US2198427A - Potato digger of the underslung type - Google Patents

Description

April 23, 1940. w. E. TEMPLETON POTATO DIGGER OF THE UNDERSL-UNG TYPE Filed May 16, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR W/LL//IM E. TEMPLETo/v am? fnwm.,

ATTORNEY mm m .n

April 23, 1940. w. E. TEMPLETON 2.198.427 I POTATO DIGGER OF' THE UNDERSLUNG TYPE Filed May 16, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIC-3.4

INVENTOR W/.` L IAM E. TEMPLETON ATTORN EY April 23, 1940.

Filed May 1e, 1939 W. E. TEM PLETON POTATO DIGGER OF THE UNDERSLUNG TYPE 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 f lNvz-:NToR w/LLVAM E TEMP/ ETo/v ATTORNEY April 23, 1940. w, E, TEMPLETQN 2,198,427

POTATO DIGGER OF THE UNDERSLUNG TYPE Filed May 16, 1959 4 sheets-sheet 4 INVENTOR WILLIAM E TEMPLETON MQW ATTORNEY .aiative portions of the Patented Apr. 23, 1940 @Nitti roTATo BIGGER (ir-Tui: UNDERSLUNG TYPE.

William E. Templeton, Mercer-County, Pa. Appiication May 16, 1939, Serial No. 273,927

This invention relates t0 a potato digger of the underslung type, so-designated because it is adapted to be mounted beneath and in underslung relation to any suitable wheel-mounted :1 vehicular contrivance, and to receive operative power for its digging and conveying functions from the running gear or other suitable power supplying element, such as the power take-off of a tractor; two forms of vehicle being shown in wld the drawings, the preferred form being a simple rectangular frame structure mounted upon the f axle of two wheels, which extends acrossk the frame, and is caused to revolve with the wheels; from said axle, power is taken to drive the operdigger. Another lform of drive may be the power-take-off at'the rearward portion of any of the farm tractors, of which there are many upon the market, that have been extensively adopted to numerous branches of farming.

My invention is herein illustrated .as a single row and as a two-row digger, and the various figures of the drawings are as follows:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a trailer type embodying the invention, showing a portion of one side, the left side of a conveyor, as viewed from the rear, together with the adjacent outwardlyspaced portion of the vehicle frame, beneath which said conveyor is underslung in longitudinally-level, universally-rigid relation thereto, and from the running gear of which vehicle the operative elements of said conveyor are driven, to indicate the practically-operative and cooperative relations of the parts there illustrated.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the near side of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the rearward portion of a modified form of my improved digger for two rows which is underslung beneathfa tractor, a dumping cradle being shown in operative relation to the rearward, discharge end of its respectively-related conveyor night;

Fig. 4 is a rearward elevation of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a central-vertical, longitudinal sectionthrough the bed of a single conveyor unit of my improved digger and its related, voperative digging, conveying, vine-engaging and impelling mechanisms.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of one tractor-type complete digging, conveying and dumpingunit of 'this invention together with a portion of the tractor frame from, or beneath which, it is underslung in horizontally-level, universally-rigid `relation thereto.

Fig. '7 is a longitudinal section of 4an end glporntion-of :a flight or Irung ofthe .conveyor Atogether ywith adjacent links :and other velements thereof. eFig. 18 is a side view :of .a short section, i. e. vone whole link and .an end portionof the two adjacent links of .the eievatorshain. .5

Fig. 9 is :aside elevation ,o an agitator sprocket .over :which-the `top .onload-,carrying flight of the .elevator chain travels.

v l Fig. .210 is 4a'plan'view :of one-end .of aconveyor .rungnor :Hight .and :the overlapping ends of `the :'10 links 1in which said :end -is mounted.

flg. l1 is a central, longitudinal section through the scoop,l and :the .shovel `which is carried thereby.

Figs. 12, 13 and 14 are shovel details.

Fig. 15 is a typical illustration of a power ytakeoli', of a tractor to which are added,'in accordance with this invention, certain speed-change 1 gearing, suitable for .operating my improved digger, a rear elevation of this power-takeoff being .-20 shown in Fig. 4, anda plan View thereof in Fig. v3.

By reference Vto Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings it -will1be readily seen that my invention vrelates lto a pair of diggers which are adapted vto be underslung beneath Aany `suitable wheeled lvehicular .-25 carrying device, and inrelatively laterally spaced parallel relation to each other; -said vehicular contrivance maybe one of the various-.types ',Of farm tractors, as illustrated in Figs. A3 and-4 or it may be a specially constructed and simpliiied 1:30 lvehicular contrivance, as illustrated in Figs. 1 ,and 2.

Referring, now, especially to Figs. 1 4and 2, -it is pointed out that the main, or Vprimary factors in the related construction isa digging and .con- .35 veying organizationfof which there are preferably two, each of which comprise longitudinallyextending side rails,-one upon each side of the machine. However, `inasmuch as my improved digger may consist of oneor more duplicate dig- A0 ging organizations which Vfor two row diggers are arranged one upon each side of the longitudinal center line of the wheeled vehicular carrying .contrivance,oneonly thereof will be specifically .described with, howeventhe intent and purpose :4,5 that this description should be vunderstood `as contemplating single or .duplicate digging and conveying organizations. y

Referring now especially toFigs. land 2 of f the drawings, it is pointed out that the vehicular .50 organization here .shown comprises two wheels .one ofwhich is indicated inFigs. 1 and.2 by the numeral I; this wheel is mounted upon the outer end of an axle 42: which is carried within a :tubular :housing A3. A longitudinally-extending .55

side rail 4 is mounted upon and securely xed rigidly to said axle housing 3. To the rear and end of said rail 4 and extending downwardly therefrom, is rmly and rigidly secured the upper end of a column 5 of which there are two for each conveyor or one upon each side. At a point upon said rail 4 forwardly of said axle, is firmly attached a downwardly extending strut 6, of which there are two for each conveyor, one upon each side. Beneath said axle and extending in longitudinal alignment with said side rail, is mounted a digging and conveying organization which is shown in longitudinal section in Fig. 5; also in side elevation in Fig. 6. Said digging and conveying organization consists of an elongated universally, operatively, rigid channel-like structure having vertically extending, laterally-spaced, parallel side walls 1, and inwardly tuned anges l', at the lower longitudinal edges thereof, the forward end of which is provided with a digging shovel 8 and at its rearward end with a potato receiving and dump crate or cradle 9. Said shovel is mounted at its rearward, jointed end upon its forward cooperablyjointed end of said conveyor or channel, in such manner that the forward end or point of the shovel may be lowered and directed into the 'soil at various depths or lifted to travel thereabove.

At the rearward end of said channel adjacent the bottom of the conveyor, a driving sprocket IIJ Fig. 5 is provided; at the forward end of said conveyor, a return sprocket II is provided, with rollers II and agitator sprockets II at intermediate positions.

For the purpose of driving said sprocket Il), the vehicle wheel I or its axle, is provided in any suitable manner with a driving gear I2 Fig. 2, together with a train of gears as I3, I3, from which train a driving chain I Il extends to and drives the sprocket I5 which is mounted upon the outer projecting end of the shaft I 6-Figs. 1 and -which, in turn,.is provided with drive sprockets Ill- Fig 5-by which the conveyor flights are engaged and driven.

Referring especially to Figs. 2, 5 and 6, it is there illustrated that the rearward portion of the shovel is hinged to the adjacent end of the conveyor frame and that as the conveyor passes over the return pulley II which is positioned at a point intermediate the digging element and the rearward edge of the scoop, said conveyor engages the soil, potatoes and vines loosened by the shovel, and conveys them to the rear end of the conveyor where they are discharged into the dump cradle 9, to be therefrom periodically discharged, the greater portion of the vines being projected over the rearwardly projecting bars 9 beyond the receiving and dumping cradle 9. The construction, mounting and discharge action of said cradle will be understood by reference to Fig. 6, where it is shown that said cradle is secured, at the lower rearward edge, to the conveyor frame by means of a pivotal shaft I1: and that, to the projecting end of said shaft, the fulcrum end of a dumping lever I8, is actuatively attached; the rearward end of said lever rests upon a rigid pin or stop I 9, when the cradle is in its load-receiving position; a strong tension spring 26 normally retains said lever at this stop position; the free end of said lever extends rearwardly beyond said stop and encroaches upon the line of travel of a tripping pin 2I which is carried by and at the inner side of the wheel I; at each revolution of said wheel, said tripping pin 2| impinges upon the lower edge of said lever and raises the same, thus producing a dumping ace tion of said cradle and a simultaneous stretching of spring 20, until the travel of said pin causes its release from said lever, whereupon the recoil of said spring causes the return of the cradle to its load-receiving position.

Referring to Figs. l and 3 of the drawings, a description will now be given of, the vine-apron 22; the lower face of said apron travels in the same direction as the upper adjacent face of the conveyor and is adapted to sag throughout its length for the purpose of producing a suniciently compact state of thc potato vines and a correspending degree of friction thereon, to cause said vines to travel at an even rate of speed therewith. Said vine apron is a continuous web of suitable flexible material such as heavy canvas, and the face thereof which is adjacent the conveyor is provided with suitable projections 23 to impart vine-engaging and propelling action thereto, which action is, in a large measure, due to the fact that said apron sags naturally throughout its length.

By reference to Fig. 1 it is pointed out that said apron is driven from shaft I6 by means of a twisted belt 23 which passes about the pulley 24 and imparts the desired direction of rotation to the roller 25 which propels said apron; the position of the apron pulley 26 is such as to cause the conveyor face of said apron to sag into close proximity to the adjacent upper face of said conveyor.

Although properly-selected soil for the raising of potatoes is usually friable and easily cultivated or worked, as in the digging of potatoes, other kinds of soils such as heavy clay, or a stony condition, must often be employed, and in such cases it is sometimes difficult to raise the shovelpoint from soil in which it is operating; upon this account I have provided the shovel with a tension-spring device as 27, which materially assists in the manual operation of raising the shovel point by the usual lever means as 28. Furthermore, inasmuch as newly-cleared soil is often used for raising potatoes, snags, roots and other obstructions are likely to be encountered. For the purpose of avoiding serious damage and breakage because of such conditions, I have provided a shovel-point construction which materially lessens the liability to serious damage. Referring to Figs. 1l and 12 of the drawings it is pointed out that the main point of attachment of the shovel 8 to the scoop 8 of the conveyor, is at the pivotal point X; rearwardly of said pivotal point at a neutral operative point, are two holes 29 and 29 drilled through the flange 3IJ of the shovel; there are also registering holes 30 and 30 drilled through contacting side of the scoop-flange 8". Into these registering holes is selectively inserted according to the shovel angle adjustment desired at a frictionally-retained fit any suitably-frangible pin or dowel 3| which will be broken or sheared at less than a damaging stress upon the shovel point; a pin or dowel of the kind mentioned may be quickly, easily and inexpensively replaced.

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

l. In combination, in a potato-digger of the specified, two-row, underslung type, a pair of. elongated, substantially level, horizontally-extending, universally rigid, 1atcrallyspacedapart conveyor-frames; a vehicular organization of the type provided with wheel axles beneath which said conveyor frames are carried with their lower -of llow resistance for feeding material to said faces in substantially uniform proximity to the lground throughout their length; each of said conveyor frames'carrying at and projecting beyond the forward dig-ging end thereof, a hingeattached, vertically swingable scoop, actuative into and out of digging relation to the ground, a digging blade adjustably mounted at the forward end of. said scoop, said blade having a horizontally disposed forward portion when in yoperative position beneath the surface of the soil, a conveyor mounted within and adapted to be causedr to travel throughout the length of its respective conveyor-frame from a forward lpoint substantially coincident with the hinge point of its respective scoop to a rearward point such as to cause the conveyor to discharge its load rearwardly of the machine.

2. vIn combination with the conveyor channel and its related organization set'iorth in claim 1; a normally, rearwardly-extending, potato-receiving and automatically, periodically load-.discharging cradle mounted in hinged relation at its adjacent edge to the rearward end of its respectively-associated conveyor channel, in rearwardly, horizontally-extending load-receiving and carrying position relatively thereto; flexible tension-means normally acting to retain said cradle `in its load-'receiving position, and meansautomatically-acting to cause said cradle to assume its load-discharging position; said flexible tension means being adapted to cause said cradle to return to its load-receiving position upon discharge of the load therefrom.

3. A low angle apparatus for digging subsurface products having in combination a tractor,

a low positioned conveyor unit, suspended beeath the frame and axles of said tractor, means providing a return path for said conveyor belt having adequate clearance from the ground, and an adjustable digging blade mounted on the forward end of said conveyor unit in substantially continuous flat product conveying relation thereto, with an active portion operable below and substantially parallel to the ground, at a point adjacent the front of the tractor, whereby downward nosing of the blade and apparatus is avoided.

4. A low angle apparatus forv digging subsurface products having in combination a tractor, a low positioned conveyor unit, suspended beneath the frame and axles of said tractor, means providing a return path for said conveyor belt having adequate clearance from the ground, an adjustable digging blade mounted on the forward end of said conveyor unit in substantially continuous fiat product conveying relation thereto, with an active portion operable below and substantially parallel to the ground, and frangible means connecting said blade with said conveyor unit at a neutral point substantially horizontally behind said pivot and normally free of driving thrust, for protecting said blade from damage through heavy impact.

5. A low angle apparatus for digging subsurface products and freeing the same from the soil, having in combination a frame providing a low positioned conveyor trackway, a belt type conveyor having a return path on said trackway in straight closely spaced relation to the ground, and a load carrying path in the opposite direction at a higher level but at a low enough angle to provide maximum sifting action and minimum injury to the load, means for agitating said load carrying section of the conveyor, and digging means adjustable to engage the soil at an angle conveyor.

v6. In a low angle apparatus for digging, conveying, and sifting subsurface vproducts the combination of a frame providing a low'positioned conveyor trackway, a link-and-'liight belt type conveyor having a return path on said trackway, said trackway having means for positively holding said conveyor in straight non-sagging closely spaced relation to the ground throughout its length, a plurality of 'roller bearings providing `an lelevated vload-carrying and soil-sifting path for said conveyor, and a power applying means engaged with said conveyor for driving the same.y

7. A low angle apparatus for digging subsurface products having in combination a frame providing a low positioned conveyor trackway, a link-and-flight belt type conveyor having areturn path on said trackway in straight nonsagging closely spaced relation to the ground,`a plurality of roller bearings providing an elevated load-carrying and soil-sifting path for said conveyor, roller contact members adjacent the ends of the transverse flight bars, and power applying gear wheels engaging said contact members suc'' cessively for driving said conveyor.

8. A low angle apparatus for digging subsurface products having in combination a frame providing a low level conveyor trackway, a linkand-flight belt type conveyor having a return path on said trackway in straight non-sagging closely spaced relation to the ground, a plurality of roller bearings providing an elevated loadcarrying and soil-sifting path for said conveyor, roller contact members adjacent the ends of the transverse flight bars, resilient load cushioning means engaged over the intermediate portions of said transverse night bars and abutting said roller contact members at each end, and power applying gear Wheels engaging said contact members successively for driving said conveyor.

9. A low angle apparatus for digging subsurface products and freeing the same from the soil, having in combination a combined conveyor and soil sifter supported in shielded closely spaced relation to the ground, an angularly adjustable blade for transferring products from the soil to said conveyor on an inclined plane' of low traction resistance, andv means at the delivery end of said conveyor for receiving the products free of adhering soil. l

l0. A low angle apparatus for digging subsurface products and freeing the same from the soil, having in combination a combined conveyor and soil sifter supported in shielded closely spaced relation to the ground, angularly adjustable means for transferring products from the soil to said conveyor on an inclined plane of low traction resistance, means at the delivery end of said conveyor for receiving the products free of adhering soil, and means acting'at regular intervals for discharging accumulations of said products from said receiving means.

11. A low angle apparatus for digging subsurface products and freeing the same from the soil, having in combination a combined conveyor and soil sifter supported in closely spaced relation to the ground, angularly adjustable means for transferring said products from the soil to said conveyor on an inclined plane of low traction resistance, means at the delivery end of said conveyor f'or receiving the products free of adhering soil, a dumping mechanism associated with said receiving means, and elements on a moving part of said apparatus for positively tripping said dumping mechanism at predetermined intervals.

12. A 10W angle apparatus for digging subsurface products and freeing the same from the soil, having in combination a combined conveyor and soil sifter supported in closely spaced relation to the ground, angularly adjustable means for transferring said products from the soil to said conveyor on an inclined plane of low traction resistance, means at the delivery end of said conveyor for receiving the products free of adhering soil, and means for directing vines away from said product receiving receptacle.V

13. An apparatus for digging subsurface products and freeing the same from the soil, having in combination a Wheeled vehicle, a pair of combined conveyor and soil sifting units in spaced parallel position beneath said vehicle, an angularly positioned member providing an inclined plane for feeding each of said conveyors, a digging shovel pivotally mounted on each of said members, and driving means for said units disposed intermediate said conveyors comprising driving elements connected with a power shaft and rotating said conveyors at a predetermined speed independent of said vehicle speed.

14. An apparatus for digging subsurface products and freeing the same from the soil, having in combination a combined conveyor and soil sifting mechanism, comprising flight members formed of a plurality of substantially parallel transverse bars secured at their respective opposite ends to link shaped plates, separate plate links adapted to be pivotally connected in chain relation to said respective link shaped plates by pivot pins holding said plates in dirt excluding pivoted relation, bearing contact members positioned adjacent tlie ends of said transverse bars immediately inside of said plates, and means for driving said conveyor by engagement with successive bearing contact members.

15. lAn apparatus for digging subsurface products and freeing the same from the soil, having in combination a combined conveyor and soil sifting mechanism, comprising night members formed of a plurality of substantially parallel transverse bars secured at their respective opposite ends in link shaped plates, separate plate links adapted to be pivotally connected in chain' relation to said respective link shaped plates by pivot pins holding said plates in dirt excluding pivoted relation, bearing contact members positioned adjacent the ends of said transverse bars immediately inside of said plates, and resilient load-cushioning means engaged on each respective transverse iiight bar and abutting at its ends against said bearing contact members.

WILLIAM E. TEMIPLETON.

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