Improvements in and connected with Gutter Ploughs or Trench Excavators.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 1st "Apr., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 10th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1893
PROVISIONAL SI ECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Gutter Ploughs or Trench
Excavators.
I, CHARLES THOMAS DYKE ACLAND, of Killerton, Broad Clyst, in the
County of Devon, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to ploughs such as are used for digging gutters, open
drains, or trenches, for irrigation of land, or for other purposes.
According to this invention, the rods which carry the wheels are clamped to a
transverse shaft pivotted to the frame of the plough at or about midway between
the said rods.
This arrangement admits of keeping the plough frame horizontal and the depth
of cut constant when excavating along the sides of slopes; the wheels accommodating
themselves to the character of the ground through the medium of the pivotted
transverse shaft. The depth of cut is regulated and adjusted by means of a hand
lever situated towards the rear or guiding end of the plough and connected by a
jointed rod to a crank provided on the transverse shaft to which the rods carrying
the wheels are clamped.
The excavated soil, instead of being, as hitherto, deposited inverted at the side of
the gutter, is, under this invention, guided by the share into a trough suspended
from the plough frame and capable of being operated, through the medium of a
hand lever, to assume and be maintained at any suitable angle. Hence the excavated
soil may be directed into and used to fill up a previously existing gutter. The
trough is preferably hinged to reduce jolting in travelling over inequalities on the
surface of the ground.
The share which ploughs up the soil between the sides cut by the coulters is so
shaped and set that the soil is not inverted, but is raised with the upper face upper-
most and so deposited after passing through the trough aforesaid.
Dated this 29th day of March 1893.
NICHOLAS WATTS,
Chartered Patent Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Gutter Ploughs or Trench
Excavators.
I, CHARLES THOMAS DYKE ACLAND of Killerton Broad Clyst in the
County of Devon, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to ploughs such as are used for forming gutters, open
drains or trenches for the irrigation of land or for other purposes.
According to this invention the rods which carry the travelling wheels are
clamped to a transverse bar or shaft pivotted to the frame or beam of the plough
at or midway between the said rods, so that when excavating along the sides of
slopes or passing over uneven ground, the wheels accomodate themselves to the
inequalities of the ground without affecting the horizontal position of the plough
frame or the depth of cut. When out of work and on transit a pin is advan-
tageously used to lock the transverse shaft to the plough frame.

page_text: The depth of cut is advantageously regulated by means of a hand-lever located
towards the rear or guiding end of the plough and connected by a jointed rod to a
crank or lever provided on the transverse shaft to which the rods carrying the
wheels are clamped.
The excavated soil is guided by the share into a trough suspended from the 5
plough in such a manner as to be capable of being operated to assume and be
maintained at a suitable angle, so that the excavated soil may be directed into and
used to fill up a previously existing gutter at either side of the gutter or trench
being excavated. The trough is advantageously jointed to the plough to allow of
this and so as to accomodate itself to inequalities of the ground and thus reduce 1
jolting.
The share is so shaped and set that the soil detached thereby is not inverted but
is raised with its upper face uppermost and so deposited after passing through the
trough.
A travelling wheel is advantageously employed to support the rear of the plough
when out of work, the said wheel being actuated by the hand-lever bereinbefore
referred to.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood, reference is had to the
annexed drawing, in which,
Figures 1 and 2 are respectively, a side elevation and a plan of a gutter plough 2
or trench excavator constructed according to my invention.
Figure 3 is a front elevation of the same, and
Figure 4 is a detail drawn to an enlarged scale.
a is the frame or beam of the plough, bb the guiding handles thereof, c the share,
and c¹¹ the coulters. d d are the travelling wheels and ee the rods carrying the 2
same. is the transverse shaft to which the rods ee are clamped, the said shaft being
pivotted to the front end of the frame a. The pivot may advantageously consist of
a pin g (Figure 4) on a disc h attached to the shaft f, the said pin passing through
a hole i in a disc attached to the beam and being secured by a nut g, the two
discs bearing frictionwise against one another. Instead of the pin g being on the 3
disc it may be on the disc j and pass through a hole in the disc h.
By this arrangement the wheels d d accomodate themselves to the uneveness of
the ground (the shaft turning on the pivot g) without affecting the position of the
plough frame.
k is the pin (Figure 4) which I advantageously employ for locking the shaft f to
the plough frame when out of work or on transit, the said pin being arranged in a
hole in the disc j and adapted to engage with a hole in the disc h, it being pressed
forward by a spring k¹. The said pin is provided with a projection or catch
adapted to hold the said pin out of engagement with the hole h¹ when turned so as
to bear against a shoulder ; when, however, the catch is turned so as to be in s
line with a notch /* the pin is pressed forward by the spring k¹ into the hole h¹.
I is the handlever at the rear end of the plough it being fulcrummed between the
handles bb and working over a toothed quadrant to which it can be connected in
any required position by a spring bolt 1. m is the crank on the shaft and n is the
rod connecting the crank with the lever so that by moving the said lever, the
shaft will be caused to turn and with it the rods ee (the wheels d d acting as a
fulcrum) so as to lower or raise the frame a and consequently the share c whereby
the depth of cut is regulated or the share lifted out of work. In Figure 1 the
lever is shewn in its rearmost position the share being out of work. The rod n
is provided with a swivel joint n¹ so that the pivotal movement of the shaft f on the
pin g is not impeded.
o is the trough for guiding the excavated soil out of the trench being cut, the
said trough being jointed to the share c by engaging in a notch ex and adjustably
regulated by chains o¹ o¹ from hooks o' o' on a guiding frame o carried on a hand-
lever p fulcrummed to the frame a, the said lever working over a quadrant p¹ and
adapted to be fixed thereto in any required position by a pin passing through a
hole in the said lever and into one of a series of holes p³ in the said quadrant. By

page_text: adjusting the trough by the chains o'o' so that its rear end projects above the sides
of the trench being formed, and by moving the lever p and consequently the said
trough to either side of the quadrant, the excavated soil can be discharged on
either side of the trench, and if required into a previously existing trench, the rear
part of the trough being advantageously hinged to the front part at o' whereby it
can be depressed for the purpose. By the use of chains or other flexible support
for the trough o and by jointing it to the share, it can accomodate itself (by sliding
vertically in the frame o³) to inequalities of the ground and thus reduce jolting.
The trough o is provided with an extension plate o jointed to one side as shewn in
Figure 1, so that when the trough is in the position shewn in Figure 2 the excavated
soil will be guided by the said extension into the trough. When, however, the
trough is in the position shewn by the dotted lines in Figure 2, the upper part of
the share serves to guide the soil into the trough, the plate of being turned up out
of the way.
The share, as shewn in Figure 1 is simply inclined so that the soil detached
thereby is not inverted as it moves up the share into the trough.
r is the travelling wheel supporting the rear of the plough when out of work, the
said wheel being carried on a bar fixed to the lever / so that when the lever is
moved forward from the position shewn in Fig. 1, the said wheel is lifted up and
together with the wheels d d allows the share to be lowered and the depth of cut
regulated.
Having now particularly described the nature of my said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
(1.) In a gutter plough or trench excavator having two front travelling wheels,
pivotting the bar or frame carrying the said wheels to the frame of the plough
substantially as and for the purpose described.
(2.) In a gutter plough or trench excavator a trough for guiding the excavated
soil arranged so that it can be adjusted to either side of the plough substantially as
and for the purpose described.
(3.) In a gutter plough or trench excavator having a trough for guiding the
excavated soil, jointing the said trough to the share and supporting it by flexible
supports substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.
(4.) In a gutter plough or trench excavator the combination with two front
travelling wheels actuated by a hand-lever for regulating the depth of cut or
putting the share in and out of work, of a third wheel at the rear of the machine
arranged and operated substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
(5.) The improved gutter plough or trench excavator hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 2nd day of October 1893.