US1940908A - Guard finger and ledger plate for mowing machines - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 26, 1933. R FARRIS 1,940,903

GUARD FINGER AND LEDGER PLATE FOR MOWING MACHINES Filed July 24 1931 INVENTOR' John RFarris 472M 9 Cw/z A TTORNEYS.

guard finger and .to be'u'sed as parts of the cutting apparatus of a mowing-machine;

Patented Dec. 26, 1933 IPATENT" OFFICE GUARD FINGER AND LEDGER PLATE FOR MOWING MACHINES m B. Farris, Salt Lake City, Utah Application July 24, 1931. SerialNo. 552,924 4" Claims. (01. 56-311) This invention comprises novel improvements a ledger plate means adapted The mowingmachine comprises, as 'usual, the

. necessary instrumentalities to operatethe cutting "mowed; The ledger plates under the above conscrews to" the guard finger.

knife or sickle bar with itscustomary means for lifting and shifting the cutting apparatus. These details of the mowing-machine are Omitted from the drawing, as they form no part of this invention other than they are used in combination with the uard finger and the ledger plate.

For theguard fingers such as nowu'sed, the

to or fastened with t I The known object of' the ledger plate isto provide'a cutting edge ledger plateis either riveted 'to'meet the cutting edge of'the knife or sickle bar mounted ciprocating in on the cutting apparatus, and rethe guard fingers through the in- "strumentalities for the actuating means.

" It is well known that the ledger plates become dull and incapacitated through use, and also broken or nickedby coming into contact with gravel andfrocks encountered in the movement of the mowing-machine over the surface being 'ditions must be removed and replaced by new one's;'if the mowing machine is to perform its functions 'eifectually.

To replac the' ledg er plates; now commonly used is an irksome task, due to the rivets or screws, because rivets mu'stbe chopped oif and driven out, and screws become rusted in the structure, and sometime the heads are broken off in endeavoring'to remove them.

The object of this invention is to overcome this difiiculty, and to improve the mounting and removal of the ledger plates. In the practice of my invention, the ledger plates may be removed or mounted in a very short interval of time, and with very ordinary and simple tools, such as a punch, chisel or fiat elongated piece of metal, or other suitable tool.

This invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of my improvements are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views.

Figure 1 is a top view of a guard'finger with the ledger plate mounted therein.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken about line 2-'-2 in Figure 1, showing the means for connecting the .ledger plate to the guard finger.

Figure 3 is a sectional frag'mentary view of a interposition ,ofa tool therein and thereunder,

with a hammer adjacent one of the tools, to illustrate the simple method of mounting orv removing the ledger plate.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of the guard finger and ledger plate taken on line 4-4 Figure 1 showing the relation of the ledger plate to the guardfinger. V,

' In the drawing forming apart of this specification I have shown the guard finger A in which the ledger plate B is removably mounted therein.

The guard finger is provided with an aperture 1, adapted to receive a rivet or other suitable member for the purpose of securing the guard finger in fixed'relation to its associate part or parts. of the mowing-machine. Adjacent the pointed end of the guard finger there is provided .a pocket or receiving socket 2, the lower wall or floor 3 of which is provided with a curvature or contour 4 leading upwardly in thev guard finger. A. The upper integral wall 5 of the socket extends from before backward, and is so positioned that it forms a transverse slot 6with theledger plateB when mounted in the guard finger.-

This transverse slot is provided to receive the sickle or knife that may be'reciprocated therein. Adjacent the entrance of the pocket or receiving socket there is placed a downwardly extending and transverse rib '7, this rib is adapted to form a fulcrum or support against which the ledger plate rests when mounted in the guard fingerv and tending to force the rear end of the plate1downwardly. I

The upper wall 5 has also a semi-circular'or other suitable shapenotch 8, adapted to permit the mounting of a tool used in mounting or removing the ledger plate. The guard finger is provided with laterally extending arms 9 and 9, these arms provide a bearing surface for the sickle or knife. A notch or depression 10 is provided intermediate the arms, and of a depth equal substantially to the thickness of the ledger plate.

A recess ordepression 11 of a suitableconfiguration is provided in the guard finger for'the reception on the rear extremity of the ledger plate. The wall 11' of the recess 11 is provided with an inclined face adapted to receive the complemental bevelled face formed on the rear end of the ledger plate. The guard finger is also provided with a series of depressions 12,13 and 14 to reduce the weight of the guard finger.

The ledger plate B is provided at one end with a reduced integrally formed portion 15, forming with the ledger plate shoulders 16 and 16. The

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reduced portion is mounted in the socket 2, and

the socket is provided to prevent lateral displacement of the ledger plate at this extremity. The other extremity or end 17 is suitably formed, and is mounted in the recess of depression formed in the guard finger provided for its reception. Lateral displacement is prohibited at this end by the squared shoulders, flanges, or ribs,2l and 24 that form a part ofthe perimeter that bounds the socket or depression 11 formed for the ledger plate reception. An aperture 18 is provided in the ledger plate for the reception of a suitable tool 19-, to be mounted therein, for the removing or mounting of the ledger plate B. 20 indicates a hammer in proximity to the tool 19, depicting its use in conjunction with the removing or mounting tool. its position in removing the ledger plate,it being used as a lever to break the interlocking connection between the ledger plate and the guard finger; The ledger plate is slightly tapered asat 23, so'-that it will conform to the contour of the socket wallor fioor;

In practice of my invention, if it is desired to remove a ledger plate, a tool is inserted inthe depression 10 and pushed under the plate B, and forced downward in the direction of the arrow shown inFigure 3, this movement forces the plate up and over the angled or bevelled end of the socket 11. The tool is next placed in the aperture in the ledger plate, and the tool is struck,

thus releasing the plate from the socket 2 in the guard finger.

To mount the ledger plate, which is of spring meta'L'the plate is driven into the socket 2, and because 'of the special construction of the socket, and't-he endportion of the ledger plate, the end is ='caused to'foIlQw the curvature or contour of the bottom Wall of the socket 2. This causes the other extremity to be sprung downwardly or take adownward position, when the plate has reached the limit of its movement in the socket 2, the otheren'd or extremity is then lifted up and then forced down andinto place in the socket prepared therefor, the bevelled or angled edge of the ledger {plate "engages 'or springs against the complement'al face formed on the socket wall, adapte'dt'ointerlock the ledger plate in the socket.

"It will be apparent from the structure shown that the ledger plate is securely held in place by the resiliency inherently within itself, it being made of a spring steel plate. a

It will be further noted that the top of the ledger plate is flush with the top of the arms 9 and 9'.

21 indicates a tool and represents vividlyv In accordance with the patent statutes I have set forth in a specific manner required thereby one complete embodiment of my invention, but it is to be understood that this is only for illustrative purposes and that the invention is capable of assuming other forms than that illustrated, and that the claims hereto annexed are not to be limited to the specific devices illustrated, except as is specifically recitedtherein.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In combination, a guard finger, a ledger plate therefor, a socket having an upwardly contoured lower fioor, the ledger plate mounted in the socket and having an end cooperating with contoured lower floor, and means for interlocking the ledger plate in the guard finger,

'2. In combination, a guard finger, a ledger plate therefor, a socket having contoured lower floor, a transverse rib thereabo've andpos'itioned adjacentthe socket entrance, a'secon'd socket remote'therefro'm, the ledger plate having a reduced and tapered end, said end mounted'inthe socket having the contoured floor, and cooperating with the transverse rib, the other end of the ledger plate mounted in the remote'socket, andmeans for interlocking the ledger plate in the remote socket.

-3. In combination, a guard finger, a ledger plate therefor, a socket having acontoured floor,

a rib there'above and adjacent the entrance thereof, a ledger plate having a reduced and tapered end-mounted in the said socket and cooperating with the rib and fl'ooha remote socket having a wan at an angle, and partial'perimetrical vertical shoulders, the ledger plate having-a registering configuration mounted in'the socket and interlocked therein through the in's'ti'umen taiities of the angled wall andpaftialgprimetrical shoulders, and an opening intne ledger plate for the reception of a 17061 tp' breakthe ifiterlock.

4. As a new/article of manufacture, .a-.guard finger for use wi-tha mowing-machine, consisting of guard finger body'having asocket-wi'th a-contoured floor, afulcrum rib adjacentfthee'ntrance on the underside of the top wall thereof, a second socket formed remote therefrom andhaving a rear wall at an angle, and bounded by partial perimetrical vertical shoulders, an arm extending therebeyond, and a portion having an aperture therein whereby the same may be secured to the mowing-machine. H 4 v J OHN RKEARRIS.

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