US26102A - Improvement in potato-harvesters - Google Patents

Description

J. E. HARDENBERGH.

Potato Digger. No. 26,102. Patented Nov. 15, 1859.l

Wfffesses.'

JACOB E. HARDENBERGH, OF FULTONVILLE, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN POTATO-HARVESTERS.

lSpecification forming part 0f Letters Patent N0. 26,102, dated November 15, 1859.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB E. HARDEN- BERGH, of Fultonville, in the county of Montgomery and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Machine for Digging Potatoes and other Roots; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eX- act description of the same, reference being had. to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side sectional view of my invention, taken in the line .fr Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a plan or top view of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the same, taken in the line y y, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention consists in the employment or use of an adjustable share, rotary screen, and a rotary discharging device attached to a mounted frame, and arranged substantially as hereinafter described, whereby the desired work-to wit, the digging of potatoes and other roots-may be performed very expeditiously and in a perfect and thorough manner.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, l will proceed to describe it.

A represents a rectangular frame, which is mounted on wheels B B, and has a draft-pole, O, attached to its front end. The wheels B B are placed loosely on their axle D; but the axle is made to rotate as the machine is drawn forward, in consequence of pawls ct in the wheels engagingwith ratchets l) b on the axle. Then the machine, however, is backed, the wheels will not rotate the axle, as the pawls a slip over the teeth of the ratchets b b.

On the axle D,near oneend, atoothed wheel, E, is placed. This wheel E gears into a pinion, F, which is placed on the outer end of a shaft, G, on the back part of frame A. This shaft G has a bevel-wheel, H, on its inner end, said wheel H gearing into a corresponding wheel, I, which is placed loosely on a vertical shaft, J, but causes the latter to rotate by means of a feather and groove, the shaft being allowed to slide freely up and down within wheel I. The wheel H on the inner end of shaft G is fitted on a hub or collar, which is placed loosely on the shaft, and is made to turn therewith by means of a groove and feather.

The hub or collar, by means of a lever, H', may be shifted on the shaft, so that the wheel H may be thrown in and out of gear with wheel I.

The upper part of the shaft J is fitted in a bearing, K, which is suspended on trunnions c c to admit of its swinging freely in the frame in a plane having a transverse position with the axle D. The lower end of said shaft is stepped in a bar, L, as shown at a", the back end of which is connected by ajoint, d, to the lower end of a rod, M, the upper end of which passes through a plate, e, has a screw-thread formed on it, and a nut, f, fitted thereon, as shown plainly in Fig. 1. The frontend of the bar L is connected by ajoint, g, to a flange, h, at the back part of a share, N, which is of V shape, as shown clearly in Fig. 3. The step a of the shaft J is allowed to turn and adjustitself in the bar L, similar to the bearing K of the upper end ofthe shaft.

To each side ofthe shareNa vertical bal-,6, is attached. These bars extend up through the frame A, and are connected at their upper ends by a cross-bar, j, through the center of which a screw-shaft, O, passes, said shaft be ing iitted in a nut in the cross-bar. The lower end of the shaft O bears on the frame A, and its upper end is provided with a crank, 7c.

On the lower part of the shaft J a rotary screen, P, is placed. This screen may be formed of radial bars l, of equal length, attached to a hub or plate, m, on the shaft, the spaces between the bars l being sufficiently narrow to prevent the potatoes or other roots to be dug passing between them. The back edge of the share N is of concave form, concentric with the screen I), which extends quite close to it, as shown clearly in Fig. 3. Tile back end of the share at each side is provided with a curved guard or fence, a, both of which are shown in Fig. 3.

On the rotating screen P a conical discharging device, Q, is placed. This may bc Aformed of a metal plate, and its upper en d is fitted around a circular plate, It, which is placed loosely but eccentrically on the sha-ft J, and is prevented from turning with the shaft by a rod,p, which extends down from the fra-me A and through a slot in the edge of the plate, as shown clearly in Figs. l and 3. To the lower edge of the discharging device Q a projecting bar, q, is attached, said bar passing down beswinging bearing K and step a* permitting ot' tween two of the bars l, as shown clearly in Fig. 3. The discharging device Q is placed eccentrically on the rotary screen P to such a degree that its back edge will merely or quite coincide with the back edge ofthe screen P, as shown in Fig. 3.

The operation ot' the machine is as follows: The machine is drawn along by a suitable team, the driver being seated on the frame A, and the share N passes underneath the hills or drills and throws the earth and potatoes or other roots on the rotary screen P, which, by the gearing described, is rotated in the direction indicated by arrow l. The earth falls between the bars Z ofthe screen, while the potatoes or other roots are carried around'and discharged from the screen at the back part of the machine by the discharging device, which is rotated in the direction indicated b v arrow 2, the saine direction as the screen. 2y having the discharging device rotate, stones or roots that might chance to catch between the bars Z of the screen will be thrown out therefrom with certainty and without deranging either the screen or discharging device. By turning the shaft O'the share Nmay be raised or lowered, according to the dept-h it is required to penetrate the earth, and the screen P and discharging device Q may be correspondingly raised by turning the nut j', the

the proper movement of the shaft j to eit'ect such result. The flange h, prevents the casual depression ofthe screen P below the share.

I do not claim separately the share N, for that has been previously used for the same purpose, in connection with other devices; but

I do claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent l. The employment or use of the adjustable share N, in connection with the rotary screen P and with or without the discharging device Q, the parts being applied to a mounted frame, and arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The rotary discharging device Q, placed eccentrically on the screen P, kept in a proper relative position therewith by the plate R, and rotated from the screen P by the projection q, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the share N, rotary screen P, and discharging device Q, when attached to a mounted frame, A, and arranged, substantially as shown, so that the screen and discharging device may be adjusted independently ot' the share, and the discharging device Q rotated by the screen P and kept in an eccentric position thereon, t'or the purpose specitied.

JACOB E. HARDENBERGB.

Witnesses:

MICH. HUGHES, J. W. MOLYNEUX.

Images