The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1911-04-06
lNVENTS FILLING MACHINE.

In the last issue of the Dakota
Farmer DR.. II. NJ. Dcrr, head of the
department of civil engineer depart
ment of the State College, describes
a soil tilling machine, Of which he is
the inventor. In the judgment OF
many practical men this machine is
destined to fill a larse need in the
development of the Northwest, and its
practicability has been sufficiently
demonstrated to justify its builders in
going ahead with the field tests and
placing it on exhibition at the fairs
this coming fall. We quote the fol-
lowing from DR.. Derr's description:
This particular size of machine is
propelled and actuated by a 20 horse
power gasoline engine and travels at
the rate Of % miles per hour. 1t
weighs abort seven tons covers a strip
II feet wide, has a draw par to which
the widest seeder made may be at
tached, and the preparation of the
seed bed and seeding accomplished in
a single operation. Its weight is uni
formly distributed on one front or
steering roller, made in three sections,
and two rear drive-rollers. The latter
are connected with differential gear
ing to facilitate turning, and the front
roller is controlled by a friction steer
ing device. making the work of guild
ing the machine very easy as com
pared with steering by hand.
we will assume that the rollers
have passed over the furrOw slices,
and that the same have been well
pressed home. Very large clods or
clumps or earth cannot now exist any
where in the plOwed ground, for the
pressure of the rollers is over one
thousand pounds per lineal foot. and
is sufficient to crush them all from
top to bottom. Having restored bet
with the solid earth below and its new
err failing supply of moisture, the next
step is to thoroughly pulyerize enough
of the surface to make an ideal seed
bed. This is accomplished by means
of a cast steel spiral driven at a rapid
rate by power communicated from the
engine through sprockets and steel
thimbla roller chains. The action of
this spiral is equivalent to that Of a
series of discs set at an angle of about
40 degrees, and moving diagonally
across the furrow slices in a direction
making an angle of about 20 degrees
to the direction the machine is moving
The diagonal movement above men
toned is the most effeCtual that could
be desired, in cutting down the high
places and filling in depressions on the
surface. In conserving moisture in a
windy plains country, the %levelling ac-
ton of the diagonal motion above men
toned is a thing not to be considered
too lightly. There is available for
each cutting edge of the spiral, a force
of more than so pounds moving at the
rate of 600 feet per minute This lat
ter fact will convey some idea of the
wonderful pulverizing effect.
The framework of the %pulverizing
device is made of structural steel
channels, well lat'iced and braced,
and is free to move up and down
about the axis of driving shaft in
front of drive rollers. 1t is raised for
transportation or when not operating,
by means of a friction device geared
to main engine shaft and controlled
by a foot lever convenient to the Oper
ator. The spiral and its connection
with the engine can also be thrown
out of gear.
Underneath the two parallel chan
neIs at the rear and bolted thereto, are
a series of shoes or runners, seven
inches apart the entire width Of the
machine. These shoes are curved
on the bottom, and have downward
projections which cut into the soil and
curve to the real of the cutting edge
formed by the flange of rear channel
in front of the spiral. The shoes car
ry the weight of the pulyerizing de
vice when in use, neutlize any side
draft that may be o~ccasioned, and
prevent the earth from escaping the
positive and forcible action of the cut
ting edges OF the spiral. At either
end of the spiral are self-alinging ball
and socket bearings, which may be
raised or lowered within certain linn