USRE299E - Improvement in grain and grass harvesters - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. MANNY, OFROOKFORD, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAIN AND GRASS HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 11,810, dated October 17, 1854; antedated June 15, 1854; Reissue No. 299, dated March 6, 1855.

DIVISION B.

'To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. MANNY, of Rockford, in the county of Winnebago and Stateof Illinois, (late of Freeport, in the county'of Stephenson, in the same State,)have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harvesting-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which make part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 represents aview in perspective of a machine embracing my improvements. Fig. 2 represents a top view of the same. Fig. 3 represents a rear end view of the same. Fig.

4 represents a section at the line :c cof Fig. 1,A

with the fence, guard, or wing of the platform removed to exhibit more clearly the arrangement for adjusting the cutters at varying distances from the ground. Fig. 5 represents a view in perspective of the removable platform and thefence or wing detached from the machine; and Fig. 6 represents 'a similar view of the hollow dividing-finger at the inner end of the machine and that portion of the end of the sickle or cutter which has its bearing therein.

In reaping-machines made many years ago by various persons, and more recently by McCormick, Seymour and Morgan, and others, seats or stands for a raker to occupy while discharging the grain from the platform have been arranged on the end of the machine most-remote from the standing grain, and also at the rear of the platform. Some of the older machines had the rakers stand, seat, or position located on the outer endr of the frame, near the end of the reel, the position of the raker being such that after the grain was delivered upon the platform by the reel he could with a free and natural sweep of his arms rake it off and deposit it upon the ground bythe side of the machine in suitable quantities for sheaves. In McCormicks and others of the recent machines the rakers seat, as arranged, occupies a position relative to the reel very similar to that of the old machines, the construction and arrangement of some of the parts in comparatively minor particulars being different, and for these differences in construction and arrangement Letters Patent have been granted.

cause the peculiar organization of different` machines required the seat to be differently located in each in order-to preserve a proper balance of the machine to allow the raker to discharge the grain with facility from the platform; to allow the machine to accommodate itself properly to inequalities of the surface of the ground; to prevent the machine from being loaded too much on one side' or the,

Weight ofthe raker from being lthrown unduly upon the horses; to prevent the frame from being unduly strained, and While accomplish ing these objects to dispose the seat so that it will not interfere with the functions of other parts of the machine.

Looking at the numerous conditions to be fulfilled in the location and arrangement of the seat or stand for the person who removes the grain from the platform, it is obvious that from the peculiar organization of several of the machines they were not well adapted to the application of `a seat and the problem of locating one properly upon them was difficult to solve, while in others of those machines less difficulty in arranging the seat was experienced.

When I had discovered thatk the general organization and frame-Work of the older machines were defective, I contrived a new and greatly improved frame to support the platform and cutting apparatus, for which in the year 1851 I received Letters Patent of the United States. In constructing and experiinenting with my machine with this new organization I found that it v was'impossible to apply to it with advantage any one of all the different arrangements and locations ofthe rakers stand or seat before known. lIn my machine as organized to arrange the seat over the end of the 1in ger piece or bar at the end of the reel, as in McGormicks machine, was impossible, for from that position the attendant could not discharge the grain from the plati'orm of my machine with either a fork or a rake, and, besides, the weight of an attendant at that point would bear so heavily upon the fin gers in crossing narrow rid ges, or when from any other-cause they happen to rest on the ground, that they would be depressed, so as to run thecutter into the ground and dull i-tsedge; and that portion 'of the weight of the raker in this position that would be thrown upon the horses would be highly objectionable and in'- jurious. This difficulty could not be obviated by moving the axle of the supporting-wheels forward nearer to the finger piece or bar to cause the rear of the frame partially to counterbalance this weight, as such a change would in its turn be inadmissible because of 'the high angle at which, the frame would be thrown when the cutter came to be lowered by adjusting it for mowing. These obstacles to the adoption of anything on the principle of Mc- Cormicks location and arrangement of the rakers seat or stand rendered it wholly inapplicable to my machine and precluded me absolutely from adopting it. All other arrangements 1 found equally inapplicable. The position of the raker in Schneblys and Woodwards machine is in my machine occupied by the driving-wheel and gearing, and necessarily so in order to locate the axle in the proper place to act as a fulcrum for the platform to` turn on. The arrangement and location of the seat in Hites machine is equally inapplicable to my machine, because, in order to preserve the integrity of my peculiar frame and at the same time discharge the grain at the proper place, the drivers seat would have to beattached to a corner of the platform too remote from the reel and cutters for the attendant to perform the-duty of clearing theplatform with the requisite facility.

After spending much laborin attempting to apply to my machine some of these previous arrangements and locations of their rakers stand or seat, I was compelled to abandon them and adopt a new one, which cost me much thought and many experiments to invent; butithas answered the purpose for which it was designed very fully and satisfactorily, and possesses many advantages over every other location and arrangement of the rakers or forkers seat.

This improvement of mine consists in cornbining with the reel which gathers the grain to the cutting apparatus and deposits it upon the platform a seat or position arranged between the inner end of the platform and the end of the machine next the standing grain for an attendant to sit or stand on, and which gives due support to him while operating a fork to push the cut grain toward the outer end of the platform, where the grain is first compressed against a wing or guard provided for the purpose, and then by a lateral movement of the -scattered than when they are raked olf and discharged at the side ofthe machine without previous compression. A further advantage of this arrangement is that the attendant occupies such a position that both the divider and cutting apparatus are within reach of his fork, so that in case of a root, bush, moss, or other obstruction becoming entangled thereon he can readily detach the same, when it would be impossible for him to do so if he was placed beyond the outer end ofthe platform, immediately behind the horses, or was located behind the platform and using a rake to discharge the grain at the side of the machine. A still further advantage of this arrangement is that in machines in which itV is adopted it has been found that less skill and labor will suffice for the prompt and proper discharge of the grain from the platform; and as the forking ot' the grain off the platform under this arrangement brings into operation very nearly the same' muscles as ordinary forking upon the ground, none of the extraordinary fatigue or lameness is felt by the persons who discharge the grain from the machine which is experienced by those who rake grain from other machines on which they ride back foremost astride of a crotch, and have to continue a strained swinging of the body in an unusual and irksome posture, which to many-among even robust personsis insupportable for any great length of time.

This new arrangement of the seat possesses other advantages; but the foregoing suffice to show the great importan ce of m'yimprovement, which obviates many of the defects which have hitherto materially retarded the introduction of the reaper into general use, as the interests of agriculture require.

The accompanying drawings representaharvesting-machine embracing the improvement which is the subject ofthe present patent.

The machine is supported on two wheels, A

and B, and provided with driving-gear suitable for giving motion to the cutters and reel; but, as the construction and arrangement of the driving-gear and reel are similar to those described in'myl former patents, I deem it unnecessary to describe them particularly here.

The tongue C, by which the horses draw the machine, is attached to the finger-bar near its outside or right end by means of a bolt, a, passing through ears b and forming a hingejoint nearly in a line with the front ends of the guardfingers,which allows the front of the frame to be elevated or depressed in this line. On the top of the tongue C is an inclined 'an upright bar,

' arm, G, which extends upward and backwardl within reach of the driver, whose seat H is mounted on the frame I. The tongue and arm together resemble the letter Y, with one limb shorter than the other. The arm G has a staple, g, projecting from its side, through which passes, whose .lower end is hinged to the frame I. This hinged bar .I has a series of holes in it,'into any one of which a strong pin, g2, is inserted to limit the descent of the arm G on the bar J. By this arrangement it is obvious that, as the front extremity of the tongue is iirmly held by the horses, when the arm G is raised or lowered it will impart a corresponding movement to the front edge of the machine, which carries the cutting apparatus, so that the adjustment of the cutters to cut the grain at varying heights is made by raising or lowering the arm G on thebar J and placing the pin g2 beneath it in the proper hole to hold it from falling below the required elevation. The axles of the supporting-wheels constitute the fulcra upon which the frame 'rurns,'while the exure-of the machine to vary the adjustment is at the joint which connects the tongue and linger-bar.

The divider F projects on the left side of the machine, in advance of the guard-tingers, and divides the grain to be cut from that which is to be left standing. It has an oblong hole, f, made in its inner side, througl which the end of the sickle plays. This dividingbar F is made hollow, as represented, so that exceptf ing the point, which is solid, it is a mere shell.

The stock of the sickle has not sufficient length of bearing in the hole f in the side of this divider for grass and grain to effect a lodgment and clog the sickle.

The reel K is represented in Fig. 1 by black and in Fig. 2 by dotted lines. The left side of the platform L extends from the left end of the-nger-bar and cutters toward the rear of the machine, and as it extends backward inclinestoward the, right or outer side of the machine, and therefore diverges'from the outer end ofthe frame a sufficient distance to give room in the angle between the two fora stand or seat for the raker. The divergence of this platform fromV the outer end of the nger-bar and frame, the standing grain is such, that when the cut grain is discharged behind it upon the ground, the gavel will be far enough removed from the standing grain to leave a clear track between them for a horse to travel in on his return while drawing the machine to cut the next swath. 0n the right or outer side of the oblique platform a fence guard or wing, M, is placed, whose length should be about the same as the platform at that side, and whose inner side should be made concave. This win g, as well as the platform, is removable at will from the frameso that when the machine is used for mowing both the fence and platform may be taken off. An attendant pushes the cut grain gathered upon the platform with a fork against this concave wing into a compact bundle, and then pitches, slides,

or delivers it upon the ground in a compact mass by a lateral movement ofthe fork.

Between the left side of the platform and the `left side of the machine a seat, stand, or position, N, is arranged-for the attendant whose duty it is to fork the grain olf the platform. This stand may be provided with a seat like th at of Husseys,R-an dalls, Hites, or other old machines in case it is thought by any one advisable for the forker to sit, or with a guardrail, P, on the top of a post, Q, for the forker to steady himself against in case he chooses to stand. This guard-rail may surround the stand, or maybe placed only on the side next the platform; hut this every competent con structer will determine for himself, as the various orms of supports any one would require to use have been long known and public property, and any one is at liberty to use them. The position of this stand or seat is such that the forker can, if he chooses, push the grain directly back in discharging it in nearly a direct line from the cut-Y ters. instead of rst pushing it over against the fence to render it more compact. the grain is discharged by pushing it directly back a fork with a large number of tines should be used, sufficient to spread nearly the full wid th ofthe platform, that the forker may push the cnt grain from the whole width of the platform directly backward at a single stroke to deliver the gavel evenly upon the ground be hind the platform. This I do not deem as goed a mode of discharging the grain as when it is first pushed across the platform against the wing and then shoved back, as the gavel is not so compact; s6 I prefer to discharge the grain with a common three-tined fork, lirst pushing I it from the left side of the platform to the righ t, then pressing it against the concave guard to render it more compact, and, lastly, sliding \it off endwise upon the ground behind the platform by a lateral movement ofthe fork.

It is obvious from the foregoing description that my improvement is not simply putting a seat or stand on the machine for the forker, but it is the new arrangement and combination of the dierent parts to attain the new and useful results referred to 5 or, in other words, my invention is not broadly the combination of the reel and stand, but their combination as they are arranged.

The combination of the reel for gathering the grain to the cutting apparatus and depositing it on the platform, with the stand or position for the forker, arranged and located as described, or the equivalent thereof, to enable the forker to fork the grain from the platform and deliver and lay it onthe ground at the rear of the machine, as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto suh scribed my name.

JOHN H. MANN Y.

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