US609289A

US609289A - The nor

Info

Publication number: US609289A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1898-08-16
Anticipated expiration: 1915-08-16

Description

No. 609,289. `Painted Aug. le. |899.

c. .1. MouLToN a A. .1. KEEBLE.

POTATD DIGGING MACHINE.

4 Sheets-Sheet l.

(Application med Dec. 88, 1897.) (Nu Model.)

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me ncmnls News co., Puoraurno.. wasmncron, u. c.

No. 609,289. Patented Aug. I6, |898..

c. J. MouLToM a. A'. .1. KEEBLE. POTATO DIGGING MAEHINF..

(Application led Dec. 28, 1897.) Ulu Model.) 4 IShets-Sheet 2J.

TH: wams PETERS cn., pnofoumo.. wAsmNoToN, :n.1:4

No; 609,289. y Patented Allg.` I6, i898. C. J. MOULTON & A. J. KEEBLE. PUTATO DIGGING MACHINE.

(Application filed Dec. 28, 1897.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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THE Nonms PETERS ou. PHoTo-Ln'no., wAsNmmoN. D. c.

' No. 609,289. Patented Aug. I6, |898.

C. J.. MOULTUN- &. A. J. KEEBLVE.

PUTATO DIGGING MACHINE.

(Applicntion led Dec. 28, 1897.) (No Model.) 4 Shests-Sheet 4.

@NME il: TATES y. I` l CHARLES JOSEPH MOULTON, OF CHATTERIS, AND ARTHUR J. KEEBLE, OF PETERBOROUGH, ENGLAND.

PoTATo-Dlecmci MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part "of Letters Patent No. 609,289, dated August 16, 1898. Application filed December 28, 1897.l Serial No. 664,114. (No model.) Patented in England November '7, 1896, No. 25,003.

T0 @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES JosEPH MOULTON, residing at Chatteris, in the county of Cambridge, and ARTHUR JAMES KEEE'LE, residing at Peterborough,`in the county of Northampton, England, subjects of the Queen of Great Britain, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Potato-Digging Machines, (patented in England November '7, 1896, No. 25,003,) of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to improvements in potato-digging machines, whereby we greatly improve the operation thereof.

Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a side view, Fig. 2 a plan, Fig. 3 a front view, and Fig. et a rear view, of a potato-digger provided with our present improvements. Fig. 5 is an elevation seen from the right-hand side of the machine of parts carrying and giving motion to the toppingscreen and showing the shaking-riddles and their supports. Fig. 6 isa side elevation of parts carrying and giving motion to the shaking-riddles, the topping-screen being shown in section. Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation, and Fig. 8 is aplan, of part of the endless elevating-screen j. Fig. 9 is an edge View, and Fig. 10 a plan, of two'links of said elevating-screen drawn `to a larger scale. Fig. l1 shows a modified arrangement of driving-gear.

In carrying our invention into eiect we employ a framing a, supported bya'pair of wheels b, fixed to a rotating shaft c, and by `a pair of smaller wheels cl, mounted on a fore carriage e, supporting the front of the frame a, which latter is capable of being raised and lowered in relation tothe fore carriage e by means of a lever f. For this purpose the lever f is pinjoin`te'd to the upright e and is adjustably connected at one end to the link a', while its other end is held by a hook a2.

gis a share fixed.` to dependent arms dit, attached to the frame aand acting to lift each row of potatoes and the earth in which they have grown to the lower end of a short endless elevator h, the working face of which is on a line or thercabout with the face of the share, while'the'upper end is above and 'projectsfsomewhat' over the lower end of an endless elevating-screenj. This lower elevator h is narrower and is or may be worked at a slower speed than the upper elevator j, and in order to prevent injury to the machine by stones we hinge a portion g of the rear end of the share, so that when a stone is lifted by the lower elevator 71) such hinged portion g of the share shall give way and allow the stone to pass without injury to the machine. By these arrangements the earth will become disintegrated and separated from the potatoes, partly byfalling over the upper end of the lower elevatorh onto the lower end of the upper elevator j and partly by the vibrationof this latter elevator and its increased speed as compared with the lower elevator h when such increased speed is used. f

The endless elevating-screenj is formed of two main outer chains jo, connected together at suitableintervals by cross-barsj, attached to lugs jl, formed on certain ofthe links of the chains jo, and a series of slacker chains jg, which, being connected to the cross-bars j', so as to fall below the main chains jo, and by the aid of cross-rods j, passedthrough links of the chains ji, form pockets to receive and securely carry the potatoes up tothe top of the elevating-screen The pockets thus formed also, by their having aconsiderable amount of vibratory` motion both in traveling forward andin` passing over their supporting-wheels, assist in separating the earth from the potatoes and in clearing earth from themselves.

The elevatinghscreen h `is p constructed in similar manner to the elevating-screen j. At each side of the endless elevating-screens hj, respectively, is arranged a guard w, of sheet iron or other suitable material, which is attached to and carried by the frame of the machine and is of such width as to prevent the potatoes on the said elevators from falling sidewise out of the pockets thereof.

When the potatoes, with their tops'and with .the weeds which have grown with them, have passed over the top of the elevating-screen j, they fall onto an endless transversely-traveling topping-screen lathe spaces of which are sufliciently large to allow all the potatoes to pass therethrough, but which will hold back and separate the tops and weeds therefrom and carry the latter away to the side of the machine, where they will fall to the ground. A guard 7c* is fitted at the outer or rear side of the topping-screen 7c to prevent any tops or unriddled potatoes from falling into the receiver m.

The potatoes after having passed through the endless topping-screen fall onto apair of superposed shaking riddles or screens Z Z2, each consisting of two vertical sides, a closed front, an inclined screening-bottom, and an open rear end for delivery of the screened potatoes. The upper screen Z has a more open screening-bottom than that of the lower screen Z2. The larger potatoes are retained by the upper screen Z', while the smaller potatoes and accompanying earth fall onto the lower screen Z2, where the potatoes are separated from the earth,which latter falls through to the ground, While the potatoes from both screens fall into a box or receiver m, whence they may be allowed to fall into baskets carried beneath such receiver.

The receiver m is provided with a rear guard m2 and with movable bottoms or sliding doors m', which can be closed when the baskets m3 are to be removedand reopened when the latter are replaced.

Motion is given to the endless elevatingscreens, topping-screen, and shaking riddles or screens in the following manner: On the l main wheel-shaft c is fitted a chain-wheel n4,

y js, mounted on the cross-shaft j7, near each lers 705.

end thereof. The main chains jo of the upper endless elevating-screen aremounted on chain-wheels j, fitted on the cross-shaftj7 at top, and on chain-wheels g7'4 on the cross-shaft js at bottom. On one end of the cross-shaft .,7'7 is mounted a chain-wheel ju, which by means of a chain 713 rotates a chain-Wheel 7a2,

fitted on a cross-shaft 71.',on which are mounted the chain-Wheels h4, which operate the main chains ho of the lower endless elevating-screen. The bottom end of the lower endless elevating-screen is supported by chain-wheels h5 and rollers fitted on a cross-shaft 71,6, carried by brackets fixed to the arms a. The elevating-screen 7L is.. also provided with the cross-bars 77.*.

The topping-screen 7c is formed of two endless main chains 7.90, connected at intervals by cross-bars 7a and by other chains 71:2, fixed to such cross-bars and having cross-rods 7a2 passed at suitable distances through the links thereof. This endless topping-screen 7c runs over driving chain-Wheels 7a4 and guide-roll- The drivingchain-wheels 7a4 are fixed on a shaft 7c, on which is fixed a grooved pulley 707, over which and over guide-pulleys 708 (seen more clearly at Fig. 5) runs a driving band or chain ,710, receiving motion from a driving-pulleyjf on the shaft j?.

The pair of superposed shaking-riddles ZZ2 (see Fig. 6) are mounted in brackets Z2, carried on the framing a. Rocking levers Z6 are pinned at their ends to the top and bottom riddles, respectively, the rocking motion being communicated to each by a rod Z7, xed to the bottom end of one of the rocking levers, the other end being fixed to a crank-pin or eccentric Z8 on the shaft Z, on which latter is fixeda chain-wheel Zw, drivenby a chain Z11 from the chain-wheel Z12, fixed on the crossshaft ji. A fly-wheel 712 may be fitted to the crank-shaft Z9.

In the modified arrangement of drivinggear shown at Fig. ll a large chain-wheel n4, fitted on the main wheel-shaft c, communicates motion by means of a chain n3 to a chain-wheel o', fitted on a cross-shaft o, which shaft may be mounted on any convenient part of the framing a. On the cross-shaft ois fitted a spur-pinion o2, which gears with a spurpinion js, fitted on a cross-shaft l, placed with this arrangement alongside the cross-shaft 0. On one end of the shaft lis fitted a chainwheel 2, which communicates motion by means of a chain 3 to a chain-wheel 4: on a shaft j?, on which the wheels actuating the top of the upper endless elevator j are mounted. On the other end of the cross-shaft 1 is a chain-wheel 5, which communicates motion by means of a chain h3 to a chain-wheel 71,2, fitted on a cross-shaft 7L', on which the chainwheels actuating the upper end of the lower endless elevator Zt are mounted. The advantage of this modified arrangement of gearing is that by increasing or decreasing the size of the chain-wheels 2, o', and i and 5 and 72,2, the normal and relative speeds of the upper and lower endless elevators can be increased or decreased, as desired.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In apotato-digging machine, the combination with a suitable frame, of a potato-digging share, a hinged part at the rear of such share, a short endless elevating-screen formed with a number of pockets and having its working face on a level or thereabout with the face of the share, a longer endless elevating-screen formed with a number of pockets and havingits lower end below the upper end of the short endless elevating-screen, an endless cross-traveling topping-screen receiving the potatoes, tops, weeds and earth, from the longer endless elevating-screen,a pair of shaking screens or riddles receiving the potatoes from the topping-screen and delivering the potatoes to receivers, substantially as herein set forth.

2. In a potato-diggin g machine, the endless elevating-screens consisting of the combination of main outer chains, cross-bars connecting such outer chains together at intervals,

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lugs on certain links of the outer chains to which such cross-bars are fixed, slacker intermediate chains connected to the cross-bars and falling below the main chains, and crossrods passed through links of the slacker chains to form pockets to receive and carry the potatoes, substantially as herein set forth.

3. In a potato-digging machine,the toppingscreen consisting of the combination of outer and intermediate chains, cross-bars connecting the outer chains, and cross-rods passed through the intermediate chains, substantially as herein set forth.

4. In a potato-digging machine, the combination of a potato-diggingshare, a short endless elevating-screen, a longer endless elevating-screen, guards at each side of said screens, an endless transversely-traveling toppingscreen,a pair of shaking-riddles around which the topping-screen travels, and a potato-receiver provided with sliding doors or bottom, substantially as herein set forth.

5. In a potato-digging machine, the combination with a suitable frame, of apotato-dig ging share, a hinged part at the rear of such share, a short endless elevating-screen formed with a number of pockets and having its working face on a level or thereabout with the face of the share, a longer endless elevating-screen formed with a number of pockets and having its lower end below the upper end of the short endless elevating-screen, means to impart to said longer endless elevatingscreen a greater speed than the shorter, an endless cross-traveling topping-screen receiving the potatoes, tops, weeds and earth from the longer endless elevating-screen, and a pair of shaking screens or riddles receiving the potatoes from the topping-screen and delivering them to receivers, substantially as herein set forth.

In testimony whereof We afiix our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

CHARLES JOSEPH MOULTON.

A. J. KEEBLE. Witnesses:

B. J. B. MILLS,

CLAUDE K. MILLS.