackets, and around each of these holes is a cavity or
socket, in which a coiled spring e is lodged; and this spring presses the
bracket upwards and raises it as far as the head of the screw d will
admit. When the brackets have been set in position the clamping
bolts c, c, are screwed up tight. Through the brackets b, b, the two
parallel axes fand g pass; their ends are reduced in size to pass through
the bearings in the brackets. On the outer ends of the axis f the main
wheels h, h, are keyed, and one or both of these wheels is provided with
a ring of internal teeth h¹. Upon the axis g the rotating knife i is fixed,
and upon one end of the axis there is also fixed a pinion k gearing with
the ring of teeth h¹; or if both the wheels are provided with gear
teeth the axis g carries two pinions to correspond.
the frame a for the rotating knife to cut against;
carrying the axis of the small wooden rollers m³, m².
clamped to the back of the frame a by the bolts m², m². These bolts
pass through slotted holes in the parts m, so that the roller can be
shifted up or down to alter the distance of the cut from the ground.
n is the grass box, which drops into its place at the front of the
machine.
is a plate fixed to
m, m, are bearings
These bearings are
Figure 3 is an elevation, and Figure 4 a plan of a similar machine, but
without the rollers m³, and by a slight alteration in the form of the parts
the cut is brought more directly under the centres of the main wheels h.
The grass box n in this arrangement is at the back of the machine.
When the rollers m¹ are thus omitted the length of the cut is dependent
to some extent on the inclination which the operator gives to the
11
3

page_text: Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, we would have it understood that what
we claim is, the construction of lawn mowers consisting essentially of a
cross frame receiving two brackets, one on either side, such brackets
carrying both the rotary knife and the main wheels, substantially as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Green, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.