US434765A - Wheel-cultivator - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. E. CHILDREN. WHEEL GULTIVATOR.

Patented Aug. '19, 1890.

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Moran (No Model.) I 2 .Sheets Sheet 2.

E. CHILDREN. WHEEL GULYTIVATOR. N0. 434,765.v v Patgtd Aug. 19, 1890.

UNITED STATES Y PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN OHILDREN,1OF EAST DUBUQUE, ILLINOIS.

WHEEL-CULTIVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 434,765, dated August 19, 1890.

Application filed March 23, 1889.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN CHILDREN, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Dubuque, in the county of Jo Daviess and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in \Vheeled Cultivators; andI do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to wheel-cultivators, but has more especial reference to those heretofore patented by me in the following Letters Patent, viz: No. 62,004, dated February 12, 1867; No. 159,550, dated February 9, 1875, and No. 334,641, dated January 19, 1886.

In the above-mentioned patents it will be understood that the front ends of the reaches, together with the yoke to which the forward ends of the plow-beams were hinged, were carried laterally on a track provided with rollers; but in my present construction I do away with the track and rollers, and instead loosely suspend these ends with the yoke, whereby I am enabled to obtain not only a lateral, but also an uprightor perpendicular, movement of the plow beams, and also perpendicular movement of each beam separately.

The principal feature, therefore, of my invention consists of loosely suspending the for ward ends of the plow-beams in such a manner that they are thus made capable of both horizontal and perpendicular movements; and the pressure or resistance of the shovels on the earth and the cut of the same in depth may be thus regulated with precision, and, further, by means of this novel suspension of the forward ends of the plow-beams the operator can use my cultivator more readily than has heretofore been the case in hard or soft soil, up hill or down, on the hillsides and in the widely-varying conditions of the listed corn, or conveniently in any work wherein a horizontal or perpendicular adj ustment 0f the plow-beams and shovels becomes imperative. I can also obtain by these means a higher draft-point, a freer action of the 5o double-trees, and also use a shorter beam.

' My invention further relates to other but Serial No. 304,395. (No model.)

less important details of construction, all of which will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed, and which areillustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each view, and in which Figure 1 is a side perspective view of a portion of my invention; Fig. 2, a rear perspective View of the same. Fig. 3, a sectional view of one of the reach-bars and a portion of one of the plow-beams, showing the connections between the reach-bars and axles and the plow-beams; Fig. 4, an enlarged perspective view of the connections between the reach-bars and the plow-beams, and Fig. 5, a similar view of the supporting-crane for the plow-beams. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the yoke; and Fig. 7, the collar T, to which the chain is attache A represents the axle, to the ends of which are mounted the wheels, adapted to work on each side of the row. To this axle is attached the frame-work, consisting of the two oblique pieces a a and the two flat connecting-pieces Z) 1), extending across the front portion of the said oblique pieces a a.

Pivoted by means of a pin between the two fiat connecting-pieces Z) l) of the main frame is the pole 0, provided at its extreme rear end with afriction-roller e, adapted to bear on the fiat metallic track 6, connecting the two oblique bars a a Near the rear extremity of the pole G, and 011 top of the same, is pivotally mounted a crotch or stirrup f, and the two branch parallel arms of said stirrup are provided with slots f f" in each arm, and into these slots are inserted the pins g g, extending out on each side of an operating-lever D. This operating-lever is preferably provided with a number of these pins g, so that the fulcrum of the lever may be changed and the power thereby obtained nicely regulated, and the operator can more readily reach the lever, whether riding or walking. The rear portion of this operating-lever D is formed into a suitable spherical handle g, adapted to be grasped by the driver or operator, and the forward end of this lever D is connected by means of an ordinary metallic link or connecting-rod h to a pivotingdevice h,securely fastened to either one of the oblique braces a a.

Beneath and to the under side of the axle A are pivoted the rear ends of the two reachbars 0, (illustrated in Fig. 3,) as follows: At the rear end of each reach-bar is securely fastened a flat metallic strip (1, provided with a hole therein, through which a pin d of smaller diameter extends. Surrounding this fiat strip is a rectangular plate or box cl, acting as abrace for the lower portion of the pin d. By means of this arrangement it will be seen that the reach-bars are capable of both a limited horizontal and vertical movement on the pins (1. At the forward portion of each reach-bar are securely fastened two fiat metallic arms j j-one on the top and the other on the bottom of each reach-bar-and pivoted between these two arms, by means of short integral metallic pins 7' 7' is a metallic sleeve J, encircling the metallic yoke E and loosely keyed to said yoke. This yoke E is preferably made from a single piece of metal and curved upward at the center so as to pass over the corn or whatever is to be cultivated.

On each side of the sleeve J, and also eucircling the yoke E, is an integral arm L of the clevis F. The rear or main body portion L of this clevis is rigidly fastened to the forward end of the upper side of the plow-beam by means of bolts. By means of the clevis and connections just described it will be evident that the front portion of the reach-bars maybe moved in a horizontal direction by reason of the arms jj' being pivoted or hinged on the collar J, and that this horizontal movement of the front ends of the reach-bars will cause the yoke E to move in a like direction, and thereby carry the plow-beams at right angles with it in a similar direction by means of the clevis F. The outer extension of the sleeve J is encircled by another sleeve T of greater diameter, as shown in Fig. 7, which sleeve extends to the outer end of the yoke E, and,being open on its under side, extends on both sides of the arm L of the clevis F and fits closely around the outer end of the yoke E. This sleeve T is supplied upon one side with several slots e e, into which the projection E, which is made integral with the arm L of the clevis F, meshes with and prevents this sleeve from turning around on the yoke E. The object of having more than one slot formed in the sleeve T is to change the space between the plow-beams in order to operate the shovels near to or away from the plants to be cultivated, according as may be demanded by their condition. 011 the opposite side from the slots e e e of the sleeve T is a hook m, to which the chain, presently to be described farther on, is hooked. It will now be seen that the sleeve T while in operation is prevented from sliding upon the yoke E either to the right or left by means of a lug e",cast on the extension of the sleeve J but this does not prevent the sleeve T from turning upon the yoke E when desired.

Directly above the track c and secured to the upper side of each' oblique brace a a, is

a bar II, made, preferably, of wood,and extending some little dis ance beyond the outside of each brace. Rigidly secured to the upper side of this bar H, and a little to one side of the oblique braces a a,are the metallic uprights n n, arranged in pairs, as shown,

on its rear portion and on the outside thereof.

Pivoted at its forward ends to these pins 71." is a preferably metallic lever I I, each provided with an opening 1), adapted to be inserted over any one of the lugs 0" 0", so that each lever may be locked at any point in its path of movement. construction, passing upwardly between the uprights n n and over the bar ll, connects the said levers I I with the before-mentioned hooks m, formed on the outward portion of the sleeve T. By this means it will be seen that either of the levers I may be raised or lowered and locked at any point on the lugs 0" 0" of the locking-pieces 0 0'. These movements of the levers will elevate and depress the forward ends of the plow-beams and reaches by means of the connecting-chains and by reason of the locking-pieces 0 0', and thus the elevation and depression of the forward ends of the plow-beams may be regulated with certainty.

The suspension of the forward'end of the reaches a a and yoke E by the chain q g on the hook m of the sleeve T at a pointjust for- Ward or near the hinged center of the forward end of the plow-beams greatly increases the tendency to'hold the shovels down firmly and rigidly to their work, and also enables me to use a shorter beam and a higher hinge-point than would otherwise necessarily be required. It will now be apparent that by this suspension of the forward ends of the plowbeams and reaches through the means of the chains q q, attached at or near the said hinged center to the hook m and running back in a slightly oblique direction, the doubletree can be attached more conveniently farther back and nearer the axle, and its free movement will not be thereby interfered with through the means of the suspending-chains q q or the curved yoke E, and this construction and ar' rangement lessens the obstruction to the outlook of the driver. It further enables the operator or driver, by raising or lowering the levers I I, to change the pitch or angle of the shovels while the cultivator is moving forward, and thus be enabled to meet the various conditions that may arise.

At the other end of the plow-beams, on the arms J J, are secured the metallic shovels, (not shown,) constructed as usual, and capable of being adjusted to any position in horizontal plane by any suitable device.

A chain q q of any suitable On the rear ends of the oblique braces a a I each side of the support ris a lug r",'prefer-.

ably made integral with the same and provided each with a horizontal slot 0" therein. Engaging with these slots or openings 9' is a lug 5, formed on each side of a right-angled lever L and made integral therewith. The short or vertical arm .9 of the right-angled lever L is kept normally outward by means of a leaf-spring t, attached to the upper part of the support-arm, its free end extending downward and bearing against the arm 5', so that the said arm will thereby be kept parallel with said spring. The long orcurved arm t of this right-angled lever is provided at its rearward extremity with a hook t for the purpose mentioned hereinafter. It will now be evident that when any downward strain is brought to bear on the horizontal arm i it will cause said arm to be depressed, and the short arm will thereby be forced against the tension of the spring 25, and by such means it will be apparent that the support offered by the support 15 on the ends of the curved arm t will be a very elastic one. To each plow-beam, and rigidly fastened thereto, is an inverted bearing-box carrying within it an ordinary pulley-wheel u, and directly to the rear of each pulley is located a lever-and-ratchet device for locking the same, consisting as follows: A quadrant M is rigidly secured to each plow-beam, and is provided along itsupper edge with a series of retaining-teeth o. The bearing-box carrying the wheel a may be cast with the quadrant M, and thus form one piece. Pivoted to the lower portion of each quadrant is a lever N, provided with a lug adapted to engage with any one of the retaining-teeth o of the quadrant M. This lever N is also provided with an arm n and a hook c at its forward end and made integral therewith. A chain w, connecting at one end with the hook t and passing under the pulley-wheel u,is attached at its other end to a hook e on the arm 1).

Connecting the rear portion of the pole C with one of the reach-bars is a connectingrod 2', pivoted at one end to the lower side of the pole Cand to the upper part of the reachbar by means of any usual and suitable pivoting device.

swung partly around on its pivot by reason of the link 71 remaining stationary, carrying the yoke and reach-bars with it, since both reachbars are connected by means of the yoke E, and as the plow-beams are attached to said reach-bars by means of the clevis F the said plow-beams will be moved parallel with the forward end of the reach-bar and parallel with each other.

By means of the lever M and chain '20 the rear end of each plow-beam can be either elevated or lowered, thereby causing the shovels to enter the ground to a depth correspondin g with the position of each plow-beam, and in this way effectually regulating the depth of cut.

The levers N are below the drivers seat, on each side thereof, and can thereby be easily controlled by the operator.

Since the chains w are attached to and supported by the arm 25', and since the plow-beams are in turn supported by these chains, it follows, as before mentioned, that the support offered the plow-beams is a very elastic one. The usual doubletrees are preferably pivoted to the pivoting-pin of the pole C, and to each end of this doubletree is attached the usual whifiletrees, to which the team is harnessed.

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

1. In a wheeled cultivator, the combination of the yoke and the plowbeams hinged at their forward ends to said yok'e with the reachbars pivoted at their forward ends to said yoke and their rear ends to the axle, and each plow-beam flexibly suspended at its forward end, for the purposes set forth.

2. In a wheeled cultivator, a pair of reachbars pivotally attached to the axle at their rear ends and pivoted at their forward ends to a yoke E, cultivator-beams carrying the usual knives and hinged to the yoke so as to be capable of moving only at right angles to the plane of said yoke, and a supporting-chain for supporting each end of said yoke, all arranged and adapted to operate substantially as set forth.

3. In a wheeled cultivator, the yoke with the plow-beams hinged at their forward ends to said yoke and reach-bars pivoted to said yoke at their forward ends, in combination with a ratchet and lever and suspendingchains attached at one end near the front end of the plow-beams and at their other end to said lever, whereby the front ends of the plow-beams may be raised and lowered, substantially as set forth.

4- The combination, with the axle, of the framework attached to the same, the pole O, pivoted within said frame, the lever D, pivoted to said pole and connected to the frame, the reach-bars pivoted to said axle, the plowbeams hinged to the yoke E, and the connecting-rod connecting said pole and said reachbars, substantially as set forth.

ICO

5. The combination, with the axle, of the frame attached thereto, the reach-bars pivoted to said axle and supported by means of chains, and the plow-beams hinged to the yoke, and supported at thei r rear endsby means of chains attached to an elastic supporting-crane, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with the axle, of the reach-bars pivoted thereto and supported by means of chains attached to a locking-lever and the plow-beams hinged to the yoke and supported by means of chains at their forward ends, also attached to said locking-levers, for the purposes set forth, substantially as described.

7. In a wheeled cultivator, a pole C, pivoted to the main frame of the same, and the lever D, pivoted to said pole and connected to the said frame, in combination with the reachbars pivoted to the axle and the plow-beams hinged at their forward ends to the yoke E, substantially as set forth.

8. In a cultivator, the combination of the wheels, the pole C, pivoted within the main frame, the lever D, pivoted to said pole Oand connected with said main frame, the connecting-rod connecting said pole with one of the reach-bars, the reach-bars pivoted to the main axle at their rear ends and at their forward ends to a sleeve surrounding the yoke E, con- 30 meeting the forward ends of the reach-bars, the plow-beams hinged at their forward ends to said yoke E on each side of said sleeve, the supporting-chains for the forward ends of the reach-bars and the rear ends of the plea? 35 beams, and the shovels secured to said plowbeams, substantially as described.

9. In awheeled cultivator, the combination, with the reach-bars pivoted to the axle and suspended at their free ends, of the yoke E, also suspended on the reach-bars, and plowbeams hinged to the yoke E at their forward ends and suspended at their rear ends by means of chains, substantially as set forth.

10. In a wheel-cultivator, a yoke and the plow-beams hinged at their forward ends to said 'yoke, in combination with a toothed sleeve upon both'ends of the yoke and interlooking with the hinge of said plow-beams, whereby the space between the plow-beams may be changed.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN CHILDREN. W'itnesses:

MONROE M. CADY, I. J. NELSON.

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