US94406A - Improvement in seeder and fertilizer combined - Google Patents

Description

3 Sheets-Sheet l.

s. M. PIRBY.

Seeder and Fertilizer.

No. 94,406. Patented Aug. 31, 1869.

4%.. 37e@ WMM, fwwgezm/ 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. S. M. FIRBY.

Seeder and Fertilizer.

Patented Aug. 31, 1869.

H. PETERS, PHQTO-LITHOGQAPHR. WASHINGTN, D C.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3. S. M. FIREY.

Seeder and Fertilizer.

Patented Aug. 31, 1.869.

N, PiTERS. PHofO-LITHOGRAPNER, WASHINGYON, n C.

@eine diijiiw.

SAMUEL M. FIREY, OF CLEAR SPRING, MARYLAND.

LettersTatent No. 94,406, dated August 31, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEEDER AND FERTILIZER COMBINED.

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

To all whom it 'may conce/rn.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL M. FIREY, of Clear Spring, in the county of Washington, and State of Maryland, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Seeding-Machines, Fertilizers, and Corn-Planters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, which make part of this specification, and in winch- Figure l represents a plan or top view of a machine embracing my improvements;

Figure 2 represents avert-ical longitudinal section of the same, through the line x x of fig. 1;

Figure 3 represents a transverse section of the machine, taken at the line y y ofiig. 1, looking toward the front;

Figure 4 represents a vertical sectional view of the mechanism for operating the expansible pulley, by which the planting of corn is regulated, according to horizontal distance;

Figure 5 represents a plan or top view of the several parts shown in fig. 4;

Figure 6 represents a vertical section of one of the lower feeding-chambers, and its interniittently-wiuged feeder;

Figures 7 and 8 represent, respectively, a vertical transverse section and an elevation of one of the feeding-cylinders and its enclosing-case;

Figure 9 represents an elevation of the end of the hopper, and the gearing for operating the fertilizer;

Figure, 10 represents a vertical sectional view of the same;

Figures 11, 12, 13, and 14, represent views of the rubber spring, and its connection with the drag-bars;

Figure 15 is a view in perspective of the seedingtube, and its funnel-shaped or flaring mouth Figure .16, a view of the slotted plate for operating the fertilizi11g-slides,r

Figure 17, a view of the cani, the weights, and the foot-levers; and

Figure 18, a view of one of the oscillating boxes of the rock-shaft of the fertilizing-hopper.

In the accompanying drawings- A represents a rectangular frame, upon which the several parts-of the machine are arranged and supported;

B, the supporting and carrying-wheels; and

C, the tongue, which is connected to the frame by two horizontal beams A, extending from the tongue G diagonally toward Veach side and rear of the machine, and to which are secured the inner ends of two short axles D of the supporting-wlieels.

'lhc diagonal beams A, being secured to Vthe top of the frame A, and the axles to the under side thereof, the inner ends of these axles D are, therefore, curved or turned upward to connect with these beams, and also to allowa horizontal rod, E, to be'fitted into the lower part of each axle, and secured by screw-bolts a, fig. 3, and thus form a brace to the whole frame.

Upon this frame the hopper'for the grain and fertilizery is mounted. It is divided into two compartments, one, F, for the grain, and the other, F2, for the fertilizer.

Immediately beneath the hopper a horizontal shaft, G, is arranged, upon which are secured the feedingcylinders H, sc as to communieate in the usual man ner, with the openings in the grain-hopper.

Each of these cylinders is enclosed by a case, b, secured to the under side of the hopper, and divided by a partition into compartments, so as to divide the cells of the cylinders into two divisions for sowing or planting, as may be desired, as shown in gs. 7 and 8.

I construct these cylinders of India rubber, having their circumference littedwith iron bands d', to which ribs e, for dividing the cylinder into cells or chambers, are secured.

The body H ofthe cylinder, therefore, being of rubber, will yield to resistance in any direction, while the shaft G, upon which it is mounted, serves as a fixed centre. The bands d, which -surround it, are inelastic, and preserve its cylindrical form, but should any one of its ribs'e come in contact with a gravel, or other hard substance, the whole body of the cylinder will yield, and thus carry the gravel out of the case with the grain.

The shaft G, being fixed to the rubber cylinder', of

rendering it a universal-yielding cylinder, at the same time inelastic, to preserve its cylindrical form, and make it durable and light. The ribs e, which divide it into cells or chambers, are placed upon its circumference, parallel with its axis, and they are notched or divided about the middle of their length, so as to receive the partition c within the case which encloses thc'cylinder, and thus divide it into two chambers, within which the ribs revolve.

That portion of the ribbed cylinder adapted to planting corn is made conical, so as to bring the corn ont of its case more readily by yielding sideways, or in an inclined direction, as well as directly atright angles with itsfaxis, as shown in iig. 8.

The drill-tubes l are united, in the `usual manner,

m2, and thus vibrates the feeding-arms m, and affords a simple method of'v overcoming the dead-centres, and obtaining a constant feed of fertilizcrs.-

The segment-pinion o of the rock-shaft m? is thrown into and out of gear with the segment-pinion p, by means of a clutch-lever, fr, as shown in figs. 9 and 10.

The mechanism for converting the seeding-machine into a corn-planter consists of' certain devices for dropping the corn in hills or check-rows, according to-hori-- zontal distance.

This is accomplished by means of an expansible pulley, mounted upon a horizontal shaft, L, secured in bearings in the frame beneath the hopper, which pulley is expanded and contracted by means of a pendent weight, suspended from near the front ofthe frame, and a horizontal hinged suspension -bar, to which the drill-tubes arc attached, for carrying the rubber tubes of the drills, so as to receive the com directly from the feeding-cyliinlers, and drop it at proper intervals, according to the revolutions of the expansible pulley.

. The expansible pulley M is located near thc middle of the frame, and is made in sections s, grooved to receive a cord or chain, N, which it th'ives.

Each section of the pulley is hinged to the opposite ends of arms t, whose other ends are hinged in like manner toV two bearing-heads or boxes yu, mounted upon the shaft L, on opposite sides of the sectional pulley M, as shown in figs. 3 and 5, so as to slide thereon, and approach nearer to or recede further from the said pulley, and thus increase or diminish its diameter.

The sections s of the pulley thus secured are of a size to leave spaces between them, and thus interrupt the continuity of the circumference of the pulley, and they are held in posit-ion, so as to expand and contract in radial lines, by means of two circular plates or disks r, arranged vertically upon the shaft L, and turning therewith.

These plates c are provided with radial slots e', into and through which the arms t of the sectional pulley M project, and these plates thus form a case, to main-` tain the sections of the pulley in proper rela'ion with each other, because being fixed to their hubs u, on the shaft L, will cause the arms t to rise and fall within the slots, as the said sliding heads are brought nearer to or carried further from each other.

This pulley is revolved by a pinion, 13, fig. 9, on the shaft L, matching with the driving-gear K1, and communicates motion, byv means of the' endless cord N, to a revolving wheel, 0, carrying a tooth, x, upon its circumference, which .latter is arranged to strike upon a small toothed wheel, l), on a horizontal rod, P1, which carries winged wheels, I, fig. 6, located in the intermittently-feeding hoppers P3 of the hinged sus pension-bar Q.

The toothed wheel O is placed upon a short shaft, arranged between the sectional pulley and the intermittently-feeding chambers, and is mounted in bearings in a metallic frame, It,`secured at its fiont ends to a cross-timber of theframe, and to the brace-rod E of the short axles.

The endless 'cord N ofthe sectional pulley M passes around a small pulley, u', on the face of the toothed wheel O, and in order that the cord may expand and contract with the sectional pulley, it is passed over two small fixed pulleys, a vez, and under a central small pulley, wi, having its journals fitted-in slot-s in a hanger, uff, secured to the under side of the hopper, so that the lastulamed' pulley may rise within said hanger, and fall by its weight, to take up any slack in the endless cord, or let it out, with the expansion and contraction of the sectional pulley, as shown in figs. Z and 4. Its tautness is thus always insured, to maintain the regularity of the revolution of the toot-hed wheel.

The suspension-bar Q is located in the rear of the short axles D, and is hinged to the brace-rod E by two arms S, fig. 3, which also carry the intermittently-dropping corn-chambers l.

These chambers are provided with four win gs, which are secured by hubs to the Vends of the horizontal rod l", upon which the intermittently -rcvolving small toothed wheel P is secured.

The corn-chambers are provided with necks above andl below their winged hubs, in which are secured the rubber tubes J, the upper one having its rubber fun` n'el-shaped mouth J' secured by the clasp lo of the ease of the sceding-cylimler, while the lower one leads into the drill-tubes,l and thus a communication is effected directly between the continuously-revolving seedingcylinder and the intermittently-revolving wings of the corn-chambers.

The small wheel P, ou the rod of the intermittently-revolving wings, is provided with four teeth or pro` jections, corresponding in position radially with thefeeding-wings l, and they are arranged in such proximity to the tooth a: ofthe wheel 0, that each revolution of the wheel will bring the tooth thereof in Contact with one of the teeth of the horizontal rod P1, and

grains of corn resting upon the wing in each chamber will be discharged through the opening .in the lower side of said chamber, and at the same time bring the next wing in a position within the case of the chamber, to form a stop to the descending corn, in readiness to be turned to drop the next hill. t

The toothed wheel P may be held from presenting its teeth irregularly to the action of the tooth z, by a spring, 14, figs. 2, 3, and 5.

In order to prevent the radial wings from bindingr within the corn-chambers P, in discharging the corn, I make the rear sides l" thereof, opposite the wings, hinged, and held close against the side of the case by a spring, or the hinged side may be weighted for that purpose, so as to form a slightly-yielding side of the becoming locked by a grain of corn between it and the case, which would canse the wings to bind and interrupt their turning.

The horizontal bar Q of the intermittently-feeding chambers is suspended by two chains,'15, figs. 2 and 3, to the two diagonal beams of the frame, and being also hinged, by the arms S to the brace-bar of the axles, it must, therefore, ris land fall in the arc of a circle, maintaining always its fone-toothed wheel in a position to be struck by the revolving single-toothed wheel, so that the flexibility of' the suspension-bar cannot interfere with the regular intermittent rot-ation of the winged feeders.

It will be observed that the devices thus arranged and operating would plant corn irrespective of regular horizontal distances. To compensate for this, and to drop the hills of corn at regular intervals apart, irrespective of the undulations ou the surface of the ground, I arrange auautomatic device, consisting ot' a pendent weightedlever, T, suspended from a horizontal rod, y, secured to the under side of one of the front timbers of the frame, so that it will hang downward, and swing back and forth upon said rod. i

This rod g/ is arranged to turn in its hearings by the movement of the pendent weight, and carries acam or groove of peculiar shape, which is connected to the sliding bearings u, of the sectional pulley M, by means of two arms somewhat in the form of a pair of tongs, having two long, 16, and two short ends, 17, as shown in figs. 1 and 5, :nld pivoted,11ear their short ends, to the under side of one of the front timbers of the frame.

The rod of the pendent weight is ou a horizontal line with the shaft of the sectional pulley, and the long ends 16 of' the pivoted `arms are forked, so as to fit into grooves, like a clutch, in the sliding hubs u, of

thus turn it a quarter of a revolution, so that'thel chamber, and thus prevent the possibility of the wings the sectional pulley, while the short ends 17 of these arms fit into the grooves of the cam, so as to embrace the sides of a double frog-shaped cam, z, united at the base of its angles, so that their apices are at the extreme end of the groove. Y

When the machine is moving over a level surface,

the short ends 17 of the arms occupy a positionwith- .in the groove on either side of the widest part of the cam, and, therefore, do not change the distance between the intervals of planting, as the sectional pulley will maintain a regular anduniform degree of expansion; but in ascending or descending a hill, the sur#l tace-distance becomes greater than a horizontal, and it becomes'necessary, in order to equalize the two distances, to reduce the diameter of the sectional pulley, and thereby diminish its action upon the toothed wheel, so as to canse it torevolve with a less degree of rapidity. 17 of the arms occupy the position before described,

kbut in ascending or .descending a hill, they converge the pendent weight T must have a fixed connection uponthe rod lfof the operating-cam, which is made by means of an arm, 18, on said rod, having its lower end notched, so as to fit into corresponding teeth in a shoulder on the upper-end of said pendent weight, as shown in figs. 2 and 4, and thuslock the latter to its axis; and, the4 pendent'lever having sufficient weight, it is'plan, that as its lower end swings toward the liont in descending, or toward the rear in ascending a hill, it will, of course, so operate the cam z as to contract the pulley M, because the arms 17 will be caused to pass within the groove, toward one or the other of the apices of the cam', whether the weight swing -to-l ward the front; or the rear,` and thus effect theintermittent dropping of the corn as regularly, and at the same distances, as if the machine were travelling over a level surface.

The connection of the weighted lever with its axis, while it isxed, is also capable of adjustment, so as to be set at different inclinations with the frame, by'f its notched arm 18, when operating upon ground having quite steep hills, so that the weight will .the more readily turn the cam the required distance to contract the pulley suddenly and suificiently.

' rlhe pendent weight is held iu its locked position by a spring fixed to the axis of the weight, so a's to bear it constantly against the fixed arm 18.

In order that the expanslble pulley may be made to act suddenly, to correct' any error .which may have arisen, from any cause, in planting, in equal distances, on a level surface,'I yarrange a foot-lever, 19, upon the axis of the cam, so that the attendant, from his seat,

may use his foot againstthe lever, thereby contract-v ing the pulley, and-thus correcting any. irregularity in the distance between the hills.

This mechanism for planting corn is secured to the machine, so that it may be removed entirely therefrom when the machine is used for planting seed ycontinuously.

` An automatic drill-tooth marker may' be used in connection with this machine; but, as the automatic expansible and contractible pulley is absolutely correct in planting corn in check-rows, it is not deemed essential to use a marker in `connection therewith.

Having thus described my invention,

1 clairn- Upon lcvelground, therefore, the short ends 1. In combination with shortaxles D D, the diagonal beams Az, of the frame A, arranged above the axles, substantially as before described.

2T The combination of the short axles D D., the diagonalbeamsA, and the frame A, with the horizontal brace-rod E, arranged beneath and connected with .the axles D, substantially as before described.

and yielding hopper, and facilitating the transmission lof grain to the tube, substantially as befre described.

7. The funnel or flaring mouth of the conductingtube, secured to the case of the seeding-cylinder by means of a clasp, so that the tube may be removed at pleasure, substantially as before described.

8. The combination of a conducting-tube and funnel with the case of the seeding-cylinder and the hinged securing-clasp, constructed and arranged substantially as before described.

9. The double drag-bars, hinged, separately and directly, to the drilling-tube, and to the frame, thereby doubling the vstrength of thc drag-bars, while two of them` also serve as the tripping-'levers of the drill-tube, substantially as described.

10. The adjustable notched carriage t, of the inner" drag-bar Il, in combination with the adjustable seat iz, of the spring It, secured thereon, as described.

11. The stirrup i, capable of adjustment horizontally on the outer drag-barlz, to which it is also locked vertically, in combination with the adjustable carriage i and the adjustable seat i, substantially as described.

12. The rock-shaftof the fertilizing-,hoppen secured in oscillating seats or boxes, so as to allow it to beremoved, with itsarms, at pleasure, substantially as described.`

13. LThe vibrating feeding-arms m, divided, so that .each arm will form a pair, m5, and vibrated, so that each arm of the pair will 'only passV over one-half of the opening, to feed the fertilizer, substantially as described.

141. The combination of the removable rock-shaft m2 and itsoscillating boxes mi with the feeding-arms m, constructed and arranged substantially as described.

15. The fertilizing-arms md operated bymeans of the elliptical groove or cam q2, in'connection with the radial arm q and the segment-pinions o and p, as herein described. `1

1G. The slides of the fertilizing-hopper, operated, s as to increase or diminish the feed of the fertilizer, by means of the ecceutrically-grooved pivoted plate, as herein described.

17. The expansible and contractible pulley, con-` structed and operating substantially as described.

18. The expansible and contractible pulley, constructed in sections, in combination with the arms, to which they are hinged, substantially as described.

19. 'lhe sectional pulley, expanded and contracted, automatically, by means of a pendulous weight, or its equivalent, substantially as described.

20. In combination with a sectional pulley and its automatically-operating weight, the cam and the pivoted arms, arranged and operating substantially as before described.

21. The pendulous weight, made adjustable, in the manner and for the purpose herein described.

22. The expanding and contracting pulley M, in combination with the toothed wheels 0 and P, opel'- ating substantially as before described.

'23. lThe combination of a hopper, for feeding con-y bers, hinged, so as to form a yielding side thereto, for y `the purpose of preventing the choking of the chambers, substantially as herein described.

27. The combination of an expansible and contract ible pulley with a xed case or guidng-plates and ilexible supporting-arms, substantially as described.

28. The combination of the pendulous weight T, cam z, expansible and contractible pulleyM, with the foot-lever 19, for the purpose described.

SAML. M. FIREY.

Witnesses:

JAMES H. GROVE, SAMEL ULRICH.

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