US28625A - Improvement in harvesters - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH WOODRUFF, OF RAIIWAY, NEI/V JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 28,625, dated J une 5, 1860.

To all 'whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OsEPH WOODRUFF, of Rahway, in the county of Union, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harvesters and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact-description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

In the drawings similar characters refer to like parts.

Figure l is a general View in perspective. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the cutter-bar, Sac., with the cover of the knives, dac., removed.

Fig. 3 is a front view, showing` the curve of cutter-bar. Fig. 4 represents the mode of preventing friction of the main shaft. Fig. 5 shows wheel without cogs for driving the operatin levers.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will describe its coustruction and operation.

A is the frame-work, which is composed of three 'pieces of wood of suitable size and shape; B, the wheel-frame; G, the seat-platform, which is hinged to the wheel-frame at a point near the axle of driving-wheel D. This wheel D has on its inner face a beveled cog-wheel, E,

vwhich drives the Operating-levers. The frame A is bolted to wheel-frame B by two bolts, a.

It will be seen (Fig. 4) that insteadof using an anti-friction washer to relieve the end-thrust of the axle F of wheel D, I use a conical center, b, which has a screw cut on it, and, passing through a female screw in plate c, is readily adjustable.

Gr is the guard or cutter-bar. In making this cutter-bar, I take a piece of sheet-steel (or other suitable material) and stamp in it diamond-shaped holes. I then lap the outer edge of this piece of metal, bending it across them, leaving a sufficient space between the two folds to allow the passage of the knives. The inner edge, d, of this piece is then bent up, forming a catch to retain plate or cover H. This plate is also formed of a piece of sheet metal, and is kept in the required position by being forced under the upper fold of the guard (which operates as a spring) and under the lapped points e of the guard and inside of the rim d. This barG is then bent on a true curve, as shown in Fig. 3. I thus curve the guard or bar Gr, in order that the flexible knife operated from each end may press closely down upon the stationary knife I. (See dotted lines, Fig. 2.) This knife is held in position simply by pins f.

Instead of making use of stationary knife, I may sharpen the lower edge of the guard, making it serve as a cutter.

K is the flexible knife, made of a thin sawlike blade.

The advantage in using knife or blade I is its facility of removal and repair.

Flexible knife K has at each end slots g working over pins g', for the purpose of keeping in its proper position. At or near each end of this knife is attached a cord or belt, h,

which passes over and under pulleys z' and k.

L and L are the operating-levers, pivoted to the wheel-frame. They may be pivoted to an adjustable lever. One of these levers, L, is attached to the pulley-cord h by a small cord, l. The other lever, L', is attached to the knife by a small cord, m. IVI is a spring attached by a cord, u, to the .knife for Operating one end of the same. It is better for levers L and L to work on a knife-edge pivot.

The bolt o is to regulate the tension of lthe spring M; N and N', a lever and dog for raising or lowering the cutter-bar.

It will be seen that the angle included between the cutting-edge and line of draft, instead Of being a right angle, (asis customary,) is an obtuse angle.l It will also be seen that inasmuch as a line drawn through the centers of the wheels D and P is parallel to the cutterbar, and hence (since the wheels have equal diameters) the operating of the raising-lever N will equally elevate each end of the cuttcr bar.

Q is a small wheel to support the platform O, to which the shafts are attached by the rodp.

In operating my invention, motion being communicated, the wheel E operating the levers L and L makes them, by means of the pulleys and cords, draw first one end and then the otherof the knife K. knife from each end over the curved cutterbar, and from points below any point in the curve, prevents the buckling of the knife and makes it at all points press closely to the cutter-bar,thus giving to the knife at all times as it reciprocates a shear cut, which is so greatly desired in a knife for harvesters, and also at the same time diminishes friction.

The drawing of the The arrangement of the levers L L', pulleys t" and k, and cords h, l, and m, for operating the reciprocating curved knife, as and for the purposes set forth and described.

JOSEPH WOODRUFF.

Witnesses:

T. G. CLAYTON, Jos. C. CLAYTON.

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