USRE579E - Improvement in reaping-machines - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

C. II. MCCOEMICK, 0E CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN REAPING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 3,895, dated January 31, 1845; Reissue No. 579, dated August 3, 1858. Y

DIVISION B.

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, OYRUS H. MCOORMICK, of Chicago, in the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements upon my patented Reaping-Machine; and4 I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation ot' the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis aperspective viewof my improved reaping-machine; Fig. 2, a section representing the sustaining-wheel on the left-hand or divider side of the machine. Fig.3is a Vertical section taken through the cutting apparatus vand one ot' the tingers, and in the direction of the length of one of thetingers, Fig. 4,'a plan view of a portion of the length ot' the cutter, representing the sickle-edge with the teeth cut in sections and inclined in opposite directions in alternate sections. Fig. 5 is a plan ot a.

portion ot' the lengthof the cutting apparatus,

representing the form 0f the fingers andl their relation to the cutter, mounted in the case in which it works. Figs.6, 7, and Srepresent the connecting-rod and its appendages, and Fig. 9 is a cross-section of the cutter-or blade and its case, taken at the line 1 2 of Fig. 5. All the sections are drawn to a larger scale than Fig. l.

My invention consists in sustaining the cutting apparatus by bearers,which are so curved lor bent downward as to let the stocks of grain and blades of' grass, &c., that may get inV work out.

The blade or cutter B is made dat and straight, with a portion ot' its length at each end wider andwith square edges,as at 4, Figs. 4 and 5. rlhe cutting portion of the front edge is beveled from the under t'aceas at B', Fig. 3, and formed with sickle-teeth cut in sections and inclined in opposite directions in alternate sections, as represented in Fig. 4, that it may cutequally well in both directions and to avoid in part the tendency to clog, particularly when cutting damp grain.

The blade is mounted in a case, A, which is a straight plate of metal with a. projecting shoulder or flange along its back edge, as at A', Figs. 3, 5, and 9, equal in thickness to the thickness of the back ot the blade,which liange formsarest or support for the back of the blade to slide against. The ends of this case are Aaccumulation of obstructing matter.

yond the cutting-edge, and as the blade is made wider at the ends and sustained by the oase there will be no danger of its getting out ot' place. The front edge of the narrow portion of the bladecase is beveled from the under side, as represented in Fig. 3, to prevent the This blade-case is connected with and secured to the front beam or ringer-piece, C, of the platform C by an extension of the frame 7 7 (see Fig. 5) on each side, and between these points it is further sustained by bearers c, secured to its under side and to the forward part ot' the beam or finger-piece C, and just back of the back edge of the blade-case they are bent or curved down and then up again,leaving aconsiderable cavity for the clearance of an clogging matter which may enter between the cutter and the lingers and fall over the back.

Above the blade there are tingers D, the stems ot' which are secured to the front beam or linger-piece, O. These lingers are spearshaped at their front end-that is, they are gradually wider from the point to within a short distance of the outtingedge of the blade,

and then gradually narrower to the stem backl of the cutting-edge ofthe blade, as at A, Fig. 5. This form ot' ingers makes the open space between any two ot' them and between the widest part of the spears and the cutting-edge ot' 4the blade widest at the cutting-edge, so that the grain which enters between any two iingers will be crowded together until it passes the widest part of the spears, and then it will spread out, resting against the reversed angle of the spears, which'thus present shoulders or supports in front of the cutting-edge to sustain the grain against thecutting action of the blade and prevent it from being forced forward as the blade vibrates, and by the reversed dircction ofits cutting-teeth cuts alternateiyiu opposite directions, when moving in one direc! tion cutting against the reverse angle on one side of the fingers, and when moving in the opposite direction cutting against the reverse angle on the other side of the lingers. The reverse angle of the tingersforms an acute an glc with the line of motion ot` the cutter, which greatly facilitates the cutting of the grain. The blade should cut close to the. under face ot' the fingers; but it' there should be sufficient space between them for theAentrance of stalks of grain, grass, and other clogging matter they will soon work their way back and fall over the back of the blade and blade-case, and whatever falls on the bearers will be freely discharged by reason ot' the downward bend or curve ot' the bearers, which leaves ample space for the free discharge. The cutting-bladeA receives the required reciprocating motion from acrank on the arborofthey-wheel H by means ot a'connecting-rod, F, and as the angle of the crank-axle to the plane of the blade is varied, when the machine is set with the cutting apparatus at different heights the box G ot' the connecting-rod, in which thecrank-wrist works, is so constructed as to be capable ot' turning in the connecting-rod. To effect this that end of the connecting-rod is made in two parts, F F2, connected by screw-bolts, as in Fig. 6. The part F is cut outV to receive the two parts of the box G, which are rounded, as well as the inner face of the two parts F F2, to admit of the turning ofthe box, as at ff, Fig. 8. One part of the box is forced toward the other to tit the crank-wrist by a wedge, 10, Fig. 6. The crank receives motion from the driving ground-wheel T by a master bevelwheel, P, on the axle of the driving-wheel, which master cog-wheel drives a beveled pinion on an inclined axle that carries a bevel cog-wheel, L, which in turn drives a bevel-pinion (not shown in the drawings) on the crankaxle of the ilywheel H, and for the purpose oi' throwing the crank out of gear, that the machine may be moved without operating the cutter, thelower end of the inclined axle of the bevel-wheel L turns in a lever, J, one end of which is hinged to the top and near the rear end of the outer hound, N, and the other end is held in place by a pin, J2, which passes through the lever and into the hound. By taking out this pin and moving that end of the lever outward the pinion on the axle of the wheel L is ungeared from the master-wheel Pso that the groundwheel can turn without operating the cutter.

The axle of the `driving ground-wheel is mounted in the two hounds NN, which hounds are connected with the frame of the platform C by boltjoints, so that by shifting the bolts in holes made ot' different heights in manner well known the cutting apparatus and appendages canbe set at a greater or less height from the ground. In doing this itis necessary at the same time to shift the connection of the tongue P with the hounds, which is in like ina-nner made by means of bolt-joints, so that by shifting the bolts the angle of the tongue, with the plane of the hounds, can be shifted at pleasure.

Theopposite or divider side of the machine is sustained on a ground-wheel, U, mounted in beams U', (see Fig. 2,) which are in like manner connected with the frame of the platform C by bolt-joints, which can be shifted to set the cutting apparatus at any desired height from the ground.

On the left side of the machine there is a divider to divide the grain and bring that portion of it which is to be cut within reach of the ribs of the wheel S, to be separated, when tangled, from the grain which is to be left standing. This divider may be composed of a pointed piece ot' scantliug, E, which projects some distance forward of the cutter, to which is secured a bow, L', outside, one end of which is secured to the scantling near the point, gradually bent outward and rising, and the other end secured at R to the platfrom; and on the inside there is an iron, M, attached to the scaut ling E and bent upward and' inward, extending underthe reel to bring the grain to he cut within the action of the reel-ribs; and the better to effect this Apurpose the rear part of this iron is curved, as at M, so as to' correspond, or nearly correspond with the circle described by the reel-ribs in their revolution. By forining this divider with a point at about the level of the cutting apparatus to trace the division which is to be made between the grain to be cut and that to bc let't standing, and by having it with two diver-ging lines from the point back, one or both of which are elevated as they extend back, the grain is gradually divided and, if lodged or leaning, elevated, and that to be leftstanding bent outward away from the reach ot the reel, while the portion which is to be cutis acted upon, by the reel-ribs and properly carried to the action of the cutter, and if tangled with the grain to be left standing a sufficient open space is formed by the two lines of the divider between the two portions of grain, in which space the ends ofthe reel-ribssweep around to act only on that portion ofthe grain which is inside ot' the divder that the separation from the grain to be left standing may be effected by the power of the reel.

To avoid all impediment to the required separation of the grain, the reel-post R is bent and set back, as at R2.

. To prevent the gearing `from being clogged by sand, earth, and straw, proper guard-boards W w areplaced between the driving ground vwheel and the master cog-wheel, and between it and the cutting apparatus, and another, X, is placed between the gearing and the platform C1.

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

The downward curve or bend, substantiallyas described, ofthe beams that support the cutting apparatus to facilitate the discharge of any clogging mattei' that may` enter, as set forth.

U. H. MGCORMIC K.

Witnesses:

I HoMAs G. DoNN, D. WEsTEnFIELD.

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