IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR REAPING AND MOWING CORN OR OTHER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robertson, of Oakfield Foundry, Iron
Founder, and James Henry, Machine Maker, both of Edinburgh, Scot
land, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR REAPING
AND MOWING CORN OR OTHER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robertson and
James Henry at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 3rd November 1855.
We, WILLIAM ROBERTSON, of Oakfield Foundry, Iron Founder, and JAMES
HENRY, Machine Maker, both of Edinburgh, Scotland, do hereby declare the
nature of the said. Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS, IN MACHINERY FOR REAPING
AND MOWING CORN OR OTHER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE" to be as follows;
Our Invention consists in the combination and arrangement of the following
portion of mechanism, so as to constitute a machine. capable of being driven
either by manual labour or by mechanical power. On one of the driving
wheels is fixed a toothed ring, from which motion is communicated through a
pinion and other spur gear to a crank, which by means of a connecting rod is
made to act upon one end of a beam, to the opposite end of which is con-
nected a rack, the backward and, forward motion of which works the cutter.
This cutter is a long thin serrated blade, set at a slight angle to the machine,
and suspended from a pair of slings, to one of which the said motion is
communicated.

page_text: For operating upon some kinds of agricultural produce, a row of fingers or
spikes fixed upon a rod aré placed so as to allow of the serrated edge of
the cutter operating between them, but these fingers or spikes are not always
used. At the front part of the machine is mounted a kind of revolving reel or
rake, driven by bands and pulleys from the driving wheels, the axis of which
rake is capable of being adjusted to the required elevation for throwing the
corn or the produce within a pair of side plates, suitably curved so as to cause
the same to fall within the machine in such a manner as to be conveniently
operated upon, and enabling the corn or crop to fall regularly and clear of the
tracks of the wheels.
The fore wheels are mounted so as to be capable of being turned on a
swivel by means of a lever, and so guide the machine. On the periphery
of the driving wheels are a series of moveable projections or metal points,
which may be thrust out or drawn in by means of bars on the spokes of
the wheels, acted upon by a set of links fitted to a ring, secured to the nave
of each wheel, such ring being moved by means of a lever when required.
There is a platform or strong foundation at the hinder part of the machine,
on which the operator stands, or on which a small portable steam engine may
be fixed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Robertson and James Henry in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 3rd May 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
ROBERTSON, of Oakfield Foundry, Iron Founder, and JAMES HENRY, Machine
Maker, both of Edinburgh, Scotland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
William Robertson and James Henry, Her special licence that we, the said
William Robertson and James Henry, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said William-Robertson and James Henry,
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 MACHINERY FOR
REAPING AND MOWING CORN OR OTHER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said William Robertson and James Henry,
by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand
and seal of one of us, 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 we, the said William Robertson and James Henry,
do hereby declare the nature of our 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 Drawing hereunto
annexed; and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
Our Invention of "Improvements in Machinery for reaping and mowing
Corn or other Agricultural Produce" consists in the combination and arrange-
ment of the following portions of mechanism, so as to constitute a machine
capable of being driven either by manual labor or by mechanical power.
On one of the driving wheels is fixed a toothed ring, from which motion is
communicated through a pinion and other spur gear to a crank, which by
means of a connecting rod is made to act upon one end of a beam, to the
opposite end of which is connected a rack, the backward and forward motion
of which works the cutter. This cutter is a long thin serrated blade, set at a
slight angle to the machine, and suspended from a pair of slings, to one of
which the said motion is communicated.
For operating upon some kinds of agricultural produce, a row of fingers or
spikes fixed upon a rod are placed so as to allow of the serrated edge of the
cutter operating between them, but these fingers or spikes are not always used.
At the front part of the machine is mounted a kind of revolving reel or rake,
driven bands and pulleys from the driving wheels, the axis of which rake is
capable of being adjusted to the required elevation for throwing the corn
or other agricultural produce within a pair of side plates, suitably curved so
as to cause the same to fall within the machine in such a manner as to be
conveniently operated upon, and enabling the corn or crop to fall regularly
and clear of the tracks, of the wheels.
The fore wheels are mounted so as to be capable of being turned on, a swivel
by means of a lever, and so guide the machine. On the periphery of the
driving wheels are a series of movable projections or metal points, which may

page_text: be thrust out or drawn in by means of bars on the spokes of the wheels, acted
upón by a set of .links, fitted to a ring secured to the nave of each wheel, such
ring being moved by means of a lever when required. There is a platform or.
strong foundation at the hinder part of the machine, on which the operator
stands, or on which a small portable engine may be fixed.
In order, however, that our Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect, we will proceed to describe it more particularly by the aid
of the accompanying Drawing; in which Figures 1 and 2 are elevations of
the two sides of the machine respectively; Fig. 3 is a plan or horizontal view
of the machine; Fig. 4 is a representation of the cutter and its appurtenances
detached; and Fig. 5 represents one of the driving wheels with the contrivance
to increase its hold upon the ground when required. In all these Figures the
same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A, A, are the running wheels; B is a toothed ring formed on one of the
said wheels; 'C is a pinion, which by working in the toothed ring B gives
motion to the wheels A. Through the intermediate pinions D motion is given
to the crank E, to which is connected the rod F, which is also connected at its
reverse end to the beam G, through which it works, the bar or rod H having
on its end a rack taking into a toothed segment or pinion, and thereby im-
parting a to and fro kind of motion to the links I, to which the cutter K is
connected. L'is 'a 'pinion, by means of which the reaping or mowing apparatus
may be put into or out of gear with the driving toothed ring by the handle M;
N is the 'fly wheel; O is the platform, on which the portable steam engine may.
be placed when the machine is driven by mechanical power, and on which the
operator stands; P, P, are the side plates 'for throwing the crop into the space
between the wheels, and so as to be clear of them; these side plates are bent
or formed somewhat in the shape of the turn-furrow of a plough; Q is the
reel or rake, mounted at the front part of the machine in such a manner as to
admit of its being raised or lowered in its bearings for throwing portions of
the crop within the side plates P, P, as the machine advances. This reel
or rake is 'made to revolve by means of the pulleys and bands R, R, in con-
nection with the axle of the driving wheels. S, S, are the fore wheels, through.
which the machine may be guided (as herein-after described) by acting upon
the handle T and a pair of trods U,U, one on each side, which rods are made.
to act together by means of a link connected to each; V, V, are slings, which,
when acted upon by the toothed segment or pinion, worked by the rack on the-
end of the rod H, impart a kind of drawing motion to the cutter K, so as to
cause it to operate as required upon the crop presented to it between the.
fingers W,'or brought in front of it without such fingers.

page_text: The cutter, it will be observed on reference to Fig. 3, is placed obliquely to
a slight extent across the machine; but being connected to a sling working in
a slot; it may be used either square with the machine, or at a slight angle (as
shewn), at the discretion of the attendant. X, X, (Fig. 5) are a number of
iron points protruding. through openings in the periphery of the wheels A,
which
may be projected in order to make the wheels take a firmer hold on the
ground as required by working the handle Y, thereby turning the ring Z, and
moving out the bars or rods, with the iron points X at their ends, through the
links a, connected to the said ring Z.
Fig. 6 is an elevation, and Fig. 7 a plan or horizontal view, of one of the
front wheels, shewing the means of guiding the machine through them.
b, b, b, b, are four small rollers suitably mounted in the frame, these rollers
having flanges, between which the curved plate c is capable of being worked
by means of the connecting rod or link d, which is acted upon by means of
the rods U, U, above referred to. The fore wheel is mounted on a stud or
short axle e, fitting into a slot in the plate c; hence, by working the handle 'T'
and the rods U, U, the link or rod d will be made to draw the plate c, and
with it the fore wheel either backward or forward in the direction of a curve,
the radius of which corresponds with that of the plate c, and by the connection
of the two wheels, the pulling of one forward will give the other a correspond-
ing motion backward, and thus turn the machine.
Fig. 8 represents another mode of working the slings V for giving motion
to the cutter. f is a connecting rod, worked by the crank E; to the other end
of this rod is connected the bent lever g, having its fulcrum at h, and to the
reverse end of this lever is connected the rod I, with the rack on its end for
working the slings V.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-On power being applied so as
to work the driving pinion C, the running wheels will be set in motion, and
from the axle of these wheels motion will be given to the revolving reel or
rake Q, which will draw in portions of the crop to be operated upon by the
cutter, which will receive its motion through the crank E, rod F, beam G, (or
from the crank E through the lever g,) and rod or bar H, with the rack on
its end acting upon the toothed segment or pinion, and working the slings V.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, we would have it understood that we do not
intend to confine ourselves to the precise forms and combinations of the parts
represented and described; but we claim as of our Invention,-
First, the general arrangement and construction of the machinery for reaping
and mowing corn or other agricultural produce, as described.

page_text: Secondly, the peculiar form of the cutter, with the means of working it, as
described.
Thirdly, the side plates for guiding the corn when cut clear of the tracks
of the wheels.
And, lastly, the general arrangement and construction of the machinery
above described without the cutter above described (that is to say), in con-
bination with any other suitable form of cutter.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Robertson and James Henry,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, the Thirtieth day of April, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
WILLIAM ROBERTSON. (L.S.)
JAMES HENRY.
(L.S.)
Witness,
CHARLES ROBERTSON,
18, Arthur Street, Edinburgh.