USRE4790E - Improvement in potato-planters - Google Patents

Description

' H. J. KENT.

Improvement in Potato Planters.

Reissued March, 1872.

UNITED vStre'rns PATENT' OFFICE.

HrnAMA J', KENT, or PALMYRA,

nsw Youn.

iMVPRov'EMeN-r 1N PcrrnTo-Pi.in-rsRs.v

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 111,217, dated January 24, A1871; reissue No. 4,790, dated March 5,

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Hman J. KENT of Palmyra, in the county of lVa-yne and tate of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Potato-Planters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a i'ull, clear, and exact description thereof, suiticient to enable those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to fully understand and to make and use the saure, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in which Figure l is a side elevation of a planter constructed according to my invention.v Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cent-ral section ofthe saine and Fig. 3 represents a view 'of the cutters and cen tering-springs, andother detached 'features of my machine. l

The object of my invention is to furnish a machine for planting potatoes, in which the potatoes will be cut into suitable pieces and discharged either in hills or vin drills formed by the machine, and covered with earth automatically. The invention consists in the construction aud arrangement ot' V the cutting devices, and in the mechanism for conveying the potatoes from' thehoppers to the cutters, thence to the hose or tube and discharging them at regular intervals, as hereinafter more fully described.

A A represent the side pieces, and a a' the front and rear cross-pieces, respectively, of a frame-work made in rectangular forni. This frame is balanced upon the axle-journals l) 1,-. of the driving-wheels B B. The journals are secured to the 'side pieces A A ot' the frame by means of plates c c. C is the tongue, attached, within a loop, d, to draft-bars e e,which are connected to the side bars A lA' in such a. manner as to have a slight vertical play. Mounted upon the balanced frame, between the draft-wheels, is a box, D, in the upper part of which is formed the hopper, wherein the seedpotatoes are placed. The bott-om of this hopper is composed ot' two plates, ff, having a downward inclination toward the center ofthe rear end. Between the inner edges of these t plates, which are' provided with vertical sides g, is a space 4extending the entire length of the hopper, in which is placed a trough, E, hinged 'at its rear end to the box, and preferably made V-shaped in its 'cross-section, but with a iiut bottoni. At its front end the trough is cut out, leaving only the sides, which pass through the slotted stationary plate It, which lis formed with a tongue, ,'proiecting `into the trough. jis aplate tixed tothe bottom k of the box l), which passes through a transverse opening in the hinged trough, and serves as a cut-ori'.

l, on a. plunger, F, which has a reciprocating motionin bea-rings `m n attached to the under side of the bottoni` k ot' box D, the projection l working in a slot in said bottom; o is an opening in the bottom k, immediately under the front end of the trough. *Within the sinall easing n, which forms the forward bearing for the plunger, are secured sev eral sprin gs, p p, ot' the forni shown. The office et' these spring-sis t'o conduct the potato, as it is carried forward-by the plunger, to the center of the three-edged knife q. This knife is securedwithin the front portion ot' the casing" or bearing nl, as seen clearly in Fig. 3. Grepresents thetube, which receives the cuttings from the knife and deliv ers them into the ground. This tube has an enlarged mouth, and it is rigidly attached to the front of the casing a, and is also strengthened by brace' i' running to the forward er'os's` barot'the frame. sis the opener or'shovel, secured to thelowenendof the tube G,'and opens the drill to receive the seed. t represents avalve, which slides back and forth ina slot in the delivery-tube. This valve regulates the passage 'of the cuttings, and it is connected with a 'pivoted lever, u, .through which it is operated, as will bepresentiy explained. H is a cover-er, made with `curved llateral wings, which serve to till in the earth from the sides of the drill or trench, and a rear port-ion., 12,;for leveling or properly shaping the surface. This device may be attached, by rods unito the tube Gr, or to the frame, and it etfectually closes the trench after the potato-cuttings have been deposited therein. Motion is given to the plunger F and to the regulating-valve by means of a crank-shaft, I, one end ot' which passes loosely through a bearing, attached to one of the side bars A, while the other 'fits into a tubular clutch forming part of a pinion, y, which ro tates freely within a bearing, n', fastened to The trough E is operated--that is, alf` ternatel raised and lowered-by a pro'ection d .1 1

the bar A, as will-` b e readily understood by reference to Fig'. 3. The pinion y gears with a large wheel, z, keyed to the hub ot one ot' the driving-wheels. s is a pitman-rod, connectin g the crank-shaft I with the plunger It 5 and tis a tappet on sa-id shaft, which, bycontact with the end rot' the lever u, operates the regulatingyalve in the delivery-tube. u is a spring attached to the tube G, and pressing against the lever n.. The function of this'sprin g is to close the Valve after it is opened by the contact ot' the tappet t. The driving' mechanismis thrown out of gear by means ot' a vertical shaft, c', provided with afoot, which, by contact with a collar, w', 011 the crankshaft I, (they shaft t" being'operated by-the driver,) moves the crank-shz'ift out of "engagement with the clutch, in' which position it is retained by an arm, a", at the lower end ofthe shaft o entering a notch in the upper surface of the drai'tbar e. y is a spiral spring, arranged upon the crank-shaft I between the collars w and bearingl a', which, as soon as the shaft v is turned to the right, throws the crank-shaft back into engagement with the. clutch. The shaft c is provided` with a handle, which is within easy reach ofthe driver. zi is the dri vers seat upon the top ofthe casingI), and z2 is the foot-rest below.

'It should 'be here stated that the object in balancing' the main fra-me and attachingl the pole to loosely-connected draft-bars within a loop is to permit the driver, while occupying' his seat, to tilt the frame backward for the purpose ot' facilitating the movement ot' the potatoes toward the rear'ot' the hopper and into the trough.

r1`he operation is as follows: Asthe machine vis drawn forward the potatoes, which are carthe motion ot' the machine, Vand on account of the inclination ot' the bottom ot' the hopper, (the etl'ect ot' which may be increased by tilting the t'rame,) be shaken into the trough, by the rising-and-talling' motion ot which they will descend until arrested by the pla-tej. At each upward motion ot' the trough one potato will p'ass the plate (the trough having risen a bovc it) and strike against the tong'ue't, which'stops the process unt-il the trough descends. Then the potato passes under the tongueand falls into the box in front ot' the plunger,y which is, at this time, drawn back, as shown in Fig. 2. The forward motion ofthe plunger occurring', the potato is carried past the springs p, which, whether the potato be large or small, bring it in line with the center of the knite, against which it is now forced by the plungerand thereby divided into pieces ot' nearly equal size, the cuttings falling' into the delivery-tube G, and thence into the trench prepared by the opener, the valve in the tube equalizing the delivery by its regular movements, which alternately open and close the passage. The covcrer follows immediately after, and covers the potatoes in the trench or furrow. lVhen turning the machine, or driving over the road to and from the field, the planting mechanism is thrown out of gear, as above described.

The distance betweeuthe deposits ot' cutmay be' varied by changing the pinion on the crankshaft, substituting a larger ,o1 smaller one, as may be required.

II-avin'g' practically tested my improved machine, it hasl proven successful 5 and, instead of depositing' the potatoes in compact hills, it may be used to drop the cuttings in drills at short intervals or spaces between the pieces ot seed.

H avin g* fully described my improvements in potato-planters, what I claimand desire to secure by Letters Patent, is"

1. The knit'e t, or its equivalent, inl combination with the centering' guidesl'n'ings p, t'or cutting' the seed, opera-ted substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. rlhe combination ofthe cente1"ing'-springs p, knit'e g, plunger l", and the mechanism for im pa rtin g' motion to the latter, all constructed, arranged, and operating' substantially as described.

3. The boxP I), ar 'anged upon the tilting'- frame, and provided with the inclined bottom fg, the hinged trough l'l operated through the the plunger, and the vertical stationary plate hy', all cmistructed, arranged, and operating substantially asand i'or the purposes described.

4. The combination of' the mechanism for cutting' the potatoes, consisting' ot' the knit'e q and springs p, and their connections, with the delivery mechanism, consisting of valve t and its connecting' and operating mechanism, sub stanti-all y as and for the, purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day ot' July, 1871..

HIRAM J. KENT.

lVi tnesses:

H. l. K. Piron, A. C. Pansolvs.

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