Bell鈥檚 Improved Reaping Machine
A reaping machine is a tool used during harvest that cuts and gathers ripened grain crops. Prior to Cyrus McCormick鈥檚 invention of his 1834 reaper, a Scottish clergyman working on his father鈥檚 farm invented one of the first practical mechanical reaping machines. Patrick Bell (1799-1869) invented his reaping machine in 1826 and publicly demonstrated it in 1828. Bell鈥檚 reaper used a 12-vane revolving reel that pulled the crop over the cutting knife. The knife was triangular reciprocating blades over fixed triangular blades. The canvas conveyor moved the grain and stalks into windrows. Two horses pushed the machine through the field. Bell never sought a patent for his reaping machine. He believed that his invention should benefit all humankind.
