US1006032A - Cultivator. - Google Patents

Description

I. A. WEAVER.

GULTIVATOR. APPLICATION FILED JAN.18, 1909.

1,006,032, Patented 0ct.17,1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I.,A. WEAVER.

' CULTIVATOE.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 18, 1909.

Patented Oct. 17,1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

19A. WEAVER.

GULTIVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18, 1909.

Patented Oct. 17, 1911.

4 BHEBTB-SHEBT 3.

I. A. WEAVER.

GULTIVATOR. Drum-131011 FILED 1111.18, 1909.

Patented Oct. 17,1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

1 \I w NW m n W I v gm w I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IRA. A. WEAVER, 0F SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NOR TO RAGINE-SATTLEY COMPANY,

OF SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CULTIVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 18, 1909.

Patented Oct. 17, 1911.

Serial No. 472,974.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRA A. WEAVER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Sangamon and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cultivators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to pivoted axle cultivators, its principal aim and object being the production of a machine of this general character in which the axles may be swung forwardly and rearwardly as is required to maintain the machines balance under different conditions, and may also be turned about other axes to effect the steering of the apparatus without at the same time tilting or inclining the carrying wheels on the axle sections; in other words, without compelling the carrying wheels to run in an inclined position when pivoted or turned out of the direct line of draft of the team. The carrying wheels in my improved and novel construction are always in substantially vertical planes regardless of the balancing swinging of the axle sections or of their turning during the steering operations. To

secure such result, in the preferred embodiment of the invention I fulcrum pins on the cultivator frame and rockingly mount the axle sections on such pins, and I also provide means for maintaining these pins in a substantially horizontal position throughout the entire range of swinging or turning of the axles. The fulcrums of these pins are desirably located outside of the upright portions of the bent axles, and usually between such axles and the wheels, whereby, owing to the leverage secured, but comparatively slight effort or expenditure of energy is required to do the steering by means of stirrups secured to the axles. Since these pins are always maintained in parallel relation to the cultivator frame, as by a cooperating track or socket casting on the frame, and since these pins are always parallel to the portions of the axles on which the carrying wheels rotate, the wheels are maintained in vertical planes regardless of the rearward or forward swinging of the axle or the turning of the wheels during the steering.

The two gangs of shovels with which my improved cultivators are equipped are supplied with independent depth levers, looking dogs on which cooperate with the notches of a pair of rotary segments to maintain the desired depth or penetration of the earth. A single balancing lever connected to the two axles is provided and is rigidwith the pair of depth lever segments, whereby when this balancing lever is rocked or is permitted to be rocked by the rearward swinging of the axles, due to the animal draft on the appliance, the gangs will be simultaneously lifted or elevated without disturbing their depth adjustment. In other words, the pull of the draft animals on the cultivator causes the raising of the gangs and the balancing of the machine. Of course, this balance lever is supplied with means for looking it in adjusted position, and to effect the raising of the shovels and the relative backward movement of the axles and wheels, it is merely necessary to unlock this lever and permit the team to do the rest.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention, and throughout the various views of these drawings like characters refer to the same parts.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of one of my improved cultivators with the gangs in lowered or working position; Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the gangs raised and the axles swung rearwardly to maintain the balance of the ma chine; Fig. 3 is a perspective plan view of the device; Fig. 4 is a vertical section adjacent to one of the sockets or tracks in which the roller on one of the pivoted pins travels; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the machine from beneath looking upwardly, one of the carrying wheels being omitted to more clearly indicate the construction of the parts of the device; and Fig. 6 is a detail of the upper portion of the central part of the axle.

Referring to the drawings, it will be no- I flaring form, which constitute horizontal sockets or tracks 17 substantially parallel to the frame of the cultivator and each adapted to receive and accommodate a roller 18, on the inner end of a pin or short shaft 19, having on its outer end a flat head pivoted or fulcrumed to the casting 16 on a bolt 21, which permits this shaft 19 to be swung or rocked in a horizontal plane, that is, parallel to the frame of the machine, the plane of movement of this pin being determined by the track or socket casting 17. On these pins 19 inside of their heads 20 I rotatingly mount a pair of castings 22 each having an integral depending socket portion 23 in which is secured the upper end of a bent or elbow axle section 24, on the lower lateral outward extension or arm 25 of which the carrying wheel 26 is adapted to rotate. At the bend or angle of each of these axle sections I secure a casting 27 having a circular flange 28 forming part of the sand band of the wheel and also having an outwardly-extended apertured arm 29, each of these castings 27 having fastened thereto an inwardly extended stirrup 30 and its supporting rod 31. As is shown, the aperture of the ear or arm 29 is substantially in alinement with the pin fulcrum bolt 21.

Each casting 22 has an integral forwardlyprojecting arm 32 bifurcated at its forward end at 33, and between the fingers of such bifurcated end I pivot on a bolt 34 a casting 35 having an inwardly-extended cylindrical socket 36. A transverse spread-arch rod 37 fits in the pair of sockets at its opposite ends and is a-djustably maintained therein by the set-screws 38-. At the center of this rod the spread or width-controlling lever 39 is fulcrumed above a notched segment 4O with which a locking-dog (not shown on the lever) coeperates to maintain the lever in any desired adjusted position. On this rod 37 I provide a pair of slides 41 reciprocable on the rod and connected by a pair of links 42 with portions of the lever 39 on opposite sides of its fulcrum, whereby swinging of the lever will simultaneously move the slides inwardly toward one another or outwardly away from one another. Each of these slides has an integral depending ear 43 fastened to which, by one or more bolts 44, is a depending bar 45 forming a part of the spread-arch, the lower ends of these bars, as is customary, passing through apertures in plates 46 secured to the beams 47 of the gangs of shovels 48. As is usual in constructions of this kind, the beams or bars 47 are connected at their front ends to the socket fulcrum castings 49 mounted on the lower ends or legs of the coupling-arch 50, such castings permitting upward swing-fir of the beams and gangs.

On one of the bars 14, the distant one in Fig. 5, I fixedly mount a bearing 51 in which a rock-shaft 52 is adapted to turn, this shaft having a bearing at the other side of the machine, as viewed in Fig. 5, in a portion 53 of a stationary notched segment 54 fixedly secured, as by one or more bolts 55, to the companion frame bar 14. The balance lever or handle 56, equipped with a locking dog 57 co-acting with the notches of segment 54, is fastened to the shaft 52, whereby they turn together or simultaneously. At each end of shaft 52 outside of the frame I fixedly fasten to the shaft a depth notched segment 58 provided with a plurality of spaced apertures 59. A rigid link 60 connects each depth segment 58 with the apertured ear 29 of the corresponding casting 27, the link preferably having bent ends to pass through the hole of the ear and any one of the three holes 59 of the segment, as is required to secure a proper balance of the machine, which depends to some extent upon the weight of the rider or operator. On the shaft 52, just inside of each of the depth segments 58, I loosely and rotatably mount a depth lever 61 supplied with a manually-controlled locking dog or pawl 62 which is adapted to enter any one of the notches of the segment. As will be observed from the drawings, each of these levers extends below the shaft 52 and is loosely connected to its corresponding gang by a rod 63 projecting through an aperture in the plate 46 of the gang beam or bar 47, cotter pins or the like 64 being passed transversely through the rod below the plate 46 and at the upper end of a coil compression spring 65 disposed between the upper pin 64 and the top of the plate 46 and serving to yieldingly maintain the shovels of the gangs in the earth. To assist in the manipulation of these independent depth levers I connect a coil spring 66 at its rear end to each of the levers, the spring being joined to any suitable portion of the frame at its front end, as is clearly indicated in Fig. 1.

The operation of this improved cultivator is practically as follows: Assuming that the operator desires to raise both gangs and at the same time maintain the balance of the machine, it being understood that the depth or penetration of the shovels of the two gangs may be independently adjusted by manipulation of the depth levers 61, he merely releases the balance lever 56 by withdrawing its locking-dog 57 from the notch of the balance segment 54, whereupon the draft of the team causes the rearward swinging of the axle sections 20 on their supporting pins 19, the wheels of course moving with the axle sections. Due to such movement of the axles and the connections through the rod 60 between the same and the segments 58, which, it will be remembered, are rigidly fixed to the shaft 52, this shaft, together with its pair of depth seglit) ments and the depth levers 61 locked thereto, is rocked in its bearings so as to raise the gangs by means of the connecting rods 63. When the parts have assumed their proper positions and relations the locking dog 57 of the balance lever 56 is permitted to enter the proper notch of its cooperating stationary segment 5 f. It should be noticed that both gangs are raised by the pull of the team by merely releasing the balance lever 56 and permitting it, the shaft 52, and the parts fixed thereto to rock, this elevation of the gangs being accomplished without disturbing their individual independent depth adjustments, which of course, as explained above, can be readily modified at any time by shifting the levers 61. It should be noted in addition that the rods 60 determine the position of the axle sect-ions and prevent them from shifting or swinging out of such positions as long as the balance lever 56 is locked to its segment. WVhen the operator wishes to steer the machine to one side or the other he presses his foot upon one or the other of the pair of stirrups or foot pieces 30, rocking or turning the corresponding axle section around its fulcrum bolt 21, which through the connecting spread arch 37 turns the opposite wheel in the same di rection and to the same extent, whereby he is enabled to steer the machine out of the direct line of draft so as to avoid any 0bstacles. Owing to the connections between the spread-arch rod 37 and the pair of gangs, the beams will be shifted to either side simultaneously with the pivoting or lateral turning of the wheels, thereby carrying the beams over automatically in the direction toward which the wheels are pivoted or turned, thus considerably increasing the range and spread of the dodge. Since the connections of the rods 60 with the axle sections are directly in line with the pivot bolts 21, such turning of the axles and wheels does not influence or move these rods, and in this connection it should be noted that since the pivot bolts 21 are disposed outside of the upright portions of the bent axles they are much-nearer the wheels than in the old forms of this device, which construction permits the turning of the wheels to effect the steering operation with but comparatively slight effort on the part of the operator, due to the considerable leverage which he secures because of this arrangement of the pivot bolt close to the wheel. During such pivoting of the wheels, the latter are constantly maintained in their proper vertical planes, owing to the cooperation of the roller 18 of shaft 19 with the socket casing or track casting 16 which acts to keep the pin 19 always in substantially parallel relation to the frame, and since this pin is always parallel to the part 25 of the axle carrying the wheel this outward extension 25 is likewise maintained in a horizontal plane and its wheel in a vertical plane wholly regardless of the inclination which the upright portion of the axle section may have during the wheel turning or pivoting operation.

A feature of novelty and improvement in my machine which is not found in other devices is the swinging or rocking of the balance lever toward the operator when the gangs are raised and the axles shifted, which direction of movement of the lever enables the rider to readily assist in the shifting of the parts if he so desires by pulling the lever toward him instead of pushing it from him as is required in machines of the old form and type.

Whereas I have herein set forth considerably in detail the various structural features of the parts of my improved mechanism, it is to be understood that the inven tion is not of limited scope and is not restricted to the precise features of construction outlined, since the elements of the cultivator may be modified to a considerable extent without departure from the substance of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a vehicle, the combination of a frame, a pair of axles each having an upright portion and a lateral part, means connecting said axles together, a carrying wheel rotatable on the lateral part of each of said axles, a mounting for each of said axles on said frame permitting the axles to turn about axes at one side of those of their upright portions and permitting swinging of the axles forwardly and rearwardly, and means whereby said axles may be turned to steer the vehicle, substantially as described.

2. In a vehicle, the combination of a frame, a pair of axles each having an upright portion and a lateral part, means connecting said axles together, a carrying wheel rotatable on the lateral part of each of said axles, a mounting for each of said axles on said frame permitting the axles to turn about axes located outside those of their upright portions and permitting swinging of the axles forwardly and rearwardly, and means whereby said axles may be turned to steer the vehicle, substantially as described.

3. Ina cultivator of the character described, the combination of a frame, one or more shovels, means whereby said shovels may be raised and lowered, a pair of bent axles each having an upright port-ion and a lateral part, means connecting said axles together, a carrying wheel rotatable on the lateral part of each of said axles, a mounting for each of said axles on said frame permitting swinging of the axles forwardly and rearwardly and permitting turning of the axles about axes located outside those of their upright portions, means to turn said axles about such outside axes, whereby the machine may be balanced when the shovels are raised and may also be steered, substantially as described.

4. In a cultivator of the character described, the combination of a frame, one or more shovels, means whereby said shovels may be raised and lowered, a pair of bent axles each having an upright portion and a lateral part, means connecting said axles together, a carrying wheel rotatable on the lateral part of each of said axles, a mounting for each of said axles on said frame permitting swinging of the axles forwardly and rearwardly to balance the machine, means whereby said axles and wheels may be pivoted or turned about axes at one side of said upright portions to efiect steering of the machine, and means to maintain said lateral portions of the axles in a substantially horizontal plane regardless of the balancing adjustment of the axles and wheels or the steering, substantially as described.

5. In a cultivator of the character described, the combination of a frame, one or more shovels, means whereby said shovels may be raised and lowered, a pair of bent axles each having an upright portion and a lateral part, means connecting said axles together, a carrying wheel rotatable on the lateral part of each of said axles, a mounting for each of said axles on said frame permitting swinging of the axles forwardly and rearwardly and permitting turning of the axles about axes located outside those of their upright portions, means whereby said axles and wheels may be turned about said outside axes, and means to maintain the lateral portions of said axles in substantially horizontal planes regardless of the balancing adjustment of the axles and wheels or their turning about said outside axes during the steering operation, substantially as described.

6. In a cultivator of the character described, the combination of a frame, a pin fulcrumed thereon, means to determine the path of travel of said pin during its rota tion about its fulcrum, a bent axle rockingly mounted on said pin, a wheel rotatable on said axle, and means whereby said axle, wheel, and pin may be swung on the fulcrum of the latter to steer the wheel, sub stantially as described.

7 In a cultivator of the character de scribed, the combination of a frame, a bent axle having an upright portion and a lateral part, a wheel rotatable on the lateral part of said axle, a pin fulcrumed on said frame outside of the axis of the upright portion of said wheel, means to maintain said pin during its turning 011 its fulcrum in a definite plane, means rockingly mounting said axle on said pin, and means whereby the axle, wheel, and pin may be swung on the fulcrum of the latter to effect the steering, substantially as described.

8. In a cultivator of the character described, the combination of a frame, a pin fulcrumed thereon, a roller on said pin, a track with which said roller cooperates mounted on said frame, said track and roller determining the path of travel of said pin during its rotation about its fulcrum, a bent axle rockingly mounted on said pin, a wheel rotatable on said axle, and means whereby the axle, wheel, and pin may be swung on the fulcrum of the latter to effect the steering, substantially as described.

9. In a cultivator, the combination of a frame, an axle swingingly mounted on said frames, a carrying wheel 011 said axle, shovels, a rock shaft, a depth lever mounted on said rock shaft and connected to said shovels, a balance lever fixed on said rock shaft, means adjustably connecting said balance lever to said axle and to said depth lever, and means to lock said balance lever in adjusted position whereby when said balance lever is unlocked the draft on the machine causes the wheel and axle to swing rearwardly and the shovels to be raised, substantially as described.

10. In a cultivator, the combination of a frame, a pair of axles swingingly mounted on said frame, a carrying wheel on each of said axles, two gangs of shovels, a rock shaft, independently adjustable depth levers loosely mounted on said rock shaft and connected to each of said gangs of shovels, a balance lever, connections between said balance wheel and said axles, connections between said balance lever and said depth levers, and means to lock said balance lever in adjusted position whereby when said lever is unlocked the draft on the machine causes the wheels and axles to swing rearwardly and both gangs of shovels to be raised without disturbing their depth adjustment, substantially as described.

11. In a cultivator, the combination of a frame, an axle swingingly mounted on said frame and adapted to be swung forwardly and rearwardly to balance the machine, means whereby said axle may be turned about another axis to effect the steering, a carrying wheel adapted to rotate on said axle, shovels, a depth lever mounted on said rock shaft and connected to said shovels and adapted to raise and lower the same, a balance handle fixed on said rock shaft and connected to said axle, and means to lock said balance handle in adjusted position, whereby when said latter handle is unlocked the draft on the machine causes the wheel and axle to swing rearwardly to balance the machine and also causes the shovels to be raised, substantially as described.

12. In a cultivator, the combination of a frame, an axle swingingly mounted on said frame and adapted to be swung forwardly and rearwardly to balance the machine and also around another axis other than its own to steer the machine, means whereby said axle may be swung about the steering axis, a carrying wheel adapted to rotate on said axle, shovels, an adjustable depth lever connected to said shovels and adapted to raise and lower the same, a balance handle connected to said axle concentrically with the steering axis of the latter and also connected to said depth lever and means to lock said balance handle in adjusted position, whereby when said handle is unlocked the draft on the machine causes the wheel and axle to swing rearwardly and the shovels to be raised, the swinging of said axle and wheel about the steering axis not disturbing the connection between the balance handle and the axle, substantially as described.

13. In a cultivator, the combination of a frame, a pair of bent axles swingingly mounted on said frame and adapted to be swung forwardly and rearwardly to balance the machine and also around axes other than their own to steer the machine, means connecting said axles together, means whereby said axles may be swung about their steering axes, a carrying wheel adapted to rotate on each of said axles, shovels, an adjustable depth lever connected to said shovels and adapted to raise and lower the same, a balance handle connected to both of said axles concentrically with their steering axes and also connected to said depth lever, and means to lock said balance handle in adjusted position, whereby when said balance handle is unlocked the draft on the machine causes the wheels and axles to swing rearwardly to maintain the machines balance and also causes the shovels to be raised, substantially as described.

14. In a cultivator, the combination of a frame, an axle rockingly mounted on said frame and adapted to be swung forwardly and rearwardly to balance the machine, a carrying wheel rotatable on said axle, shovels, a depth lever fulcrumed on said frame, means to connect said depth lever to said shovels, a rotary notched depth seg ment, a locking dog on said depth lever coacting with said segment to lock said lever in adjusted position, a balance handle rigid with said segment, means connecting said handle and segment to said axle, and means to lock said balance handle in adjusted position, whereby when said handle is unlocked the draft of the team will cause the axle to swing rearwardly, and because of the move ment of said segment and depth lever the shovels will be also raised, substantially as described.

15. In a cultivator, the combination of a frame, a pair of axles rockingly mounted on said frame andadapted to be swung forwardly and rearwardly to balance the machine, carrying wheels rotatable on said axles, two gangs of shovels, a pair of inde pendent depth levers fulcrumed on said frame, means connecting each of said depth levers to its gang of shovels, a pair of rotary notched depth segments rigidly connected together, a locking dog on each of said depth levers co-acting with one of said segments to lock said lever in adjusted position, a balancing handle rigid with both of said segments, means connecting said handle and segments to said axles, and means to lock said balancing handle in adjusted position, whereby when said handle is unlocked the draft of the team will causethe axles to swing rearwardly and because of the movement of said segments and depth levers both gangs of shovels will be raised, substantially as described.

16. In a cultivator, the combination of a frame, a pair of bent axles each having an upright portion and a lateral part, mountings for said axles on said frame permitting the axles to swing forwardly and rearwardly to balance the machine and permiting them to be swung about axes other than those of their upright portions to effect the steering of the machine, means connecting said axles together, a carrying wheel rotatable on the lateral part of each of said axles, means whereby said axles and wheels may be turned about their steering axes, two gangs of shovels, a pair of independent depth levers fulcrumed on said frame, means connecting each of said depth levers to its gang of shovels, a pair of rotary notched depth segments rigidly connected together, a locking dog on each of said depth levers co-acting with one of said segments to lock its lever in adjusted position, a balancing handle rigid with both of said segments, means connecting said handle and segments to said axles, and means to lock said balancing handle in adjusted position, whereby the wheels may be turned to steer the cultivator, and when said handle is unlocked the draft of the team will cause the axles to swing rearwardly to maintain the machines, balance, and because of the movement of said segments and depth levers due to such rearward swinging of the axles both gangs of shovels will be raised,

swinging about their fulcrums, means whereby said axles and pins may be swung about the fulcrums ofthe latter to steer the machine, means connecting said axles together, carrying wheels rotatable on said axles, two gangs of shovels, a pair of inclependent depth levers fulcrumed on said frame, means connecting said depth levers to the gangs of shovels, a pair of rotary notched segments rigid with one another, a locking dog on each of said depth levers coacting with one of said segments to lock the lever in adjusted position, a balancing handle rigid with both of said segments, means connecting said handle and segments to both of said axles, and means to lock said balancing handle in adjusted position, whereby when the handle is unlocked the draft of the team will cause the axles to swing rearwardly, and because of such movement the segments and depth levers will be rocked to raise the shovels, and whereby the axles and wheels may be pivoted or turned to effect the steering of the machine, the Wheels being disposed in vertical planes in all positions of the parts, substantially as described.

18. In a cultivator, the combination of a frame, a seat, carrying wheels for said frame swingingly mounted thereon, whereby they may be shifted to maintain the cultivato-rs balance, two gangs of' shovels, a rock shaft mounted on said frame, independent depth adjusting means for said gangs mounted on said rock shaft, and 'a single balance handle fixed on said rock shaft and connected to said wheels and depth adjusting means and adapted to raise the shovels and balance the machine with out disturbing the depth adjustment of the gangs, said handle being movable toward an operator in the seat when the shovels are being raised and the wheels moved to balance the machine, substantially as described.

IRA A. WEAVER.

Witnesses H. E. JABUseH, B. G. RICHARDS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). 0.

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