IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES OR HARVESTING MACHINES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Brigham and Richard Bickerton, both of
the Town and County of Berwick-upon-Tweed, Agricultural Imple-
ment Makers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND
MOWING MACHINES OR HARVESTING MACHINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Brigham and
Richard Bickerton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 4th March 1868.
We, JOHN BRIGHAM and RICHARD BICKERTON, both of the Town and
County of Berwick-upon-Tweed, Agricultural Implement Makers, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES OR HARVESTING MACHINES," to be as follows,
that is to sa

page_text: of parts or mechanism for separating and raising the crop or corn
which is "badly laid " (or blown down, possibly, in various directions
upon the ground) so as to be properly cut by the knives and passed
on to the delivery platform of harvesting machines.
And, lastly, of new and improved automatic delivery mechanism for
side delivery harvesting machines, any or all of which improvements
render harvesting machines fitted with them in accordance with this
said Invention more efficient in their action under various states of
the crop to be harvested than such machines have been as heretofore
constructed.
This said Invention consists particularly under the first part or head
in giving a vertical oscillatory motion to the dividing irons or guards
over the outer running wheels of harvesting machines, by hinging
them to a fixed joint near the front, and connecting them by a link
or connecting rod to a crank pin fixed in the outer face or side of
the running wheel, and having the outer guard or iron considerably
higher than the inner one over the edge of the delivery platform, so
that by this inclined and movable action all loose or outwardly
inclined stalks of the crop being fed in and cut are safely and properly
laid on to the delivery platform.
Under the second part or head this Invention consists in the
construction, application, and use in harvesting machines of long
fingers or arms at intervals across the finger bar projecting forwards and
downwards to near the ground in front of the cutters, by preference
fixed to the point of every alternate, third, or fourth ordinary dividing
finger by a socket or otherwise, but they may also be fixed to the finger
bar direct when desired. The front part of each finger is turned up a
little so as not to catch the earth, and has a light iron bow or rising
inclined division piece extending backwards and upwards over the
cutters and finger bar, to which it is firmly secured by a nearly vertical
drooping stem to the upper back edge. In some cases it is preferred
to hinge these fingers by a stop or rule joint below near their back end
close to where they are fixed to the dividing fingers, so that they can
rest on and rise to any inequalities of the ground, but cannot be caught
by small obstructions, so as to dig into the earth or turn down to
obstruct the forward action of the machine; when so hinged, a spring
bow piece rises up from near the point having its back free end resting
and sliding on the fixed bow division piece before named, or other fixed

page_text: equivalent to sustain it and the strain of the finger on the ground..
When desired the end of this spring might be made with a stop catch.
or pin to hold on a corresponding stop part on the bow or surface over
which it works, so as to prevent the said hinged moving finger from
going down into the ground instead of forming the stop joint on it.
The action and use of these new and improved fingers consists in causing
them to enter beneath, and divide or comb up the fallen and badly laid
or sodden crop or corn from the ground over the finger bar, so as to be.
properly cut between the fingers by the knives, and laid on to the
delivery platform instead of choking the machine or being passed over
by it without being cut, as is the case with machines as at present
constructed..
Under the third and last part or head this said Invention particularly
consists in various modifications of new and improved simple mechanical
motions for raising and lowering and lifting the rake arms of side self-
delivery harvesting machines by the motion of the constantly revolving
vertical or slightly angled actuating shaft carrying round. the arms.
themselves,. so as to make the one arm and rake be down close to the
delivery platform while passing over it and delivering the cut crop, while.
at the same time the other arm and rake is up, passing round over and.
clear of the body of the machine itself..
By one arrangement this is effected by one end of a connecting rod
attached to one arm a short distance from the hinge or joint on which it
oscillates near the top of the actuating shaft, and the other end to a
crank or eccentric pin in the face of a bevel or radial toothed pinion.
revolving loose on a stud projecting laterally from the side of the
actuating shaft, the pinion gearing into a complete or segmental
stationary bevel or face wheel fixed to the top of the frame or bracket
carrying the upper bearing of the actuating shaft, which as it revolves.
actuates the pinion and crank pin, which raises and lowers the arms at
the proper part of their revolution as the segmental wheel is properly set
and fixed for that purpose. Instead of a crank pin, a cam groove may be
formed in the face of the pinion having an antifriction roller working
into it on a stud in the lower end of the connecting rod.
By another arrangement the duplex arms of the r rakes may oscillate
on a short tilting shaft, carried in bearings on a disc or crosshead keyed
on the top of the actuating shaft, the short tilting shaft having a
segmental bevel or radial toothed pinion fast on each end, taking and

page_text: gearing into a short segmental wheel fixed in a stationary part of the
frame which would turn or tilt the short shaft and rake arms, the one
down and the other up, as they were brought round to where the
segmental wheel was fixed at the proper position for so doing by the
revolution of the actuating shaft; or otherwise, instead of the segmental
pinions on the ends of the short tilting shaft, a short tilting lever or
spanner might be fixed on one side which as it was brought round to
the proper positions for being tilted would come in contact with fixed
stops or surfaces so as to be tilted by the revolution of the actuating
shaft, a spring clutch or other equivalent catch arrangement being
fitted to the other side of the tilting shaft which would be drawn out
of gear just before and while the spanner was tilting the shaft and
rakes by the action of inclined fixed stops or surfaces, and allowed to
spring in again by the force of the spring so as to hold the shaft and
arms as soon as they pass the stops and are tilted.
Another improvement under the last head of the said Invention
in the self-delivery mechanism of harvesting machines consists in
attaching a swivelling or tilting rake to work on the ground by a
strong spindle to the side and rear of the segmental side delivery
platforms so as to gather the crop delivered on the ground by the
automatic delivery rakes into compact bundles or sheaves, and then to be
tilted up so as to pass over and fall immediately in front of each last
formed sheaf so as to draw or rake up the next in succession delivered
on the ground. The tilting of this gathering rake or its spindle is
effected by cam arms or surfaces fixed at proper intervals on the
actuating shaft of the rakes which sweep the platform and deliver the
bundles rather scattered on the ground in some cases; these cam arms
acting on an anti-friction pulley and rod arrangement or other
equivalent attached to the rake so as to tilt it, as described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Brigham and Richard Bickerton in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 4th September 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
BRIGHAM and RICHARD BICKERTON, both of the Town and County of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, Implement Makers, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said John Brigham and Richard Bickerton,
Her special licence that we, the said John Brigham and Richard
Bickerton, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said John Brigham and Richard Bickerton, 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 Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES OR HARVESTING MACHINES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said John Brigham and Richard
Bickerton, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our, 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 we, the said John Brigham a Richard
Bickerton, 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 in writing, reference
being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters
and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
Our said Invention consists,-
Firstly, of a new or improved construction and arrangement of
dividing irons or guards for separating the standing crop from that
which is to be cut over the outer running wheeld of harvesting

page_text: And, lastly, of new or improved automatic delivery mechanism for
side delivery harvesting machines, any or all of which improvements
render harvesting machines fitted with them in accordance with this
said Invention more efficient in their action under various states of
the crop to be harvested, than such machines have been as heretofore
constructed.
And in order that our said Invention, both in its nature and manner
of performing the same, may be properly understood we shall now
proceed to describe the several Figures on the explanatory Sheet of
Drawings which we have hereunto appended for the purpose, premising
that the same reference letters and numerals indicate the same and
like parts in the several Figures where they are shown.
Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a transverse section and plan of the
finger bar and delivery platform part of a harvesting or reaping machine
detached, sufficient to illustrate the improvements under the first and
second parts or heads of our said Invention, and also one modification
or adaptation of these improvements, and the construction and arrange-
ment of the parts as attached and applied thereto.
Referring to these Figures 1 and 2, our said Invention consists
particularly under the first part or head in giving a vertical oscillatory
motion to the dividing irons or guards A over the outer running
wheel 1 of harvesting or reaping machines, by hinging it to a fixed
joint B near the front, and connecting it by a link or connecting rod C
to a crank pin D fixed in the outer face or side of the running
wheel 1, and having the outer guard or iron A¹ considerably higher than
the inner one A² over the edge of the delivery platform, so that the
revolution of the wheel 1 rolling on the ground imparts reciprocatory
inclined and movable action to the dividing irons which delivers all
laid loose or outwardly inclined stalks of the crop, being fed in and
cut safely and properly laid on to the platform 2. Instead of jointing
the dividing iron A near the point, it may be jointed higher up as at B¹,
and the dividing iron A may be so moved whether constructed in the
form of light rod iron or of a curvilineal plate or surface, and whether
used for manual or self-acting delivery machines.
Under the second part or head our said Invention consists in the
construction and application and use in harvesting machines of long
fingers or arm E, at intervals across the finger bar 3, projecting forward
and downward so as to rest on or be carried forward close or near the

page_text: and close up to the driving wheel, the main frame 6 is enabled to be
got very narrow in the form of a strong short longitudinal beam of a
horizontal and vertical feather with two pendant bracket parts carrying
the bearings of the shafts 10 and 11 for actuating the cutter bar 4, and
to the rear one 6¹ of which the inner end of the finger bar 3 is fixed,
the cutters and finger bar 3 being raised and lowered in front by the long
curved vertical stem or main brace 12 attached to the inner guard finger
of the bar 3 at the bottom, and to a pendant bracket part 13 of the
frame arms of the horse trams or pole jointed to the frame 6 at 14 at
the top by three or four holes, or it may be a slot and a screw bolt to
suit the several heights of the finger bar 3 required from the ground.
When the rake arms H and paddle H are fully tilted in the manner
described by the segmental wheels J, as they come round to gear into
the fixed segment J, each limb H2 and H (as seen particularly in
Figures 3 and 5) rests on the segmental guide plate k fixed to the
bracket K, and has a catch h or other equivalent attached to it, which
takes under the segment k so as to hold it down while the arm or rake
is passing round this part of their path, which the plate k is fixed to
gather in and deliver the crop into and over the platform.
By another modification this holding of the arms, as shown in
Figure 3, in vertical elevation detached of the upper part of the
actuating shaft and axis on which they tilt is effected by a lateral
steel or other strong stud h³, secured by preference by a flat-kneed
stem and screws to each segmental wheel J; the one on the back
wheel for the time being is turned by the action of the front wheel
gearing and turning into the fixed segmental wheel J¹ into a groove
formed in the inner hollow or cylindrical surface of the segmental
plate, secured in this case on the opposite side of the bracket K
to that of kin Figures 3 and 5, so as to hold the arms steady from
rising while they are not in the act of tilting, but are all sweeping over
the platform; the weight of the arms may in this case, when tilted, be
supported either by the pin h¹ resting on the under surface of the
groove in the segment k¹ or on the projection 9 formed on the top
of the crosshead G³ for the purpose.
By another arrngement shown in detached elevation and plan
respectively in Figures 6 and 7, the arms H and H' are tilted by a
connecting rod L, the upper end of which is attached to a pin in the

page_text: lever M fixed on the axis I of the arm (but it might be attached to
a pin in the arm H' a short distance from the hinge or joint) on which
they oscillate at the top of their actuating shaft G, and the lower end
to the crank or eccentric pin L' in the face of the bevel toothed pinion j,
revolving or turning intermittently loose on a stud projecting laterally
from the side of the actuating shaft G, which carries the pinion j round
with it so as to gear into the segmental stationary bevel wheel J¹ fixed
to the top of the frame or bracket K; or one complete wheel or two
or more segmental wheels may be used, according to the number of
arms or wheels j to be in the circle or the number of rakes or arms
desired to be tilted to a fixed position while passing over the platform,
all so that each revolution of the actuating shaft G causes the
pinion and crank pin L¹ to make one complete turn or revolution
over the segmental wheel J¹, and raise and lower the connecting rod L
and arms H and H' at the proper part of their revolution by having
the pinion and segmental wheel J¹ properly set and fixed for that
purpose, having the open part of the segmental wheel J' without teeth
at the part where the pinion does not turn and where the rake H is
tilted down to and passes through its fixed path or plane over the
platform to deliver the crop, and while doing so the arms are held in
this position by a lateral pin ¹ fixed to the wiper or lever " keyed on
the other end of the tilting axle I of the arms to that on which the wiper
or crank M is fixed, all set and fixed so that as the last motion of the
pinion in leaving the segment J¹ in front tilts down the arm H³ of
the rake H, it also turns the wiper h¹¹ so as to insert the pin /¹ into
the groove of the segmental guide at the back, as shown in this
position in the detached section and plan, Figure 6, in which groove
the pin is carried round during the time the rake is sweeping the
cut crop off the platform, so as to hold down the rake but allow it
to tilt it by clearing the end of the guide k just at the moment of
delivering the sheaf, and when the pinion enters the first teeth of the
fixed segment J to tilt up the rake H and dip the gathering arm H¹
down into the standing crop and sweep it into and over the cutters on
to the platform by paddle action in which the arm H passes through
a dipping wave-like path to and from its lowest position, in which
case a rake could not be fitted to the arm H" with the same advantages
as it is to H of this arrangement, and to both the arms of the other
modifications of our improvements, described for actuating the rakes

page_text: or arms, and in which all the arms are tilted from their vertical position
right down at once to their horizontal position (and vice versa) and
then made to pass through a path or plane parallel to the surface of
the platform, and therefore both arms of these may be fitted with
rakes; the weight of the rake arm H' and rake H in this case is
supported when tilted, as shown in red lines in Figure 3* and in black
lines in Figures 6 and 7, upon the projecting part g of the crosshead G¹.
Instead of using the crank pin L', as described in relation to Figures 6
and 7 for tilting the arms, a cam groove may be formed in the face of
the pinion J, having an antifriction roller working into it on a stud
fixed in the lower end of a reciprocating connecting rod, as L, or in
a crank as M, fixed on the axle I.
Figure 8 is an elevation of the central part of the arms and their
actuating vertical or angular spindle detached of another modification
of tilting and holding the self-delivery arms, under this third head of
our said Invention, in which the segmental pinions J on the end of
the short tilting shaft I are dispensed with, and a short tilting lever
or spanner N is instead fixed on one end, which as it is brought round
to a proper position for being tilted by the revolution of the shaft G
and axle I of the arms comes in contact with the stop fixed tilting
surface or spring N¹ fixed on the top of the stationary bracket K, so
as to tilt the axle in its bearings I¹ and its gathering and raking arms H
and I, which may either be fixed in the centre of the axle I between
the bearings I', and tilted at right angles to their axle, all as described
and shown in reference to the former modifications Figures 3 to 7, or
they may be fixed at the ends of their axle, and be tilted so as to
sweep the platform as a parallel or conical "reel" arm or rail (as
indicated in the Figure 8 at H³, H"); a spring and clutch O or other
equivalent catch arrangement is fitted by a sliding feather to the
other end of the tilting shaft or axle I, which is drawn out of gear
from its holding duplicate or other half O' fixed on the bearing block I
of the crosshead G₁ by the lateral acting curvilineal arm, surface, or
bow O, also fixed to the bracket K, just before and when the lever
or spanner N is tilting the axle I and the rake arms attached to it by
its action in passing over the fixed stop or surface N³, and then allowed
to spring into each other again by the force of the spring on the back
of the sliding half catch O, so as to hold the shaft and arms either in

page_text: the tilted position while sweeping the platform or after they have
been tilted, as described, and turned to their lowest position by their
own weight after leaving or passing the inclined stop piece N¹ after
the delivery of the sheaf, so that the arms or rakes will be in proper
position to gather in and deliver the crop in bundles, all otherwise as
described in reference to the former modifications.
Another improvement under this last head of our said Invention,
referring to Figures 3, 4, and 5, consists in attaching a swivelling or
tilting rake R to work on the ground by a strong spindle R¹ working
in the bearings R" attached to the under edge of the open side at the
rear of the segmental side delivery platform 2, so as to gather the cut
crop delivered on the ground by the automatic delivery rakes into
compact bundles or sheaves at or near the position of the two dotted
lines 1, 2, where the greatest mass of the crop is delivered, and then
be tilted up as it reaches the first line 1, so as to pass over the heap
and fall immediately in front of each last formed sheaf at the second
line 2, so as to draw or rake up all the loose parts to and from the
next sheaf in succession delivered on the ground. The tilting of this
gathering rake R and its spindle R¹ is effected by a cam, arm, or
surface S, fixed in a proper position (so as to act at intervals) on the
vertical actuating shaft G of the arms and rakes H, which sweep
the platform 2 and deliver the bundles rather scattered on the ground
in some cases, which cam, arm, or arms S act on a "tappet" arm R*
fixed on the end of the tilting shaft R', and either of these cam or
tappet" arms S or R³ when desired may be fitted with an antifriction
pulley (or other such or equivalent arrangement or attachment may be
employed), all so as to tilt the rake R as described.
"
66
In some cases it is preferred to have a drop" board, as T, shown
in detached vertical section at Figure 4*, taken on the line 1-1,
Figure 4, hinged to and "flush" with the upper back open side of the
platform 2 when in its highest position, and held up in both positions
by a spring T¹ fixed on the under side of the platform 2, the board T
being tilted down to its lowest position by a projecting part H³ on the
arm H of the rake, which comes in contact with the " tappet' arm T
projecting up from the board T, some little distance before the rake
reaches the end of the platform 2, so as to allow the sheaf to fall
"

page_text: "
quickly out of the way of the rake H, the board T being tilted up
again to its normal position by the "tappet arm U fixed on the
spindle R' of the ground rake R, as it rises to clear the compact formed
sheaf dropped or delivered immediately before.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, we may
observe in conclusion that we do not confine or or restrict ourselves to
the precise details, modifications, or arrangements which we have had
occasion to describe, delineate, and refer to, as many variations of and
from these may be made without departing from the main or essential
features of our said Invention, neither do we claim to have invented
the forms and constructions of many of the parts or their modes of
attachment which we have had occasion to describe and refer to by
themselves specially, as such have been used in various kinds of
reaping or harvesting machines, except in so far as these have essential
reference to or from part of our said Invention; but what we consider
novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The general construction and arrangement of the parts of
reaping or harvesting machines, substantially in the new or improved
manner herein described and shown in the accompanying Drawing, or
any mere modification thereof,
Second. The constructing and giving a reciprocatory motion to the
separating or dividing irons of reaping or harvesting machines, sub-
stantially in the new or improved manner and for the purpose herein
described and shown in the accompanying Drawing, or any mere
modification thereof.
Third. The construction, arrangement, and use of arms or mechanism
in reaping or harvesting machines for raising the laid crop so as to
be properly cut, all substantially in the new or improved manner
herein described and shown in the accompanying Drawing, or any
mere modification thereof.
Fourth. The construction and arrangement of the parts of the
several modifications of mechanism for actuating and tilting the
gathering arms and rakes of self-delivery reaping or harvesting
machines, all substantially in the new or improved manner herein

page_text: described and shown in the accompanying Drawing, or any mere
modification thereof.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Brigham and Richard
Bickerton, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this First
day of September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-eight..
JOHN BRIGHAM.
(L.S.)
RICHARD BICKERTON. (L.S.)