IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING MACHINES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Thomas Burgess, of No. 3, Upper Gower
Street, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN REAPING MACHINES."
Sealed the 15th March 1864, and dated the 21st September 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Thomas Burgess
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on tho
21st September 1863.
I, CHARLES THOMAS BURGESS; of No. 3, Upper Gower Street, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN REAPING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in reaping machines. Here-
tofore reaping machines have sometimes been constructed in such manner
that one of the beaters of the reel which lays the standing corn into the teeth
of the cutters shall also sweep the cut crop off the platform and deliver it in
bundles at the side of the machine. The beater which is caused to act in
this manner has been carried at one of its ends by an arm capable of turning
around a short axis at right angles to the shaft of the reel; this short axis was
carried by a short tube capable of turning on the shaft of the reel; this tube
was caused to turn together with the shaft of the reel, until by the revolution of

page_text: the shaft the beater was brought over the front edge of the platform; the tube
was then stopped from turning with the shaft of the reel, and as the axis of
the reel continued to revolve, a connecting rod connecting a short
arm upon it
with the arm that carried the beater pressed against the arm and caused it to
turn on its axis which was then in a vertical position, and by so turning on
this vertical axis the beater carried by it was caused to sweep across the
platform, and so deliver the cut crop that was upon it in a bundle at the side
of the machine, the tube was then caused again to revolve with the shaft of the
reel, and by revolving at a greater speed than the shaft was caused to regain
its former position relatively to it, so that the beater was brought into a proper
position for acting as one of the beaters of the reel.
Now in order to give these motions to the tube that carries the beater that
is to act in this manner I give motion to it by differential toothed wheels, one
wheel being on the tube and the other on. an axis constantly driven at the
same speed as the shaft of the reel, and in order that the tube may be stopped
entirely from rotating as soon as the beater has been brought over the front
edge of the platform the differential wheel that gives motion to the differential
wheel on the tube has a portion of its circumference formed without any teeth
upon it, this portion being concentric with the axis upon which it turns, the
differential wheel on the tube has a recess formed in it into which a portion of
this plain part of the wheel enters as soon as the beater is over the front edge
of the platform. The tube and differential wheel upon it are thus prevented
from turning, and the beater is then caused, as above described, to sweep across
the platform, and as it so sweeps across the platform, the other differential
wheel continues to revolve, and as soon as the portion of its circumference
that is provided with teeth comes round and gears with the toothed portion of
the wheel on the tube, the tube again revolves with the shaft of the reel, and
the differential wheels gradually drive the tube at a greater speed than the
shaft, and so gradually bring the tube into its former position relatively to it,
so that the beater may be brought into the proper position for acting as one of
the beaters of the reel.
In order that the strain of first causing the tube to rotate with the shaft of
the recl after it has swept the cut crop off the platform may not come upon
the teeth of the differential wheels, I cause a projection on the shaft of the
reel to come against a projection on the tube, and so cause the tube to
revolve.
In order that the crop as it is delivered from the platforms of reaping
machines may not cling to the edge of the platform from which it is delivered,

page_text: I place a roller along this edge of the platform, and I by preference cause this
roller to revolve at a considerable velocity.
Another part of my Invention consists in constructing the reels of reaping
machines in such manner that the beaters of the reel may be moved to or
from the shaft that carries them, and be retained at the distance from the
shaft that will best suit the height of the crop that is to be cut.. This
I do in the following manner:-On the shaft of the reel are two tubes
one near each of its ends; these tubes can be slid to and fro on the shaft, but
they turn with it. To these tubes are pin-jointed the ends of the arms
that carry the beaters; each beater is carried by two arms, one arm is pin-
jointed to one end of the beater, and to one of the tubes, and the other
arm is pin-jointed to the other end of the beater and to the other tube, and
the two arms in passing from the beater to the tubes cross each other.
The shaft has a number of holes or recesses formed in it, and each tube
carries a catch, which can be caused to enter one or other of these holes or
recesses. The two tubes can thus be set at different distances apart from each
other on the shaft and the angle at which the arms cross each other, and
consequently the distance the beaters are from the shaft can thus be
regulated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Thomas Burgess in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 21st March 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
THOMAS BURGESS, of No. 3, Upper Gower Street, in the County of Middlesex,-
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,. by. Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of September, in the year of our Lord.
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,. the
said Charles Thomas Burgess, Her special licence that I, the said Charles.
Thomas Burgess, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as 1, the said Charles Thomas, Burgess, my 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

page_text: or
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 REAPING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Charles Thomas Burgess, my executors
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 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, Charles Thomas Burgess, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the samo is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in reaping machines.
Heretofore reaping machines have sometimes been constructed in such
manner that one of the beaters of the reel which lays the standing corn into
the teeth of the cutters, shall also sweep the cut crop off the platform, and
deliver it in bundles at the side of the machine; the beater which is caused to
act in this manner has been carried at one of its ends by an arm capable of
turning around a short axis at right angles to the shaft of the recl; this short
axis was carried by a short tube capable of turning on the shaft of the reel; this.
tubo was caused to turn together with the shaft of the reel, until by the revo-
lution of the shaft the beater was brought over the front edge of the platform,
the tube was then stopped from turning with the shaft of the reel, and as the
axis of the reel continued to revolve a connecting rod connecting a short arm
upon it with the arm that carried the beater pressed against the arm and
caused it to turn on its axis, which was then in a vertical position, and by so
turning on this vertical axis the beater carried by it was caused to sweep across
the platform, and so deliver the cut crop that was upon it, in a bundle at the
side of the machine;. the tube was then caused again to revolve with the shaft
of the reel, and by revolving at a greater speed than the shaft was caused to
regain its former position relatively to it, so that the beater was brought into a
proper position for acting as one of the beaters of the reel.
Now in order to give these motions to the tube that carries the beater that
is to act in this manner I give motion to it by differential toothed wheels, one
wheel being on the tube and the other on an axis constantly driven at the
same speed as the shaft of the reel, and in order that the tube may be stopped

page_text: entirely from rotating, as soon as the beater has been brought over the front
edge of the platform the differential wheel that gives motion to the differential
wheel on the tube has a portion of its circumference formed without any teeth
upon it; this portion being concentric with the axis upon which it turns; the
differential wheel on the tube has a recess formed in it, into which a portion
of this plain part of the wheel enters as soon as the beater is over the front
edge of the platform; the tube and differential wheel upon it are thus prevented
from turning, and the beater is then. caused, as above described, to sweep
across the platform, and as it so sweeps across the platform the other
differential wheel continues to revolve, and as soon as the portion of its
circumference that is provided with teeth comes round and gears with the
toothed portions of the wheel on the tube, the tube again revolves with the
shaft of the reel, and the differential wheels gradually drive the tube at a
greater speed than the shaft, and, so gradually bring the tube into its former
position relatively to it, so that the beater may be brought into the proper
position for acting as one of the beaters of the reel. In order that the strain of
first causing the tube to rotate with the shaft of the reel after it has swept the
cut crop off the platform may not come upon the teeth of the differential wheels
I cause a projection on the shaft of the reel to come against a projection on
the tube, and so cause the tube to revolve.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood, I will proceed
to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews a portion of a reel of a reaping machine constructed in the
manner above described. a is, one end of the centre or axis of the reel which
is usually of wood; this end of the centre or axis of the reel has attached to
it by means of the bolts 6 a metal axis c, which is supported by and turns in
bearings in the reel post d, which is fixed to the framing of the machine, as is
well understood, and the axis c has motion imparted to, it by means of a chain
and chain wheel, or otherwise. When the reel is constructed with four beaters
the centre or axis a of the reel carries by means of arms projecting from it
three beaters e, the fourth beater is carried by the arm e', this arm is carried
by and is capable of turning on the short axis f, that is at right angles to the
axis c, the bearings in which the axis f turns are carried by the tube 9, that is
capable of turning on the axis c; h is a differential toothed wheel made fast
with the tube g by means of bolts, with this wheel gears the differential
wheel k, the axis k' of which is carried by the recl post, as is shown; this axis

page_text: receives motion from and is driven at the same speed as the axis c by means
of the toothed wheels 7 and A. A face view of the differential wheels h and k
is shown at Figure 2. From this Figure it will be seen that a portion of the
circumference of the wheel k is concentric with the axis upon which it turns,
and has no teeth formed upon it, a portion of the wheel h at the point h³ is
suitably recessed or formed for a portion of the plain part. of the wheel k to
enter into, and when the wheels are in this position the wheel h is locked and
prevented from turning whilst the wheel k continues to revolve. The wheels.
come into this position as soon as the beater on the arm e' has by the revolution
of the reel been brought over the front edge of the platform on to which the
crop falls as it is cut; as soon, however, as by the rotation of the wheel the por-
tion of its circumference that has teeth formed upon it comes into gear with the
teeth of the wheel h the wheel h will again revolve; as the axis c continues to
revolve whilst the tube g remains stationary the arm m that projects from the
collar o on the axis c by being carried round together with the axis c presses by
means of the connecting rod n against the arm e¹ (see Fig. 3) and causes it to
turn on the axisf, which at this time is in a vertical position, the beater on the
arm e¹. is thus caused to sweep across the platform and to deliver the cut crop
that was upon it at one side of the machine, as is well understood; as soon as
the beater has swept across the platform the toothed portion of the wheel k
again comes into. gear with the toothed portion of the wheel h, and the tube g
is thus caused again to revolve, and as will be seen by the formation of the
wheels to revolve at a greater speed than the axis c, so as to bring the beater
on the arm e' back into its proper position for acting as one of the beaters of
the reel. In order that the strain of first causing the tube 9 to rotate with the
axis c.may not come upon the teeth of the wheels, a projection o¹ is formed on
the collar o, which comes against a projection p on the tube g, as is shown at
Figure 3. In place of the differential wheel h being placed on the tube g the
tube g might have a plain toothed wheel upon it to gear with a similar wheel
on the axis k', the differential wheel k would then be placed on the axis c, and-
the wheel h on the axis k¹. Or two differential wheels may be placed on the
outer side of the reel post d with teeth all over their circumference, and a pair
of circular toothed wheels inside with the delay surfaces formed upon them.
The important feature of my Invention being the use of differential toothed
wheels together with the use of delay surfaces for giving the requisite motions
as above described to one of the beaters of the reel.
Figures 4, 5, & 6, show a modification of the arrangement shown in
Figs. 1, 2, 3. In this arrangement, in place of the axis being driven

page_text: from the axis c by two similar toothed wheels and I, two differential
wheels and s are employed; by this arrangement the wheels h and k are
made more circular as is shown in the face view of the wheels at Figure 5.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Thomas Burgess, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
CHARLES THOMAS BURGESS. (L.s.)