Patent GB-956441-A (GB)
Title: Compost aerating spawning and casing machine
IPC: A01G1/04
Filed: 1960-03-23
Abstract: 956,441. Mushroom cultivation. P. J. LANCASTER. June 15, 1961 [March 23, 1960], No. 10333/60. Heading A1E. [Also in Division B8] A machine for depositing mushroom spawn and peat into boxes comprises a box loader 10, an endless conveyer 11 provided with a flail 43, a tamper 12 and and a box-stacker 13. Boxes 17, 17A are partly filled with peat and are loaded one above the other on the loader 10. The loader 10 comprises conveying rollers 22 and a loading platform 23 which normally lies below the tops of the rollers 22 but which can be raised by a hydraulic ram 24. Each pair of upstanding arms 25, 26 has a pawl 27 which is normally spring urged to a position 27A where it lies outside the path of descent of the boxes 17, 17A The pawl, by means of a lever 29, can be moved by the platform 23 when the latter approaches its lowermost position. To lower the box 17A on to the platform a switch 30 is operated manually and hydraulic power means moves the ram 24 to its uppermost position where it supports both the boxes. At the same time, since the load is taken off the pawls 27, the latter move to their vertical position 27A. When the ram reaches its top position it closes a switch 31 which serves to open switch 30 and causes the ram to return to its lowermost position. When the platform falls to the level of the rollers 22, it moves the lever 29 which causes each pawl 27 to move into the gap 19 between the bottom box 17A and the one above. Box 17, and all above it, are thus supported temporarily on the two pawls, while the bottom box 17A is lowered, by the loading platform 23, until it rests upon the rollers 22 which carry it towards the conveyer 11. The box is passed by the conveyer 11 beneath a hopper 40 for mushroom spawn. A lever 42 controlling a door 41 of the hopper extends into the path which the box takes on the conveyer and mushroom spawn is allowed to fall into the box as the box passes beneath the hopper. The box then passes beneath the flail 43 comprising four plates 46 from each of which depend four tines 47, the plates being continuously rotated by an electric motor 47A. In passing beneath the flail, the leading edge of the box strikes the arm of a switch 48 and causes the flail to rise above the edge of the box. The leading edge next strikes the arm of a switch 49 which simultaneously opens switch 48 and causes the flail to descend to a position where the tines are in, and serve to mix, the peat and the spawn. The process is then repeated by the trailing edge of the box. The tamper 12 comprises a frame 52 carrying rollers 53 inside which is a vertically reciprocable tamping platform 54 carried by a ram 55. Above the platform is a fixed tamping plate 56 the height of which can be adjusted. A switch arm 57 is pivoted by the oncoming box, the ram is moved up and thus lifts the box off the rollers 53 and presses the contents of the box against the tamping plate 56. The box after being lowered by the ram on to the rollers 53 is then carried on to the box stacker 13. The stacker 13 is similar to the loader 10 except for the arrangement of its pawls. When the box arrives on the stacker it strikes a switch 67 and a ram 62 moves upwards. As the ram starts moving, it pushes a pawl 65 to one side until the pawl is able to enter a gap 19 between the boxes whereupon a switch 68 on the ram is closed and the empty platform is returned to its bottom position where it is ready to receive another box from the tamper. If it is desired that the tamped box full of mixed spawn and peat be covered with a thin layer of loose peat, the tamped boxes may be again passed through the machine to receive peat from a hopper 39. During this run the switches are set to keep the flail out of the way and the tamper out of action The spawn hopper lever 42 is also moved out of the path of the boxes. The machine described in the Provisional Specification has a flail with a single mixing member rotatable about a horizontal axis. A scarifier for levelling the contents of trays is provided.