US1020391A - Sidehill-harvester. - Google Patents

Description

C. L. BEST.

SIDEHILL HARVESTER.

APPLIUATION rILBD JULY 2. 1909.

1,020,391 Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

w1 rNEsss.- mvE/vroR @Nigga @03PM l mv-` A TTORNEY C. L.. BEST. SIDEHILL HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2, 1909. 1,020,391. Patented Mar.12,1912.

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wlrNessE's.- lNvENm'R GQ @S2M ATTORNEY C. L. BEST. SIDBEILL HARVESTER.

. APPLICATION FILED JULY Z, 1009. 1,020,391. Patented Mar.l12, 1912.

' Wl TNESSES:

, :NVE/WOR ATTORNEY WITNESSES:

C; L. BEST. SIDEHILL HARVESTER. APPLICATION FILED JULY 2, 1909.

Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

A TTURNE Y 4UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

CLARENCE LEO BEST, OF SAN LEANDRO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE BEST MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, F SAN LEANDRO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALI- FORNIA.

SIDEHILIl-I-IARVESTER.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

Application led July 2, 1909. serial No. 505,741.

To all whom-tt may com am: Be it known that I, CLARENCE LEO BEST, citizen of the United States, residing at San Leandro, in the county of Alameda and 5 State of. California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sidehill- Harvesters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to combined harvesters adaptedy to operate on uneven ground or sidehills.

It especially relates to the class of machines which derive their progressive power from horses.

The main object of the present invention its to provide constructions to meet the difficulties peculiar to the horse'sidehill harvesters and incidentally some of those common to other types. The field of operation v of this class of apparatus and surrounding 'conditions are peculiarly adverse and unfavorable and these combined cutting, thresh ing, cleaning and sacking, devices are necessarily ponderous, complicated and costly mechanisms. This problem generally stated,

which it is the object of the present invention to accomplish, is to provide a machine propellable by horses capable of cutting, threshing, cleaning and sacking grain under the -usual eondltions in a better `manner and at a less cost than heretofore, also needing a minimum of supervision. Owing to the great bulk of the materials to pass through such machines and the large areas 35 which must be traversed to make these costly machines commercially available they are necessarily of great weight. Cutting, threshin and cleaning to be eective involve hlgh speed in the working parts.

40 This isespecially so of the peripheral travel of the thresher cylinder. These two conditions involving weight of the machine and s leed of the moving parts bring about the e ect that comparative small percentage l of the motive power is employed in the ac.-

tual work of cutting, threshing, cleaning v and sacking.` Probably 90% of the work is absorbed in maintainin the travel of the machine andthe spee of the operating mechanism, especially the threshing cylind r. In practice, little or no difference is distinguishable, in the traction ofthese machines, running empty and in heavy grain.

The factors, weight and friction, thus may become essential elements, and in practice are of vital moment, frequently determining success or failure.

One of the objects of the present invention is to materially reduce traction expenditure and diminish destructive strains.

Of the many difficulties encountered in practice, not lthe least is the necessity of crossing, while in operation, dead-furrows, ditches, and other abrupt depressions; steeply rolling land, hog-Wallow land, andan infinite variety of other forms of sharply uneven-surfaced land. Thus in a machine intended to harvest practically all land which can be commercially cultivated, the capability of rapid adjustability to surface contour is a commercial sine gua non. To provide controllable, power-operated adjustment between the large cooperating elements, to meet these conditions is an important object of the present invention. As the threshin machines available for this class of work involve screens, conveyers and other gravity devices, it is necessary that the surface-contour adjustability should be of a character to maintain the thresher-cleaner parts transversely horizontal, regardless of the ground slope. And this maintenance of the vertical position of the thresher must not prevent the cutting mechanism from following the varying angle of the surface nor the varying heightof the grain. To keep the thresher vertical while the ground angle varies is of curse equivalent to changing the anular relation of the thresher to the round. bo, though in reality the thresher oes not change from its vertical position, it must constantly, by adjustment, change its angle to the rest of the machine in order to preserve its perpendicularity.4 For this reason, in addition to those mentioned, it is important to successful operation that not but thls adjustability must be of a character to maintain the thresher `unchanged in its vertical position. vTo accomplish this etliciently is another important object of the present invention.

The importance of reducing the draft in ber of horses increases, the skill necessary to handle them increases in much faster ratio; Men capable of driving ten to twelve horses are comparatively plenty-.those equally Skilled'with twentyto forty horses are so scarce as. to render machines requiring this horse power, no matter how otherwise efficient, of exceedingly small availability and' use. And,in this same connection,the drivers seat being necessarily high'with unobstructed outlook, he is best situated to control the height of the cut. Thus if the number of the horses necessary could be reduced so as not to occupy the drivers whole attention and further if the power needed to adjust the height of the sickle could be derived from the horses he could control this part of the operation. Under these conditions, better work would be done for vthe driver controls the speed of the team, and consequently the feed of the machine.

This arrangement too would effect the saving of one whole man, a matter of the highest importance in harvest time apart from its direct economy.

The. foregoing indicates another important object of the present invention, namely, to provide a combined harvester adapted to be completely controlled and operated by a crew of two men,--a driver and a sacksewer, an accomplishment heretofore deemed impossible.

In some respects horses are a superior motor for this character of device and operation than traction engines. For the reasons hereinbefore referred to, a great excess of power, over the normal, is required to start this character of machine into effective motion. llt .is here that the essential difference between horse Iand engine traction becomes of practical' moment. The traction engine must be made lsufficiently powerful and heavy to furnish at all times the maximum power needed even though this be required Only for a few moments of start-ing, and the power thereafter needed is but a fraction of this. A smallv team on the contrary will for the minute of Starting apply a -force many times greater than they could maintain as a. steady effort. This is precisely Awhat is needed inthe present instance.

Steam has however to. a large extent displaced horses as'the. motor for combinedharvesters owing to the almost insurmountable ditticulties in the way of utilizing teams of more than twelve to sixteen horses. This suggests another object of the invention, which is, to so construct and arrange the illustration.

able form or material. this frame is a supporting and driving -in their effects and consequences are so far reaching and important as to constitute the device of this invention a type by itself.

The foregoing described objects are accomplished by 'the devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view, portions of the structure being removed for clearness of Fig. 2 is an endl elevation lin which some of the parts are omitted and others are shown in section. Fig. 8 is a front elevation showing the arrangement of the sickle raising devicein relation to the drivers seat. Fig. l is a detail, ona larger scale, showing the driving connections of the threshing cylinder. F ig. 5 is a detail on a larger scale, showing the driving mechanisrn for the header also its supporting and `position maintaining devices. Fig. 6 is a scription not essential to the present disi,

closure, which relates principally'to means by which thesel elements are maintained in relation to each other and by which power and motion are effectively given to their working parts, it is not necessary to describe these large cooperating elements in detail.

The description hereafter therefore will be restricted largely to the devices and arrangements peculiar to my invention.'

Referring to the drawings l is a frame or foundation for supporting the threshing and cleaning structure. It may be of any suit- Journaled in or on wheel or main-wheel 2. Extending beneath the frame transversely thereof and,4 substantially at right angles thereto, is an axle-bar 3 of a second supporting and driving wheel or grain-wheel 4t which is j ournaled thereon. The end of bar 3, opposite from the grainwheel 4, lis hinged or flexibly connected to the. frame .il preferably at oradjacent to the l plane of rot-ation of wheel 2. I usually place the hinge intermediate of the sides of the wheel. Extending angularly forward from a point near the grain-wheel 4 on bar 3 is a strongy brace 5 the outer end of which is hinged or exibly connected to frame 1 forward of wheel 2 and on the same side of and the prolongation of one side of the bar 5 constitutes a bearing for said axle 3 of the grain wheel 4. These parts constitute a powerful brace for the frame, as will be appreciated. i

Attlie forward end of the main frame or foundation is located a suitable guiding and supporting wheel 6 intermediate of and substantially equi-distant from wheels 2 and 4. Thus there is formed, for the support of the thi'eslier or separator a symmetrically disposed triangular wheel-base, having a guidewheel at the apex and a traction power transmitting vwheel at each of lthe base angles, with the further characteristic that one 'of the'base `wheels is vertically movable, with reference to the other.

Extending upwardly, preferably from and strongly secured to the frame 1 and adjacent torwheel 4 above the axle-bar 3, is an abutment frame 7, Fig. 2, whichI show in the form of a guide for and upon which is slidably mounted an abutment block 8. Connecting this block with the axle-bar 3 at a point adjacent to the wheel 4 is a strong link or brace 9. Means are also provided for varying the position of the block 8 upon its guide which I have shown as a screw 1() paralleling the abutment guide 7, in which guide'the screw maybe journaled. The block 8 is provided with threads fitting the screw 10 to effect their relative movement. In the drawings Figs. 2 and 6, I have shown the screw 10 as rotatable and provided at its upper end with a bevel gear 11. .Means are provided for effecting the rotation of screw 10l in either direction at will from any suitable power transmitting partiofthe device. I have shown this screw driving mechanism as a rotating shaft 12 which derives its rotation through any suitable connection from the wheel 2. Upon shaft 12 are gears 13 and 13 adapted to be thrown into and out of driving engagement with gear 11, on opposite sides thereof. Means are also provided for this engagement of gears 13 and 13 with gear 11 at will, shown as a handle 14. An automatic disengaging device may also be provided to limit the verticalvtravel of abutment block 8, which I have shown as a bell-crank 15 connected to handle 14 at its pivot 16. A tapped arm 17 is provided attached to block 8 or traveling therewith. A rod or link 18 hangs from the bell-crank y15 adjacent to the path of travel of ta pet arm 17, and on the rod 18 on opposite si es of the arm 17 are tappets 19 and. 19 adjustably attached on rod 18 in the path oftravel of the arm 17, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. Extending forwardly from. the pivot of arm 14 and to which this arm -is securely attached I usually provide a shaft in suitably supported boxes, and also a second operating handle 20 within reach of the driver from his seat and likewise within reach of the sack-sewer from his posit-ion as shown in Figs. 3 and 6.

The grain cutter and thresher-feeder called the header is of ordinary form eX- cept in those features which I will now describe. In this connection it should be noted that the thresher-machine hase constitutes an entirely self-supporting and symmetrical wheel-base of triangular form, capable ofI maintaining the vertical position of the thresher on uneven ground without assist.- ance from the header frame or other source. I utilize this peculiarity to relieve tlielieader frame of the necessity of carrying a portion of the weight of the thresher or resisting the racking strains incident thereto. The header frame therefore may be made lighter t-han it could be if called upon to erform a carrying function in addition to its proper dut-ies. The thresher side of the header is hung to and supported upon horizontally movable connection or radius arm 21. Arm 21 projects forwardly from .the axle-bar 3 to which it is pivotally attached. Intermediate of its ends arm 21 isprovided with a roller which rests upon a supporting plate or track 23 secured upon brace 5, as shown in the detail Fig. 5. The outer or grain side of the header is supported by a wheel 24, Fig. 1.

As has heretofore been pointed out, the maintenance of a vertical position in the thresher on unequally varying ground contours is equivalent to an actual oscillatory movement of the thresher with regard to its base l Such oscillatory movement would naturally affect the relation of the header grain-elevator-spout to the grain receiver of the thresher or feeder-house while cutting on an upwardly sloping sidehill. This would, if not provided for, frequently project tlie grain-spout so far into the feederhouse of the thresher as to materially diminish the available space and render it insulicient in heavy grain. To obviate this difficulty lI provide the radius link 25, one end of which is hinged to the frame 1 and the other end is attached to the header, as

shown in Fig. 1 and also in detail Fi 5. The supports of the header thus described form a pivot upon which the front end of the header with its sickle may be raised and lowered to effect a higher or lower cut. These means are here shown, as illust-rated in Fig. 3, to consist of a lever 26 pivoted transversely of the thresher at the front end thereof at 27 a point preferably dividing the lever 26 into unequal lengths. To the longer arm of the lever and depending therefrom is loosely attached an eye-bolt 28 provided with a spring 29, between the eye of the bolt and the lever. This eye-bolt is connected by a link 30 to a convenient attachment at the front of the header frame, preferably somewhat in advance of the sickle-bar. Connected with the other end of the lever 26 is a substantially similar arrangement of power-driven screw and nut, as that described forv raising and lowering the brace link 9. The guide frame may however be omitted. Handles are provided for throwing the power-driven bevel gears into and out of engagement with the screw. These handles, respectively 31 and 82 extend as shown in Fig. 3,-to within convenient reach of both the driver and the sack-sewer.

rlhe main-wheel 2 is provided with an intei-nal gear 38 which meshes int-o and drives a pinion 34 upon a short ack-shaft or transmission shaft 35 ournaled on frame 1. Upon the shaft 85 is also secured-a large chainwheel or sprocket-wheel 36 in driving connection with a pinion 87 secured upon the shaft 38 of the threshing cylinder 39 which is located and journaled in the thresher, `as clearly shownl in Figs. 2 and 4.

The various moving parts of the header, as shown in F ig. 1 and in the enlarged detail Fig. 5, receive their motion froma jackshaft 4() journaled on the header frame adjacent to its connection with the thresher frame. Upon the shaft 40 is slidably secured a sprocket-pinion 41 in driving association, by means of a chain, with alarge sprocket-wheel 42 secured to the grain-wheel 4. A radius-arm 43 pivoted horizontally on brace 5 extends forwardly therefrom and engages with a'grooved hub 44 of pinion 41.

In operation and as slope of the ground varies, transversely of the machine, one of the gears 13-13 is thrown into engagement with 1l, raising or lowering the abutment block 8 on the screw 10 as the slope requires, and thus .maintaining the thresheiI in vertical position. As the brace 9 is supported by the 'axle-bar '3 the weight of the thresher is borne directly by the wheel 4 and the line of stress is confined in a plane substantially co-incident with the vertical movement of the yaxle-bar of wheel 4. Thus all'longitudinal strains or the racking and twisting of the thresher or thresherhousing from this source is avoided. As the block 8 is guided in the frame 7 the screw 10 is relieved from all but longitudinal strains which `it is naturally adapted to resist. These parts can therefore be reduced in size and weight. The in, or

`thresher side of the header, by the described connections is also borne by the axle-bar 3 independent of the .thresher or thresherhousing.- l

By the described means the adjustment of'the thresher to the slope and the raising and lowering of the sickle to vary the height of the cut as occasion requires may be effected by the driver employing the handles adjacent to his seat or by the sacksewer through the handle near his location A vis a slight preponderance of weight on the forward or sickle end. This excess is sustained by the link-bolt 28 and lever 26. The link-bolt 28 as described, is free to lift upward without affecting the position of the lever. rlhe function and object of this arrangement is to provide for the automatic raising of the sickle when encountering a hummock, rock, or other relatively small obstruction. The spring 29 under these circumstances acts as a cushion and returns the sickle to its normal position, and permits these automatic adjustments to occur without injurious jar v.to the header mechanism.

lt has been found in practice that a peripheral speed of 5000 ft. per minute and over, is desirable for the threshing cylinder. The practice in combined harvesters heretofore has been to secure this speed by high rotational velocity imparted v,to a cylinder of small diameter. This practice has been fraught with difficulties and loss. To it is due some of the practical troubles in utilizing horses, and it is also responsible for much of the power and time wastage which it is part of the object of the present invention to overcome and avoid. As the rotational speed of the traction wheels is necessarily slow, seldom more than 1Q to 12 revolutions per minute, high rotational speed in the thresher cylinder, under the conditions of practice, involves several speed increasing shafts and pulleys with consequent loss of power in their journals and other pointsof frictiona'l contact. 'The large diameter cylinder of the present disclosure with its direct driving connection operates in a manner differentv from the small highrotative-speed cylinder of ordinary practice and performs functions practically impossible to the latter. And it eliminates mechanism` heretofore needed to perform some of these functions. Owing to the Hatter arc of the large diameter cylinder the feeder throat is greatly increased in available height, and a much greater effective area of cylinder` is presented to the grain straw with consequent elimination' of 'liability to choke,

vas frequently happens with the small throat of small diameter high rotative speed cylinder. The necessity of beaters, feeders, and the like, other than the traveling floor draper areeliminated from the feeder-house thus reducing the feeder-house'to its simplest terms,- which is a most desirable result,

power consuming mechanisms.

The supporting and motion limiting devices for the thresher-side of the header as itdispenses with fragile, rapid moving,

frame, that is 21-21-25 and 43 a direct 130 in the header while accommodating itself to uneven ground and without disarrangement of its driving connection with the relatively less movable source of power and motion. The arm 43 by its engagement with the groove 44 holds the sprocket-wheel 41 in proper relation to the sprocket-wheel 42 while permitting endwisemotion of the shaft 40 with the header frame.

Great flexibility between the header and thresher is effected by arrangements just referred to, and this with the described devices for maintaining the thresher vertical permit both the thresherand header structures to be very materially lightened in Weight without any sacrifice of requisite strength. The arrangement for power control so greatly increases the facility of operation that two men can handle the machine effectively.` Thus all the stated objects of the invention are accomplished ',by means of simple and practical devices.

What I claim is l l. A side-hill harvester comprising a thresher mounted on a leveling base with main-wheel and g1ain-wheel,an axle-bar for the grain wheel which extends beneath the thresher and is hinged adjacent to the main-wheel and intermediate the sides of the main wheel, means to maintain the vertical position `of the thresher on hillsides consisting of mechanismadapted lto effect the hinge movement of the axle-bar on its hinge, and means to cut and feed grain or the like to the thresher.

2. A side-hill harvester comprlsing a thresher -mounted on a leveling base with a main-wheel and a grain-wheel, an axle-bar for the grain wheel which extends beneath the thresher and is hinged adjacent to the main wheel, means to maintain the vertical position of the thresher on sidehills consisting of a screw adapted to effect the hinge movement of the axle-bar onits hinge, and means to cut and feed grain or the like to the thresher. v

3. A side-hill harvester comprising a thresher mounted on a leveling base with main-wheel and grain-wheel, an axle-bar for the grain wheel which extends beneath the thresher and is hinged adjacent to the main-wheel, means to maintain the vertical position of the thresher on hillsides consisting of a rotatable screw and an abutment-block movable thereby, a guide for the block, a link-brace between the block and axle-bar to effect the hinge movement of the axle-bar on its hinge, and means to cut and feed grain or the liketo the thresher.

i 4. A side-hill harvester comprising. a thresher mounted on 4a leveling base wlth main-wheel and grain-wheel, an axle-bar for the grain-wheel, which extends beneath the thresher and is hinged adjacent to the main wheel, means to maintain the vertical position of the thresher on hillsidesconsisting of a rotatable screw and an abutment movable thereby, a guide for the abutment, a

link between the abutment and axle-bar, power connections engagcable at will to effect the rotation of the screw and the hinge movement of the axle-bar on its hinge, and means to cut and feed grain or the like to the thresher.

5. A side-hill harvester comprising, a thresher mounted on a frame, a main-wheel and a guide-wheel journaled on the frame, a grain-wheel journaled on an axle-bar which extends beneath the frame and is hinged thereto, a brace attached to the axlebar and which extends forwardly to a hinge whereby it -is connected to the frame, connections between the frame and axle-bar adapted to effect the hinge movement of the axle-bar on its hinge and maintain the position of the thresher, and means tocut and feed grain or the like to the thresher.

6. A side-hillI harvester com rising, a

thresher mounted on a leveling ase with main-wheel, grain-wheel and guide-wheel, an axle-bar for the grain-wheel which eX- tends 4beneath the thresher and is hinged adjacent to the main-wheel, means to maintain the vertical position of the thresher on hillsides by hinge movement of the axle-bar, a header to'cut and feed grain or the like to the thresher to which it is attached by 4a link, and flexible attachlnents to the` axlebar to support the header. 7.' A side-hill harvester, comprisin a thresher mounted on a frame, a main-w eel and a guide-wheel journaled on the frame, a grain-wheel journaled on an axle-bar hinged to the frame, a header to cut and feed grain or the like to the thresher supported upon a horizontally movable connection projecting from the' axle-bar to support the header.

8. A side-hill harvester comprising, a thresher with a side opening feeder-house and mounted on a wheel base, an axle-bar for the grain-wheel ofthe base which is hinged to permit of its vertical arc movement, means to maintain the vertical position of the thresher by the hinge movement of the axle-bar, a header having a feederspout to carry ain through the feederhouse opening,'a orizontal arm between the header and axle-bar and a vertical arm between header and thresher whereby through the co-action of the two arms the header is supported and the position of the feederspout is controlled. i

9. A side hill harvester comprising a thresher mounted on a leveling base with a main wheel and a grain wheel, an axle bar for the grain wheel which extends beneath the thresher transversely of the longitudinal axis thereof and is hinged adjacent the main wheel .adjacentthe end of the axle thereof, means to maintain the vertical position of the threslier on hillsides by the hinged movement of the axle-bar, a threshing cylinder on a rotatable shaft, power connections for driving the cylinder consisting of an internal gear on the main wheel, a

counter shaft joiirnaled on the frame, a pin-,

ion on the counter-shaft meshing'witli the gear, a sprocket-wheel on the counter-shaft, a sprocket-pinion on the cylinder shaft, a sprocket-chain directly connecting the sprocket wheel and. pinion, and means to cut and feed grain or the like to the o vlinder.

10. A side hill harvester comprising a thresher,` a wheel base therefor including a thresher supporting frame, a main wheel, a grain wheel journaled on an axle bar hinged tothe frame adjacent to the main wheel, a header flexibly connected to the thresher frame to cut and feed grain to the thresher, power connections between the inain wheel and thresher for operating the latter, and power connections between the grain wheel and header for operating the latter.

11. -A side hill harvester comprising a thresher, a wheel base therefor including a thresher supporting frame, a main wheel, a grain wheel journaled on an axle bar hinged to the frame adjacent to the main wheel, a header flexibly connected to the thresher frame to cut andfeed grain to the thresher, power 'connections between the main wheel and thresher for loperating; the latter, power connections between the grain wheel and header for operatingthe latter,

and means for raising and lowering the sickle end of the header whereby the height of the cut may be varied. i

12. A wheel-base for side-hill harvesters comprising, a threslier-supporting-frame, a mainswheel and a guide-wheel journaled on the frame, a grain-wheel journaled on an axle-bar hinged to the frame adjacent to the main-wheel, and means for effecting the hinge movement of theaXle-bar on its hinge.

18. A- wheel-base for side-hill harvesters comprising, a threshensupporting-frame, a main-wheel and a guide-wheel journaled on the frame, a grain-wheel journaled on an axle-bar hinged to the frame adjacent to the main-wheel, a vertically movable brace-link attached to the axle-bar and connecting it to power means for effecting the hinge movement of the axle bar.

14. A wheel-base for side-hill harvesters comprising, a threslier-supporting-frame, a main-wheel and a guide-wheel journaled on the frame, a grain-wheel journaled on anv axle-har hinged to the frame adjacent to the main-wheel and movable in a plane at right latter, power connections between the grain. j

wheel and header for operating the latter, and means for raising and lowering the sickle end of the header whereby the height of the cut may be varied, consisting of engageable and Adisengageable power connections whereby the height of the cut is varied at will.

16. A side hill harvester comprising a tliresher mounted ona leveling base with a main Wheel and a grain wheel separated laterally from one another, an axle bar projecting between the respective wheels intermediate the sides thereof and beneath the thresher, the grain wheel being mounted on the axle bar at one end thereof and the opposite end of the axle bar being pivoted at a point adjacent the end of the axle of thel main wheel, a brace bar projecting-at an angle forwardly fromthe axle bar adjacent its point of connection with the grain wheel and pivoted to the frame to swing vertically at a point in substantial alinementwith the main wheel, and means for adjust-in g the axle bar vertically comprising a pivoted link connected to the bar, and means for adjusting said lilik vertically.

In testimony whereof I have signed my naine to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CLARENCE Lno BEsfi.

Witnesses:

1F. O. Mareas, H. C. BARTON.

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