US562979A

US562979A - Corn-harvester

Info

Publication number: US562979A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1896-06-30
Anticipated expiration: 1913-06-30

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

s c. SGHOFIELD CORN HARVESTER.

No. 562,979. Patented June 30, 1896.

'umunuuummnn-L,zfllmll ANUREW B GRAHAM, FHUTD-LTTHQWASHING'RJKD C UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SILAS CISOHOFIELD, OF FREEPORT, ILLINOIS.

CORN-HARVESTER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 562,979, dated June 30, 1896. I

Application filed January 10, 1896. Serial No. 574,979. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SILAs O. SCHOFIELD, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Freeport, in the county of Stephenson and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn- Harvesters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in corn-harvesters; and to such end it consists in constructing a device which shall contain means for cutting down corn, transporting it, and to other details of construction which will be fully described below, and clearly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention is fully illustrated in the drawings furnished herewith, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a complete corn-harvester. Fig. 2 is a front elevation with the tongue removed. Fig. 3 is a plan view. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of aportion of the harvester upon a larger scale. Fig. 5 is a cross-section in line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail section in line 6 6 of Fig. 4, and Fig. 7 is a detail section in line 7 7 of Fig. 5.

In the drawings,A is a rectangular box forming the body portion of the device and supported by wheels B B B B. The wheels B are preferably caster-wheels and their shanks are pivoted in blocks I), supported between two strap-irons B secured to the box in any suitable manner. A rod 1) connects the two blocks 1), and upon this rod is pivoted the tongue 6 I have found that by constructing the front wheels in this manner it does away with the usual fifth-wheel and also allows the machine to turn around in less space. Upon the forward'end of the box is secured a seat B for the driver.

The mechanism for cutting down the corn is here shown in its simplest form, it being a knife 0, secured to a platform 0. The platform is provided with a beveled edge upon which the knife is secured and the other edges are preferably bent upward, as seen at c 0 to make stronger support. The platform is supported by two rods D D, (see Figs. 1, 4, and 5,) the rod D being fastened to the platform in any desired manner and extending upward, where it is journaled in brackets d, and upon its upper end provided with a head restin g upon the upper bracket.

A piece of strapiron d is bent around the rod, as seen in Fig. 1, twisted into a plane at right angles to itself, and riveted to the bottom of the platform, thus forming, together with the rod D, a very substantial support and brace for the platform at this end. The rod D is bolted or otherwise secured to the side of the box A, and provided upon its lower end with ahead (1 upon which the platform rests, the same being provided with a notch of, (see Fig. 7,) which engages with the pin and forms the means of supporting the platform at this end. The upper end of the rod D is provided with a pin (1 (see Figs. 4: and 5,) and a piece of strap-iron d ,is hooked upon the pin (1 twisted in a plane at right angles to itself, and brought down to the forward end of the platfor1n,where it is pivoted to the same, as seen at d. The bolts D D, and strap-irons d d form a very secure and substantial support for the platform and hold it in the desired position for cutting the corn as the machine passes along.

Upon the under side of the box is a shield E, secured to two beams e e, which are fastened to the box. The forward end of the shield is bent upward and forward, as seen in Fig. 4:, and riveted to the bottom of the box.

This allows the stubble to strike the curved portion and be turned downward thereby as the machine passes along.

The shield E is intended to support the platform when not in use. WVhen it is desired to swing the platform out of the way, when driving home or when not cutting corn, the same may be done by unhooking the strapiron d allowing the same to fall upon the platform, disengaging the notch from the rod D, and swinging the entire platform underneath the box until the same is completely out of the way.

Upon the box and approximately midway between the ends of the platform is secured a support E, adapted to support the person tending the cutting mechanism. Here shown it consists of a rod 6 provided upon its upper end with a portion 6 against which the person rests, and the bottom of the rod is slotted and engages with a pin a". A bracket e is secured to the bottom of the box and in it rests the extreme lower end of the rod e for the same. The support can be removed by simply raising the same until the slot is disengaged from the pin, when it can be drawn away from the same. It is obvious that it is not necessary that the support be of the kind shown and described, as I have used an ordinary seat with as good results.

Upon the box is supported a frame F, upon which the cornstalks are laid after they are cut. The frame is constructed of abeam F, suitably braced, and end pieces F F which extend across the ends of the box and are pivoted to brackets ff, which are secured to the box. Upon the brackets f f are also pivoted uprights 13 F and upon the beam F are secured two uprights F F which form the end posts for retaining the load upon the frame. The uprights F are preferably connected to the end pieces F by suitable braces f, and the beam F is provided upon its ends with handles f by which it may be grasped to tilt the frame in removing the load.

The exact size and shape of the frame of the machine is evidently immaterial to my invention, but the one shown is a convenient size and form to receive the severed corn and afterward to properly discharge the same. The tilting frame F is of a suflicient length to accommodate a large amount of corn and not only for a small amount, such as a shock, but the purpose is to gather enough corn to make a wagon-load and remove it to a convenient place. As seen in the drawings, the frame F is pivoted on the side adjacent to the cutting-blade, and this is very essential in the present invention, and the width of this frame together with its distance from the ground is such that when it is tilted into a vertical plane the butts of the stalks will almost reach the ground, and the further tilting of the frame will swing them against a suitable support provided therefor The operation of the machine and mode of harvesting corn by this device is as follows: The machine is driven along upon the righthand side of the corn, the knife cutting the same as the machine passes along. Upon the platform is an operator, who seizes the corn as it is cut and hands it to a second person standing in the box, who piles it upon the frame F, beginning with the rear end of the same. The attendant upon the platform, in handing a bundle of severed cornstalks to the second person, evidently presents the corn to the second person with the tops upward, .and the second person, in placing the bundle upon the tilting frame transversely thereof, naturally places the butts on the side adjacent to the cutting-blade, it being the most convenient way of handling the corn. When enough corn has been cut and loadedupon the frame that the pile extends almost to the forward end of the machine, so that the person loading the same has no more room to work in, he makes an extra-large pile direct in front of him, so that upon leaving the box the extra amount will fall into the space occupied f by him, and thus practically make a Very nice and even load. The support E is then removed, the platform swung underneath the box, and the machine driven to the corn-yard, which is provided with vertical stays, as, for instance, wire fences and the like. The machine is driven alongside one of thesesupports, the frame F tilted upward until the same is in an approximately vertical plane, when the butts of the stalks will reach the ground. The further movement of this frame will swing the stalks against the supports, where they are allowed to stand for further use.

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

1. In a corn-harvester the combination with a wheeled frame, of an approximately horizontal cutting blade projecting obliquely from one side of the frame and adapted to cut stalks of corn, and a second frame resting upon the first and hinged thereto at the side from which said cutting-blade projects, said second frame being .adapted to receive the severed stalks of corn and to be tilted to discharge the same, butts downward on the side on which the cutting-bladeprojects.

2. In a corn-harvester the combination with a wheeled frame, of an approximately horizontal cutting-blade projecting obliquely from one side of the frame and adapted to cut stalks of corn, said cutting-blade being pivoted to the framework and adapted to be swung underneath the same when not in use, and a second frame resting upon the first and hinged thereto at the side from which the outting-blade projects, said second frame being adapted to receive the severed stalks of corn and to be tilted to discharge the same, butts downward on the side on which the cuttingblade projects.

3. In a corn-harvester the combination with a wheeled frame, of an approximately horizontal cutting-blade projecting obliquely from one side of the frame and adapted to cut stalks of corn, said cutting-blade being pivotally secured to the framework and adapted to be swung underneath the same, a suitably-supported shield underneath said fram ework adapted to support-the cutting-blade when in one position and curved upward at its forward end, and a second frame resting upon the first and hinged thereto at the side from which the cutting-blade projects, said second frame being adapted to receive the severed stalks of corn and to be tilted to discharge the same, butts downward on the side on which the cutting-blade projects.

4. In a corn-harvester the combination with a wheeled frame, of an approximately horizontal cutting-blade pivotally secured thereto and projecting obliquely from one side of the frame and adapted to cut stalks of corn but also adapted to be swung underneath said frame, and a second frame comprising substantially the longitudinal member, F, the transverse members, F connected with said longitudinal member and hinged to the first-named frame on the side from which the cutting-blade projects, the uprights, F F extending from said second-named frame, said second frame being adapted to receive the severed stalks of corn and to be tilted to discharge the same, butts downward on the side on which the cutting-blade projects.

5. The combination with a wheeled frame, provided with a suitable swinging frame pivoted thereto, of a platform located upon the side of the frame, a rod secured thereto and journaled in suitable brackets upon the frame, a brace connecting the upper end of said rod with the platform, a second rod se- SILAS O. SOHOFIELD. lVitnesses:

CHAS. O. SHERVEY, M. L. SHEAHAN.