US410369A - Cornstalk-cutter - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

J. D. MERCER. CORNSTALK GUTTER.

. l' gm mmm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES DENMAN MERCER, OF OTTAVVA, OHIO.

CORNSTALK-C UTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 410369, dated September 3, 1889. Application filed April 20, 1889. Serial No. .308,037. (No model.)

To all whom 't may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES DENMAN MERCER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ottawa, in the county of Putnam and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Inprovenents in Cornstalk-Cutters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvement-s in cornstalk-cutters; and it consists of the peculiar construction, arrangement, and adaptation of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims. As an Understanding of my invention can be had to better advantage by a detailed description thereof, I will now proceed to de- Scribe the same in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view showing my improved cornstalk-cutting machine, with the position of two rows of cornstalks upon which the machine is adapted to act indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is an inverted or bottom plan View of my machine. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional View on the plane indicated by the line a; :r of Fig. 2.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding paris in all the figures of the drawings, referring to whichl designates the platform of ny improved machine for cutting cornstalks. This platform is secured to a main triangular frame 2 and an axle 3, and it consists of horizontal boards on which one or more attendants can stand to gather the stalks and set them into shocks as the stalks are cut by the knives of machine. The triangular frame 2 consists of two inclined side pieces 4 5 and a cross-piece 6, all of which are firmly united together in any well-known and substantial nanner, and the rear or inner edges of the side pieces of the frame are reoessed to receive the forward end of the boards of the platform, which is thus arranged flush with the upper faces of the side pieces. To the apex of the triangular frame or forward end of the machine is secured a central longitudinal draft bar or beam '7, which is firmly bolted to the frane journaled the carrying-wheels 9, which support the rear end of the platform at a suitable elevation above the ground. Between the axle and the rear cross-bar 6- of the triangular frame are arranged horizontal bars 10, which are located near the ends of and bolted to the axle and cross-bar. These bars 10 provide an intervening space between themselves and the lower side of the platform, and between s'aid bars 10 and platform are interposed brake-levers 11, each of which is fulcrumed at an intermediate point of its length on one of the bars 10. The outer ends of these brake-levers are arranged to impinge or bear against the peripheries of the carrying-wheels 9, and said ends of the brakelevers may, if desired, be provided with brake-shoes, as is obvious. The inner approximate ends of the brake-levers are connected by an intermediate link 12 with the rear end of an endwise-movable rod 13, which is arranged on the lower side of the platform longitudinally of the machine, the forward end of this rod being pivotally connected to the lower end of a vertically-disposed lever 14, which passes through a slot 15 in the platform near its forward end, and is suitably fulcrumed on a rod 16, which is Secured in eyes or staples 17, fixed on the platform. It is evident that the upper end of the lever 14 can be thrown rearward by hand to apply the brake-levers 11 to the carrying-wheels, and thus retard the same, the brake being especially useful when transporting the, machine over roads from one field or farm to another.

To the rear end of the platform, and projecting laterally from the sides thereof, I have provided nud-scrapers 18,which are arranged to clear the mud that may accunulate on the peripheries of the carrying-wheels, and over these carrying-wheels guards 19 are provided,

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which are suitablysccured to the platform; The front' end of the platform is supported by means of a caster-wheel 20, which is connected to the draft-bar in such a manner as to permit it to turn or revolve freely in any direction. This caster-wheel has its shaft journaled in a hanger 21, which is swiveled to the lower extremity of a headed vertical rod 22, which passes through a vertical slot 23 in the draft-bar, and is vertically adjustable in said bar by means of transverse perforations in the vertical bar and a pin 24, which passes through the draft-bar and one of the perforations in the vertical bar. This vertical bar can be raised or lowered to enable the caster-wheel to support the front end of the platform at different elevations above thesurface of the ground,and thus adapt the machine to cut the stalks closer to and farther from the ground, according to the adj ustment of said vertical bar, while at the same time the caster-wheel is free to turn horizontally on the vertical bar.

To the diverging side bars of the frame 2 are secured a series of short horizontalplates 25, and to the outer ends ot' the series of plates attached to each side bar of the frame is Secured a continuous knife-bar 26, the outer edge of which is beveled to a cutting-edge. These knives diverge laterally ot' each other toward the rear end of the frame, and they are thus adapted for eutting rows of cornstalks which vary in width.

In the draft-bar is forned a vertical aperture, in which is detachably fitted a vertical stake or bar 30, around which the reins or lines used for driving the animal can be fastened when the machine is in use and the operator engaged in setting the cornstalks into shocks.

In operation the machine is drawn by the animal between two adjoining rows of cornstalks, so that the fixed knife-bars thereof act against the stalks and cut them with a shear cnt at or near their lower ends close to the ground. The reins are fastened to the vertical stake and one or two persons stand on the platform and with their arms gather the cornstalks as they are cut by the advancing machine and set them into shoeks. The adjoining rows of cornstalks offer equal resistance to the knife-bars on the machine, so that the caster or pivot wheel follows directly in the line of the draft, and the machine is thus drawn by the animal without guidance by the attendant, who is thus able to devote his attention to gatherng the stalks and setting them into shocks. I am thus enabled to provide a machine which will effectually and rapidly cnt the cornstalks close to the ground j-and enable the attcndants to stand on its platform and gather and bind the cornstalks.

I am aware of the corn-harvester shown in Patent No. 31,406, dated February 12, 1861, in which inclined knives are carried by a skeleton frame mounted on runncrs; but it is evident to a person skilled in this art that when a sled of this character is enployed to cut one or a single row of cornstalks the machine will 'be moved laterally of the row by the resistance oltered by the tough cornstalk, and as the succeeding stalks of the row are approached and cut the machine gradnally assumes such a position laterally of the row of stalks that its knife-bar only outs the stalks at its extreme rear end, if it cuts the stalks at all. WVith my machine, however,'having the swiveled caster-wheel at its front end in the line of draft of the machine, the cast-er-wheel serves to adjust or turn the' :machine in the middle of the row after each cornstalk has been cut, and thus keep 'the machine in such a position that its knifebar cuts the cornstalks at an intermediate point of the length of said knife-bar. It is evident in eutting a single row of cornstalks that with a sled such as described there is nothing to keep the machine from lateral deflection of the row of cornstalks, as the opposite side of the machine does not encounter any resisting object and hence the machine is not liable to keep the middle of the row; but with a pivot or caster-wheel such as I provide the machine is returned to its normal position in the middle of the row after its knifebar clears the cornstalk.

I am also aware of Patent No.122,176 for a machine for eutting cornstalks, consisting of a triangular skeleton frame having converging knife-bars at its sides, a pair of handles at the rear end of said skeleton frame for guiding the machine, and two carrying-wheels arranged in rear ot' the apex of the machine and behind one another at points intermediate of the length of the iframe, said carrying-wheels being carried at the middle of separate axles which are journaled in the inclined sides of the frame; 'but such is not my invention.

Slight changes in the form and proportion of parts can be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A machine for eutting cornstalks, consisting of a triangular frame having a horizontal platform secnred thereto, a single transverse axle secured to the rear end of said triangular trame and having at its ends the rear carrying-wheels, the knife-bars fixed to the inclined sides of said triangular frame, a draft-bar fixed to the apex of said trian gular frame and arranged in line with the longitudinal center ot' the machine, and a single depending caster-wheel swiveled to the draft-bar in the line of the draft of the maehine and being free to turn in any direction on the draft-bar, whereby the machine is maintained in proper relation to the line or row of cornstalks when eutting against a single row by the swiveled Castor-wheel, as herein described. V

2. A machine for eutting cornstalks, com- IOO IIO

prising a triangular frane having a horizontal platform Secured thereto, a series of plates fixed to the inciined sides of said frame, the knife-bars removably bolted to said plates, a single transverse axle Secured to the rear end of the machine and having the rear carryingwheels at its ends, a single draft-bar Secured to the apex of said frame in line with the longitudinal center of the machine, and provided with a vertical central slot, averticallyadjustable bar fitted in said slot and having means for rigidly securing itself to the draftbar, and a caster-wheel swiveled on the bar in line of the draft of the machine and being free to turn in a horizontal direction on said i 5 bar, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES DENMAN MERCER.

Witnesses:

J. J. ZELLER, HARRY BIRKMIER.

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