254 - Louis-Adrien COUTEAU (1839 - ) [1]
Louis Marie COUTEAU was an agriculteur in Léouville (France). He invented several agricultural machines [2], including an apparatus for forming and depositing haycocks in the field for which he filed a Luxembourg patent application on 5 October 1879 under the title of:
Moule roulant pour mouler les moulons de foin
The corresponding British patent [3] summarises the invention as follows:
[The invention] relates to an apparatus for forming and depositing haycocks in the field, consisting of a receptacle with wheels fitted on stud axles. The sides a, a1 are inclined “so as to form a cone." The back parts a1 are hinged to the parts a to allow of the passage of the haycock when deposited. The bottom consists of a series of chains b connected to a windlass c at the front of the receptacle. This windlass is provided with a handle d for drawing the chains tight, and a pawl e for retaining it. The chains are provided at the back with rings which are placed on studs on a windlass g provided with a handle h and stop i. The windlass g acts as a back crosspiece of the frame. It is hinged to the frame at one end and supported at the other by a bracket.
As the receptacle is drawn along, the hay is thrown into it by hand. The hay cock is deposited by releasing the pawl e and the lever h. The cock falls to the ground and the chains disengage themselves from the windlass g, which is then removed from its bearings. The cart is moved forward and the chains are drawn from beneath the cock.
The patent was granted on 13 September 1880 under the 1880 Patent Law. [4]
He also obtained corresponding patents in Italy and Spain. [5]
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[1] FamilySearch database
[2] e.g. Machine for distributing manure, etc., Construction of portable covers for hay or corn ricks, etc., Potato sowing machine
[3] GB patent 1,770/1879
[4] LU patent No 62
[5] ES patent 970/1880, IT patent No 51/1880
(11/02/2021)
