US112854A - Improvement in horse hay-rakes - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED MAR 21 18Wv fitti.

JOHN l-l. SOHOONMAKER, OF BETHLEHEM, A SSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND ALEXANDER SELKIRK, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

Letters Patent No. 112.854. dated March 21. 1871 antedated March 10, 1871.`

IMPROVEMENT IN HORSE HAV-RAKES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

Be it known that I, JoHN H. SoHooXMAKEa, of the town of Bethlehem, in the county of' Albany, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horse Hay-Rakes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of' this specification, in which- Figure l represents a perspective view of a horserake embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same, and illustrates the manner of' the operation of my improvements.

My invention consists in a certain combination and arrangement of' an adjustable guide-Clovis, draw-rod, and loop with a rake-head holding fingers, and a lever, by which the horse will, by his draft, be capable, at the will of the driver, of operating the rake-fingers either to throw them up orto press the saule down, as hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my in vention,-l will proceed to describe it in reference to the drawing and letters of reference marked thereon, the same letters indicating like parts.

In the drawing- A'A represents the carrying-wheels.

B is the rake-head, (serving also as the axle,) having its bearings in the hubs of the wheels A.

C are the shafts.

To the rake-head B are attached the rake-fingers F in any ofthe usual ways, and at proper distai'ices-from cach other.

The shafts C are attached to the rake-head Bat the journals c c, by thc bearings d d, formed by the ends of the shafts O and straps s s, in such a manner that the said rake-head can be revolved or rolled in the bearings so formed.

v Io the rake-head B, and about midway of its length, I attach securely the loop G, one end of' which loop is dropped down below the rake-head B about eight inches, more or less, as at X, while the other end Z is raised to or above the top of' the said rake-head.

To the said loop G I attach a draw-rod, H, by means of the eye e, into which eye the bar forming the said -i'oop can slip.

I drop bclow the shafts C, from any suitable point, (the cross-bar of' the shafts 'being preferred) the adjustable guide-clevis M, or equivalent crotch-standard, in which are provided several piu-holes, 1n, into any of' which may be inserted the pins g.

Into this guide-clevis M, and confined by one or more pins, g, to a certain place in the same, is placed the second end of draw-rod H, to which the whifilctree is to be attached.

By means of the said clevis M and the pin g the angle of the draft of the draw-rod H can be regnlated so as to adapt this hay-rake to operate advantageously n'iight or heavy hay, according to the ele- 'ing results similar to those in my invention.

vation given to the end of the draw-rod H in the said clcvis M.

lo the rake-head B I attacl: the lever L, to be operated either by hand or the foot.

The manner' in which this hay-rake operates is as follows:

The horse isplaced between the shafts O and hitched to the whifletree attached to the end of the draw-rod H, in the usual manner.

It' the rake is to operate in heavy hay, the ping will he placed in the lower hole m, (or a; near hole,) with the draw-'rod H below; or, it` tooperate in light hay, the said pin will be placedin some one of the upper holes.

'lhc draw-rod H will, by its eye e, draw from the lower end X of the loop G, and the draft on the saine will act to press the fingers F down to the ground; and as the hay accumulates against the iingers, to counteract the draft, the draft on the loop will be greater, and in proportion to the pressure or resistance of' the hay against the fingers, so that in every condition of the resistance ot' the hay, be it more or less, thel draft ofthe horse will be sufiicient to keep the fingers down until it is desired to dump the hay, which is done by the drivel' pressing down the lever L slight-ly until the loop G takes a position that will bring it at less than a right angle with the draw-rod H, when the dmft ofthe horse will canse the eye e of' the draw-rod H to sli p up, on the loop G, to' the upper end Z of the same, and draw the said upper end Z over, and cause the rake-head to roll in such a manner as to throw the fingers 11 up Y and permit the hay to fall in its windrow.

When the horse has taken about a single step the driver releases the lcver L and the fingers F will fall back on the ground, and ,the eye e ot' the draw-rod will also drop to the lower end .X of .the loop Grfor another operation.

A rake with these improvements, arranged as above described, is simple and not liable to get ont of order, and also etficient to operate iu every circumstance of hay.

I am well aware that horse hay-rakes have been constructed and arranged in suoli a mannen-that. the horse would, by his draft, be capable of throwing up the fingers and depressing the same, thereby effect- I therefore do not claim, broadly, a rake thus operating.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is f In a horse hay-rake, the combination of the adjustable clevis M, draft-rod H`, and loop G with the rakehead B, shafts (land lever L, substantially `as and for the purpose set forth. Witnesses: JOHN H.SOHO0NMAKER.

ALEX.' SELKIRK, J. A. BUcKBEa, Jr.

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