US408100A

US408100A - Mower

Info

Publication number: US408100A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1889-07-30
Anticipated expiration: 1906-07-30

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. B. GRAHAM.

MOWER. No. 408.100. Patented July 80, 1889.

Y/CZw w ,fiwnfar M mm 8 4% ii (/3' MM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

A. B. GRAHAM.

MOWER.

No. 408,100. Patented July 30, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALVARO I GRAHAM, OF CHICAGO, ASSIGNOR TO LE\VIS C. TALLMADGE, OF EVANSON, AND CHARLES .I. HAINES, TRUSTEE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MOWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 408,100, dated July 30, 1889.

Ap li ati fil d August 11, 1387- Serial No. 246,673. (No model.)

To coZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALVARO GRAHAM, of Chicago, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mowing -Machines, of which the following is a specifica' tion. 7

The principal objects of this invention are to simplify, cheapen, and otherwise improve the construction of mowing-machines. To

IO these ends the invention consists in certain devices or combinations detailed in the claims at the end hereof.

In order that the invention may be understood, I have shown in the accompanying 5 drawings a machine containing it in the form preferred by me. It must be understood, however, that I do not limit myself to the form or arrangement shown and hereinafter described, as many modifications may be adopted, and in some cases equivalents may be substituted for some of the parts, without departing from my invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of part of the machine. Fig. 2 is a top view of part of the machine with part of the frame cut away to show parts under it. Fig. 3 is a view of the spider, and Fig. a is a detail of the drive-rim.

The principal parts of this apparatus rep- 0 resented in the drawings are: A main frame or gearingcarriage; a centerless ground drive-wheel or drive-rim on the grass side of the main frame; a spider-frame on the main frame provided with rollers which roll on the 3 5 inside of the drive-rim, which rollers may be grooved to ride on a flange on the interior of the drive-rim an idler ground-wheel on the opposite side of the frame to keep it .oif the ground; a finger-beam and shoe; a link or links extending through the drive-rim and connecting the shoe with the gearing-carriage a draft-rod extending forward from the shoe to a suitable point on the machine; a spring or springs acted on by the knife toward each 5 end of its stroke to assist in bringing it to rest and relieve the pitman and connections from shock and strain, the power stored up in the spring or springs being given out again to the knife in aid of the pitman during the first parts of the return-stroke; suitable gearing for transmitting motion from the drive-rim to the pitman; a ratchet-toothed clutch at some suitable point of the gearing to permit throwing the operating parts out of gear when it is desired to run the machine light and to permit the machine being backed without operating the knife, whether the parts are in gear or not. Other and minor parts-such as bolts, nuts, pins, levers, &c.which it is unnecessary to mention individually, also enter into the construction of the machine.

In the drawings, 1 is the centerless drivewheel or drive-rim, which constitutes an effective main ground-wheel for the machine.

2 isan internal gear on the interior of the 6 rim.

3 is a flange or web on the interior of the rim. 7

lis the main pinion, mounted on shaft 5 and meshing with gear 2 and driven by the latter.

6 is a bevel-wheel loosely mounted on shaft 5.

7 is a clutch for locking shaft 5 and wheel 6 together when it is desired to operate the knife. The clutch has ratchet-teeth, as shown, 7 5 so that when the machine is backed the teeth will slip and wheel 6 will not be revolved,but when the machine moves forward the teeth will engage.

8 is a spring to hold the movable part of So the clutch up against the other part.

10 is a lever to throw the movable part of clutch back, so as to release wheel 6 when it is desired to move the machine without operating the knife. A suitable catch may be provided to hold the lever in either position.

11 is the bevel-pinion on the crank-shaft, driven by bevel-wheel 6, with which it meshes.

12 is the crank-disk.

13 is the pitman. It extends through the drive-rim 1 to the knife.

14: is the knife.

15 is a spiderframe arranged within the drive-rim 1. In the form shown it is composed of three arms 16 1.7 18 and aprojection 19 at the back to connect with the main beam of the frame. One of the arms 17 extends upward toward the top of the drive-rim and is adjustable in its length. The other arms extend, one forward and one backward, so as to leave an open space within the rim and below the spider-frame, through which the pitman and other connections of the shoe and knife may pass. On the end of each arm of the spider-frame is a grooved roller 20, which rides on the fiange 3 and thereby keeps the rim in place and supports the frame of the machine.

21 is the box for the shaft of the main pinion 4. It may be cast with the spider when the latter is of cast metal, and is arranged on the back arm 18, so that when the machine is operating it tends to lift the pinion and thus reduces friction.

22 is the main beam of the frame.

23 is the tongue.

24 is a bracket at the end of the main beam opposite the spider.

25 is an idler ground-wheel to support the end 2 1: of the main beam.

26 is a gearing-frame secured to beam 22 at some suitable point, to support the boxes for the crank-shaft, 850., and the casing of the gearing.

28 is a coupling-link j ournaled at one end on an extension of crank-shaft box 27, so that it can oscillate about the center of the crankshaft. rim and at its other end is loosely jointed to the shoe 29 near its back.

30 is a second coupling-link, also extending through the drive -rim, and jointed to the gearing-frame 26 at one end and to the front part of the shoe at the other end. In some cases the two

links

28 and 30 may be connected to the gearing-carriage at the same point, their ends being brought together for that purpose; but whether so connected or not, the joints should be of such character as to permit the rocking or torsional motion of the finger-beam, as well as the vibratory motion, when the rocking motion is desired.

40 is the swivel on link 30. It is composed of an internally-threaded socket, into which the threaded end of the outer'part of the link is screwed. It serves not only as a swivel to permit the twisting of the link when the beam tilts or rocks, but also to adjust the length of the link.

31 is a third link, which may or may not extend through the drive-rim. It is jointed at one end to some part of the shoe and at the other end to some convenient part of the machine. In the form shown it is intended to be jointed to a bracket on the tongue.

The above arrangement, it will be observed, permits the finger-beam to rise and fall at either end independently, and to rock forward or back to depress or elevate the finger-points. The pitman being in close proximity to the main beam or axle 22, and operating in a direction substantially parallel to it, its pull and thrust are taken up by the beam and transmitted directly to the carrying-wheels of the machine, thereby obviating much disagreeable vibration.

32 is a spring so arranged with relation to The link extends through the drive-.

that may be required in practice.

the shoe and the knife that it resists the motion of the knife as the latter approaches the end of its stroke. The power thus stored up in the spring at this period may be given out again to the knife as the latter makes a new stroke. In the form shown the spring is a flat bar. Its ends rest in V- shaped recesses 33 at the front and back of the shoe, and it extends across the knife between lugs 34: and 35 on the knife. The space between the

lugs

34 and 35 is greater than the thickness of the spring, so as to permit a certain amount of movement to the knife without its acting on the spring. The spring thus serves to cushion the knife at each end of its stroke, to reduce the shock and jar, and to reduce the wear on the pins and pitman-connections.

36 is a lever to govern the motions of raisin g and lowering the shoe and the rocking or tilting of the finger-beam. It is pivoted to the spider, and is provided with the usual dog to engage notches in a segment on the spiderframe.

37 is a chain jointed to the front of the shoe and hooked onto a sheave on the lever 36. The lower link 39 of the chain is long, and the rod 31 passes through it. The effect of this construction is as follows: A pull on the lever rocks the finger-beam back and raises the finger-points. A further pull on the lever will bring the lower end of link 39 or the link 30, or both, in contact with the third link 31. As the beam cannot now tilt any farther, its inner or shoe end will be raised bodily off the ground bya further pull of the lever, and it may be thus raised until link 30 is against the spider-frame. WVhen raised, the fingerbeam may be turned up, if desired, for transportation to and from the field. The shoe being hung at its front and rear by

chains

37 and 38, respectively, the finger-points may be depressed by letting out chain 37 by a forward motion of lever 36, and they may be raised by taking in the chain by a backward motion of that lever. Thus the beam is rocked or tilted. The parts are so proportioned as to give to these movements all the latitude The top of the link 39 may be made to limit the depression of the finger-points by resting on rod 3].

38 is a chain connecting the back of the shoe or the inner end of link 28 to some convenient part of the spider-frame. It is of such length that the beam is suspended just off the ground. The finger-beam is therefore suspended at its inner end by

chains

37 and 38; but being close to the tread of wheel or rim 1 it will follow the surface of the ground just the same as if the shoe rested on the ground, and there will be no friction between it'and the ground.

I claim 1. The combination, substantially as set forth, of the shoe having recesses for the spring, the knife, the vertical lugs thereof, the spring connected to both said parts by being seated at its ends in the recesses'and passing between the lugs, and the lugs having a greater space between them than is required by the spring, whereby the spring is passive at the middle of each stroke.

2. The combination, substantially as set forth, of the finger-beam, the knife, the pit man, and the bar-spring having its ends resting in V- shaped notches on the shoe and passing between lugs on the knife.

3. The combination, substantially as set forth, of the spider-frame, the shoe suspended at its heel from the spider-frame independently of the lifting-lever, the swivel-jointed links connecting the shoe and the gearingcarriage, and the lever for rocking the shoe connected to the forward end of the shoe.

4. The combination, substantially as set forth, of the floating finger-beam, the gearing-carriage, the drive-rim at the grass side of the gearing-carriage, and the swivel-jointed links connecting the finger-beam with the gearing-carriage and extending through the drive-rim, and the lever for rocking the beam.

5. The combination, substantially as setforth, of the finger-beam, the gearing-carriage, a draft-rod connecting the shoe with the tongue, 21. swivel-jointed link at the front of the shoe, and a similar link at the heel of the shoe, and the lever for rocking the beam.

6. The combination, substantially as set forth, of the shoe, the gearing-carriage, the links connecting the shoe and the carriage,

and the draft-rod jointed to the heel of the shoe and passing above the forward link to limit the upward play of the finger-points, and 3 5 the levenconnected t0 the forward part of the shoefor raising the same.

7. The combination, substantially as set forth, of the finger-beam, the gearing-carriage, two swivel-jointed links connecting the 40 forth, of the finger-beam, the lever to rock 5 the same, the chain connecting the lever and the shoe having an elongated link near its attachment to the shoe, and the draft-rod passing through said elongated link and attached at one end to the shoe and at its other end to 50 the tongue.

9. The combination, substantially as set forth, of the finger-beam, the gearing-carriage, the two swivel-jointed links connect,

in g the fin ger-beam and gearing-carriage, and 5 5 the pit-man located between said two links, whereby the finger-beam is always in line with the pi'tman, though free to rise or fall at either end and to rock forward or back.

ALVARO B. GRAHAM.

' \Vitnesses:

WM. S. BATES, ARTHUR G. SANDERSON.