IMPROVE- MENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William McIntyre Cranston, of No. 77, Upper
Thames Street, in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES."-A communication from
abroad by William Anson Wood, residing at Hoosick Falls, New York,
United States of America.
Sealed the 20th May 1864, and dated the 8th December 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William McIntyre Cranston
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th December 1863.
I, WILLIAM MCINTYRE CRANSTON, of No. 77, Upper Thames Street, in the
City of London, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN REAPING AND MOVING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in reaping and mowing
machines. For this purpose, in order to deliver the cut crop from the
platform on to which it falls when cut, a rake is used carried by a vertical
axis, placed near the front edge of the platform, and at the side of it nearest
to the main frame of the machine. This axis receives motion from the main
or driving wheel. The rake is not, as heretofore, rigidly connected to the axis,
but can be made fast with the axis by a sliding clutch, so as when so made
fast with the axis to rotate with it. The rake also is capable as heretofore of
turning on a horizontal pin joint near to the vertical axis, so that by turning

page_text: on the joint the rake can assume a vertical or horizontal position. Placed
around the vertical axis is also a stationary cam surface, such as has heretofore
been used, upon which the rake rests, the inclines of this surface being
arranged so that when the rake is carried round with the vertical axis it shall
as it comes round in front of the knives or cutters assume a position parallel
with them, and as the axis continues to rotate it remains in this position, and
sweeps across the platform, and thus removes the cut crop that was upon it.
As the rake, by the further revolution of the axis, leaves the platform, it comes
against an incline on the cam surface, that causes it to turn up into a vertical
position, or nearly so, and the rake remains in this position until it again
comes round in front of the cutters; it then descends into the standing crop,
and again sweeps across the platform. The rake can at any time be thrown
out of action by releasing the clutch that makes it fast with its axis; the crop
as it is cut will then accumulate on the platform until the rake is by the clutch
again caused to turn with the axis. The clutch is formed in such manner
that at whatever time the clutch is thrown into gear, the rake shall, as it
passes over the front edge of the platform, come intermediate of the beaters of
a reel or fly, which by the means I will now describe can be used when
employing a rake carried in the manner above described. The vertical axis is
for this purpose only carried by bearings at its lower end; at its upper end it
carries a T-shaped socket, the vertical axis being able to turn in the vertical
stem. The horizontal portion of the T piece is hollow, and forms a bearing
for one end of the axis of the reel. The causing the vertical axis to form the
support for one end of the axis of a reel enables a rake carried in the manner
above described to be used together with a reel as the rake turns around the
support, and in turning passes below the axis of the reel. The axis of the
reel receives motion from the vertical shaft, there being a bevil wheel on the
upper end of the shaft which gears with another bevil wheel on the axis of
the reel.
The second part of the Invention relates to a mode of elevating or
depressing the main frame and cutters of a reaping machine. For this purpose
the fore part of the main frame has connected to it a portion of a circular
toothed rack; into this rack a toothed wheel gears; this wheel is carried on
the end of a radius rod, that at its other end turns on a pin cartied by, the
main frame. The radius rod also carries at. its outer end the pin or stud upon
which the main or driving wheel turns; the toothed wheel is thus always at
the same height from the ground. Connected to the axis of the toothed wheel
is a lever handle, by turning which the toothed wheel can be turned, and the
circular rack connected to the fore part of the main frame can be raised or

page_text: lowered, thus raising or lowering the knives or cutters, and causing them to
cut at different heights from the ground.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William McIntyre Cranston in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th June 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MCINTYRE CRANSTON, of No. 77, Upper Thames Street, in the City of London,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William M'Intyre Cranston. Her special licence that I, the said
William MoIntyre Cranston, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William M°Intyre Cranston, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES," a communication
to me from abroad by William Anson Wood, a person resident at Hoosick
Falls, New York, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William McIntyre Cranston, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 William McIntyre Cranston, 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 this purpose, in order to deliver the cut crop from the plat-
form on to which it falls when cut, a rake is used carried by a vertical axis
placed near the front edge of the platform, and at the side of it nearest to the

page_text: main frame of the machine; this axis receives motion from the main or
driving wheel; the rake is not as heretofore rigidly connected to the axis,
but can be made fast with the axis by a sliding clutch, so as when so made
fast with the axis to rotate with it; the rake also is capable heretofore of
turning on a horizontal pin joint near to the vertical axis, so that by turning
on the. joint the rake can assume a vertical or horizontal position. Placed
around the vertical axis is also a stationary cam surface, such as has hereto-
fore been used, upon which the rake rests, the inclines of this surface being
arranged so that when the rake is carried round with the vertical axis, it
shall, as it comes round in front of the knives or cutters, assume a position
parallel with them, and as the axis continues to rotate it remains in this
position and sweeps across the platform, and thus removes the cut crop
that was upon it; as the rake by the further revolution of the axis leaves
the platform it comes against an incline on the cam surface that causes it to
turn up into a vertical position, or nearly so, and the rake remains in this
position until it again comes round in front of the cutters, it then descends
into the standing crop and again sweeps across the platform. The rake can
at any time be thrown out of action by releasing the clutch that makes it fast
with its axis, the crop as it is cut will then accumulate on the platform until
the rake is by the clutch again caused to turn with the axis. The clutch is
formed in such manner that at whatever time the clutch is thrown into gear
the rake shall, as it passes over the front edge of the platform, come inter-
mediate of the beaters of a reel or fly, which, by the means I will now describe,
can be used when employing a rake carried in the manner above described.
The vertical axis is for this purpose only carried by bearings at its lower end,
at its upper end it carries a T-shaped socket, the vertical axis being able to
turn in the vertical stem; the horizontal portion of the T piece is hollow, and
forms a bearing for one end of the axis of the reel; the causing the vertical
axis to form the support for one end of the axis of a reel enables a rake
carried in the manner above described to be used together with a reel as
the rake turns around the support, and in turning passes below the axis of
the reel. The axis of the reel receives motion from the vertical shaft, there
being a bevil wheel on the upper end of the shaft which gears with another
bevil wheel on the axis of the reel.
The second part of the Invention relates to a mode of elevating or
depressing the main frame and cutters of a reaping machine. For this
purpose the fore part of the main frame has connected to it a portion of a
circular toothed rack, into this rack a toothed wheel gears, this wheel is
carried on the end of a radius rod, that at its other end turns on a pin

page_text: made so by the clutch p worked by a lever p'; this is mounted on a pin or
centre at p³ carried by a bracket on the pole; at p is a spiral spring, also
mounted on the pole, and tending constantly to hold the clutch out of gear.
When it is desired to throw the clutch into gear the driver (who sits on a
driving seat conveniently placed) puts his foot on the outer end of the lever p³
and holds it down, then the rake o, by sweeping round the platform (as the
axis revolves), clears the cut crop from the platform. When the crop is so
thin that during a revolution of the axis & there is not sufficient crop accumu-
lated on the platform to make a bundle, the workman can at once stop the
action of the rake. On the under side of the rake arm is a roller o³, bearing
by the weight of the rake on the cam surface 9, this cam surface is so formed
that as soon as the rake has passed the platform it tilts it up into a vertical or
nearly vertical position, and then, as the rake travels round, it allows it again
to come down on to the surface of the platform; o³ is a projection from the
rake arm coming underneath the cam surface so as to prevent the rake when
raised tipping back and injuring itself, as the oscillation of the machine in
travelling over rough ground might otherwise cause it to do.
In order to raise the cutting apparatus of the machine at its inner end the
wheel 6 is mounted on a stud axis r, which is fixed to the radius rod 8, this
rod's turns on the axis c as a centre, and at its outer end it is supported by
resting against the quadrant or arc t which is bolted firmly to the frame a of
the machine. On the arc track teeth are formed, and with them the toothed
wheel u gears; it is mounted on and is able to turn freely about the stud
axis r, and to it the lever handle v is attached, and by means of it the toothed
wheel can be turned through about half a circle, and thus, as will be seen, the
frame a is raised or lowered, the lever handle v is secured by a catch or other-
wise when the elevation desired is attained. The parts of the machine not
herein-before referred to are of ordinary construction.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is,―
First, the employment, for clearing the cut crop from the platforms of
reaping and mowing machines, of a rake revolving horizontally and carried by
a vertical axis, which also supports and drives the reel employed to lay the
standing crop towards the cutters, in the manner described.
Second, I claim the method herein-before described of arranging the appa-
ratus for raising and lowering the frame cutters.
I also claim supporting and driving the reel by the same vertical axis which
carries the rake, in the manner described.
I also claim the application of a clutch on the vertical axis of the reel, sp

page_text: that when desired the rake may be thrown out of action whilst the machine is
at work, as herein-before described.
I also claim the method herein described of arranging the apparatus for
raising and lowering the frame and the cutters.
In witness whereof, I, the said William M°Intyre Cranston, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
W. M. CRANSTON. (L.B.)