Patent GB-176137-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or connected with grain shockers for use with harvesting machines
IPC: A01D75/06
Filed: 1920-12-01
Abstract: 176,137. Innes, G. Dec. 1, 1920. Shocking-machines.-In a shocking-machine the sheaves are delivered in pairs to a basket which, when the desired number of sheaves has accumulated therein, is allowed to fall and to deliver its load on to the ground, the basket remaining stationary for a short period while the shock settles firmly on the ground. The machine comprises a frame 1 with cross-braces 2 - - 5 connected to a binder by bars 6, 6a, 7, 7<a> and supported on a front wheel 8 and rear wheels 11, 12. The gripping- head 125, which lifts the sheaves from the binder and delivers them to the basket, is carried by a boom 16 mounted on a mast 13 stepped in a bearing 13a on a cross-brace and supported at its upper end by a bearing 14 on a stayed support 15. The mast has an arm 18 connected by a link 19 to a crank 20 on a vertical shaft 21 having broken gear 21<a>, Fig. 9, engaging broken gear 22 on an horizontal shaft 23 driven by bevel-gear 24, 25 from a shaft 26 which is itself driven through worm-gear 27, 28 and a clutch 29 from the shaft 10 of the rear wheels 11, 12. The mast is thus swung at intervals through 45‹. A pinion 32 formed on the worm 28 and provided with a clutch face 32<a>, Fig. 4, adapted to be engaged bv the clutch member 29 splined to the shaft 10, drives a gear-wheel 35 carrying a wedge cam 37 arranged to engage a sliding rod 38 and so to release the clutch at the end of one revolution of the wheel 35. The wheel 35 is of such a size that the boom makes one complete movement from its dwell position and returns before the clutch is thrown out. The rod 38 is guided in apertured lugs 39 on a lever 40 and is connected by a link 41 to a bell-crank lever 42 which, at intervals, pulls the rod 38 out of the path of the cam 37, thus permitting the clutch to be thrown in by the action of a spring 45. The sheaves are delivered from the binder to a cradle formed by movable arms 50, Fig. 2, and fixed arms 53. The arms 50, which are carried by a rock-shaft 51, receive the first sheaf and move from the position shown in the dotted line to the position shown in the full lines, Fig. 2, pulling up a divider board 55 and a divider finger 56 by a chain 59 connected to an arm 58 on a shaft 57 on which the board and finger are fixed. The divider board and finger are then locked in position by a latch while the arms 50 drop to pick up a second sheaf from the binder. After the second sheaf has been picked up the gripping-head descends to pick up the two sheaves and transfers them to the basket. The shaft 51 is rocked by gearing operated from a crank 64, Fig. 1, on a bevel-wheel 62 driven by a bewl-wheel 61 which can be clutched to the axle 10 by a clutch lever 76 provided with guide-lugs for a rod which is engaged by a cam on the back of the wheel 61. Each time a sheaf is delivered by the binding mechanism to the arms 50 a link 85 is operated, thus rocking a shaft carrying an arm 87 which engages the head of the rod engaged by the cam on the wheel 61. The clutch is thus freed to be thrown in by a spring and the shaft 51 rocks. The crank-pin 64 is connected by a link 90 to a lever 91 carrying a pawl adapted to move a ratchet-wheel one tooth forward for each sheaf thrown on the arms 50. The ratchet-wheel carries pins which operate a link 96 attached to the latch holding up the divider board 55 so that the latch is released and the board falls after each second operation of the arms 50. The bell-crank lever 42 operating the clutch of the boom swinging device is also actuated by the pins on the ratchet-wheel. The boom is pivoted at the upper end of the mast 13 and is connected at its forward end by a spring 105, Fig. 3, with a bracket 106 on the mast. A bracket 107 is fitted midway of the boom and is connected pivotally to the inner section of a telescopic rod 31 of which the outer case 109 is connected by a ball-and-socket joint to a crank arm 23a carried by the shaft 23. The bracket, which is secured to the boom by a pin 111, has ears 112 upon which a block 114 is journaled and a yoke 116 at the end of the inner section of the telescopic rod is secured upon this block. A hook 118 is pivoted on the block and is adapted by the action of a spring 120 to engage a collar on the outer case 109. Attached to the hook is a rod 121 passing through an eye on an arm 14<a>, Fig. 1, on the bearing 14, adjustable nuts being provided on the rod on the far side of the eye. As the boom swings to a position over the basket the rod moves until the nuts engage the eye, when the hook is withdrawn from the, collar and the boom freed from the crank 23a. In the position of the boom over the cradle the collar is engaged by the hook and as the crank 23<a> rotates the boom is drawn down, bringing the gripping-head 125 into position to engage the sheaves in the cradle. The head 125, Fig. 7, has a hub 127 sleeved on a hollow pin and carrying arms 128 in which hollow shafts 130 carrying gripping-fingers 129, 129a are mounted. Springs 137 tend to hold the fingers in the open position. Spring fingers 135 are also provided to hold the sheaves after they are gripped by the fingers 129, 129<a>. A member 127 is provided with mutilated bevel-gear 139 engaged by bevel-gear on a sector 140 which is rocked by a link 142 connected by a universal joint to the arm 14<a> so that as the boom swings from the cradle to the basket the head is turned through half a revolution. The fingers are closed on the sheaves by links 133, which are connected to the fingers at the far side of the pivots, being pulled up by a chain 134 passing through the head and connected by a link 146, universal joint 147, and toggle link 148, Fig. 3, to a bell-crank lever 153. The lever is operated by a link 154 actuated through a second bell-crank 155, link 159, and chain 160 attached to an eye-bolt adjustably secured in a collar 106 on the mast 13. As the gripping-head moves to its lowest position, shown in full lines on Fig. 2, the other end of the boom is raised, tightening the chain 160, causing the gripping-fingers to close on the sheaves, and at the same time bringing the toggle-link 148 into an overshot position so that as the boom is raised again by the action of the crank 23<a> the fingers are maintained closed on the sheaves. The boom is then moved by the action of the crank to a position over the basket, whereupon the toggle is lifted by a projection 166 and the sheaves fall into the basket. The basket 30 comprises a tubular frame 236 having in its raised or sheaf receiving position, a sheet metal bottom 237. The basket, in its raised position, rests against arms 173 extending rearwardly from a rock-shaft 172 and on supports 175 projecting upwardly from the frame 1. The rock shaft 172 has a forwardly projecting arm 174 which engages under a stop on a bar 181 pivoted on the main frame and, when the basket is in raised position, held down by a hook 188. As each pair of sheaves is swung over the basket a timing-mechanism is operated which can be set to release the hook 188 after twelve or fourteen sheaves have been delivered. On the release of the hook the basket swings and falls to the rear of the machine, the arm 174 following the bar 181 until it engages a stop 215, in which position the rear portions of the arms 173 are approximately horizontal. As the arm 181 moves upwardly it trips a catch which operates a clutch starting the rotation .of a chain drum to which a chain fixed to the bar 181 is attached. The drum is driven through a lost motion device so that the basket, for a brief period, remains at rest relative to the ground before the rod 181 is operated, the basket being connected to the machine merely by loose chains 226 from the rock shaft 172 and a chain 192 to the bar 181. During this period the shock settles firmly into position on the ground. As the chain drum rotates, the bar 181 is drawn back to its original position, pulling the basket into the bend of the arms 173 and tilting it again into the sheafreceiving position as shown in Fig. 3. The basket has a partition down the middle and both basket and partition may be adjusted to take sheaves of different length. A spring-supported platform 280 projects into the basket to support the heads of the sheaves, this platform yielding when the first pair of sheaves falls into the basket. The basket is provided with runners 255 which also serve as stops for the sheaves as they are delivered to the basket. The sheaves are held in the basket during its turning movement by a spring-controlled gate.