US1218532A - Beet-harvesting machine. - Google Patents

Description

c. I. DUNBLAZIE R.

BEET HARVESTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 7. 1915.

1,218,532. Patented Mar. 6,1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

("June/for, Jul/$ 7,462

C. l. DUNBLAZIER.

BEET HARVESTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION men JULY'T, 1915.

1,218,532. Patented Mar.6,1917-.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2- C. l. DUNBLAZIER. BEET HARVESTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 7. I915.

1,21 8,532. Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

C. l. DUNBLAZIERL BEET HARVESTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 7. 1915 1,218,532. Patented Mar. 6,1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4- 1 Swuwrwtoz we/mm H C. l. DUNBLAZIER.

BEET HARVESTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 7. 1915.

1,21 8,532. 7 1 Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

I CHARLES I.'DU1\TBLAZIER, F MOLINE, ILLINOIS.

BEET-HARVESTIN G MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

Application filed July 7, 1915. Serial No. 38,535.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES I. DUN- BLAZIER, a citizen of the United States, re siding at Moline, in the county of Rock Island and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Beet-Harvesting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in beet harvesting machines. 1

An object of the invention is to provide and arrange in a single organization 'or machine the following sub-mechanisms: First, a means for extracting the beets from the soil; second, a means for removing adhering clods of earth from the extracted beets; third, a means for conveying the thus cleaned beets onto a secondary or guide conveyer, fourth, a means for topping the beets and directing the severed or removed-tops into a suitable receptacle therefor; and finally, a means for collecting the topped beets whereby to provide for subsequent deposit, in piles, while harvesting.

The invention may be said to consist in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed'out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, annexed:

Figure l is a side elevation of my improved beet harvesting machine, one of the side conveyer plates having been removed;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the machine;

I Fig. 3 is a top plan view;

Fig. 4 is arear end View, the top collector having'been removed;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view illustrating the -secondary or guide conveyer support;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the support means shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the means utilized to drive the machine parts through forward movement of the machine;

Fig. 8 is a detail view of the cutter or topping mechanism;

Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of one of the plows;

Fig. 10 is a detail side elevation of one of the guide plates; and

Fig. 11 is an end view of the mentioned plates. v

Like numerals of reference designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views.

In view of the fact that the several submechanisms before mentioned each contain certain novel features, I shall proceed to describe said sub-mechanisms in the order in which they have been named.

Proceeding now with a detail description of the various parts,.1 designates the main frame of the machine from the forward end of which plow beams or standards 2 are hung to depend, the said beams or standards extending forwardly at an inclination to terminate at a point in proximity to the ground. A plow or plow blade 3 is aflixed to the forward end of each beam 2, the blades, there being two, being opposed and set or positioned to extend rearwardly at an inclination,'the landside of each plow blade afiording a guide means whereby the disrupted beets may be directed onto the inclined guide or conveyer rods to be hereinafter fully described.

Traction wheels 4 support the machine and at the same time afford a means whereby the power necessary to operation of the various machine parts is generated. The wheels 4 are mounted on an axle 5. The hub 6 of each wheel 4 is recessed and provided .with ratchet teeth 7. A disk 8 is keyed or otherwise secured to the axle 5 and recessed at diametrically opposite points or as indicated at 9 to afford an operating space for a spring actuated pivoted pawl 10, each 0 the mentioned diametrically opposed pawls engaging the teeth-7 of the hub structure 6 whereby to rotate the axle 5 only during movement of the machine in one direction (forwardly) Comparatively small combined supporting and guide wheels 11 are mounted at the forward endof the frame, each of the mentioned guide wheels beingindependently sup- P rted. Guide plates 12, arcuately grooved as indicated at 13, are secured as at 14, one at each side of the main frame 1. A hearing block 15 is aflixed to each guide plate to move therewith andto support a vertical shaft 16 which in turn affords a support for one of the guide Wheels 11. An upright arched supporting frame 17 is mounted at the forward end of the main frame, each extension of the said arched frame being equipped with a guide 18 which is adapted to fit the groove 13 in the guide plate 12 therefor. A second bearing block 19 is affixed to the extension of the arched frame, within which bearing block the mentioned vertical shaft 16 is j ournaled.

From the foregoing construction and arrangement of parts it, is evident that the main frame 1 and the parts aflixed thereto may be adjusted vertically, and, during adjustment, guided by the plates 12. To control or regulate this adjustment, I have mounted on the arched frame 17, for pivotal movement, an operating lever 20 in the nature of a bell crank the handle end of the the operators seat 21 and the opposite end at a point forwardly of the mentioned frame.

The forwardly extended end of the lever 20 is connected by means of a rod 22 with the guide plates 12. If desired, an arm 23 may be affixed in any suitable manner to move with the extensions of the lever 20, said arm having connection as indicated at 24 with the other of the mentioned guide plates 12.

-A quadrant 25 may be associated with the lever 20 and aflixed to the arched frame 17 to maintain the main frame 1 against movement subsequent to adjustment through manipulation of the lever. The adjustment of the frame, in the manner hereinbefore disclosed, will provide for movement of the plow blade 3 into and out of penetrating engagement with the ground to in this manner vary the depth of furrow made during a beet extracting operation as occasion may demand.

The arched frame 17 is held in a substan tially vertical position through the medium of brace rods 26, one at each side of the machine, the rods being pivotally connected at one end to the main frame or as indicated at 27 and at their opposite ends as at 28 to a bracket or casting 29 movable longitudinally of the arched frame. A draft @ngu'e 30 is connected by means of a yoke 30' to the respective brackets 29 just described.

During advancement or forward movement of the machine it is evident that the beets will be extracted and, by such forward movement, directed upwardly and onto a plurality of fixed uniformly spaced combined guide and conveyer rods 31, the said rods, as shown to advantage in Fig. 1, ex-

' tending from the plow'3 to a point 31 where of the upright frame 32. A second sprocket 37 is mounted on the shaft 36 over which sprocket a chain 38 operates to drive three sprockets, designated respectively 39, 40 and 41. Sprocket 39 ismounted on a shaft 42, sproket 40 on a shaft 43 and sprocket 41 on a shaft 44, the latter, shaft 44 being rotatable to drive an endless conveyer 45 mounted to operate at an inclination above and in proximity to a similarly inclined endless conveyer 46 in turn driven through the medium of the shaft 43. The upright frame portion 32 is braced as indicated at 47 and also as indicated at 48, the latter brace beam extending forwardly of the upright at an inclination to a point where it is affixed to the main frame 1 in proximity to the guide plate 12 secured thereto. The brace beams 48 (there being two) support a shaft 49 over which the endless conveyer 45 operates at the forward point. The conveyer 46 at its 7 the conveyer 45 and directly above the rods 2.

31, said conveyer being equipped with hooks 51 which, during operation of the conveyer, engage with the leaves of the beet plant to aid and assist in the movement of the extracted beets upwardly, rearwardly and onto the conveyer 46. The last mentioned conveyer 51, is driven by a chain 52 operatingat one end over a sprocket mounted on the shaft 44 and at its opposite end over a shaft 53 journaled in bearings carried by the brace beam48. The forward end of this last'mem tioned conveyer operates over a shaft 54 adjustable through operation of the mechanism 55 toward and from the shaft 53, said shaft 54 and the mechanism 55 being carried by an extension 56 projecting forwardly of the main frame 1. To preclude lateral displacement of the extracted beets during conveyance by the conveyers 46 and 45, guide plates 56 have been provided, the mentioned plates 7 being aflixed to the frame'portions 47 and 48 to extend at approximately the same angle as the said conveyers.

Passing on to a description of the secondary or guide conveyer, 57 designates'a shaft 1 mounted at the rear of the machine and driven indirectly through rotation of the sprocket 33. A chain 58 is mounted to operate over a sprocket 59 mounted on shaft 42 and over a sprocket 60 mounted on shaft 57,

' tirety is moved relatively to the rear axle through manipulation of the lever 20, such movement gaging the depth of furrow made by the plow blade 3 during operation of the machine.

In reduction to practice, I have found that the form of my invention illustrated in the drawings and referred to 1n the above description, as the preferred embodiment, is the most eflicient and practical; yet realizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my device will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize the fact that various minor changes in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, when required, without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a beet topping machine, topping mechanism including a pair of opposed endless conveyers, said conveyers being inclined toward each other with their adjacent ends lowermost to form a trough, said conveyers being also both inclined rearwardly and downwardly to receive the beets there on, and direct them tops downward, and a cutter positioned at the lower ends of the conveyer and movable transversely thereof to sever the tops from the beets.

2. In a beet harvesting machine, topping mechanism including a pair of opposed endless conveyers, a frame for each conveyer, each frame having a stationary roller to support one end of the conveyer, a second roller for supporting the opposite end of the conveyer, means for permitting sliding movement of said second roller, resilient means acting upon said second roller to stretch the conveyer, the frame being inclined to direct the conveyers toward each' other with their adjacent ends lowermost to form a trough, said frame being also inclined in the same degree downward andrearwardly' to receive the beets and dlreot such arrangement causing the latter shaft to be driven in unison with the several conveyer shafts heretofore described. Said shaft 57 is rotatable to actuate the topper or cutter.

Shaft 42 previously mentioned is equipped with opposed or oppositely beveled gears 61 and 62, each gear meshing with a like gear 63, the last mentioned gears 63, being in turn rotatable to operate opposed inclined combined guide conveyers 64. Each conveyer 64 is mounted to operate over rollers 65 positioned triangularly, that portion of the frame designated 66 supporting the rollers in the manner desired. The lowermost roller 65 is yieldingly movable toward and from the remaining rollers, springs 67 engaging at one end the frame 66 and at their opposite ends movable supports 68 for said lowermost roller, permitting of such yielding movement. By the provision of the springs 67 it is evident that the conveyers 64 (said conveyers being preferably made of canvas or the like material) may be at all times held taut and in such cotiperative relation as to gradually shift the extracted beets directed thereto toward the cutting implement subsequently to be described.

The cutting mechanism, shown to advantage in Fig. 8, is located directly behind the conveyers 64 and in such relation to the space between the coiiperating conveyers as to cut or sever the beet tops as they are fed toward the lower end thereof. Said topping or cuttin mechanism is directl driven.

through rotation of the shaft 57. A bevel gear 69 is mounted on the shaft 57, said gear being in mesh with a like gear 70 mounted I on a stub shaft 71. A reciprocatory rod 72 is connected to the gear at a point designated 78 adjacent the periphery of the mentioned gear, the opposite end of the rod having pivotal connection as at 74 with the shank 75 of the cutter blade 76, such connection between the blade and the gear 70 providing for reciprocatory movement of the blade transversely of the space between the conveyers 64. Guide boards 77 direct movement of the blade 76 during its reciprocatory movement.

Upon reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings it is apparent that the conveyers 64 operate at an inclination and in a plane below the discharge end of the conveyer 46, this arrangement directing the extracted beets onto the conveyers 64 and, during movement of the conveyer belt in the opposite direction causing the beet tops to work gradually into the space between the cotiperating conveyers so as to be fed, one at a time, to the reciprocatory blade 76. -As the tops are cut or severed, it is evident that the conveyers will direct the thus severed tops to a point beneath the conveyers Where they may fall by gravity onto the ground or into a receptacle therefor (not shown) to be aflixed to the main frame 1. A siding plate 78 may be affixed to the upright frame portion 32, one plate at each side of the conveyers 64, to preclude lateral displacement of the beets during conveyance.

As the topped beets fall by gravity from the conveyers 64, said beets will, by the arrangement of a discharge chute 79, fall thereon. Said chute 79 is of a construction whereby to direct the topped beets to one side of the machine and against an end gate 80 hinged to the chute as at 81. Upon the delivery of a quantity of beets to the discharge chute 7 9, the end gate 80 may be released-to automatically open (the Weight of the collected beets acting as the operating force) to discharge the topped beets in a pile at one side of the machine. Said end gate.80 is normally maintained in a closed position through the medium of a spring fastening device 82 aflixed to the main frame 1 in proximity to the operators seat 21 so as to be conveniently operated by foot pressure. Said retaining or fasteningdevice 82 operates in connection with a foot pedal 83 in turn connected by a rod 84 to a flexible element 85. Said element 85 operates over a sheave or pulley 86 mounted at one ,side of the discharge chute and connected at its opposite end to a fulcrum rod 87 in turn directly connected as at. 88 with the end gate. By releasing the foot pedal, that is, removing the fastening device engaged therewith, it is evident that the end gate may open, the weight of the collected beets, as before pointed out, operating automatically to swing the said gate upon its hinges. To close the gate it is but necessary to exert pressure on the pedal 83 and reestablish the engagement between the pedal and the men'- tioned fastening device.

If desired, the various parts constituting the harvesting machine may be thrown into and out of operative relation with the driving rear axle 5 through the agency of a suitable clutch mechanism designated as an entirety by the numeral 89. Said clutch mechanism may include a clutch member 90 fixed to the axle and a clutch member 91 movable into and out of engagement with the first mentioned clutch member, the clutch members when engaging one with the other causing the machine parts to be operated. The last mentioned clutch member 9] is equipped with a ring or band 92 to which is pivot ally connected as at 93 a link' 94 provided with a slot (not shown) within which the offset portion 95 of a crank arm 96 operates. Said arm 96 is journaled in bearings 97 thereforand extends at an angle as at 98 to provide a handle operable to actuate the movable clutch. I

From the foregoing, taken in connect-ion with the accompanying drawings it is ap parent that the beets acted on will be ex-

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