US8724A - Improvement in grass-harvesters - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES y W. E. KETGHUM, oF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRASS-HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 8,724, dated February 10, 1852.

To all lwhom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. KETGHUM, of Bu'alo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Mowing-Machine for which I obtained Letters Patent ot' the United States, bearing date the 10th of July, 1847; and l do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the prin1` cipleor character which distinguishes it from all other things before known, androf the usual manner of making, modifying, and using the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, andletters marked thereon,form ing a part ot' this specification.

It is a fact Well known to those who hav had practical experience on the subject that' machines which will cut grain perfectly cannot be made to mow grass, and I am not aware that any machine has been madeA practically eicient till the one patented to me in 1847, the principal feature of. which was bringing the cutters to or nearly to a plane vertical `to the axis of the driving-Wheel-in other words,

bringing the cutters to a line drawn perpendicular to the face of the wheel from the point where the wheel touches the ground-by which arrangement it will beseen that any vibrating up and down of the ends of the frame occasioned by the movement of the animals drawing the machine will cause little or4 no deviation in the elevation of the cutters7 which would not be the case if the cutters were placed before or behind the Wheel.

In my patented machine above named so constructed, upon which this is an important improvement, the cutter-bar or rack-piece D Was supported at one end only, and as it must 'be made very thin and light it was liable to get damaged by striking obstacles, bending,

' and causing also great friction on the .moving cutters. To remedy this difficulty and at the same retain my rack D in the advantageous position before described is the object of the they will not clog, while they sustain the lightA cutting-rack as perfectly as in grain-machines where the cutters run high above the ground, and the aprons and other devices can come in play for that purpose.

My second improvement consists in the shield-plate G, projecting up from the shoe H. This is a broad plate that passes over the short stubble or loose grass and treads it downwherethe end of the cutter-bar is working,so that the grass will not be caught in the Inoving joint and clog the machine. In the reaping-machineI this is not necessary, as that cuts high from the ground, but it is all important in a machine which is dragged over the stubble close to the surface. This shield may also be made an additional brace by bringingituup to the frame in front and bolting it there, as shown in the drawing.

Having thus fully described my improvement, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by. Letters Patent, is-

l. Sustaining the rack-piece l), in the manner set forth, by projecting a beam, C, from the frame above the grass and behind it, to which it is connected by the rods E, as herein fully set forth, and in combination therewith.

2. The shield-plate Gr, in connection with the beam C forv sustaining the rackpiece D, substantially in the manner and for the purpose above described.

WILLIAM F. KETCEUM.

Witnesses J. BEcKWITE WEST, WM. GREENGUGH.

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