Improvements in Reaping and Mowing Machines.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Reaping and Mowing Machines.
I, CHARLES THOMAS BURGESS, of Victoria Works, Brentwood, in the County
of Essex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:-
The improvements relate to reaping and mowing machines in which the gearing
for transmitting motion from the axle to the knife is on the outer side of the wheel
on that side of the machine from which the knife projects. In these machines the
gearing is carried by two brackets-one hung on the axle of the wheel extending
forwards and locked at its forward end to the frame to which the pole is fixed-
the second which is approximately horizontal is jointed at its front end to the first
at a point below and in front of the axle and has the cutter bar jointed to it at its
rear end.
Heretofore in these machines provision has usually been made for varying the
tilt or inclination of the cutter fingers by varying the position of the bolt used for
locking the forward end of the bracket to the frame to which the pole is fixed.
This cannot be done without stopping the machine. According to my invention I
make the front end of the frame which is hung on the axle to slide on a guide fixed
to the frame carrying the pole-so that the frame can be turned around the axle
and I mount upon the frame carrying the pole a hand lever and couple this lever
by a link to the forward end of the frame hung on the axle so that by turning the
hand lever the forward end of this frame can be raised or lowered. I also provide
a notched quadrant and catch for locking the lever in any desired position. In this
way the inclination of the fingers can be varied by varying the position of the hand
lever and this can be done whilst the machine is in work.
When the machine is used for reaping the outer end of the finger bar is usually
supported at a distance from the ground by a wheel carried by an arm which
extends backwards from the end of the finger bar. In this case if the finger bar is
tilted to raise the points of the fingers the outer end of the bar is in addition raised
bodily.
To give a corresponding lift to the other end of the bar I couple it to a cam or
crank lever carried by the frame which is hung on the axle the cam or crank lever
being situated above the axle. 1 also couple the cam or crank lever by a chain or
link to an arm which extends just in front of the wheel from the frame which
carries the pole. In this way when the front of the frame which is hung on the
axle is raised the cam or crank is rocked and the hinder end of the frame to which
the finger bar is jointed is thereby raised.
The lifting this end of the bar decreases to some extent the tilt given to the
Guger bar and so decreases somewhat the extent to which the outer end of the bar
is lifted.
By giving proper proportions to the cam or crank lever the bar might be raised
or lowered to the same extent at both ends.
Thus in reaping machines of this construction I am able to simultaneously raise
or lower both ends of the cutter bar whilst the machine is at work without its
being necessary to stop the machine to make the required adjustments.
Dated this 12th day of March 1895.

page_text: Gaping a wing machines.
I, CHARLES THOMAS BURGESS, of Victoria Works, Brentwood, in the County
of Essex, Engineer, 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 :-
The improvements relate to reaping and mowing machines in which the gearing
for transmitting motion from the axle to the knife is on the outer side of the wheel
on that side of the machine from which the knife projects. In these machines the
gearing is carried by two brackets-one hung on the axle of the wheel extending
forwards and lecked at its forward end to the frame to which the pole is fixed-
the second which is approximately horizontal is jointed at its front end to the first
at a point below and in front of the axle and has the cutter bar jointed to it at its
rear end.
Heretofore in these machines provision has usually been made for varying the
tilt or inclination of the cutter fingers by varying the position of the bolt used for
locking the forward end of the bracket to the frame to which the pole is fixed.
This cannot be done without stopping the machine. According to my invention
I make the front end of the frame which is hung on the axle to slide on a guide
fixed to the frame carrying the poles, so that the frame can be turned around the
axle and mount upon the frame carrying the pole a hand lever and couple this
lever by a link to the forward end of the frame hung on the axle so that by turning
the hand lever the forward end of this frame can be raised or lowered. I also
provide a notched quadrant and catch for locking the lever in any desired position.
In this way the inclination of the fingers can be varied by varying the position of
the hand lever and this can be done whilst the machine is in work.
Figure is a front view, Figure 2 a plan of a machine constructed in the above
manner. Figures 3, 4 and are side elevations with the cutter fingers tilted into
three different positions.
In these figures A is the cutter bar jointed to the rear end of the bracket B
which at its forward end is jointed at B1 to the bracket C which is hung on the
axle of the wheel D. E is a link connecting the forward end of the bracket C to
the short arm of a lever F which can be turned on a fulcrum F on the frame G
which carries the pole G¹. The longer arm of the lever F is the hand lover for
raising or lowering the forward end of the bracket C. H is an ordinary spring
catch and withdrawing lever carried by the hand lever-I is a notched quadrant
fixed to the frame G-the catch H engages with one or other of the notches in the
quadrant.
In Figure 3 it is shown as engaging with the notch 1 and the points of the cutter
bar are in their lowest position.
In Figure 4 the spring catch is engaging with the notch 2 and the points are
somewhat raised.
In Figure 5 the spring catch is engaging with the notch 3 and the points are
raised to their highest position.
When the machine is used for reaping the outer end of the finger bar is usually
supported at a distance from the ground by a wheel carried by an arm which
extends backwards from the end of the finger bar. In this case if the finger bar is
tilted to raise the points of the fingers the outer end of the bar is in addition raised
bodily. To give a corresponding lift to the other end of the bar I couple the
bracket B to which it is attached to a cam or crank lever carried by the frame,
which is hung on the axle, the cam or crank lever being situated above the axle.
I also couple the cam or crank lever by a chain or link to an arm which extends
just in front of the wheel from the frame which carries the pole. In this way when

page_text: the front of the frame which is hung on the axle is raised the cam or crank is
rocked and the hinder end of the frame to which the finger bar is jointed is thereby
raised.
The lifting this end of the bar decreases to some extent the tilt given to the
finger bar and so decreases somewhat the extent to which the outer end of the bar
is lifted.
By giving proper proportions to the cam or crank lever the bar might be raised
or lowered to the same extent at both ends.
Thus in reaping machines of this construction I am able to simultaneously raise
or lower both ends of the cutter bar whilst the machine is at work without its being
necessary to stop the machine to make the required adjustments.
Figure 6 is a front view, Figure 7 a plan of the machine adapted for reaping-
Figures 8, 9 and 10 are side elevations shewing the cutter bar held in three
different positions.
J is the wheel supporting the outer end of the finger bar-K is a chain passing
from the rear end of the bracket B. L is a rocking cam or lever arm over which
the chain is led and to which it is secured this cam is jointed to the rear end of the
bracket C-M is an arm to which the end of the chain is secured at N-this arm.
extends just in front of the wheel from the frame G and is then bent round and
made to embrace the end of the axle.
In this way when the forward end of the bracket C is raised by turning the
lever F the pivot of the cam L is moved away from the fixed point N-con-
sequently the cam turns in an upward direction and the rear end of the bracket B
is raised.
The pivot of the cam L is carried by a block bolted to the rear end of the
bracket C in place of the bolt which when the machine is to be used as a mower
forms the pivot of the lever O by which the cutter bar can when required be tilted
upwards in the ordinary way it being then turned around the joint which connects it
to the rear end of the bracket B.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-.
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a mowing machine of the class herein referred to providing a lever handle
and locking bolt substantially as hereinbefore described to enable the tilt of the
fingers to be varied without stopping the machine.
2. In a reaping machine of the class herein referred to connecting the rear end
of the bracket B by a chain to a rocking cam or arm mounted on the bracket C
and from thence to an arm fixed to the frame carrying the pole. The axis of the
cam or arm being above and at some distance from the axis of the wheel so that
when the forward end of the bracket C is raised the rear end of the bracket B is
raised also substantially as described.
3. The construction of a reaping and mowing machine substantially as herein-
before described.
Deted this 22nd day of November 1895
C. T. BURGESS.