US426748A

US426748A - Corn-sheller

Info

Publication number: US426748A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1890-04-29
Anticipated expiration: 1907-04-29

Description

H; A. ADAMS. 'CORN SHBLLER.

(No Modem N0. 426,748. Patented Apr. 29, 1890.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IIERY A. ADAMS, OF SANDWICH, ILLINOIS.

CORN-SHELLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 426,748, dated April 29, 1890.

Application filed March 17, 1890.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. ADAMS, a citi zen of the United States, residing at Sandwich, in the county of De Kalb and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-Shellers, which are fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l represents a vertical longitudinal section of a portion of a corn-Sheller embodying my invention, taken on the line 1 l of Fig.2; Fig.2, a cross-section of the same, taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. l and looking toward the rear of the machine; and Fig. 3, a detail vertical section of the adjusting device, detached and on an enlarged scale;

My invention relates to power corn-shellers of a well-known class, in which the ears of corn are fed to and pass through the shelling devices endwise, and more particularly to machines constructed like those generally known as the Adams Sheller, in which ragirons are employed as one part of the shelling devices.

The present improvement consists in making the support, generally called the spoutfront, on which the rag-irons are mounted, readily adjustable, for the purpose of regulating the shelling-opening somewhat according to the size of the ears of corn which are to be shelled.

I will proceed to describe in detail the oonstruction and operation of so much of a cornshell'er in which I have embodied my invention in practical form as is necessary to understand the invention, and will then point out more definitely in claims the particular improvements which I believe to be new and wish to protect by Letters Patent.

The general construction of the power cornshellers referred to is very well known, and as the present improvement relates only to one particular part thereof it is not necessary to show and describe here an entire machine; hence I have shown in the drawings only those parts of the machine which are inti mately related to this improvement and which are necessary to an understanding thereof, and shall only describe these parts.

In the drawings, A represents the main frame of the corn-Sheller, in which' are mounted Serial No. 344,103. (No model.)

shelling devices of an old and well-known type, consisting of straight runners B, bevelrunners C, and rag-irons D,lall of which are of ordinary construction and require no special description. There are also seen in the drawings the little picker-Wheels F, the elevator G, and the beater-shaft H, which also are all old devices, well known in their construction, arrangement, and operation.

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The rag-irons are mounted on the spoutl -dating ears of corn of different sizes. This provision is sufficient, and answers very Well for the variations which will occur in corn having the same general average size; but it has been found that the operation is not entirely satisfactory to adapt the shelling devices to act 'equally well upon ears of the smallest and the largest sizes. It' is well known that there `is considerable difference in the average sizes of the ears of different kinds of corn and of the same varieties grown under different conditions, so that the range from the smallest to the largest ears of corn is very considerable, and the independent yielding of the rag-irons heretofore employed is not adapted to this full difference in size.

My present invention is designed to provide an adjustment of the entire set of rag-irons together by adjusting their support, so that they may be set to correspond with the sizes of the ears of c orn upon which the machine is about to operate. In order to provide for such an adjustment, the spout front I is mounted upon trunnions J, which, as shown in the drawings, are made in separate pieces and fastened to suitable supports on the frame of the machine. The particular way in which these trunnions are provided is, however, an immaterial matter. At each side of the spoutfront are provided suitable bearings c', which are adapted to receive the journal ends j of the trunnions. As shown in the drawings,

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these bearings are made in upright flanges on each side of the spout'front and well toward the outer end of the latter. It will be seen that with this construction the spoutfront is pivotally mounted, the trunnions forming pivot-bearings, and as it is turned upon its pivotal supports the inner ends of the rag-irons will be adjusted vertically and all at the same time, thus regulating the space between the rag-irons and the bevel-runners through which the ears of corn pass in the process of shelling. In order to make this adjustment at will and to secure the spoutfront in any position to which it may be adjusted,I provide a rod K,the lowerend of which is hooked or in any other suitable way secured to the spout-front between the pivots and the inner ends of the rag-irons.. This rod passes up through a suitable support L at the front and on the top of the frame, this part being provided with an opening Z, cut for the reception of the upper end of the rod, which is threaded at this end. A nut M is turned on the upper end of this rod, and it is evident that as it is adjusted on the rod the spoutfront may be adjusted on its pivots. It is desirable to hold this nut so as to prevent its .vertical movement, and for this purpose it is provided at its lower end with a horizontal iiange m, over which is fitted a suitable keeper N, which, being secured to the support L, as seen in Fig. 3 ot the drawings, holds the nut down, whichever way it may be turned, and so, as the latter is turned in one or the other direction, it will positively lower or raise the spout-front. For convenience in turning the nut its upper portion is provided with an anguiar head m', and a small hand-wheel O is fit-ted to this head, being provided with a Socket o in its under face, which corresponds in shape to the head. upon the upper end of the adjustingrod, around which it is free to turn, and is secured on the rod by a small nut I). It will be seen that the adjusting-nut M may be turned in the direction required by this hand-Wheel, which is fitted thereto, and so the desired adjustment of the spout-front and ragirons mounted thereon is readily made and the parts are held in any position to which they maybe adjusted. This construction provides for an easy regulation of the shellingopen ings to accommodate different sizes and varying conditions of corn. Then the ears of corn are all of very small average size, the spoutfront is adjusted so as to bring the inner ends of the rag-irons down quite close to the bevelwheels, and for ears of larger average size the position must be changed by tilting the spoutfront upward, so as to increase the size of this shelling-opening to correspond with the size of the ears. A like adjustment is frequently demanded by the varying condition of the corn, even when there is no material change in the size of the ears. lVhen the corn is damp or soft, because not well ripened, it

This wheel is slipped is much more diliicult to shell than when dry and fully ripe. Vhen the corn is in this tough condition, it is necessary to bring the rag irons down closer to the bevelwheels than would be required in the same size of ears if the corn Were dry, and in case there is only the independent yielding oi' the rag-irons under their respective springs the latter are frequently pressed down to force the rag-irons down, so as to satisfactorily shell the soft corn, until their elasticity is practically destroyed. The adjustment of the spout-front described above also provides for meeting this dilliculty and enables the rag-irons to be easily adjusted according to the condition of the corn. The springs provide for the ordinary yielding of the ragirons, which is necessary in all eases, owing to the slight difference in the size of the ears of corn, even Where they run on the same general average.

I do not Wish to be understood as limiting myself to all the specific devices herein described and shown, for modifications may be made in this direction without changing' the principal features of my invention. The csscntial point is to mount the spout-front on pivots in some suitable way; but the particular mode of doing' this is not essential, and the devices by means of which the spout-front may be adjusted on its pivots and held in any particular adjustment are immaterial; but any device suitable to obtain these results may be substituted for those herein shown and described.

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

l. In a corn-sheller, the spout-front pivoted to the main frame, in combination with the rag-irons secured to the spout-front, whereby the latter may be adjusted together by turn ing the spout-front on its pivots, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. In a corn-Sheller, the spout-'front mounted on pivotal supports, in combination with. the rag-irons secured to the spout-front, and an ad justing device adapted to tilt the spontfront on its pivots and hold it in any position to which it may be adjusted, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. In a corn Sheller, the spout-front I, mounted on pivot-al supports, in combination with the rag-irons D on the spout-front, the adjusting-rod K, and the adjusting-nut M, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4. The pivoted spout-:front I, in combination with the adjusting-rod K, the support L, the adjusting-nut M, keeper N, and hand- Wheel O, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

HENRY A. ADAMS. W'itnesses:

S. B. STINsoN, J. P. ADAMS.

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