IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William James Burgess and Charles Thomas
Burgess, both of Brentwood, in the County of Essex, for the
T
Sealed the 26th June 1874, and dated the 14th January 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William James Burgess
and Charles Thomas Burgess at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 14th January 1874.
We, WILLIAM JAMES BURGESS and CHARLES THOMAS BURGESS, both
of Brentwood, in the County of Essex, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES,"
to be as follows:-
:―
This Invention has for its object improvements in reaping and mowing
machines.
For the purpose of obtaining a simple and ready means of adjusting
the height of the cutting apparatus from the ground the gear frame and
the axis of the main wheel are connected in the following manner :—

page_text: by a single bolt or stop retaining the bar so as to prevent it moving
endwise until it is required to remove the knife.
On freeing the bar from this bolt or stop all the catches become
movable to admit of the knife being drawn out backwards from the
fingers; we also in some cases form the top plate or slide plate on the
same bar so that it may be removed and replaced simultaneously with
the catches.
The cutters of the knife are fixed on the upper side of the knife bar
and the knife works in the fingers in an inclined position, the points of
the cutters being directed downwards. Each finger has two guide surfaces
upon it, one for the front of the knife bar and the other for its under
side, and the latter is a narrow edge at some distance in rear of the front
guide surface and with a deep cavity between to receive any debris
which may work into the cutting apparatus and prevent it from clogging
the knife..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William James Burgess and Charles Thomas
Burgess in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th July 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
JAMES BURGESS and CHARLES THOMAS BURGESS, both of Brentwood, in
the County of Essex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of January in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William James Burgess and Charles Thomas
Burgess, Her special license that we, the said William James Burgess
and Charles Thomas Burgess, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said William James Burgess and Charles
Thomas Burgess, 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, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel. Islands, and

page_text: Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING
MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said.
William James Burgess and Charles Thomas Burgess, 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 William James Burgess, on behalf
of myself and the said Charles Thomas Burgess, 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 :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in reaping and mowing
machines.
For the purpose of obtaining a simple and ready means of adjusting
the height of the cutting apparatus from the ground the gear frame and
the axis of the main wheel are connected in the following manner :-
The axis is passed through a boss in which it is free to turn partly round,
this boss has two short arms which embrace between them the front
flange of the gear frame and these arms also carry a bolt which by a
handle can be turned partly round. The bolt passes through a slot in
the frame immediately behind the front flange. The bolt is eccentric
between the arms, and when turned it jams the flange of the gear frame
fast against the boss and holds it securely. There are several hollows or
recesses in the back of the flange to receive the eccentric as the frame
is set at different heights. The forms of the boss and of the front of the
frame are so adapted the one to the other that in each position the
frame takes a steady bearing upon the boss and the driving pinion gears
accurately with the ring of teeth on the main wheel.
For setting the cutting apparatus there is a screw carried by the gear
frame; it passes through a threaded hole in the axis and through slots in
the boss.

page_text: Figure 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed shews a side elevation,
partly in section, of so much of a reaping machine as is necessary to
shew clearly this part of our Invention.
a is the axis of the main wheel passed through a boss 6 in which it is
3 free to turn partly round; 6¹ are arms projecting from the boss which
embrace the front flange of the gear frame c and also carry the eccentric
bolt d which can be turned by the handle d'; e, e, are hollows or
recesses in the back of the front flange of the gear frame. for the
eccentric d to lock into as the frame is set at different heights; fis the
screw for raising and lowering the gear frame, it passes through slots in
the boss 6 and screws through a threaded hole in the axis. The upper
part of the screw passes through a slot in an arm g projecting from the
top of the gear frame, and collars on the screw come above and below
this arm.
On the upper collar is an arm h by which the screw can be
3 turned to raise or lower, the frame; k is the adjustable stay which
connects the inner end of the finger bar with the pole as shewn.
We claim as respects this part of our Invention the combined arrange-
ment substantially as above described for setting the cutting apparatus
at any desired height from the ground.
For throwing the main wheels of a reaping and mowing machine
into and out of gear with the axle, clutches with ratchet teeth are
employed, and an axis is mounted parallel with the axle, it has a worm-
like cam at each end. By turning the axis by means of a handle the
sliding parts of the two clutches can be moved by the cams. When the
axis is turned in the contrary direction springs put the clutches again
into gear.
Figure 2 of the Drawings shews a plan view of so much of a
reaping or mowing machine as is necessary to illustrate this part of our
Invention.
a is one of the main wheels turning on the axle 6 and carrying one
half of the clutch c, the other half of the clutch is free to slide along the
axle and is pressed up towards the wheel as usual by a spiral spring d
so as to set the wheel fast upon the axle, it has also upon it a collar e
for the worm-like cam f to act upon, this cam is carried by an axis g
which is parallel with the axle and has also upon it a handle h by which

page_text: When the handle is turned in one direction the camsf draw the
clutches out of gear, and when the handle is turned in the opposite
direction the springs d again throw them into gear.
We claim the combined arrangement, substantially as above described,
for throwing the main wheels of reaping machines into and out of gear
with their axle.
"
may
In order to facilitate the removal of the knife the "catches or stops by
which it is held and supported at the back are arranged in such manner
that they can be readily removed and replaced, so that the knife be
taken out at the back in place of being drawn out endwise as is now the
practice. The catches are fixed or formed upon a bar which is attached
to the finger bar in such manner as to be readily movable, the bar is
held in bearings in which it is able both to turn and slide. When the
knife has been put into its place the catch bar is turned in its bearings
so as to bring down the catches on to the knife. The bar is then
slidden endwise causing the catches to pass under fixed lugs which keep
them down in their places, and all is locked securely by a single bolt or
stop retaining the bar so as to prevent it moving endwise until it is
required to remove the knife.
On freeing the bar from this bolt or stop all the catches become
movable to admit of the knife being drawn out backwards from the
fingers; we also in some cases form the top plate or slide plate on the
same bar so that it may be removed and replaced simultaneously with
the catches.
Figure 3 shews a plan view of the knife and cutter bar of reaping and
mowing machines with the catches or stops by which the knife is kept
in position made readily removable, so that the knife may be lifted
away from the fingers by which means the time required for taking out
and replacing the knife is much reduced.
a is the finger bar carrying the fingers b; cis the knife held in position
by the catches & formed upon the bar e, the ends of this bar are
supported in bearings fat the back of the finger bar in which they are
both able to turn and slide; 9, 9, are lugs fixed to the front of the finger
bar to hold down the catches d..

page_text: Any suitable means may be adopted for controlling the endway
movement of the bar e; in the arrangement shewn in the Drawing it is
effected by a pin h.
When it is desired to remove the knife the pin h is taken out and the
bar is slid endwise in its bearings until the catches d are free from the
retaining lugs g, the bar and catches can then be turned over so as to be
out of the way of the knife, and when the end of the knife bar has
been disconnected from the connecting rod and has been shifted endwise
a short distance to clear its end from the slide plate k the knife may be
readily lifted away from the fingers. As before stated this slide plate k
which holds down the end of the knife, to which the rod by which it is
driven is connected, might, if desired form part of the same bar which
carries the catches d.
We would also state that in place of the bar e being made capable of
moving endwise in its bearings the lugs g might all be carried by a bar
which could readily be removed to allow the bar e to be turned back
out of the way of the knife, or to allow of the catches or stops & being
separately turned back out of the way, or other means of readily securing
and removing the bar e carrying the catches or stops d might be
adopted.
What we claim as respects this part of our Invention is, the con-
structing reaping and mowing machines in such manner that the knife
may when desired be lifted away from the fingers and be thereby readily
and quickly removed, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William James Burgess, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.