US150822A - Improvement in mowing-machines - Google Patents

Description

3 Sheets--Sheet 3.

HLM. unnlcu.

Mowing-Machines. N0l |50822, Patented May 12,1874.

ATENT OFFCE HIRAM M. nnnniox, on ILioN, NEW Yoeri.

IMPROVEMENT IN MQWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming-part of Letters Patent No. 150,522, dated Mayl2, 1,874 application filed February 15, 1873.

To all whom t may concern:

, Be it known that I, Hman M. BURDIox, of Ilion, in the county of Herkimer and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements'in Mowing-Machines, of which the following is a specification: i

My invention consists in a novel manner of hin ging and bracing the main shoe, which carries .the cutter-bar, to the machine 5 in providing the heel of the shoe with an eccentric, vby which it may be raised and lowered in order to rock the cutter-bar edgewise and change the 'height of cut; in jointn g the lifting-lever, so that, after being drawn back to partly raise the cutter-bar, it may be thrown forward and a new hold taken, so as to allow the operator to exert his strength to advantage in raising the bar the remainder of the-distance; in arranging said lever so as to raise `its own fulcrum, and thus increase the speed with which the cutter-bar is raised, and in various other details, as hereinafter explained.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my machine, a portion of the inside wheel being broken away to expose other parts, Fig. 2, an

inner -side elevation of the machine with the inner wheel removed; Fig. 3, a front elevation of the machine with the cutter-bar turned up,

the front end of the main shoe being broken away; Figs. 4L and 5, side views of the liftinglever and the arm or hanger to which it is pivoted; Figs. 6 and 7, respectively, a back view and a vertical cross-section of the deviceV by which the -heel of the shoe is held and adjusted;Fig. 8, a vertical cross-section of the seat and tool-box; Fig. 9, a perspective view of the devices for holding the seat-spring 5 and Fig. l0, a perspective view, showing the manner in which the transverse brace is connected to the frame.

My improvements are intended more especially for application to that class of machines having1 two wheels and a solid iron frame, but they may, of course, as far as practicable, be applied to other classes ofmachines.

In the drawing, A represents the axle; B B, the wheels; C, theV solid iron frame mounted on the axle, and Dthe tongue or draft-pole, al1 of which part'sgare constructed and arranged in the same general -m anner as in the present machines.

' The iirst of my improvements is in the manner of attaching the inner or main shoe, which carries the cutter-bar, and it will be readily understood upon reference to Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The shoe E is made in the same general form as those now in use, and is provided with two upright studs or ears, a and I), one at the heel and the other at the toe. These two studs are mounted or pivote'd on the front end of afrod, F, which extends backward under the frame A, and has its rear end pvoted in a depending arm, c, formed on the frame immediately below the axle, and directly behind or in rear ot1 the main shoe. The rod passing through the ears holds the shoe in po; sition, and forms a pivot or fulcrum for the shoe to revolve upon when the outer end ot1 the cutter-bar Gis raised, the cutter-bar being secured rigidly thereto, as usual. The rod, being pivoted to the frame, is free to rise and fall at its forward end to permit the necessary vertical movement of the shoe. The rod is prevented from springing laterally by a brace, H, which extends across under the front of the frame, and has one end `mounted on the rod and the other attached to the frame, as shown in Fig. l. The brace is attached to the frame in the manner shown in Fig. l0, its end being mounted loosely on a rod, d, which is supported in two lugs, c, on the frame, one of the lugs being slotted to allow a vertical play of one end of the rod, which is thereby allowed to accommodate itself to the twisting movement oi' the brace. This arrangement, while it holds the brace from moving endwise, allows it to play laterally, to turn or twist, and to rise and fall at its lower end, so that under no circumstances can it be crampedv or wedged-fast by the movements of the shoe. In order to limit the rotation of the shoe, and thereby the vertical play of the cutter-bar around the rod, I provide the rear lug b with a projection, g, and the end ofthe brace H with a screw, h, and a shoulder, i, as shown in Figs. l and' 3. When the cutter-bar is down in its working position the projection g, coming against the shoulder ,'prevents the outer end of the cutter-bar from descending beyond the desired limit, and causes it to rise when the shoe is raised beyond a ce1'- tain height. When the cutter-bar is turned up in a vertical position the projection g strikes upon the screw h and checks the revolution of .to vary the height of the cutting devices. I

accomplish this by slotting the rear lug ofthe shoe, as shown at j, in order that it may play vertically on the rod, and then mountingon the rod an eccentric, K, which bears between lips on the shoe, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 6, and 7, so that when the eccentric is turned it will raise or lower the heel of the shoe, according to the direction in which it is turned. The eccentric lis provided with an arm, 7c, having a spring-catch, I, which engages in a notched plate or flange, fm, formed on the shoe, as shown in Figs. 1, 6, and 7, so as to lock the eccentric fast and hold the shoe in the desired position. In order to change the height at which the machine cuts, it is only necessary to release the catch l, and move the arm 7s to the right or left.

The next point to be noticed is the jointed lever for raising the cutter-bar. The lever, as shown at M, Fig. 1, is made in the usual L form, and pivoted to an arm or support, N, on the frame, and its end connected by a rod or chain to the cutter-bar. The arm or support N is also provided, as usual, with a toothed head or plate, n, and the lever with a pawl or dog, o, which engages in the toothed head, so as to lock the lever and hold the cutter-bar when raised. The lever, however, instead of being made in one solid piece, as usual, is divided just above its pivot, and the lower arm or part t provided with a socket or recess, in which the upper arm or handle p is pivoted, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, so that it can be moved forward and back independentlyof the lower arm. A spring dog 0r catch, s, is mounted in. the socket or recess, to lock the handle when it is thrown forward. When the cutter-bar is down and the parts in their workin g positions, the end of the arm or handle p bears against the side of the socket, as shown in Fig. 4, so that, upon being drawn back, it operates the lower or lifting arm t and raises the cutter-bar, inthe same manner as an ordinary solid lever. When, however, the cutter-bar is to be raised so far that the lever-handle cannot be conveniently thrown hack far enough for the purpose, the handle is thrown forward until the dog s locks it fast to the lower arm, and then drawn back again, so as to carry the liftingarm up beyond its rst position. Thus it will be seen thatvthe first stroke of the handle raises the lifting-arm a portion ofthe required distance; and that, upon the lhandle being again thrown forward, it takes a new hold on the lifting-arm, and then on therseeond stroke it raises the armthe remainder of the distance. By thus constructing the lever, so that two short strokes maybe given instead of the single long stroke necessary with a solid lever, I enable the operator to exert his strength to a better advantage, and to raise the cutter-bar with less effort, than in the present machines. In lowering the cutter-bar, the operation is the reverse of that in lifting, the arm being lowered a portion of the distance, while the handle is locked, as in Fig. 5, and then the remainder of the distance upon a second stroke of thehandle, which is irstreleased and thrown back, as in Fig. 4. The dog or catch s is provided with a pin or stud, u, which protrudes, a-s shown in Fig. 5, so that it may be released by the foot of the operator. The pawl or dog o, which holds the lifting-arm of the lever, is provided with a rod, fw, which extends up through ears on the handle p, and has Vits upp er end shaped as in Fig. 1, so that when the operator takes hold of the handle, he can, with the same hand, operate the rod, and raise the pawl so as to release the lever. The arm or support N, on which the lever is pivoted, is mounted at one end on the axle, and rests at its front end loosely on the frame. The lever is provided with a projection 0r cam, a', which, when the lever is thrown back, bears upon the frame, as shown in Fig. 5, and raises the front end of the arm N, thereby elevating the fulcrum of the lever, and causing the cutter-bar to rise more rapidly. The effect of this arrangement is, of course, to shorten the required movement of the lever.

The next feature to be noticed is the arrangement of the pole and doubletree. The pole is secured to the frame as usual, but is placed nearer the outside, in order to leave more room for the inner horse between it and the stand ing grass. In order to avoid the side draft that would result from attaching the doubletree tothe pole thus arranged, the pole is provided with a pivoted arm, O, which extends inward from its side, and then the double-tree is pivoted to this arm and connected by a chain with the main shoe, as shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3. In this way the team is caused to draw from the same point, as usual, and side draft avoided, notwithstanding the change lin the position of the pole.

Next, as to the arrangement of the tool-boxL under the seat. fixen the seat is applied, a plate, b', of suitable size, having flanges turned downward on two opposite edges, is secured to the under side of the spring, below the seat, by means of the same 'screw which holds the seat in place, as shown in Fic'. 8. The box c', which is made the proper size, and provided with iianges on its sides, is then simply slid into place under the seat, with its flanges in the flanges or lips of the plate b', as shown. In order to prevent the box from sliding back and falling off, it is provided with a spring catch, which engages in the plate, as shown.

The seat-spring g is secured at its lower end tothe frame by a bolt, i', and is supported at a higher point by a bar, d', locked into lugs e on the frame, as shown in Figs. 2 and 9.

The frame of the machine is formed, as in all this 4class of machines, with a box or shell, f', to inclose the gearing, the upper part or halt' of which is hinged, so that it may be turned up when it is desired to gain access to the gearing. The upper hinged part of the shell I provide with a combined catch and handle, l', consisting of a single piece of metal,

having its upper end fashioned into a handle,

and its lower end into a spring-catch. This piece, while it answers both the purposes of a catch to hold the top down and of a handle by which to raise the same, can be made for a less cost than the two devices separately, and attached by a single screw or rivet.

\ Having thus described my invention, what I claim is l. The combination of the rod F, the shoe E, having the slotted stud d, and the eccentric K, constructed and arranged to operate as described.

2. The eccentric K, provided with the arm 7c and catch l, in combination with the notched plate or liange m on the shoe, constructed and arranged to operate vas described.

3. The projection g on the shoe E, in combination with the stops h and ion the brace H, as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The lifting-lever M, consisting of the two parts p and t, jointed together and .provided with the dog s, constructed and arranged to operate substantially as set forth.

5. The arm or support N, in combination with the cam a', to raise the end of the arm, and thereby raise the fulcrum of the liftinglever. l

6. In combination with shoe E, brace H, and rod d, the lugs e, one of which lugs having a slot to allov;r vertical motion of the rod for rocking the brace and nger-bar, substantially as described.

' HIRAM M. BURDIOK.

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