A New or Improved Machine for Breaking or Cutting off Wild Mustard or other similar Pernicious Plants in Agricultural Crops..
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 21st Aug., 1889-Accepted, 21st Sept., 1889.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Machine for Breaking or Cutting off Wild
Mustard or other similar Pernicious Plants in Agricultural
Crops..
We, JEAN EUGÈNE PILLIER, and ALEXANDRE ALBERT GUICHARD, both of Lieusaint,
(Seine et Marne) in the Republic of France, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to destroy or remove the wild mustard, or charlock,
or other similar pernicious plants or weeds, which often grow in great strength and
abundance in certain agricultural crops, such as in oats for example, and seriously
hinder the growth of such crops.
The machine forming the subject of this invention breaks or divides the stems of
the plants, or lops off their heads, whereby their growth is ultimately stopped and
their seeds prevented from forming, so that they are no longer found amongst the
harvest d grain, and are not spread over the ground to reappear in the sowing of the
following year.
Figure 1 of the Drawings hereto annexed is a diagram showing the principle on
which our invention is based. Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of a machine con-
structed in accordance with that principle, the said section being taken on the
line 1-2 of Figure 3. Figure 3 is a plan of the said machine, Figures 4 and 5 show
in front and side view respectively the details of the lever for putting the machine in
and out of gear with one of the bearing or carrying wheels of the machine, and
Figure 6 is a plan view showing details of the connections which are actuated by the
lever shown in Figures 4 and 5 in order to effect the engagement of the machine with
and disengagement of the same from the carrying wheel. A main crosspiece or
transom a,
of channel iron, carries at right angles to its ends the pieces b₁ termi-
nating in enlargements in which are fixed the axles of the supporting or carrying
wheels c c'. To the transom a are bolted the boxes or sockets a'd' which receive the
ends of the horse shafts e e¹; stay bars ƒƒ¹ unite these shafts firmly to the ends of the
transom. On the nave of one of the carrying wheels, c for example, is fixed the spur
wheel g which drives a pinion on the shaft h. The shaft h is mounted parallel to
the transom a in two iron arins k k¹ which pivot on the inner ends of the axles of the
wheels c c¹ and are connected together behind by a long cross-bar i. In front these
arms are provided with other arms which stand at right angles thereto, and are
connected by links m m¹ with levers n n which are fixed on the ends of a transverse
shaft o operated by a lever p. As seen in Figure 3 this lever is placed to the right
of the driver, and its shaft o turns in bearings o' o¹ bolted to the main transom a.
The shaft h can be raised or lowered at pleasure by means of the lever p and with it
the cutting or breaking part of the apparatus.. When the proper position of the
lever pis determined, it is secured by means of the pawl p¹ (actuated by the
spring p²) taking into a tooth of the sector r. The sector is secured to the horse
shaft e and to a lug on the box or socket d'.
The driver is seated on the seats which is carried above the shafts e e¹ by an iron
standard s bolted to a cross pièce s fixed to the said shafts. A spring blade ³ bears
against the iron standard s' and gives a certain amount of elasticity to the seat. The
stay bar fis furnished with a stirrup q to aid the driver in mounting and dismounting
to and from the seat.
The cutting or breaking apparatus consists of the shaft h, of two cross barred
rings tt fixed near the ends of the shaft h, and of a third set of cross arms t³ also
fixed on the shaft in the centre line of the machine; the two cross barred rings t t'
serve to stretch a certain number, four for example, of wires or blades F of steel, iron,

page_text: or other suitable metal, by the aid of any suitable tighteners t³. The intermediate
cross arms t² are intended to support the metallic wires F and to prevent them from
whipping during the rapid rotary movement of the cutting or breaking apparatus.
The pinion g', on the end of the shaft h, is adapted to slide longitudinally on this
shaft in order to connect or disconnect the same with the toothed wheel g but is
prevented from turning on the said shaft by means of a feather. The said pinion is
in one piece with a collared sleeve which is embraced by the fork of a lever v oscil-
lating on an axis v fixed to the arm k. The lever v is actuated by another lever u
connected with the tension rod which is in turn connected to a lever a placed to
the left of the driver and held in place by a tooth ², with which it is provided,
entering the teeth of a fixed sector y (Figures 4 and 5).
A tool box z is fixed at the side of the horse shaft e¹ to contain various tools, oil
cans and so forth.
Action of the machine-According as the charlock, or other plant it is desired
to cut off or break, is more or less high, the shaft his raised or lowered by means of
the lever p, so as to bring the wires or blades F into position to act upon the plant.
The pinion g' is put in gear with the spur wheel g by means of the lever and
connections ¹³, u, v¹ and v. If now the machine is drawn along on the wheels c c¹,
the spur wheel g communicates a rapid rotary motion to the shaft by means of the
pinion g', and the wires or blades F, stretched between the rings t t¹, now, break, or
lop off, all the stalks of mustard or charlock which come within the range of the said
wires or blades as they revolve.
The consequence is that the charlock or other pernicious plant is prevented from
bearing seed which could be mixed with the oats, or other crop, and the ground is
prevented from receiving such seed, since the plant itself has been attacked and
destroyed before maturity.
D1 L
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COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Machine for Breaking or Cutting off Wild
Mustard or other similar Pernicious Plants in Agricultural
Crops.
We, JEAN EUGENE PILLIER, and ALEXANDRE ALBERT GUICHARD, both of Lieusaint
(Seine et Marne) in the Republic of France, Engineers do hereby declare the nature
of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference
being had to the drawings accompanying my provisional specification and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
The object of this invention is to destroy or remove the wild mustard or charlock
or other similar pernicious plants or weeds which often grow in great strength and
abundance in certain agricultural crops, such as in oats for example, and seriously
hinder the growth of such crops.
The machine forming the subject of this invention breaks or divides the stems of
the plants or lops off their heads whereby their growth is ultimately stopped and their
seeds prevented from forming so that they are no longer found amongst the harvested
grain and are not spread over the ground to reappear in the sowing of the following
year.
Figure 1 of the above mentioned Drawings is a diagram showing the principle on
which our invention is based. Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of a machine con-
.structed in accordance with that principle the said section being taken on the
line 1-2 of Figure 3. Figure 3 is a plan of the said machine; Figures 4 and 5
show in front and side view respectively the details of the lever for putting the

page_text: machine in and out of gear with one of the bearing or carrying wheels of the machine
and Figure 6 is a plan view showing details of the connections which are actuated by
the lever shown in Figures 4 and 5 in order to effect the engagement of the machine
with and disengagement of the same from the carrying wheel. A main cross-piece-
or transom a of channel iron carries at right angles to its ends the pieces b b₁
terminating in enlargements, in which are fixed the axles of the supporting or carrying
wheels c c. To the transom a are bolted the boxes or sockets d d which receive the
ends of the horse shafts e e¹ stay bars ff¹ unite these shafts firmly to the ends of the
transom. On the nave of one of the carrying wheels, c for example, is fixed the spur
wheel g which drives a pinion g' on the shaft h. The shaft is mounted parallel to
the transom a in two iron arms k k¹ which pivot on the inner ends of the axles of the
wheels c c' and are connected together behind by a long cross bar i. In front these
arms are provided with other arms which stand at right angles thereto, and are
connected by links m m' with levers n n¹ which are fixed on the ends of a transverse
shaft o operated by a lever p. As seen in Figure 3, this lever is placed to the right
of the driver and its shaft o turns in bearings o¹ o¹ bolted to the main transon a.
The shaft h can be raised or lowered at pleasure by means of the lever p and with it
the cutting or breaking part of the apparatus. When the proper position of the
lever p is determined it is secured by means of the pawl pl (actuated by the spring p²)
taking into a tooth of the sector r. The sector r is secured to the horse shaft e¹ and
to a lug on the box or socket d'.
The
The driver is seated on the seats which is carried above the shafts e e¹ by an iron
standard s bolted to a cross pieces fixed to the said shafts. A spring blade s³ bears
against the iron standards and gives a certain amount of elasticity to the seat.
stay bar fis furnished with a stirrup q to aid the driver in mounting and dismounting
to and from the seat.
The cutting or breaking apparatus consists of the shaft h of two cross barred
rings t t fixed near the ends of the shaft h and of a third set of cross arms t² also
fixed on the shaft h in the centre line of the machine; the two cross barred rings t t¹
serve to stretch a certain number, four for example, of wires or blades F of steel, iron,
or other suitable metal by the aid of any suitable tighteners t³. The intermediate
cross arms are intended to support the metallic wires F and to prevent them from
whipping during the rapid rotary movement of the cutting or breaking apparatus.
The pinion g on the end of the shaft h is adapted to slide longitudinally on this
shaft in order to connect the same with or to disconnect it from the toothed wheel g
secured on the nave of the carrying wheel c but is prevented from turning on the
said shaft by means of a feather. The said pinion is in one piece with a collared
sleeve which is embraced by the fork of a lever v oscillating on an axis v' fixed to the
arm k. The lever is actuated by another lever u connected with the tension rod x¹
which is in turn connected to a lever x placed to the left of the driver and held in
place by a tooth with which it is provided entering the teeth of a fixed sector y
(Figures 4 and 5).
v
'
In the Drawings the above described gearing 9 gl and apparatus for putting the
pinion g' into and out of gear with the wheel g are shown in connection with one only
of the carrying wheels but it is obvious that similar gearing and similar engaging and
disengaging apparatus may be applied also to the other carrying wheel and that both
sets of engaging and disengaging apparatus may be operated by the same lever x by
suitably arranging the intermediate levers and tension rods.
A tool box z is fixed at the side of the horse shaft e¹ to contain various tools oil
cans and so forth.
Action of the machine-According as the charlock or other plant it is desired to
cut off or break is more or less high the shaft is raised or lowered, by means of the
lever p, so as to bring the wires or blades F into position to act upon the plant. The
pinion g¹ is put in gear with the spur wheel 9 by means of the lever and con-
nections zu v² and v. If now the machine is drawn along on the wheels c c' the
spur wheel g communicates a rapid rotary motion to the shaft by means of the
pinion the wires or blades F, stretched between the rings t t¹, mow, break or

page_text: lop off all the stalks of mustard or charlock which come within the range of the said
wires or blades as they revolve. The consequence is that the charlock or other
pernicious plant is prevented from bearing seed which could be mixed with the oats or
other crop, and the ground is prevented from receiving such seed since the plant
itself has been attacked and destroyed before maturity.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is :-
First For the purpose of destroying, mowing or lopping off the stalks of wild
mustard or other pernicious plants before the seed is formed or arrives at maturity,
the cutting or breaking off machine which consists essentially of one or more wires F
stretched between plates or rings t t¹ secured on a shaft h which can be raised or
lowered at pleasure between the carrying wheels c c¹ by means of a lever p and which
is set in rotary motion by gearing operated by one or both of the said carrying
wheels as the machine is moved along substantially as hereinbefore described, and
illustrated in the Drawings.
Second In a machine for cutting or breaking off the stalks of wild mustard or
other pernicious plants constructed in accordance with claim 1 hereof, the apparatus
for connecting the shaft carrying the wires or blades F with one or both of the
carrying wheels and of disconnecting the same therefrom which consists of the spur
wheel g fixed to the carrier wheel the pinion g¹ sliding on the shaft h, the forked
lever the lever u, the rod x¹ and the lever a, combined arranged, and operating
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the Drawings.
Third-In a machine for cutting or breaking off the stalks of wild mustard or other
pernicious plants, constructed in accordance with claim 1 hereof, the apparatus for
raising or lowering the cutting or breaking off devices to suit the height of the plant,
consisting of the lever p the shaft o, the arms n n', links m m³, arms and
arms k k¹, combined arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the Drawings.
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001 1
1000