US88613A - Improvement in potato-diggers - Google Patents

Description

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IMPROVEMENT IN POTATO-llJIG-G'rIElRS.y

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom 'it may concern Be it known that l, IRA CURTIS, of DesMoines, in the county of Polk, and State of Iowa, have invented a new and improved Potato-Digger; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making apart of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section.

Figure 2 is a plan.

The object of this invention is to provide for public use a simple, cheap, and electivemaohine, which will dig the tubers, cleanse them from dirt, and empty them into a bag or basket.

In the drawings- W W are the wheels;

A, the axle; F, a frame, resting upon the axle near its rear end, and rmly fastened to the same;

B, a roller, or drum-shaft, supported by the rear end of the frame, and receiving motion from the draughtwheels, by means of gearing w w and v G, a frame within the frame F, and pivoted to it at p p, so as to be rocked vertically on suc-l1 pivots by means of the level' L and cord K.

The frame C is divided longitudinally into twotracks, or open spaces, (shown by the plan, tig. 2,) by means of three dividing-partitions, P P P".

The side pieces P P' of the two spaces, prevent the potatoes from escaping from the sides of the endless apron hereinafter described.

The middle piece separates the two aprons, and prevents the potatoes from. passing from one to the other.

H is the plow, the triangular outlines of which can be seen in fig. 2.I i

It is supported by a standard, M, fixed (at the proper inclination) to the middle piece of frame C, as shown in fig. l. v

'.lhe lower forward corners, of the side pieces P P', come down, and are fastened to the outer corners of the plow, and, if necessary, a cross-bar, m, may extend across from one side piece to the other, at this point, in order to support the plow. t

lhe middle partition P is merely an angular piece lying upon and fastened properly to the upper edge of the central beam of frame C, said frame having three longitudinal beams, two of which are shown in iig.` 2, the other being concealed under the angular piece P".

The central piece appears plainly in iig. 1, with the part P resting upon it,

I I are two rollers, which, in connection with the drums b b upon shaft B, carry the endless aprons E E', arranged side by side, one in the space between partitions P' P, the other between P P, as shown in iig. 2.

The aprons extend from a point in rear ofthe plow, backward and Vupward sufliciently far, and discharge the tubers upon two inclines, J J (one for each apron,) by which they are directed into a bag or'basket.

I f a basket is usedit may sit on the rest R.

Between the rear edge of the plow and the front edge of the aprons, extendsa set of longitudinal bars,

or rods, r fr a" lr', which form a riddle, or sieve thron gh which the dirt is sifted as the tubers are forced back over it.

The bars may be of any suitable length, inclination, size, and distance apart, and may be constructed so as to have a vibrating motion, if desired.

N N are two beaters and propelling-wheels, putin motion from shaft B by means of suitable belts and pulleys, o o o, each wheel being provided with arms, u u. The function ofthe wheels, is to force the potatoes back over the riddles and upon the inclined aprons, and. to agitate them, and remove. the dirt from them.

Instead of having the side pieces P P come down 'to the plows, so as to keep the tubers from falling o of the riddles, the wheels N N may be provided with end-disks, which will answer the same purpose.

In that case, instead of the arms u n., longitudinal bars, extending from one disk' to the other (of the same wheel,) parallel to the shaft, might be employed, forming an apparatus somewhat like a harvester-reel.

The whole apparatus is simple, cheap, inexpensive, and not liable fo get out of order.

Having thus described my invention,

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The whole machine herein described, iu its novel arrangement of frames F C, partitions P P P, wheels W W, w w, N N, shaft B, carrying drums b l, riddles r r', endless aprons E E', plow H, lever L, axle A, and inclines J' J', all constructed and adapted to each other to operate together in the manner and for the purpose substantially as described.

Witnesses:

J. l?. FOSTER, WM. P. SHAVE.

IRA cURTls-

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