US1318418A - trolley - Google Patents

Description

l. TROLLEY.

MowlNG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FlL`ED OCT. I4, 1916.

Patented Oct. 14, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l- ATTYS.

LmoLLEv'.

MowlNG MACHINE.

APPLICATION 'FILED OCT. I4. 1916.

1,318,418. I Patented 0@I.14,1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

IIIIIIIIIIII III l I lllll IIIII I 1 X57 Tm: samuel/I vLANnamPu co., WASHINGTON, rx c.

I. TROLLEY.

MOWING MACHINE.

AfPLlcATloN FILED ocT.14, 191s.

Patented 0015.14,'1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET al /A/ VEA/raf? f llllHIIiIlll 'THE continuan PLANoaRAm 60'., WASHINGTON. u; u.

ISAAC TROLLEY, or rocennnnrsrn, NEW 5503K, As's'encn To ivciivn PLOW COMANY, -A confronarrou or ILLINOIS.

MowrNe-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

@Patented oct, i4, 1919.

Application :tiled October 14, 1916. Serial N'o. 125,547.,

To @ZZ whom t may concern.' 4

Be it known that I, I'sAAo TROLLEY, a citizen Aof the United States, residing at Poughkeepsie, in the county of Dutchess and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements` in Mowinlg-Machines, of which the following-,is a specilication, reference being h-ad therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to mlowing machines and has reference more particularly to the lever mechanism for raising and lowering' the cutter bar, and to the means for operating the clutch controlling the cuttin-g mechanism.

The invention consists of a lever mechanism and cooperating clutch controlling mechanism of improved form and construction by means of which, in the raising and lowering movements of the cuttervb'ar, the clutch will be automatically controlled.

The invention consists also, in combination with said mechanism, of a foot operated mechanism of improved form and construction operable to effect the elevation of the cutter bar to a vlimited eXent without disconnecting the clutch.

The invention consists 'also of improved foot operated means cooperating with the clutch controlling means and operable to disconnect the clutch without raising` the cutter bar.

In the more Specific embodiment of my invention, the lever mechanism for raising and lowering the cutter bar, is in the form of a hand lever operatively connected with the cutter bar so that by the operation of the lever th'e cutter bar will be respectively raised and lowered, the said lever having connected with it a cam adapted to coperate with a shifting clutch-controlling member, the said parts being so relatively formed and constructed that by the operation of the hand lever in one direction the clutch will be disconnected, and by the operation of the hand lever in the opposite direction the clutch will be connected, the clutch controlling member being 'capable of a movement relatively to the operating cam on thehand lever, so that the clutch may be operated independently of the hand' lever' andv without raising the cutter bar. The connections between the hand lever and cutter bar are capable of a movement relatively to the hand lever and the clutch controlling member so that the driver by hisV foot may raise and lower the cutter bar without disconnectin'g the clutch.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a si'd'eJ elevation partly in section of 'a mowing machine having my invention v'embodied therein, the near wheel being omitted.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view on 1an enlargedV scale, with parts in section anjd other parts' brokenaway tov better illustrate the mechanism'.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation partly in section of the clutch controlling mechanism.

Referring to the drawings:

l indicates the frame of the machine in which is rotatably @mounted a horizontal axle 2, to the ends 'of which are loosely 'applied, ground wheelsr clutched as 'usual to the axle so that the latter will be rotated in the forward movement of the machine, but when the machine is backed the ground wheels will rotatey freely on the aXle.

Sustained by the frame ofthe machine at the front is they usual cutter bar 4 connected at its inner end with the frame in such manner that the cutter bar may be swung up and down about a fore and aft horizontal The knife ro'd of the cutting mechanism receives its motion from the ground wheels, by means of the usual driving` pitman 5 connected at its outer end with the knife rod and connected at its inner end with a crank disk 6 on the forward end of a horizontal fore and aft extending driving shaft 7 journaled in the frame of the machine and provided at its rear end with a bevel pinion 8. The bevel pinion pinion 8 is engaged by a bevel gear 9 mounted loosely on 'a horizontal trai'isverse lcounter-shaft 10` journaled in `bearings in the frame, which countershaft has `on one enfd a spur pinion ll engaged by an internal gear 12 keyed to the a'XleiZ. `Bevel gear 9 is provided with clutch teeth with which cooperate clutch teeth on a clutch member or hub 12aL splined to the 'counter-shaft, so vthat by shifting the clutch member in opposite directions, the teeth may be engaged or disengaged with each other,` and in this manner the operation of the drive shaft 7 and consequently the actuation of the knife rod will be controlled.

y The clutch member 12a is shifted by means of a shifting fork 13 carried on a rod 13a 13a will be permitted to react and mounted to slide endwise in a guide 13b on the frame of the machine, the rod being encircled by a spiral spring 14 bearing respectively against the fork and the end of the guide and tending to maintain the lclutch connected.

The rod 13ais shifted endwise in a direction to disconnect the clutch by means of a kwhich will presently appear. The end of the rod 13a extends 'through the slot in the curved arm 15 and it is provided on its extremity with a head 19 bearing against the side of the arm, the opposite side of which bears against the end of the. guide 13b. The side of the arm 15 which engages the head 19 is beveled at its' lower portion' to form a cam surface 20, and vabove this cam surface the two sides of the arm are parallel to each other,the result being that when the arm is swung down by the rocking of shaft 17, the cam surface engaging the head 19 will shift the rod and place the spring 14 underftension and disconnect the clutch, and when the arm is swung upwardly, the spring on rod will connect the clutch.

The foregoing mechanism constitutes one form of clutch for controlling 'the driving means between the ground wheels and the cutters, which mechanism, except-in respect to the clutch operating member and the manner of operating the same as willl be more fully described hereinafter, forms no part of the present invention.

Mounted loosely on a horizontal stud 21 fixed in the framework of the machine, is a rocking lever 22 having a forwardly extendingv arm 23 Vand a rearwardly extending arm 24. The forward arm has pivoted to it, the

upper end of a link 2-5, the lower end of which is operatively connected with the cutter bar in such manner that when the link is lifted, the cutter bar will be swung upwardly on its axis, and when the link is lowered the cutter bar will be likewise lowered. The rear arm 24 of this lever is provided with a vertical slot 26 in which engages a pin 27 on the forward end of a rod 2S, which rod extends rearwardly and has its rear end pivoted as at 29 to a vertical foot lever 30. The lower end of the foot lever is pivoted as at 31 to the machine frame and at its upper end it is provided with a pedal 32 to be operated by the drivers foot. The driver occupying the drivers seat X, may by pushing forward on foot lever 30, rock the lever 23 on the stud 21 in a counterclockwise direction, which will swing the wardly on its axis.

forward arm 23 upwardly and raise the link 25 and the cutter bar will be swung up- This mechanism constitutes a means for lifting the cutter bar to a limited extent without affecting the driving connection to the cutters, and is employed by the driver for quickly and momentarily elevating the Y cutter bar a short distance to avoid irregularities or obstructions in the surface of the ground while the` cutters are still lin action.

.Also loosely mounted on the stud 21 along- `side the rocking lever 22 is a hand leve-r 33 which normally when the cutter bar is down and in operative position, extends vertically:

' in a segment-frame 36 fixed to the machine framing, these notches being so located that the lever may be locked either in a vertical position with the cutter bar down, or in a rearwardly inclined position (as 'shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1) with the cutter bar elevated to its full extent or in an intermediate position with the cutter bar partially raised and clutch disconnected. The purpose of this lever is to effect the full elevation of the cutter bar to a vertical position, and mechanism is provided, actuated by the lever, for controlling the clutch `operating means in such manner that when the lever is pulled to the lrear to elevate the cutter bar, the clutch controlling the operation of the cutters will be thrown out of action, and

when the lever is pushed forward to lower l the cutter bar the clutch will bey again thrown into action.

This mechanism comprises a clutch controlling member in the form of a horizontally shifting frame 37, shown more particularly in Fig. 3, which is actuated by a vertical cam 38 fixed to the lower end of the hand lever 33 and extending downwardly below the stud 21. The shifting frame 37 is suspended so that it will'shift horizontally forwardly and rearwardly, by means of an upright suspension link 39, the upper end ,of which is provided with a lateral journal 40 loosely mounted in the frame of the machine while its lower end is provided with a horizontal journal 41 mounted loosely in a bracket 42 dependingV from the shifting frame, the construction being such that the shifting frame may be swung from itsrear position as indicated by full lines in Fig. 3, to a forward position as shown by dotted lines in saidv figure. The shifting frame has connected with its rear end a rod 48 which extends rearwardly and is provided at its rear extremity with an eye 44 mounted on the crank arm 18 on the rock shaft 17 before alluded to. As a result of this construction and arrangement of the parts, when the shifting frame is shifted forwardly, the crank shaft will be rocked counter-clockwise and will swing the clutch operating arm 15 downwardly and disconnect the clutch, the shifting of the frame in the opposite direction to its former position, causing the clutch operating arm to swing upwardly and permitting the spring to again connect the clutch, these movements of the frame being effected and controlled by the cam 88 on the hand lever 88, in the manner now to be described.

The shifting frame contains a vertical slot 87L extending longitudinally therethrough from end to end, in which slot the cam 88 will extend in the operation of the hand lever. ln the forward end |of the slot a detent 45 is loosely mounted on a horizontal pivot pin 46 which detent is provided with a forwardly extending horizontal finger 47, with a rearwardly extending horizontal finger 48 and with a downwardly extending finger 49. An expansion spring 50 is seated between the finger 49 and the end of the block and tends to hold the detent with its finger 47 in engagement with a stop 51 on the block and with the finger 48 in a horizontal position. A second detent 52 is pivoted on a horizontal pivot pin 58 at the rear end of the slot, which detent is provided with a forwardly extending finger 54 and with a depending finger 55, an expansion spring 56 being seated between the finger 55 and a lip 56a on the rod 48, which spring tends to hold the detent with the finger 54 in a horizontal position with a stop shoulder 57'ad thereon in engagement with a stop lug 58 on the'frame.

The cam 88 before alluded to is provided with a toe 59, with a heel and with an intermediate tooth 61, these parts being of such form and being so related to the two detents, that when ther hand lever 88 is pulled to the rear to elevate the cutter bar, the toe 59 will engage the finger 48 of the forward detent and will shift the frame forwardly and thereby actuate the clutch operating arm 15 and effect the disconnection of the clutch; and when the lever is pushed forwardly to lower the cutter bar, the heel 60 of the cam will engage the finger 54 of the rear detent and will shift the frame to the rear and thereby actuate the clutch operating arm and disconnect the clutch, the tooth 61 .on the cam serving, by engaging the end of finger 48 on the forward detent, to hold the frame forward with the clutch disengaged, in which position of the parts they are locked by the engagement of the locking latch on the hand lever in the intermediate notch 85n in the segment frame.

The operation of the parts to effect the foregoing actions is as follows: In the normal position of the parts with the cutter bar in a horizontal operative position, the shifting frame 87 will be in its rear position, the clutch operating arm 15 will be in its raised position with the clutch connected, the hand lever 88 will be in a vertical position and locked by the engagement of its latch in notch 85 in the segment frame, and the cam on the lever will be in its rear position with the toe 59 some distance in rear 0f finger 48 on the forward detent. Vhen now the cutter bar is to be raised, the driver unlocks the hand lever from the segment frame and pulls the lever to the rear. The first portion of the rear movement of the lever will swing the cam 88 forwardly and will simultaneously start the raising motion of the cutter bar, this movement of the cam continuing until the toe 59 bringsup against linger 48 of the forward detent. T he cutter bar is now partially raised and the clutch still connected, this partial elevation of the bar not being sufiicient to cause any binding on or interference with the action of the operating pitman for the knife rod, so that the cutting mechanism will still be operative. The knives are therefore enabled to cut higher from the surface of the ground than when the cutter bar is in a horizontal position, which abnormal action of the cutting mechanism is desirable under certain conditions encountered in the operation of the machine in the field.

As the hand lever is moved fart-her rearwardly, the toe 59, by engagement with the finger 48 of the forward detent will positively shift the frame 87 forwardly, which action will rock the rock shaft 17 and will swing the clutch operating arm 15 downwardly and effect disconnection of the clutch, this position of the parts being represented by the dotted lines in Fig, 8, where it will be seen that the toe on the cam is just passing beyond the en d of the finger and disengaging from the finger. In the movement of the cam j ust described, and due to the forward shift of the shifting frame, the finger of the rear detent is brought in the path of the heel of the cam and the rear detent is rocked downwardly en its axis by the heel so that the cam is permitted to continue its motion witl'iout interference with the rear detent. The clutch is now fully disconnected but the cutter bar only partially elevated. The parts may be locked in this position by engagement of the latch on hand lever in intermediate notch 85a. In the third and final period of the rear movement of the hand lever, the edge of the cam in rear of the toe moves along the rear finger of the forward detent and the tooth 61 on the cam brings up against the finger, this movement continuing the elevation of the cutter bar but not affecting the position of the frame 37, and as the movement of the lever continues still farther, the-tooth Gl pushes on the finger 48 of the forward detent and shifts the frame 37 to a still farther position forwardly, thus completing the final elevation ofthe cutter bar to its vertical position and causing the clutch operating arm to swing stillY farther downwardly with the parallel sides of the arm sliding between the head on the rod 13:L and the end of the guide for said rod. rlihe hand lever is now locked to its segment frame in the lower notch therein, in which position the tooth 61 is engaged with the finger of the forward detent and therefore the shifting frame is locked in its forward extreme position with the clutch disengaged.

When the cutter bar is to be lowered again into action, the hand lever is unlocked and pushed forwardly. In the first period of this movement, the cam in moving rearwardly, will disengage the tooth from the forward detent and the heel of the cam will be brought into engagement with the finger of the rear detent, the movement of the cam thus far being attended by the partial descent of the cutter bar from its vertical position and the shifting frame being undisturbed. As the hand lever now continues to move forward, the heel of the cam engaging the rear detent will shift the frame rearwardly, thereby rocking rock shaft 17 in a clockwise direction and swinging the clutch operating arm 15 upwardly from its lowest position, the parallel sides of the arm sliding between the head on the rod 13a and the guide 13b and therefore maintaining the clutch disconnected. As the cam moves stilll farther rearwardly on the continued forward movement of the hand lever, the heel maintaining engagement with the rear detent will shift the frame farther and swing the clutch operating arm still higher', thereby carrying the cam surface 20 along the side of the head on rod 13fL and releasing the rod and permitting its spring 14C to shift the clutch member and connect the clutch,

" the rear movement of the cam and forward movement of the lever continuing until the lever is in a vertical position where it is locked with the clutch operating armA in the position shown in 3, where it will be seen that the toe extends in the slot ,in the block midway between the fingers on the two detents so that the block is free to be moved independently of the cam and connected parts.

Advantage is taken of this condition of the block to permit the clutch to be disconnected without elevating the cutter bar, since in practice it is sometimes desirable to stop-the operation of the cutters independently of the automatic disconnection of the clutch effected by the elevation of the cutter bar. This independent operation of the clutch is effected through the medium of the lever 16 before alluded to as carrying the clutch operating arm 15, the upper end of the lever being provided with a foot pedal 63, so .that the driver by pressing downwardly thereon may swing the clutch operating arm downwardly and throw the clutch out of action. In this action ofthe arm the shaft 17 will be rocked in a counter-clockwise direction and the shifting frame 37 will be shiftedforward idly.

Owing to the fact that when the cutter bar is in raised position, the tooth 61 on the cam bears against the finger of the forward detent, the frame 37 will be locked in its forward position, hence there will be no danger or liability of the inadvertent operation of the lever 16 by the driver to connect the clutch.

Due to the form of the clutch controlling mechanismdescribed, the cutter bar is raised some distance before the clutch is thrown out, the extent of elevation of the cutter bar v not being such as to interfere with the proper operation of the knife rod by the driving pitinan, and such elevation of the bar' with the cutting mechanism operative being desirable in order to actL on'the grass farther from the surface of the ground than under normal conditions. Also due to the form of my improved clutch controlling mechanism, the elevation of the cutter bar is continued after the clutch has been disconnected, so that it may be raised to its full and eXtreme vertical position without interference with or complications by the connect'ionsto the clutch, the disconnection of the clutch in the elevating action of the cutter bar, taking place at the same point in the movement of the bar as the connection of the clutch takes place when the cutter bar is lowered. It will be seen, therefore, that by my improved mechanism I provide means,

controlled by the foot lever 30, for raising Y and lowering the cutter bar to a limited extent without interfering with the action of the cutters, which operation of the parts is desirable in avoiding obstructions and irregularities in the surface of the ground. Also 1 make provision, by means of the foot leverv 16,- for disconnecting the clutch and stopping the operation of the cutting mechanism without elevating the cutter bar; and also by the hand lever 33 and the clutch controlling mechanism operated thereby, 1 provide for the full and complete elevation of the cutter bar and automatically effect the disconnection of the clutch on the elevation of the bar, and the reconnection of the clutch when the bar is again lowered into action.

In the foregoing description and accompanying drawings, I have set forth my invention in the particular detailed embodiment which I prefer to adopt, but it will be manifest that the details may be variously changed and modified without departing from the limits of my invention; and it will be understood that the invention is not limited to any particular form or construction of the parts except in so far as such limitations are specified in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. In a mowing machine, the combination of a main frame, a cutter bar hinged thereto to swing upwardly, driving mechanism for the cutters including a clutch, a hand lever pivoted on the main frame and operatively connected with the cutter bar for raising and lowering the same, a clutch operating mechanism including a frame shiftable in opposite directions to respectively disconnect and connect the clutch, opposing detente on said frame, a member movable with the lever and in position to engage one of said detents and shift the frame in one direction toldisconnect the clutch, and a second mem-4 -ber movable with the lever and in position to of a main frame a cutter bar hinoed thereto' to swing upwardly, driving mechanism for the cutters including a clutch, a hand lever pivoted on the main frame and operatively connected with the cutter bar for raising the same, a clutch operating mechanism including a shiftable frame, and two projecting members with an idle space between them movable with the lever and acting when the lever is operated to engage the frame in succession and shift the same in the same direction in two successive movements, with a pause between said movements to respectively disconnect the clutch and thereafter elevate the cutter bar to its full raised position.

3. In a mowing machine, the combination of a main frame, a cutter bar hinged thereto to swing upwardly, driving mechanism for the cutters including a clutch, a hand lever pivoted to the main frame and operatively connected with the cutter bar for raising the same, clutchoperating mechanism including a shiftable frame, two projecting members with an idle space between them movable with the lever one in advance of the other, the .front member being in positionto engage the shiftable frame and disconnect the clutch, the said idle space adapted to traverse the shiftable frame without moving it, and the rear member being in position to abut against the shiftable frame after the clutch is disconnected, and after the lever has been moved to elevate the cutterbar to its full raised position, and means forL locking the lever in position on the main frame with the rear member engaged with the shiftable frame.

4. In a mowing machine, the combination of a main frame, a cutter bar hinged thereto to swing upwardly, driving mechanism for the cutters including a clutch, a hand lever pivoted on the main frame and operatively connected with the cutter bar for raising the same, a clutch operating mechanism including a shiftable frame, and two projecting spaced members movable with the lever one in advance of the other, the front member being in position to engage the shiftable frame and move the same to disconnect the Y clutch, and the rear member being in position to engage the shiftable frame after the clutch is disconnected and shift said frame idly in effecting the final raising movement of the cutter bar, said rear member engaging the shifting frame at the end of its movement and serving to lock the clutch disengaged.

5. 1n a mowing machine, the combination of a main frame, a cutter bar hinged thereto to swing upwardly, driving mechanism for the cutters including a clutch, a hand lever pivoted on the main frameand operatively connected with the cutter bar for raising and lowering the same, a clutch operating mechanism including a, frame shiftable forwardly and rearwardly to respectively disconnect and connect the clutch, a front detent and a rear detent on said member, and a cani on the lever movable forwardly and backwardly in the operation of the lever, said cam being formed with a toe and with a lug in rear of the toe, said toe and lug acting when the cam is moved forwardly, to engage the front detent in succession and shift the frame forwardly in two successive movements.

6. ln a mowing machine, the combination of a main frame, a cutter bar hinged thereto to swing upwardly, driving mechanism for the cutters including a clutch, a hand lever pivoted on the main frame and operatively connected with the cutter bar for raising and lowering the same, a clutch operating mechanism including a frame shiftable forwardly and backwardly to respectively disconnect and connect the clutch, a cam movable with the lever, said cam being provided with a toe in position to engage the shifts able frame and disconnectthe clutch when the cam is moved forwardly, being provided with an idle space in rear of the toe adapted to traverse the shiftable frame without moving it and being provided also with a lugy in rear of the toe at the rear end of the idle space in position to abut'against the shiftable frame after the clutch is disengaged and after the lever has been further moved to elevate the cutter bar to its iinal raised position. and means for. locking the lever in position on the main frame with the lug'engaged with the shiftable frame. Y

In a mowing machine, the combination of a main frame, a cutter bar hinged thereto to swing upwardly, driving mechanism Jfor the cutters including a clutch, a hand lever pivotedon the main frame and operatively connected with the cutter bar for raising the' same, a'clutch operating mechanism including a shiftable frame movable for- `wardly'to disconnect the clutch and mov` able in the same direction after the clutch is disconnected, and a cam movable with the lever and provided with a part in position to engage the shiftable frame and move the same to disconnect the clutch, and provided with an idle space in rear of said part adapted to traverse the shiftable frame without moving it, and provided also with another part at the rear end of said idle space in position to engage the said frame and move the same idly in the inal raising movement of the cutter bar after the clutch is disconnected.

8. In aV mowing machine, the combination of a main frame, acutter bar hinged thereto to swing upwardly, driving mechanism for the cutters including a clutch, a hand lever pivoted onthe main frame and'operatively connected with the cutter bar for raising -the same, a clutch operating mechanism including a shiftable frame, a front detent andv a' rear detent on said shiftable frame, and a cam movable with the lever, said cam Copies of this patent may be obtained for 'five cents each, 'by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents being provided with a toe and with a lug in position respectively to engage they front detent in succession, and move the frame forwardly to disconnect the clutch, and said cam being provided also with a heel in posi tion to engage the reark detent and shift the said frame rearwardlyto connect the clutch.

9. In a mowing machine, the combination of a main frame,a cutter bar hinged thereto to swing upwardly, a driving mechanism for the cutters including a" clutch, a hand lever pivoted on the main frame and opera-l tively connected with the cutter bar for raising and lowering the same, a clutch operating mechanism including a shiitable frame,'a front and a rear detent on saidV 10. In a mowing machine, the combina- I tion of a main frame, a cutter barv hingedy thereto to swing upwardly, a driving mechanism for the cutters including a clutch, a hand lever pivoted to the main frame and operatively connected with the cutter bar for raising and lowering the same, a clutch operating mechanism including a shiftable frame, detents mounted at the opposite ends of the shiftable frame,

and a cam .on the lever in position tofcooperate'with said detents in shifting thev frame in opposite directions to respectively connect and disconnect the clutch, said de-v tents being yieldable in one direction to permit the cam to pass one detent when it acts on the other. e

In testimony whereof, I have aiiXed my signature.

ISAAC TROLLEY.

Washington, D. G.Y

Images