US59302A - Improvement in harvesters - Google Patents

Description

VILLIAM N. WHITELEY, JR., OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO;

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 59,302, dated October 30, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it. known that I, WILLIAM N. WHHELEY, J r., of Springfield, county of Clarke, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Harvesters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan view of my machine. Fig. 2 is a front elevation with the tongue removed. Fig. 3 is a side elevation with one bearing-wheel removed.

My invention consists, first, in improved form and arrangement of the part-s composing the. main frame, whereby the greatest strength is secured with the minimum weight of material; second, in improvements in the form and connection of the curved standards and sectorplates 5 third, in the construction and arrangement of the drivers footboard and the toolbox, securing support to the standards and economy of space 5 fourth, improved method of managing theflexible tongue, so as to render it rigid at will and at any point of elevation; fifth, in the method of hanging the iiywheel shaft so that it can never get out of line with its bearings, and so that the frame is strengthened thereby 5 sixth,in improvements in the method ot attaching the reel-post to the shoe and in adjusting the height of the reel and tightness of the belt.

That others may understand the construction and operation of my machine, I will particularly describe it.

In order to secure the maximum strength with the least weight, I construct my main frame entirely of wrought iron or steel, and

the side bars AA of L-shaped angle-iron, which secures a greater degree of stiffness than if fiat bars were used, without increasing the weight. To these side bars are securely attached the cross-bars B and C, at right angles to A. The bar B crosses the front ends 0f the side bars, and extends beyond them on the side toward the cutting apparatus far enough to permit the drag-bar D to be attached to its outer end and be located outside of the bearing-wheel, which is on that side of the machine. The cross-bar C is located just beneath the rear end of the drivers foot-board. Its ends do not extend beyond the outer sides of side bars A. That side bar A which is toward the cutting' apparatus extends backward some distance farther than the other side bar, and the brace E, which lies across the rear ends of the side bars and is rigidly secured to them, is therefore diagonal to the other parts of the fraaie. This brace E extends beyond the side bar which is toward the cutting apparatus so far that it meets the drag-bar D at its rear end, andforms the'bearing and support for that end of said drag-bar. In order to bring the rear end of the said drag-bar into the desired position in relation to the other parts of the machinet e., a little drooping from its attachment tothe bar B-the extreme extended end of the brace E is bent downward and forward, so as to 'bring said end sufficiently low, and also at right angles to the drag-bar, which passes through a suitable hole in said end. The drag-bar D is securely bolted to the end of the cross-bar B, and has a shoulder near its rear end, against which the front side of the brace E rests when these parts are in position, ,'so that the brace E will resist any backward thrust of the drag-bar in consequence of said shoulder, and it will also resist any forward thrust of the saine, in consequence of the screw-nut which is placed on the extreme rear end of said drag-bar.

The main frame of my machine may be considered as consisting ofthe six pieces already named, which'are all so joined and disposed as to yield mutual support to each other. K

The bearing and driving wheels F and Gr are mounted upon axles which project from sector-plates H H, which are hung and move upon the shaft of the driving-pinion as an axis. To secure the end of the sector-plate to which the bearing-wheels axle is attached so that said wheel shall always occupy its proper position in a plane about parallel with the side of the main frame, a curved standard or guide is required which shall at all times retain the sector-plate in its proper parallel position, as explained, while it may be permitted to move vertically with freedom around the shaft ofthe driving-pinion as a center.

I desire to permit the greatest possible range of movement of this sector-plate, as well as to render the standard or guide as perfectly rigid as possible. I therefore construct the latter as shown at I--that is, perfectly circular, as in Fic. 3, and having athin fianged edge, as shown in Figs. l and 2. This circular guide I is provided on thex side which is toward the frame with feet t' e?, through which vertical bolts or screws pass into the side bars A. They are also provided with brackets, k 7.1, upon which the feet or standards ofthe drivers foot-board rest, forining a connection between the two standards or guides, H H, at a point some distance above the frame, thus preventing perfectly any tendency to spring either outward or inward at the upper portions. Bolts are also passed through the standards and side bars horizontally, so thatthefasteniug is very secure-more so than would be possible were the side bars simply flat, as heretofore made. The outer ends of the sector-plates are provided with hooking lla-nges j', which extend over and embrace the ilange-cdgc of the standard H, as shown in Fig. 1.

This method presents the advantage of rendering' it possible to reduce the radius of said curved standard, and by making them smaller without decreasing their efficiency, the niachine is made lighter and cheaper.

By making these standards or guides in the form represented the wheels may be moved vertically through a much larger space than heretofore, and they may occupy any position in respect to the shaft of the driving-pinion that may be desired.

The levers J J are attached to the sectorplates to assist in changing the relative position of the bearing-wheel and main frame.

The sector-plates are retained in any desired position upon the standard or guide H by means of pins or equivalent devices.

The axles of the bearing-wheels are of the tubular construction shown in Fig. l and heretofore described in other Letters Patent granted to lne.

The shaft of the drivin g-pinion extends across the main frame, resting in boxes a a on the side bars A. Besides the drivingpinion, this shaft has upon it a bevel-gear wheel, which drives the cntters crank-shaft.

The boxes a a are cast witha hook, b, projecting sidewise from one end, for the purpose ot' embracing a flange, c, upon the edge of the sector-plate, so as to prevent said plate from ever being removed from its bearing except when brought to a certain position, where its llange o will not be under the hook b.

The drvers foot-board K is supported at its front end by standards resting upon the front bar of the main frame, and at its rear end by feet resting upon the brackets k projecting from the standards `or guides H.

The drivers seatis mounted uponthe board K, and is adjustable backward and forward thereon.

The toolbox L is placed beneath the footboard K, and may occupya space equal to the entire area oi' said board, if desired, thus econmizin g space-a great desideratuln in machines of small size. The tool-box is accessible through an openin g in the foot-board K, covered by a flap-lid, Z.

The tongue M is attached to the main frame of the machine by means of the tongue-socket N, which is hinged to said frame.

It is always necessary that the attendant should have some' means of raising or lowering the cutting apparatus, to pass it over obstructions which may bein its road. ln case both ends of the cutting apparatus are free to follow the undulations of the ground, as is the case with this machine, it is necessary that the two ends of said cutting apparatus should be controlled by separate devices. That end of the cutting apparatus which is toward the lnain frame is in this machine raised by tilt- -ing the front end of said machine downward.

This is rendered possible with a flexible tongue, as is here represented, and the required movement is produced by means ot' the lever 0,

Vwhich is attached to the tongue-socket N.

The effect of this lever is well understood.

lBy drawing the lever O backward until it comes in contact with the front edge of the foot-board K, the tongue may be rendered rigid, and continue so as long as the lever is so held. This eiect could not be produced if there were no solid part for the lever O to be pressed-against.

But it is not desirable always to raise the cutting apparatus to the highest point, and I therefore render the lever O adjustable to any desired angle to the surface ofthe tonguesocket N, so that in drawing it back against the foot-board it may have to move through a greater or less distance, and per consequence the frame A will be tilted to a greater or less degree. This adjustability of the lever O is possible at any movement, and is accomplished as follows: It is pivoted at its lower end to the center of the vertical disk l?, which is provided with a series of holes along a circular'line near its edge. A pin, m, projects through a hole in the lever O into one of the holes in the disk P, and thus secures them together. The pin m is kept in place by a spring', which must be ilexed when it is withdrawn, so that the lever may be removed to another position. The pin m may at any time be withdrawn from its hole in the disk by a supplementary lever, p, Fig. 2, which lies alongside of the lever O. It may begrasped by the fingers of the hand which grasps the lever O, and pressed toward said lever, so as to withdraw the pin m.. When the pressure of the fingers is removed from p the spring r will immediately return the pin m to the hole opposite to which it is next brought.

lt may be desirable sometimes to hold the tongue rigid in one position longer than it would be convenient to do by the hand, or it may be necessary to hold it rigid while the position of the lever O is being shifted; and I therefore provide a foot-latch, Q, which consists of a lever placed beneath the foot-board K, one end projecting upward through said foot-board, and taking e'ect in one of a series of holes through the strap R, which projects backward from the front end of the tongue socket N through a cleat, S, for that purpose. The other end of the lever Q is provided with a treadle, upon which the attendants foot is to be placed when he desires to bring this latch into use to hold the ton gue rigid in any position. When not in use a spring keeps the latch end of the lever Q withdrawn, so that the strap R is free to slide back andforth through the cleat as the tongue moves up and down in respect to the frame. A simple ec-.

centric-lever to clamp the strap It may be used instead of this lever Q and its attachments.

The cutters driving-crank shaft is revolved very rapidly, and is usually much exposed to dust and grit. From the rapidity ot' its revolution, its liability to have grit in its boxes, unequal strain, and the general violence of the labor imposed upon it, it is more liable to wear out its bearings and to get out of line than any other part of the machine. I obviate all of these difficulties by mounting the said shaft T in a tubular box, U, which extends from the bearing at one end to the bearing at the other. By this means the two bearings can never be out of line, and the shaft and bearings are also preserved from the effects of dust and grit. This continuous box is cast hollow, the oentral portion being cored out so as to be larger than the shaft T, while the two ends are bored so as to form bearings for the journals of said shafts. lt is also provided with lu gs,properly disposed to permit bolts to be passed through them into the cross-bar C and the brace E. It will readily be seen that this continuous box or tube will be in itself very strong, andv that, in addition to its advantages in keeping the shaft T protected from dust and always in line, it will, when bolted to the bar C and brace E, materially strengthen the main frame of Ithe machine.

The shoe V is constructed with two transverse vertical lugs, c fv', at its front and rear ends, and through holes in these lugs the rear end of the drag-bar D passes, forming an axis upon which the said shoe and the whole cutting apparatus may swing in a plane of motion nearly vertical and at right angles to the line of the machines forward movement. The front and rear ends of this shoe are curved upward, so that it may slide over the cut grass without dragging it forward.

The drag-bar D passes freely through the front luge', but before passing through the brace E and the rear lug c it is turned smaller, so as to leave a shoulder, which rests against the front side of the brace E. Behind the lug c is placed a short sleeve, s, on the rear end of the drag-bar D, and against the rear end of this sleeve is a screw-nut, which holds and secures all of these parts in place. The sleeve s furnishes a bearing for the lifting-lever W, the lower end of which rests behind a little shoulder upon the upper side of the shoe, in rear of the lug c and near that edge which is toward the cutters.

The lifting lever W curves upward and. over toward the main frame A, and is linked at its upper end to the rear end of the hand-lever X. When the attendant desires to raisethe outer end of the cutting apparatus he grasps this hand-lever, and by raising its forward .end he depresses the upper end of the lever W, and the shoe V is thereby caused to swing upon its axis, (the drag-bar 1),) and thus raise the outer end of the cutting apparatus. This operation is well known and understood.

If it is desired to retain the cutting apparatus in the last-mentioned position, the handlever X is raised high enough to rest upon the top of the standard Y, which is placed there for that purpose.

Just in rear of the lug v', and near that edge of the shoe which is toward the cutters, is the longitudinal vertical lug Z, and to this latter lug the reel-post R' is secured by a screw-bolt, a, at its lower end, and a screw-bolt, t, screwing into any one of a series of holes in the upper'part of the lug Z. By these means the reel-post, moving on the bolt u as a pivot, may be inclined a little forward or backward of a perpendicular position and secured so.

The reel-shaft is carried in a long tubular box, S', and belongs to that class known as overhauging.7 The box S' is secured transversely to a sleeve, T', which slides up and down upon the reel-post. This sleeve, in addition to a set-screw to keep it tight upon the post, has a lifting-screw, U', which is secured to the sleeve T', and passed upward through a cap, V', upon the top of said post, and there operated by a screw-nut.

The reel is drivenby a belt from a pulley on the hub of the driving-wheel Gr to the reelpulley G', but as the distance between the pulleys Gr and Gr' is liable to constant variation, it is necessary to provide an automatic tighteni 11g-pulley to take up the slack of the belt and secure at all times a sufcient pressure to insure the constant revolution of the reel. This tightenin g-pulley W', I mount upon a spring-arm, X', which is attached to a sleeve adjustable up and down upon the reel-post B. A set-screw retains this sleeve at any desired point. The screw Y', bearing against the spring-arm X' at a point above its point of yattachment, increases or diminishes the stiffness of said spring-arm as desired.

When it is desired to raise the entire cutting apparatus from the ground, as in going to or from the field, it may be done by elevating the one end by the levers W and Y, and the other end by tilting the forward end of the frame downward, as heretofore described; or the cutting apparatus may be turned up and folded (the drag-bar D acting as the axis) in a mani ner well known, and retained in that position by the stay-rod e', the end of which is passed through a hole in the nger-bar and secured there by a screw-nut.

When this machine is to be used for reaping grain the platform shown by red lines in Fig. l

with its proper divider and grainwheel, is at- `tached to the finger-bar.

Having described myinvention, what I claim form shown and described, in combination with Jthe driving-wheel and main frame of a harvester.

3. The sector-plate H, provided with the hookingflange j', in combination with the curved sectorstandard l and the main frame of a harvester, for the purpose set forth.

4. The brackets 7c, in combination with thel curved sector-standard s and dri vers foot-board 'K, of a harvester, for the purpose of strengtheninte, and supporting said standards.

5. The drivers foot-board K, and tool-box L, when arranged as shown and described.

6. The adjustable lever O, :in combination with the tongue M, for the purpose of con trolling and changing the angle of the tongue to the main frame. i

7. The levers O and p, spring r, and pin m, in combination with the disk P and tongue M, for the purpose set forth.

S. The spring' foot-latch Q, in combination with the strap R, tongue M, and main frame of a harvester. for the purpose set forth.

9. rlhe box U, constructed as described, in combination with the crank-shaft T, cross-bar C, and diagonal brace E, for the purpose of protecting the shaft T and strengthening the' frame, as set forth.

l0. The vertically and laterally adjustable spring,` tightening-pulley W', when constructed as described.

WM. N. WHITELEY, JR.

Witnesses:

J oHN D. MILLER, REUBEN MILLER.

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