USRE844E - Improvement in harvesters - Google Patents

Description

'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

w. s. s'TETso-N, or BALTIMoR-, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 23,508, dated April F, 1859; Reissue No.l 844, dated October 25, 1859.

vDIvIsIoN U.

exact description ofthe principle or character which distinguishes them from all things be- -fore known, and of the usual mannerof Inak- Aing, modifying, and using the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 isa perspective view of the ma- -chine; Fig. 2, a top view of the machine, the

platform being removed Fig. 3, a vertical longitudinal middle section of the parts between the carriage-wheels.

My invention consists in certain improvements in harvesting-machines, described and represented as follows:

A A' are the carriage-wheels, turning upon the axle B. The platform Uvfor the driver' is attached fast to the pole D at the point a., and the pole is connected with the axle by the hounds E, the ends of which have their bearings and swivel in the lugs F, fixed to the axle. The axle, which is square or rectangular between the wheels, passes through' openings in the forward ends of the two side bars-ot' the rectangular frame H, these openings being sufficiently oblong to admit of a back-andforth motion of the frame upon theaxle for the purpose of throwing the pinion K, attached to this frame, in and out ot' gear with the internal gear, L, upon the driving-wheel Af, this pinion vbeing upon the end of shaft M, which is supported and turns in the rear ends of the side bars, b, ot' the frame H. The motion of the frame is effected by the lever N, the fulcrum d of which is on the platform, the branching ends e of the lever below being open forks g, which stride the cross-bar h, fixed in the forward part of the frame, this being more clearly shown in the Section in Fig. 3, where the section of the lcross-bar is shownv within the -arms of the fork. The motion of the lever back and forth moves the frame and alsov the pinion to and from the cogs of the wheelL.

Fixed tothe inside of the rearends of the side bars, b, are projecting sleeves t, which embrace the shaft M, and serve asbe'aring's I for theforward ends ot' the vibrating second frame, R, which has a common center of motion with the shaft M.

Fixed to the shaft M is the main cog-wheel v S, with its bevel-gear, which takes into the pinion T on the end of the crank-shaft V, to which the'- cutters are to be connected by the crank m and a connecting-rod, W, representing a portion of the Enger-bar, upon which the knives are to be supported, theseportions not being required to be shown here. The crankshaft V is so supported in its bearings p 1o', fixed to the frame R, that the line of its axis continued would intercept the axis of shaft M at right angles, the crank-shaft thus being al- Ways in a radial line to main cog-wheelS, howl ever much the frame R ymay vibrate, so that the pinion T, and therefore the knives also, would work freely in any position of the vibrating frame R.

1t is obvious that if the driving-pinion K wereimmovably connected with the pole D or the platform O, when the pole or carriage rises or falls in consequence of unevenness of the ground the pinion would turn faster or slower, according as its motion were in favor of or against its proper rotation derived from the internal gear, L. For instance, when the machine is advancing, if the pinion should be raised, this motion would turn thepinion backward-that is to say, contrary to its properl motion-and in consequence the knives would for the time move slower, cease to cut, or be reversed, according to the relativemotions of the axis of the pinion upward and the motions ofthe'internal gear, L. This difficulty 1 have remedied by making the vibratory motions of the frame H independent of the motions of the platform and pole, and giving the driver perfect control over the motions of the pinion by the lever Z in the man ner just described.

It will be seen from the construction above described that the frame lt may he swung unlder the machine and bring the cutter-bar forward of the axle. The crank-shaft would still be in a radial line to cog-Wheel S. AFrom the middlefot` rthe rear portion-of .the frame Ris hung the drop piece ci: shoe X, which turns freely on an axis, y, supportedin suitable bear- Vter-bar being attached to this shoe.

ings on the under side of the frame (It, the cut- In consequence of the motion of frame R about axis M, and the motion of the drop piece or shoe X and the knife-bar about axis y, which is directly under and in a vertical plane with crank-shaft V, it will be seen that the "knife-bar will readily accommodate or adjust itself to uneven surfaces of ground, and will also override readily small obstacles in -the Way. Theposition of axis y, just described, gives a nearly-uniform cut to the knives during the rise and fall of the knife-bar upon inequalities of the ground. It will be understood that if the axis y Wereperfectly coincident with the axis of crank-shaft V the cut of the knives would be uniform, andv that otherwise the knives would pass over the knife-bar to a greater or less extent, according to the elevation or depression of the knifebar.

The attachment of the knife-bar to the frame R in the manner above described obviates to a great extent this diliculty, and gives nearly auniform cut to the knives. My mode of adjusting the cut or set of the knives is as follows: At one side of the platform is a lever, z, having its fulcrum :v on the side "of the platform, and its shorter arm connected with the side of frame H by a pivot-bolt, a', the lever z having a slot at e', so that it may move over itsfulcrum as the frame H is raised and lowered by its action, the slot allowing motion of the frame and platform independently of each other. The lever is also provided with'holes to receive the stop-pin a?, so as to set the lever ata required adjustment. According to the Y action of the lever in raising and lowering frame H will be the action in raising and lowering the points of the knives throughihc medium of the frame R and drop piece or shoe X and knife-bar W.

In harvesting-machines it is sometimesdesirable to have the knife-bar lifted from the lield and supported or horsed upon the carriage, so as to be out of the way in traveling ter-bar is thus horsed in the position shown by only two movements, which are eected in (or nearly in, as may be) two vertical planes at right angles to each other, and lies at right angles to the axis of the driving-wheels, which I regard as the most convenient position for its transportation.

What I claim under this application, and desire toA secure under this division of reissued Letters Patent, is' i 1. The combination of shoe X with the vibrating frame R by means of axis y at the rear end of said frame, as set forth.

2. Horsing or supporting the knife-bar in a position at right angles, or nearly so, to the carrriage-axleby two movements, substantially as described.

w. s. sfrE'Tsoiv.

Witnesses I CEAS. G. PAGE. WM. H. HARRISON.

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