A plough with oscillating shares is immortalized on a coin

In 1876, two brothers first introduced to the public at an agricultural exhibition a plough with oscillating shares, which made it possible to overcome one of the main difficulties in farming at that time. Prior to this development, buyers often abandoned land with scrub due to the almost insurmountable difficulties in its tillage. In 1881, Sir Robert Ross, President of the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of South Australia, noted in his report a sharp increase in the area of cultivated land thanks to the innovation.

According to those data, whereas in 1873 and 1874 leased plots were massively returned to the state, with the spread of the plough, lease volumes increased. Already in 1881, 285,670 acres were purchased, which became the largest land transaction in the colony. For the invention and perseverance in its promotion, Sir Robert Ross expressed gratitude to Mr. R. B. Smith. Due to an expired patent, the creator did not become rich, yet in 1882 the state government paid him £500 in recognition of his merits, although later Richard and Clarence Smith fell out, and Richard moved to Western Australia.

Production of the implement continued in Ardrossan until the Great Depression, when the local factory closed in 1934. Part of the factory buildings that survived demolition are now occupied by the Ardrossan Heritage Museum. The working principle of this plough is used in modern agricultural machinery to this day, but now with the application of hydraulics. Recently, the Royal Australian Mint released a five-coin set where the Smith brothers' invention sits alongside the jaffle maker and the airplane black box.