US89257A - Improvement in horse-rakes - Google Patents

Description

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'MOSES N. WARD, OF LINNEUS, ASSIGNOR TO FREDERICK II. OOOMBS, OF BANGOR,

MAINE.

IMPROVEMENT IN HORSE-RAKES.

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

To a-ZZ whom it may concern .Be it known that I, MOSES N. WARD, of Linneus, in the county of Aroostook, and State of Maine, have lnvented a new and improved Horse Hay-Rake; and I d0 hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the ac; companying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

In said drawings- A A are the wheels.

B, the axle.

C G, .the shafts.

D D, independent arms.

E, the rake-head.

F F, vertical rods` G G, cylindrical bands, or rings.

H, movable cross-piece.

I, stiff spring.

K, seat.

L, the brake.

M, cross-piece on arms D D.

a, cross-piece.

b-ZI, hinges.

c c c c, raking-teeth.

d d d (l, holding-teeth.

e e, spiral` springs.

fj, nuts.

g, cross-piece.

h, axis of brake.

'i t' t t', standards.

l, connecting-rod.

fm, lever.

n, guide.-

p, stop:

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now describe the construction and #operation thereof.

I provide two ordinary wheels A A, and attach the same to the ordinary aXle,.B.

I provide the ordinary shafts, C O, frame the same together with cross-pieces, c g, and attach said shafts 'to the axle B.

I provide the seat K, and attach the same to the cross-pieces a g, by means of the four standards, 'Lit' i, one of which is concealed by the seat K, in the drawings.

I also attach the whiiiie-tree, lr, to the cross-piece a.

The independent arms D D, I attach to the crosspiece a., by means of hinges b I), or other suitable contrivance, which will allow the upward' movement of the independent arms, at the rear end.

The arms D D, at about midway of their length, rest,lby gravity, upon the axle B, as shown in .the drawings, and therefore are free to rise, or are preyented from descending, as occasion may demand, independently of the vertical movement of the axle, due to inequalities of the surface ofthe field.

I construct the turned rake-head E from' eight or ten to twenty feet in length. 4

I construct the vertical rods F E, with their cylindrical bands G G, to receive the rake-head.

I then place the rake-head E in the bands G G, and provide the rake-head with its raking-teeth c c c c, 'and its holding-teeth d l d d.

I construct the teeth o c c c, and secure them in the rake-head as follows:

I pass the ends of thewirethrough two perforations in the rake-head, straining the middle portion of the wire close to the rake-head. I coil the wire twice or thrice around the rake-head, and then communicate the proper curve to the wire to form the-teeth c c c c.

I pass the vertical rods Il F through the ends of the independent arms D D,and cross-piece M.

. I provide and place the spiral springs e e on the bars .F E. I then pass the movable crosspiece Il over the ends ofthe vertical rods F F, and secure the whole by means of the nuts fj', as shown in the accompanying drawings.'

I provide the stiff spring I, and attach one en'd to the crossLpiece c. The other end bears down upon the rake-head E.,

I provide the brake L, axis h, connecting-rod l, and lever m, and attach the same as shown in`the drawing. The brake L, plays on the axis h, and moves the rod l, and lever m, and brakes up the rake.

I attach the guide n to the seat K, and bend down the forward end of the guide, as shown in the draw# ing. I attach but one stop to the guide n, to wit, the forward stop, p.

In operation, the various parts of the machine being then in the position shown in. the drawings, and the machine being drawn forward, the weight ofthe rakehead and its attachments, overcomes the upward pressure of the spiral springs c e, the rake-head drops, and the teeth touch the ground. The downward pressure of the stiff'spring I is supplied to aid in obtaining this result. The vertical rods F E play freely through the cross-piece M and independent arms D D, so that in going over rough and uneven ground, one end of the rake-head will drop more than the other, `until the teeth c c c c touch the lowest ground, and so that when, in going over small ridges, the rear of the mav chine is elevated, the teeth are still kept in contact with the ground. Vhen, however, in passing over a ridge7 or-otherwise, the teeth bear too hard against the ground, the vertical rods F F play upward through the arms D D and cross-piece M, until the rings G G press up against the arms D D.

The arms D D then rise at the rear end, andthe rake-head E also-rises, so that the teeth pass freely over the ground. 4

In case any hay is lost or left behind by the rake, the machine is simply backed to take it up. The teeth c c c c engage with the grond as the machine is backed, the independent arms D D are raised, the rakehead E'turns in the bands G G, until -the teethare re- .versed, the teeth then slide over the ground until the -jhay is reached,'the machineis then driven forward;

the teeth engage again with the ground, the arms D D are again raised, and the rake-head and teeth resume the position shown in the drawings.

These movements are entirely automatic,'and, indeed, the brake Ais not actuated at all by the driver, except in forming the windrows.

As the hay isv lgathered by the teeth c c c c, it is pressed upward, and held between the raking-teeth c c c c and holding-teeth d al d d.

When sufficient is gathered, the brake L is pressed forward, and past the stop p, by the-driver; the rakehead E turns in the rings Gr G; the hay' is dropped, and the windrow formed.

. The short arm of the lever L, being connected, by the rod l, with the long arm of the lever m, the leverageis very great, and a triing pressure on the lever L is sufficient to break up the rake.

The arrangement of the rake-head behind the wheels possesses several peculiar advantages.

First, each machine maybe supplied with two or more lake-heads, of different lengths, say, from eight to ten, and from fifteen to twenty feet each. The

shorter rake-head being adapted for rough and uneven ground, and the longer for meadows and prairie lands. With the latter, two horses might be required. The rake-heads may be readily changed, or removed for repairs, by unscrewing' the nuts ff. Where two rake-heads accompany one machine, however, hinged clasps may be substituted for the bands G G, and the heads may be removable at the clasps.

Second, the rake-head is made to project ou each side of the wheels A A. The machine, therefore, being driven parallel with a wall or ditch, will. rake close to said wall orditch, and lthis obviateswthe neces-l sity of raking the hay several feet away from the walls, 85e., with hand-rakes, as is now common. Themachine also can be backed against stumps, and into corners of fences, to pick up hay, the rake-head reversing and recovering, as before described. In such cases, the

endsof the arms D D, projecting a tride beyond the rake-head, act as buffers, to prevent inj ury'to the machine.

Third, the rake-head being in the rear ot the wheels, the wheels steady the machine, and prevent any considerable lateral motionof the machine, and the throw ing of the shafts against the horse. lThe line of draught is also the best adapted for economy of horse-power, and thecomfort of the horse;xand the machine is so balanced that the strength of the horse is exerted simply in hauling the rake, and is not wasted in carrying the weight of the shafts, and of the driver, forward of the wheels. y

' What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patcnt,.is

l.' In a horse hay-rake, whose rake-head is placed-y behind the wheels, combining such head with levers or arms, Whose fulcra are forward of the axle, and which are thus free to rise and fall independent of the axle, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination with the rake-head E, of the swinging-arms or levers D, so hung that when at their lowest position, .they may rest at about their centres, on the carriageLaXle, substantially as described.

3. The stiff spring I, in combination with the rakehead E.

4.. The vertical rods F F, bands G G, and spiral springs e c, in combination with the rake-head E.

5. The combination and arrangement with the swinging-levers D, of theraking-teeth, in such manner that the act of backing shall automatically lift the levers and reverse the position of the teeth, and the forward movement bring them again into operative action, substantially as described.

6. The combination with the raking-teeth, of the holding-teeth, substantially as and for the'purnose described. MOSES N. WARD.

Witnesses: JASPER HUTcHINGs FRED. H. OooMBs.

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