US802504A - Potato-digger. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED OCT. 24, 1906.

A. GAGNON. POTATO BIGGER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1%. 1904.

AUGUST GAGNON, OF FORESTLAKE, MINNESOTA.

FOTATO-DIGGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1905.

Application filed July 14, 1904. Serial No. 216,543.

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, Aneusr GAGNON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Forestlake, in the county of Washington and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Improvement inPotato-Diggers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improved construction of potato-digger, the object being to provide a simple and efficient machine by means of which the potatoes can be dug from the ground, thoroughly separated from the earth, and elevated and conveyed to baskets or other suitable receptacles.

The main objects of the invention are to provide a machine which will take up the potatoes without elevating any considerable quantity of earth; and another object is to provide a machine capable of operating in the manner herein described which can be drawn by an ordinary team and which will require the attention of the driver and only one other person to remove the baskets or other receptacles as they become filled.

With these objects in view the invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement, all of which will be fully described hereinafter and pointed out in the claim.

1n the drawings forminga part of this specification, Figure l is a side elevation of the potato-digger constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section. Fig. i is a section on the line 4c 4: of

Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates the case or frame, supported upon the rear wheels B and the front wheels 0.

D indicates the opening-plow, connected to the standard D, which is adapted to be raised or lowered by means of the lever D connected to the link D, which in turn connects 'to the standard D.

1) indicates the thumb-lever, and D the toothed segment adapted to be engaged by said lever, and D indicates the drivers seat.

E indicates the digger proper, which is preferably composed of a series of strands of wire wound spirally around the longitudinal rods E, and it will be noted that the wire strands terminate at different points, as shown at E E and E, thereby making the forward end of said spiral digger somewhat after the manner of an ordinary auger, said forward end of the digger being adapted to dig into the hill opened bythe plow and catch the potatoes upon the said spirally-arranged strands.

The digger E is surrounded by toothed rings F, guided by rollers (Jr, connected to the frame, said rings being engaged by gears F, driven from the rear axles. thereby imparting the proper rotary motion to the spirally constructed digger E. The potatoes caught up by the digger E are carried rearwardly and upwardly and dropped into the pockets H of the elevator H, which consists of a hollow ring arranged at the rear end of the case and subdivided in a series of radial pockets, into which the potatoes drop from the digger E, and as this ring H rotates the potatoes are carried up and dropped into the delivery-chute I. A toothed ring K is arranged upon the exterior of the elevator H, and passing around the same is the sprocketchain L, which receives its power from the sprocket-wheel M, mounted upon the shaft M and meshing with a beveled gear 1V mounted upon a shaft M and carrying a sprocket-wheel M at its end, which receives its power from the sprocket-chain M driven by the wheel M", mounted upon the rear axle. The delivery-chute 1 extends toward the forward end of the frame and inclines downwardly toward the forward end, and adjacent to said forward end is a gate I, operated by the hand-lever 1 by means of which the potatoes can be directed, through either of the side openings 1, to baskets or other receptacles arranged upon the suitable supports .I upon the sides of the frame or case. Thus it will be seen that by properly adjusting the plow the hills are opened and the spirallyconstrueted digger will engage the said hill by its forward end, lifting the potatoes and sifting the earth therefrom, which earth drops through between the Wire strands, and the potatoes are delivered throughly cleaned to the elevating-ring, which carries them upwardly and drops them into the delivery-chute and by means of which they are guided into the collecting-basket or other receptacle. As

soon as the basket becomes filled it is removed and another one put in its place.

Having thus fully described my invention, purpose described, the longitudinal ribs and What I claim as new, and desire to secure by the encircling hands, all arranged substan- Letters Patent, istially as described.

In a potato-digger, an elevating-digger com- AUGUST GAGNON. 5 posed of a plurality of Wire strands'wound Witnesses:

spirally and terminating at different points at R. T. BOARDMAN,

the forward end, said ends being free for the HILDRED YOUNGREN.

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