USRE897E - Improvement in reaping and mowing machines - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JQT. VVHITAKER AND C. D. READ, OF ST. OHARLES,ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN'REAPING AND MOWING MACHINELS.

DIVISION B.

*county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in lteaping and Mowing Machines, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of `this specification, in which;-

Figure 1 represents a plan of a partial reaping-machine having our improvements applied thereto, and Fig. 2 an elevation of the same.

Our improvement which forms the subject of the present patent consists lin a new and improved arrangement and combination ofthe rakers seat or stand with a supporting-wheel and the frame and nger-bar of the machine, by means of which the weight of the raker is lnade to support and counterbalance the weight and leverage of the outer end of the nger-bar and platform without the use of a supportingwheel on the outside, thereby lessening the drag and equalizing thedraft of the machine.

To enable others skilled in the art to make, construct, and use our'inven'tion, we-will now proceed to describe its parts in detail.

The machine to which our improvements-are applied, as represented in the drawings, consists of a tubular finger-bar secured to a single frame-beam by means of astud secured to or formed on the beam, which takes into the hollow finger-bar, where it is held rmly in place, either by being shrunk on or bolted or, riveted to it. The frame-beam A is supported on the driving-wheel B by a stud secured to its outer side, in which the wheel is mount- Throngh this stud and the beam A is passed a shaft,lc, upon the innerend ofV which a pulley, d, is secured, that gives motion to the pulley d of the reel. This shaft is made to project through the stud b, and has a square shoulderformedon thatend, on whicha washer,

` e, fits, having projections on its inner surface,

which take into corresponding depressions formed iu the end of the hub of the drivingwheel B, andv which is made slightly longer than the stud Ig, sothat as the Washer e of the shaft c is tightened to the hub of the wheel by the screw-nut z the shaft is made fast to wheel 897, dated B without impinging upon the end of the stud, thus causing the shaft to rotate with the wheel and communicate motion to the reel through they pulleys d d and belt f, this belt being tightened or loosened at pleasure by means of ypulleys g and g', mounted on a right and lelt hand screw, la, and travelig in a guide-frame, j, by simply turning the screw in the required direction.

The finger-har E is braced to the frameA ,and reel-support by rods i and i', in thisV Way preventing lateral or vertical deiiection, and giving great strength and rigidity to the machine. A

To the rear end of the beam A is secured a small frame, 7c, to which the stand Z, that supports the raker, is fastened. From the rear end of this platform rise two standardsmwmwhich connect at the top in such manner as to form a bent or curved bar, whose ends are secured in the rakers platform Z. To the upper side of this curved bar is secured a rest or breastsupport, u, for the raker, by means ofa screwbolt, o, passing through a slot in the standardp of the rest n, vand a wing-nut, g. One end of the rest is secured to the standard or reelbearer D, thus giving to the rest a iirm support. The rest u is Iliade adjustable by means of the slot and bolt before described, so as to adapt it to the various heights of rakers using it. l

Upon the end of the finger-bar next the main frame or driving-wheel B is secured a plate, t, whose under side conformsin shape to that of the upper side of the linger-bar, (which is slightly attened, its transverse .section being oval,) while its upper or convex side forms the arc of a circle, or nearly so. Upon this plate is formed the frame a of a wheel, F, for the support of the finger-bar, to which it is attached by means of the bolts o o, which pass frame. This wheel serves to support the rear end of the machine, and also to raiseand lower the nger-bar as required, the latter being effected by means of the slot and screw-bolts and the curved form of its frame and fingerbar, thereby permitting the frame to turn on the latter, and thus regulate the height of the finger-bar from the ground. This wheel is arthrough the linger-bar and slots cut in the' ranged between the rakers seat or stand and the outer end of the fingerbar, and as it supports both it acts as a fnlerum, by means of Which the Weight of; the raker on the stand is enabled to counterbnlanee the weight 0r lever age of the finger-bar, lamd in this Way avoid of the rakers seat or stand Zand Wheel F with the nger-bar and frame A, whereby theweigbt ofthe raker is made to eonnterbalance the weight of the outer end of the latter platform and frame,` substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof We hereunto set our the use of an outside supportingi-Wheel7 which bands.

` causes great side drag in the machine.

Having thus described our invention, what I we claim as new, and desire to secure b y Letters Patent, is s The peculiar arrangement and combination JOHN T; WHITAKER.

CALVIN D. READ. Witnesses ALEX. V. SILL. T. H. COLLINS,

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