US9551A - Improvement in seed-planters - Google Patents

Description

S. & W. H.. WITHEROW.

Seed Planter. No. 9,551.

Patented Jam 18, 1853.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

SAMUEL WITHEROW AND W. H. \YITHEROW, OF GETTYSBURG, PENNSYL- VANIA, ASSIGNORS TO SAMUEL VVITHEROYV.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEED-PLANTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent- No. 9,551, dated January 18, 1853.

To all whom it may cancer n:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL Wrrnnnow and WILLIAM H. Wrrnnnow, both of the borough of Gettysburg, in the county of Adams and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Machines for Planting Corn, Cotton, Beans, Peas, &c.; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part thereof, in which Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the planter complete. Fig. 2 represents a vertical section through the hopper, cylinder, and gage-slide with its spring for adjustment.

Similar letters in both the figures represent the same parts.

The nature of the first part of our invention consists in so arranging the spring gage-slide for preventing the breaking of the grains when accidentally received in the cells of the revolving seeding-cylinder edgewise as that the bulk of the grain in the hopper, which is constantly varying in quantity and weight, shall not rest on or influence said gage-slide, and so that the spring may be adjusted to any required pressure, whether the hopper be full or otherwise; and,secondly,themannerofadjustiugtheseeding-tube and supporting the drag-bar to which it is attached by passing the same through a slot in the neck of the mold-board.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

The great practical difficulty in the drills heretofore constructed and in use has been that the shape of the grains of corn, 850., is such that two grains will get endwise or edgewise in the seed-cells, which will take in but one grain on its side, and when the fore end ofthe hop'peris rigid and immovable, the grains thus situated must be out or broken to pieces, and thus rendered worthless for planting. The holes or cells must belimited in size, otherwise a great waste of grain must he the result in planting. Variousmethodstoobviatethis difficulty have been devised,but none of which have effectually overcome it. The brush in removing the seed which projects from the cells removes also the seed which it is desired to plant, and thus makes false planting. The spring-gage heretofore used is arranged in the bottom of the hopper, and cannot be relied on, as it bears an ever changing quantity of grain upon it, and consequently a continuallyvarying pressure on the grain passing out of the hopper, and cannot be adjusted without emptying the hopper, so muchso that when the spring-gage is set for yielding to a hopper half full it will not yield at all to a full hopper, and consequently fails to produce the desired effect. ln our machine the grain does not rest on the spring-gage at all, and it is at all times, whether the hopper be full or otherwise, susceptible of the most accurate adjustment.

The mold-board A is double, and hasashare adapted to it accordingly, dividing the furrow and throwing the earth equally on both sides of the mold-board. The share has also two wings, Q, to correspond with the mold-board,

with the point B; in the center thereof.

The mold -board, share, wings, and point may be constructed in any suitable manner or form, and of any size required.

The corn or other grain to be planted is conveyed to the furrow in the ground, immediately behindthemold-board,throughatube,B. This is followed by a roller, U, which is connected to the beam by two semicircular irons, through which the gu'dgeons of the roller upon which itrevolvesextend. Theprogressoftheplanter puts the roller Gin motion, and which in turn operates the seeding-cylinder E by means of the cranks D, there being one on each side of the planter, or by any other well-known means of gearing.

The seeding-cylinder E may be of any suitable size, and is let into the beam l about one-half of its diameter. There are circular holes or cells G in said cylinder to take in the corn or other grain, and which may be made adjustable in size by the usual method of insorting a screw, which can be raised or lowered at pleasure, and as the cylinder revolves it conveys the grain from the hopper H down into the tube B, and from thence it passes into the ground. These cells maybe such in number as to drop the grain at any desired intervals. The hopper His so placed above the the cylinder E as to fit closely upon it, leaving the aperture where the corn rests upon the cylinder but alittle more than the diameter of the cells in width, and in length sufficient to insure the dropping of the grain into the cells before they pass under the spring-gage.

In the fore end of the hopper (provided the seeding-cylinder rotates in the direction of the front ot'the machine) we insert a box or tube, I, at a suitable angle with the hopper and so that its lower-end approaches close to the cylinder E at the place of exit of the corn or other grain. In the lower end of this box or tube we arrange a roller, J, of suflicieut size to work freely inside of said box, and the bearings upon which it turns resting in a block, S, which slides up and down as it is operated upon by theroller below or the springT above it, which is also inolosed in the box I. Through th e top ofthe box passes a set-screw, K, the end of which is supplied with a button for press ing against the upper end of the spiral spring, and by which any adjustment or pressure may behad upon the roller J. When the'grains come in contact with the roller J the spring allows it to rise and-the grain to pass down, and the roller immediately closes down without injury to the grain, the lower end of the hopper next the grain being slightly cut away to allow the grain to come up fairly against the roller, and when the grain presses against the roller it also rotates upon its axis to relieve it. It the grains are flatwise in the cells, they do not touch the roller.

The drag-bar N is attached by one of its ends to the clevis-bolt and passes through an opening co, in the adjustable hanger M, which passes up through the beam, and may be raised or lowered at pleasure for adjusting the seed ing-tube B and held firmly when adjusted by theset-screw 1. Through the neck ot'the moldboard is cut a slot, L, through which the dragbar N also passes, and which gives it lateral strength and support, and to the rear end of I the bar N is secured the seeding-tube B in any well-known manner, to prevent it from breaking when any obstacle presents Itself to it.

The advantages of our invention consist in economizing time, labor, and seed; in putting one, two, or any suitable number of grains in. a hill; in putting the grain in the ground uninjured and at any required depth, thus saving in seed, avoiding replanting, and enhancing the yield greatly over that done by ordinary planting.

The spring may also be applied and adapted to a circular horizontal plate containing dropholes and placed at the bottom of the hopper in place of the cylinder.

Having thus fully described the nature of our invention, what we claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The arranging of the spring T, slide S, and roller J within a box or tube forming one end of the hopper in such a manner as to pre vent any more seed from leaving the hopper than is required for planting, the whole being arranged in the manner and for the purpose specially set forth.

2. The arrangement of the drag-har under the plow-beam and passing through the ad justable hanger M and a slotin the neck of the mold-board for the purpose of giving additional lateral support to it and protecting it from the earth which runs upon the mold-board in turningthefurrow, the whole being arranged and combined in the manner and for the purpose hereiu set forth and described.

SAMUEL WITHEROVV. \V. H. WITHEROW.

Witnesses:

D. MOOONAUGHY, W. A. McGINLnY.

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