Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus Applicable for Mashing Boiled Potatoes and other Roots for Cattle Food.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Sept., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 5th June, 1890-Accepted, 26th July, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus Applicable for Mashing
Boiled Potatoes and other Roots for Cattle Food.
I, JOSEPH WRIGHT BOARDMAN, of Antrobus, in the County of Chester, Farmer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The apparatus usually used for mashing boiled potatoes and other like roots for
cattle consists of two toothed rollers working into each other, the roots are passed
between these. The operation requires two men, one to put in the roots, the other to
turn the machine and the latter work is very heavy.
My invention is designed for one man to do the work and to do it with very much
less labour than at present used. In place of passing the roots between rollers I
force them through a grid of wires by simple leverage and pressure.
In carrying out my invention I place the roots in a hopper having a mouthpiece
which in my experimental machine happens to be 3 inches by 44 in area but which
can be safely made considerably larger. This area has a network of wires about
3nd of an inch in diameter in my present machine stretched across it. These wires
are preferably of steel and are smaller than the above size. They are placed preferably
about inch apart crossing each other at right angles. Fixed either to the side of
the hopper or to other stationary support is a pivot and on this pivot works a long
lever. Pivotted to this lever is a plunger exactly fitting the parallel mouthpiece at
the bottom of the hopper and preferably reduced in size towards the handle.
The mode of action is as follows:-The roots are placed in the hopper, the long
handle is raised, the roots fall into the mouthpiece, the handle is then depressed and
the plunger forces the roots through the wires. The handle is then raised and the
operation repeated indefinitely.
Dated this 4th day of September 1889.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus Applicable for Mashing
Boiled Potatoes and other Roots for Cattle Food.
I, JOSEPH WRIGHT BOARDMAN of Antrobus in the County of Chester Farmer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
The apparatus usually employed for mashing boiled potatoes and other like roots
for cattle food consists of two toothed rollers working into each other, the roots
being passed between them. The operation requires two men, one to put in the
roots, the other to turn the machine and the latter work is very heavy.
My invention is designed to enable one man to do the work and to do it with very
much less labour than at present used. In place of passing the roots between rollers,
I force them through a grid of wires or other suitable grid by simple leverage and
pressure.
The manner in which my invention is carried into effect may be understood
from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing,
in which :-
fun and

page_text: The roots, or other food to be mashed, are placed in a hopper A having an
elongated mouthpiece B which may be of any suitable size and shape in cross
section, but in the drawing it is shown rectangular. In my experimental machine
the area of the mouthpiece was about 3 inches by 4 inches, but it can be made
larger than this, if desirable.
At or near the bottom of the mouthpiece there is a network or grid of wires or
small bars C or other suitably formed grid. The wires may conveniently be about 3 of
an inch in diameter for a small machine, and may be placed at a distance apart of,
say, inch. The wires may cross each other at right angles, or may be otherwise
conveniently arranged. In the drawing (Figure 2) I have simply shown two
alternating series of wires meeting or overlapping at or about the centre of the
mouthpiece, which arrangement I have found gives good results. Each series
of wires may be attached to a cross-piece C and may be inserted into the
mouthpiece through holes in two opposite sides thereof, as clearly seen in the
drawing.
A pivot d is fixed to one side of the hopper A or to the supporting frame E or
other stationary support, and on this pivot a long lever D works, the lever being
preferably bent downwards into the hopper as shown.
A plunger F is pivoted to the lever as at f, and is adapted to work up and down
in, and in and out of, the mouthpiece B with the movement of the lever. The lower
end of the plunger fits the mouthpiece or nearly so, while the upper part may be
reduced in size to any desirable extent, as shown.
The plunger may also be guided by pins G which are carried by a guide arın G¹.
This arm is by preference pivoted, as at g, so that the lower part of the plunger may
-be raised quite clear of the mouthpiece to a greater height than the pins G to allow
the roots to fall into the mouthpiece.
The grid C may be inclined downwards towards the centre of the mouthpiece, as
seen in Figure 1, so that any stones, etcetera, which may happen to be among the
roots will not be violently struck between the plunger and grid.
The mode of action is as follows:-
The roots are placed in the hopper. The long lever handle D is then raised and
some of the roots fall into the mouthpiece. The handle is then depressed and the
plunger forces the roots through the grid C. The handle is raised again and the
operation repeated indefinitely or until the hopper is empty.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
An apparatus applicable for mashing potatoes or other roots for cattle food, having
a hopper for receiving a supply of the roots, an elongated mouthpiece opening out
of said hopper and provided at or near its lower end with a grid or network of wires,
a plunger fitting or nearly fitting said mouthpiece, and means for reciprocating said
plunger to and from the grid and into and out of the mouth piece, substantially as
described.
D1 11
4:1 1
T
1000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Liverpool, Manchester, and London, Patent Agents.