US1088788A - Folding harrow. - Google Patents

Description

J. MASON.

FOLDING HARROW.

APPLICATION rum: 12.4, 1913.

1 ,088,788. Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

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FOLDING HARROW.

APPLIOATION FILED APR.4, 191s.

Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

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JAMES MASON, 0F ELKHORN, WISCONSIN.

FOLDING HARROW.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

Application filed April 4, 1913. Serial No. 758,904.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES MASON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elkhorn, in the county of W'alworth and State of lVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding lilarrows; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descrip tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in harrows and has reference to that type of such devices known as the folding wing harrows.

As its principal. object this invention contemplates the provision of simple yet effective means for supporting the wings in their folded position.

A further object of this invention resides in the construct-ion of the supportin means with such regard to proportion, number and arrangement of parts that the device may be readily applied to any harrow of standard type without requiring any alterations in the various parts of the implement.

A yet further object is to provide a useful improvement in the draft appliances for harrows of the folding wing type and to construct the device in such manner that it is collapsible and may be readily folded to correspond with the various positions as sumed by the folding members of the harrow.

A still further object is to arrange the draft appliances so that an equal pull is exerted on each section of the harrow.

The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means asare illustrated in the accompanying drawings, described 1n the following specification and then more particularly pointed out in the claims which are appended hereto and form a part of this application.

lVith reference to the drawings, wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention as it is reduced to practice, and throughout the several views of which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts: Figure 1 is a top plan view. Fig. 2 is a front elevation with the wing sections of the harrow in folded position. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 1 is a detail view of the means employed in detachably connecting the draft appliances to the harrow.

Proceeding now to the description of the drawings my invention includes two main elements, the wing supporting members and the draft appliance. Before taking up the description of these elements, a brief description of the harrow to which they are applied is submitted.

The harrow includes three sections designated as entireties in Fig. 1 by the numerals 1, 2 and 3. The center section 2 carries the wing supporting members and is arranged for engagement with the ground at all times. The conventional harrow tooth adjusting mechanism is illustrated in the various views and designated in each instance as an entirety by the numeral 5, this feature of the harrow forming no part of this invention but being included in the drawings to clearly disclose the most important feature of this invention which is the fact that the wing supporting means may be applied to any type of harrow, without necessitating a change in the structure thereof.

Coming now to the description of the wing supporting means this structure includes a pair of supporting frames mounted in spaced relation on the center section 2 of the harrow and disposed laterally thereon with respect to the longitudinal axis of the assembled sections. Each frame member preferably consists of a lower cross beam 6, which is preferably made of strap iron, although any other desired and suitable material may be employed, pivotally secured at spaced intervals as at 7 to the vertical log of a T-shaped angle iron 8 bolted or otherwise secured to the frame members 9 of the harrow. Extending upwardly and vertically from the lower beam member 6 and adjacent the terminals thereof are a pair of strap iron supporting legs 10, the upper free ends of which carry a wing supporting beam 11 which may be bolted or otherwise secured to the members 10, as at 12. The wing supporting beam 11 is preferably formed of hard wood scantling but may of course be made of any material desired. As a means for bracing each supporting beam 11 I employ an angularly inwardly directed strap iron leg 13, the upper end of which is secured to the member 11 and approximately midway thereof, and the lower end of which secured to a frame member of the harrow and at a point approximately midway between the two frame members. It is desirable to emphasize at this point, the advan tage resulting from the supporting of these frames by pivotal connection, as at 7, to the frame members 9 of the harrow. This method of mounting the frames permits the ready adjustment of the members 9 by the adjusting mechanism 5, and provides an effective way of attaching the wing supporting frames in any type of harrow without necessitating a change in any features of construction in the harrow.

The construction of the supporting means for the wing members being thus disclosed, the draft appliance is taken up as next in order. In this connection I employ three draft beams 1d, 15 and 16, the members lt and 16 being hingedly connected. to the member 15 as at 17 by counter-sunk hinges which clasp draft beams firmly. As a means for detachably connecting the draft beams to the harrow sections I employ a plurality of pivotally mounted hook members 18 secured in pairs to the sections 1, 2 and 3 of the harrow, and to the forward frame members 9 thereof. These hook members are arranged for detachable engagement with the rings 19 of the connecting links 20 secured in any desired manner to the draft beams 14;, 15 and 16. In order to permit the ready adjustment of a double tree to the draft beam members and to provide a device of this character which will equalize the pull exerted upon. the three sections of the harrow, I employ a center draft iron 21 connected to the center draft beam 15 by a ring 22, and a pair of angularly extending draft irons 23 and 2 1, secured at one end to the draft beams 16 and 1%, respectively, by a ring connection 25, and connected at their other end to the center draft iron 21 by a universal ring 26, to which the double tree hook may be readily attached. The draft irons 23 and 241 are provided with a link 27 interposed between the ends of the draft irons at a point approximately opposite to the hinges 17 for a purpose to be hereinafter disclosed.

The actual structure of the wing supporting means and the draft appliance being thus disclosed, it now remains to describe the method of folding the harrowwings to bring them in supported position and to enumerate briefly the advantages resulting from the structure I have employed. Briefly, the method of folding the sections 1 and 3 in supported position is as follows: The wing sections are swung upwardly and inwardly and are disposed to assume the position indicated in Fig. 2, wherein the frame members 9 of the wing sect-ions rest on the wing supporting beam 11' of the supporting frames. It will be apparent from the above disclosures that the supporting frames interfere in no way with the toot-h adjusting levers, thus making the supporting frame readily applicable to any folding harrow. It will be further observed in this connection that when the wings are in folded position and it is desired to withdraw the harrow teeth from engagement with the ground in ,the customary manner by folding the beam members 9 upwardly, since the lower beam (5 of the supporting frame is pivotally connected as at 7 to the members 9, these latter members may be readily adjusted in the desired manner. When the frame members l and 3 are folded as above described the draft beams 14: and 16 assume a corresponding folded position, being swung upwardly with the members 1 and 3 respectively, and being held in supported position by the link connections 18, 19 and 20. At this point, the function of the members 27 becomes apparent, for by the introduction of these links the folding of the draft irons 23 and 24 in correspondence with the beam members 14 and 16 is effectively accomplished.

In reduction to practice, I have found that the form of my invention, illustrated in the drawings and referred to in the above description, as the preferred embodiment, is the most eflicient and practical; in adapting the harrow to passage through gates, between trees, stumps, stones or any object that would hinder a forward movement of the harrow not folded. Yet realizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my device will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize the fact that various minor changes of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, when required, without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A harrow including a center section, a pair of terminally mounted wing sections, means carried by the said center section for supporting the said wing sections in folded position, said center section including lower lateral beams pivotally connected to the frame members of said center section, a pair of vertical supporting legs carried by each said lower lateral beam, a wing supporting cross beam member carried by the upper free ends of the said vertical legs and adapted to engage the frame members of the'said wing sectionsin supporting relation when the said wing members are in folded posi tion.

2. A harrow including a center section, a pair of wing sections connected thereto, and means carried by the said center section for supporting the said wing sections in folded position, said means including a plurality of T-shaped supporting brackets secured to the frame members of said center section, lower laterally disposed cross beams pivotally con nected to said supporting brackets, a pair of vertically extending supporting legs mounted on each said lateral beam, Wing supporting beams secured to the said legs at the upper terminal thereof, and an angular brace for each wing supporting beam, said brace being secured at one end to the said Wing 10 supporting means and at the other to a frame member of the said center section.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES MASON. Witnesses:

L. W. SWAN, E. J. Hoornn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G."

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