USRE591E - Improvement in harvesters - Google Patents

Description

PATENT OFFICE.

w. H. SEYMOUR AND D. s. MORGAN, or BEOOKPORT, NEW YORK, AssIeNEEs l or N. PLATT.

IMPROVEM ENT IN HARVESTERS.

Specicaiion forming part of Letters Patent No. 6,517, dated June l2, 1849; Reissue No. 265,rdated May 23, 1854; Reissue No. 591, dated August 51, 1858. i

DIVISION B.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that NELsoN PLA'IT, formerly of Ottawa, in the county ot' La Salle and State ot' Illinois, late of Kendall county, in the same State, (assigner to WILLIAM H. SEYMOUR and .DAYTON S. MORGAN, of Brockport, in the county ot' Monroe and State ot' New York,) did invent a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Cutting and Baking Grain or Grass, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the ac` companying drawings, which malte part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 represents a view in perspective, and Fig. 2 a plan or top view, of a machine embracing the said improvement.. Fig. 3 rep resents an elevation ot' that side of the machine which runs next to the uncut grain, a portion ot' the frame being removed to expose a part ot' the raking mechanism and the cutting apparatus. Fig. 4 represents an elevation, seen from the rear, of that part of the machine which is in front ot' a vertical plane shown by the line 0c 0c ot' Fig.v 2.' Figs. 5, 6,7, 8, and 9 represent part of the sweep or oscillating rake and the mechanisln for working it in different attitudes and positions, Fig. 5 representing an elevation inside of the platform, seen in the direction of the arrow 50, Fig. 6 representing a lplan when the rake has the position shown by the black lines in Fig. 5, Fig. 8 representing a plan when the rake has another position, and Figs. 7 and 9 representing elevations, seen in the direction ot' the.

arrow 51, with the rake in two difierent positions. v

The said improvement consistsin the combination of a sweep-rake and the mechanism for operating the lever which vibrates it in Such a manner that the mechanism will not be liable to obstruction by the grain, or by leaves or other matter mixed with the grain, while it is being raked oft' the platform.

The machine is to be drawn by horses walking on each side of a beam, J, to which they are connected in the usual manner by whitiiletrees. Under the rear end of this beam is a guide-wheel, A, capable of being turned in any required direction by means ot' a vertical shaft, a, having upon its upper end a steeringwheel, b. Upon the rear end ot' this'beam J is placed a stand, M, for the attendant, who drives the horses, guides the machine, and by means of a hand-wheel, fr', which can be held in any required position by a pawl, m, raises or lowers the platform, cutting apparatus, Snc. The beam J is connected in front ofthe space for the horses with the axle O of the two carrying-wheels B B; It also carries a frame which supports a roch-shaft, d', with pinions d d on its ends, operated by the quadrant-lever d2, cordj, and hand-wheel x.

The platform, cutting apparatus, reel, raking mechanism, tcmare attached to two horizontal beams, D D, which aresuspended from the axle C by two Vertical pieces, h h. These beams D D carry studsi i, to which are attached curved racks c c, into which the pinions d tl gear, and when operated by the abovedescribed mechanism raise or lower the platform, cutting apparatus, Src., the whole turning upon the axle C as a center or fulerum.

Motion is communicated to the cutters, reel, and raking mechanism by a bevel-wheel, 1, upon one ofthe carrying-wheels B, which also acts as a driving-wheel. This bevel-wheel engages with a bevel-pinion, 2, driving a shaft, o2, which carries a sliding sleeve. V3, (which is prevented from turning upon the shaft by a feather and groove,) upon which are three pinions, 3', 4', and 5', which, being of unequal sizes and gearing respectively with three wheels, 3, 4, and 5, allow different rates ot' motion to be communicated to the raking mechanism, so'that the size ot' the sheaves ot cut grain may be varied at pleasure. This sleeve V3 may be shifted by a clutch-lever or by hand to bring into gear any one ot' the pinions required.

The sweep or vibrating rake H receives its motion from one, 3, of the wheels which have already been mentioned in connection with the shifting-gear. This wheel engages with another wheel, (i, which, by means ot' a crankpin, a2, and pitman U', gives a reciprocating motion to the rack U, gearing into a quadrant, T, which carries a lever,rH/, prolonged to form the head of the ralic H. This lever-is so arranged as to be susceptible of partial rotation upon `its axis, and is held from yrising by a staple, t, which allows a slightloackward and forward motion of the rake upon the quadrant. Upon the lever H', and at right angles to it, is

secured aweighted lever or tumbler T, which, `when the head of the rake is free to turn on its axis, brings the'teeth t into a horizontal position, as shown in Figs. 1,2, and 9, and also in lred in Fig. 5, and retains them in this position, while the rake is carried back by the rack and quadrant to the point at which it is required to turn the teeth down again into a vertical position behind the grain to lbe discharged from the platform.

A stop, t5', is placed on the quadrant beneath the tumbler Tll to prevent it from descendingv lower than is necessary for bringing the teeth into a horizontal position.

Upon the rake-head are fastened two arms or .levers,t t3, which are so arranged in relation Y other `arm,.t3, slides horizontally over the top of `the guide, as is shown in black in Figs. 5 `and 6.

Another arm, T",acting as a latch, projects I from the lever H', prolonged to form the head of therake H,in a direction opposite to the tumbler T", and nearly at rig-ht angles to the `plane of the teeth c of the rake, as seen in Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9; When the teeth are brought into a vertical position in the manner above described this last-named arm or latch,T/", is

' broughtdown in front of a catch or hook, t",

uponthe quadrant T, as shown in Fig. 6. When thequadrant again commences to move forward thearm t3 movin@ horizontal] over the .guide u, still holds the teeth vertical, while the staple or slot t4, being wider than the lever H', moves over the latter a short distance to bring the catch t over thelatch T", which then lies in front of it, and the rake is then carried forward, with its teeth irmly held in vavertical position by the latch and catch, as shown in Fig. 7, While it turns the grain and sweeps .it oft' the platform L. As the rake `completes its forward motion the head is brought under a spring, t', as shown in Fig. 8, which opposes sufficient resistance to the return of the rake, when the motion ot' the quadrant is reversed, to hold'it, while the staple t4 vpermits the quadrant to move backward far enough to disengage the latch T" from the hook t, as shown in Fig. 9, when the rake is again turned to bring its teeth intoa horizontal position by the Weighted lever T and carried back, with its teeth point foremost, in that position to lift them over and clear of the grain upon the platform.

The guardsor fencesj on the platform prevent the grain from leaving the curved path described by the teeth of the rake, and within the inner one of these guards, or that nearest the center of vibration ofthe lever which carries the rake, the `gearing `which gives the back-andforth motion to the rake is placed. The gearing, thus arranged within the inner portion or inner circle of the platform, is shielded from contact with the grain or other matter, which might else become entangled in it and impede or obstruct its operation.

The devices above described for giving motion to the rake may be constructed and arranged as represented, or in various other ways well known to persons skilled in the art of constructing reaping-machines, and which therefore do not require amore particular description; but it is essential that the gearing, whatever it may be, which operates upon the rake-head, or the lever which carries it.,should be arranged relative to the inside of the platform, as described. .i

The operation of the machine is as follows: As the wheel to which the gear is attached travels over the ground the machinery is set in motion, the reel presses the standing grain back against the cutters, which sever it, when it falls upon the platform and is raked forward in a direction parallel to lthe cutters, and at right angles to the path of themachine, until it reaches the curved portion of the platform, when the sweep-rake takes it and conveys it over the curved portion of the platform, and while conveying it turns its stalks at right angles, or th ereabout, to the direction in which they fall upon the platform, and when so turn ed dischargethem upon the ground to make a sheaf. This operation ot' the rakeis repeated at regular intervals, which should not be so far apart as to make the sheaves toolarge and unwieldy, nor so frequent as to make the Asheaves too small.

What is claimed under this patent as the invention of the said NELSON PLA'LT is- The combination of the vibrating sweep rake with the lever carrying the same, vibrated by gearing located Within the inner edge or circle of said platform, as herein set forth.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names.

WM. H. SEYMOUR. D. S. MORGAN. ln presence of- Gno. H. ALLEN, JAMES ROBY.

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