IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING AND ADJUSTING THE POSITION OF THE FRAMES OF EXPANDING and Contracting AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis William Gilbert, of Eastleigh, in the
County of Hants, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR REGULATING AND ADJUSTING THE POSITION OF THE FRAMES OF EXPANDING
and Contracting AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.”
Scaled the 9th February 1872, and dated the 10th August 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis William Gilbert
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 10th August 1871.
I, FRANCIS WILLIAM GILBERT, of Eastleigh, in the County of Hants,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR REGULATING AND ADJUSTING THE POSITION OF THE FRAMES OF
EXPANDING AND CONTRACTING AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to enable the workman guiding the
implement to regulate the position of the side frames without stopping
the implement or without moving from his position.

page_text: The Invention consists in carrying a lever through a frame (say
quadrant shaped) having its fulcrum therein. The long end of the lever
is connected to levers attached to the movable frames, and a screw-
threaded rod passes through the upper or short end. This rod extends
backwards and terminates in a handle within reach of the workman,
by turning which one way or the other so the frames are caused to
expand or contract.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Francis William Gilbert in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 9th February 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALI COME, I, FRANCIS
WILLIAM GILBERT, of Eastleigh, in the County of Hants, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Francis William Gilbert, Her special
licence that I, the said Francis William Gilbert, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Francis William
Gilbert, 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 might make,
usc, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING AND ADJUSTING THE POSITION
OF THE FRAMES OF EXPANDING AND CONTRACTING AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Francis William
Gilbert, my exccutors or 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Francis William Gilbert, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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 accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, that
is to say:
The object of this Invention is to enable the workman guiding the
implement to regulate the position of the side frames without stopping
the implement or without moving from his position.
The Invention consists in carrying a lever through a frame (say
quadrant shaped) having its fulcrum therein. The long end of the lever
is connected to levers attached to the movable frames, and a screw-
threaded rod passes through the upper or short end. This rod extends
backwards and terminates in a handle within reach of the workman, by
turning which one way or the other so the frames are caused to expand
or contract.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a side elevation, and
Figure 2 is a plan of an agricultural implement constructed according
to my Invention, illustrating the mauner in which I prefer to carry it
into effect as applied to a horse hoc. a, a, are the two movable frames
of the implement to which the tools (in this case hoes) are attached;
b is the lever for actuating the movable frames; c is the quadrant-
shaped frame through or between which the lever b passes, or on which
it works; it is connected to or supported by the main frame or beam d
of the machine. f is a slot in the frame d, and g is a cross head in
which the long end of the lever b is inserted, and which is free to slide
in the slot f; h, h, are links connecting the frames a, a, and tlie cross
head g; h¹ is the fulcrum in the quadrant frame c for the lever b; ¿ is
a rod with a screw thread at one end, which passes through a corre-
sponding nut in the short end of the lever b; k is a handle at the other
end of the rod i for turning the same; and is a bracket for sup-
porting it, and in which it works; is the front and m is the back
supporting wheel of the implement; and o, o, are the handles. To alter
the position of the frames a, a, the workman guiding the implement by
the handles o, o, turns the handle k, whereby the lever b is caused to
move about its fulcrum, and the long end to communicate motion to
the cross head g, which through the links h, h, communicates motion

page_text: to the movable frames a, a, according to the direction in which the
lever is caused to move by the rod i. The dotted lines shew the
implement expanded, and the full lines shew it contracted.
Figure 3 shews a modification of the arrangement just described. In
this case the slot in the beam d is brought somewhat more forward,
that is, more towards the front of the beam than in Figures 1 and 2, so
that instead of the contraction, as in the former case, being effected by
drawing the links h, h, towards the handles, it is done by screwing the
links h, h, forward, whereby I am enabled to considerably shorten the
length of the beam, which is a material advantage.
Figure 4 is a side elevation, and Figure 5 is a plan of an implement
shewing my Invention applied in another form. In this case a, a, are
the two movable frames to which the tools are attached; h, h, are the
links connecting the frames; g is a lever connected to the links, and
taking the place of the cross head in the previous arrangement; b is the
lever through which the rod i passes for actuating the movable frames,
which is done as in the previous arrangement by turning the handle k
of the aforesaid rod i. Although I have in the Drawing only shewn one
tool in each side frame, it must be understood that I can, if necessary,
fit thereto any desired number of tools, as in the implement first
described. The dotted lines shew the implement expanded, the full
lines shew it contracted.
In Figures 1, 2, and 3 I have shewn the rod i with the handle k above
the beam or framing d, but it may be placed below, as shewn in
Figures 4 and 5, or in other convenient position as desired; and although
I have described and shewn my Invention as particularly applied to
horse hoes, still it is applicable to other agricultural implements where
it is required or it is advisable to be able to vary the width of the same;
and further, although I have shewn hoes fitted to the movable frames
I can fit to them any agricultural tools desired, such, for example, as
shares and tines, without in any way departing from this my Invention.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I do not claim
as of my Invention the employment of movable and adjustable frames
to agricultural implements generally; but I do claim the regulating and
adjusting the position of expanding frames of agricultural implements
in and by links and levers operated by a screw or other well-known

page_text: mechanical appliance whereby the frames are caused to contract or
expand as required, and substantially in the manner herein-before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis William Gilbert, have herc-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
FRANCIS WILLIAM GILBERT. (L.S.)