US44277A - Improvement in harvesting-machines - Google Patents

Description

J- BRADLEY. H arvester Rake.

' Patented Sept. 20, 1864.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JEREMY BRADLEY, OF CEDAR FALLS, IOWA.

lMPROVEMEN T lN HARVESTING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 14,277, dated September 20, 1864.

To all whom' it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEREMY 'BRADLEY, of Cedar Falls, county of Black Hawk, State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harvesting-Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanyingdrawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective view ofa harvesting-machine with my improvements applied to it. Fig. 2 is a. horizontal sectional view of a portion of the machine, showing my improved mode of communicating motion to the sickle and rake. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view, showing the construction and operation of the rake.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The object of my invention is to combine an endless band or chain raking apparatus with the platform and the driving-power of a barvesting-machine in such manner that while the former can be practically operated by the driving-wheel through the medium of a single jointed shaft-connection the vertical height of thc'platform can be very much reduced, and

the surface thereof upon which the grain falls,-

brought nearly on a level with the cutting apparatus, all as will be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, 1 will describe its construction and operation.

The wheel-frame of themachine is composed of two parallel beams, A, which are suitably secured at their rear ends to the forward beam of the platform,which is at right angles to the wheel-frame. The driving-wheel B has its aXle-bearin gs in standards aa, erected on the frame A, and immediately over this wheel B, and supported by a frame, 0, on the wheelframe A, is the drivers .seat 0 and the platform 0, upon which the driver can rest his feet.

On the inner side of the wheel-frame Ai. 0., the side next the standing grain-and near the rear end-of this frame, the reel-post b is erected, for sustaining one end of the reel-shaft D, the opposite end of which'shaft is sustained by the longitudinal beam b, which isdirectly over the divider E, as shown in Fig. 1. This reel, which may be constructed in any suitable manher, is driven by means of a belt, N, which is carried over pulleys c c.

strips 6 6, extending from one end to the other thereof, with spaces between them for the admission of the rake-teeth during the operating strokes of'the rakes; and the lower surface or bottom of this platform is formed of. a thin board or plate, G, which prevents the raketeeth from touching the ground during their return or inactive strokes. The forward transverse beam 0 of the platform may be made of such width as to serve as the finger-bar, and also as a means for connecting the platform rigidly to the wheel-frame A, as above described.

Having thus given a general description of the frame-work of the machine and the mode of supporting the same, I will now describe the construction and operation of those parts i of the machine which are employed in carrying out my invention.

Near the ends of the platform, and inclosed therein, are two longitudinal shafts, d d, one of which, 61, is shown in Fig. 1, and the other, 01, is shown in Fig. 3. These shafts are both parallel to the top surface of the platform and arranged at right angles to the finger-beam 6'. Thus these two shafts are adapted for receiving around grooved hubsff, formed on them, the endless chains 9 g, which are prevented from slipping around their respective shafts by the use of spurs projecting from the said hubs and entering the links of the chains. To these endless chains f f the rake-bars h h are connected by means of collars, (shown in Fig. 2,)

which allow these bars to vibrate or rock freely on the chains, as will be hereinafter further explained. Each rake-bar has a number of teeth secured to it corresponding to the number of slots in the surface of the platform. The ends of rake-bars h are flattened at i i, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, and these flat portions bear upon and are guided by the side strips, H H, as the rakes perform their delivery-stroke across the platform. The strips H serve as the lower bearings for therake-bars, while the thin plates forming the top of the platform keep the rake-bars from turning during their delivery-stroke. The extreme ends of the strips H are curved for the purpose of allowing the rake-bars to pass around them, and at a suitable point on those ends ofstrips H nearest the shaft d toothed segments j are formed, which engage with corresponding teeth, 3', formed on or near each end of'both rake-bars,

and give nearly a half-turn to these bars as they are about to commence their raking strokes, thus throwing up the rake-teeth in a position for raking the grain of the platform, in which position the teeth will remain until they arrive at the delivery end of the same, when they will be drawn down out ofthe way and moved back below the platform to their former position to commenceanother stroke. I Th us it will be seen that as the rakes move across the platform in the act of delivering the grain they are firmly held in an upright position, and that when they move in the opposite direction their teeth drag along the bottom G in a position nearly parallel to this bottom. By this arrangement I am enabled to greatly reduce the vertical height of the platform, so that the upper surface thereof will be nearly on a line with the cutting apparatus.

To operate the endless-chain rakes when arranged so near the ground, I apply side gear, J, to the main wheel B, and communicate motion to the shaft d from this wheel through the medium of a pinion-wheel, 7c, and inclined shaft m, which latter is connected to the forward end of shaft 01 by means of a-knucklejoint at 12, Figs. 1 and 2. The knuckle-joint [connection a enables me to communicate the embraces the groove in hubp, while the upper end extends up through theplatform C to a position where it can be conveniently operated by the driver while sitting in his seat 0. When the driver desires to stop or to start the motion of the rakes he moves the lever L toward or from him, and thus engages or disengages the pinion Ir.

On the opposite side of wheel B to ,the'

gearing J a similar arrangement of gearing is applied for communicating motion to the sickle S. The pinion spur-wheel it engages with the side gear, J, and turns the shaft m,

which, being connected to a short crank-wheel shaft, 1', by means of aknuckle-joint, n, gives a rotary motion to this latter shaft o and a reciprocating motion to the sickle. The curved end shoe, 1?, which is arranged beneath the knuckle-joints 'n it, serves not only asa shoe in this position, but it also prevents loose grass, 850., from entangling with said joints.

It will beseen from the above description that the arrangement of the toothed segments for throwing the rakes into operative position and the knuckle-joint connection with the inclined shaft and adj ustable spur-wheel k, en able me to construct a very simple, cheap, and effect jive raking attachment for harvesters.

By connecting alever, L, to the loose pinion k and arranging this lever after the manner of lever L the driver can have complete control over both the raking and cutting apparatuses, and can throw'either or 'both out of or into operation at pleasure.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 'is- 1. The combination of an endless-chain raking apparatus having horizontal driving shafts with the jointed shafting d m, sliding pinion 70, side gear, J and lever L, arranged and operating substantially as described.

'2. The toothed segments applied to guides H, in combination with rakes which are pivoted to and operated by endless chains, and otherwise constructed and adapted for beingbrought into raking position by said segments, sub stantially as described.

3. The combination of open slatted platform 6, endless chain of rakes, and toothed segments for turning the rakes at the commencement of the raking stroke.

4. The combination of the two levers L L, pinions k k, inclined shafts m m, drivingwheel B, cutting apparatus, and endless chain of rakes, all arranged and operating substantially as described.

Witness my hand in the matter of my application for a patent on harvester with raking attachment.

JEREMY BRADLEY.

Witnesses:

' R. T. CAMPBELL,

E. SGHAFER.

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