IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR GATHERING HAY AND CORN AND LOADING THE SAME ON TO WAGGONS AND FOR MAKING HAY IN THE OPEN FIELD
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Caleb Loader, of East Pennard, in the County
of Somerset, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR
GATHERING HAY AND CORN AND LOADING THE SAME ON TO WAGGONS AND FOR
MAKING HAY IN THE OPEN FIELD."
Sealed the 22nd February 1876, and dated the 27th August 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Caleb Loader at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th August 1875.
I, CALEB LOADER, of East Pennard, in the County of Somerset,,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINES FOR GATHERING HAY AND CORN AND LOADING. THE SAME ON TO
WAGGONS AND FOR MAKING HAY IN THE OPEN FIELD," to be as follows:-
-
My Invention has for its object the construction of a machine in such
a manner as to admit of its being adjusted to load a waggon either at
the front or the back of the same as may be required.
When required to gather hay and load at the front of the waggon the
machine is drawn forward with the waggon connected to it behind.

page_text: When two horses are employed they are separated by shafts or poles
leaving a space between them, so as to prevent their trampling on the
hay previously formed into rows ready for carrying. The machine and
waggon may also be drawn by a traction engine instead of by horses.
In this case the machine is arranged with gathering prongs fixed in
front of the loading rakes worked by an endless band or chain, which
receives its motion from a pinion on the axle of the chain pulley gearing
with a wheel on the axle of the running wheel. The hay as it is
gathered by the prongs is taken up by the front loading rakes and
carried to the top of the inclined platform, whence it is allowed to fall
into the waggon as it proceeds.
When the machine is required to load sheaves or loose corn at the
back of the waggon, the gathering prongs are fixed under and in the
rear of the loading rakes, and the corn is pitched into a receptacle in
the rear of the machine, and carried upwards therefrom by the hinder
loading rakes, until on reaching the top it is allowed to fall into the
waggon. The chain or, band of the loading rakes is worked by a pinion
on the axle of the chain pulley gearing with an internal wheel on the
running wheel.
The machine may be adjusted as required for loading either in front
or behind, by turning the body of the machine either over on its axis or
round on the wheels, and reversing the gathering prongs.
If required the set of gathering prongs may be supported on a small
running wheel at each side of the machine in order to keep their points
level. Also if preferred a gathering board with teeth in front may be
substituted for the prongs, such board being supported on running
wheels as in the case of the prongs, or" tedding teeth"
may be used
instead of prongs or a board, such teeth being caused to revolve by
pinions from the running wheels. The machine may also be worked
without either the prongs or the said board or teeth.
The said machine may be adapted for making hay in the open
regulating and lowering the body of the machine on its axis.
field by

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Caleb Loader in the Great Scal Patent Office:
on the 26th February 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CALEB
LOADER, of East Pennard, in the County of Somerset, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of August, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five,:
in the thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs
and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Caleb Loader, Her
special licence, that I, the said Caleb Loader, my executors, admi
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Caleb Loader,
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,.
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
" IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR GATHERING HAY AND CORN AND LOADING THE
SAME ON TO WAGGONS AND FOR MAKING HAY IN THE OPEN FIELD," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Caleb Loader, my executors
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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Caleb Loader, 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 Drawings hereunto
annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to.
say):
My Invention of "Improvements in Machines for Gathering Hay and

page_text: Open Field," has for its object the construction of a machine in such a
manner as to admit of its being adjusted cither for making hay in the
open field or for loading a cart or waggon either at the front or the back
of the same as may be required.
•
When required to gather hay and load at the front of the cart or
waggon the machine is drawn forward with the waggon connected to it
behind. When two horses are employed they are separated by shafts or
poles leaving a space between them, so as to prevent their trampling on
the hay previously formed into rows ready for carrying. The machine
and cart or waggon may also be drawn by motive power instead of by
horses. In this case the machine is arranged with gathering prongs
fixed in front of the loading rakes worked by an endless band or chain,
which receives its motion from a pinion on the axle of the chain pulleys,
gearing with a wheel on the axle of the running wheels. The hay as it
is gathered by the prongs is taken up by the front loading rakes, and
carried to the top of the inclined platform, whence it is allowed to fall
into the cart or waggon as it proceeds.
When required for making hay in the open field the machine is
adapted for the purpose by regulating and lowering the body of the
machine on its axis, and as the machine is drawn forward it will lift the
hay lightly off the ground in front, and allow it to fall lightly through
the air on to the ground again at the back of the machine.
,
When the machine is required to load sheaves or loose corn at the
back of the cart or waggon the gathering prongs are fixed under and in
the rear of the loading rakes, and the corn is pitched into a receptacle in
the rear of the machine, and carried upwards therefrom by the hinder
loading rakes, until on reaching the top it is allowed to fall into the cart
or waggon. The chain or band of the loading rakes is worked by a
pinion on the axle of the chain pulley, gearing with an internal wheel
fixed on one of the running wheels.
The machine may be adjusted as required for loading either in front
or behind, by turning the body of the machine either over on its axis or
round on the wheels, and reversing the gathering prongs.
If desired the set of gathering prongs may be supported on a small
running wheel at each side of the prongs, in order to keep their points

page_text: level. Also if preferred a gathering board with teeth in front may be
substituted for the prongs, such board being supported on running
wheels as in the case of the prongs. Or "tedding teeth" may be used
instead of prongs or a board, such teeth being caused to revolve by
means of a pinion from the running wheels. The machine may also be
worked without either the prongs or the said board or teeth.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, I will proceed to
describe more particularly in what manner the same is to be performed,
by the aid of the accompanying Drawings, in which is represented a
machine constructed so as to adapt it for making hay in the open field,
and for loading carts or waggons in the manner above referred to.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal elevation, and Fig. 2, a plan or horizontal
view of the machine.
A, A, is the body of the machine supported at the bottom on the axis
of the running wheels, on which axis it is capable of being raised and
lowered as required by means of a screw B worked by a hand wheel C.
This body of the machine A is also jointed at D, so as to admit of its
upper portion being adjusted as required by means of cords and pulleys
E, E, carried as shown, and worked by a handle F conveniently fitted at
one side of the machine; G, G, are a series of gathering prongs mounted
separately in brackets on a transverse rod or bar H, which is capable of
adjustment to any required elevation, each prong being mounted in its
bracket on a pivot so as to render it capable of rising at its lower end,
and thereby accommodating itself to any unevenness or obstruction on
the ground. One of the prongs is shown detached on an enlarged scalc
at Fig. 3. The set of prongs are supported at the lower end by a pair
of small rollers I, I, mounted on a transverse shaft. On the shaft of the
running wheels is fixed a toothed wheel J at one side of the machine,
which gears with a pinion K fixed on a transverse shaft L, on which
shaft are fixed two small wheels M, M, with projections or teeth on their
periphery fitting into the links of endless chains N, N, which carry the
loading rakes O, O, such chains passing round pulleys P, P, at the upper
end of the body of the machine A, and over guide pulleys Q, Q, such

page_text: chains being caused to travel upwards and carry with them the loading
rakes along the front side of the said body, and returning at the back
thereof; R is a trailing wheel at the back of the machine, or there may
be a pair of wheels for the same purpose.
By means of the above described arrangement it will be seen that as
the machine is drawn forward, the gathering prongs G, G, will lift the
hay or other agricultural produce on to them, which will be taken up
from the back part of the prongs by the loading rakes O, O, and carried
upwards along the body of the machine A. until it reaches the end of the
same, whence it falls on to the ground for haymaking, or on to the front
part of the cart or waggon at the back of the machine for loading.
In Fig. 1, the upper part of the body of the machine A is represented
at the required elevation for making bay or at the beginning of the
loading, and the dotted lines show the position of the said upper part
when the cart or waggon has been loaded to its full height, the said
upper part having been raised by means of the cords and pulleys E, E.
'
When the machine is required to load at the back of the cart or
waggon, the pinion K is fixed on to the opposite end of the shaft L, and
made to gear with an internally toothed wheel S on the opposite end of
the shaft of the running wheels, by which means the travelling chains
N, N, are driven in the opposite direction to that above described. The
gathering prongs G, G, are also reversed and placed under the body of
the machine, and the agricultural produce as it is lifted off the ground
by the prongs is taken out therefrom, and carried upwards by the hinder
loading rakes O, O, as they are caused to ascend by the action of the
travelling chains.
The machine as above described will be readily understood as being
well adapted for haymaking by first raising the hay lightly off the
ground, and allowing it afterwards to fall lightly from the machine
through the air on to the land again.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what

page_text: or other agricultural produce at the front or the back of a cart or
waggon, in the manner herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Caleb Loader, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
Witness,
WILLIAM DYER,
East Pennard.
CALEB LOADER. (L.S.)