Improvements in Implements for Making Drills or Furrows for Sowing Seeds and like purposes.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 16th July, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Implements for Making Drills or Furrows for
Sowing Seeds and like purposes.
I, JOHN HENRY WINTER, of Barcoville, County of Madison, State of Illinois,
U.S.A., Gentleman, 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: -
My invention has relation to improvements in land markers and consists in the
novel arrangement and combination of parts more fully set forth in the specifi-
cation and pointed out in the claims.
In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my machine; Fig. 2 is a side
elevation with one of the end wheels removed; Fig. 3 is a sectional detail of, one
of the shovels showing the manner of securing the same to the arm by which it is
supported; Fig. 4 is a view of the upper rear portion of the shovel; and Fig. 5
is a sectional detail showing the manner of fastening the arms carrying the shovels
to the forward bar of the machine.
The object of my invention is to construct a land marker, that is, a machine
for furrowing the soil in paths or lines along which the seed is to be distributed
during the sowing operation, a particular object being to construct a machine
which will be simple and inexpensive; one in which the distances between the
furrows is readily adjusted; one in which the depth of the furrow can be rendered
constant or uniform; one which shall be light and one possessing further and
other advantages to be more particularly referred to in the detailed description
of the invention which is as follows:
The
Referring to the drawings, 1 and 2 represent respectively the front and rear
longitudinal members of the frame of the machine, and 3 the side member.
free ends of the latter are made to embrace the members 1, 2, the said members
being provided with a series of openings 4 through any one of which and through
the member 3, the securing bolts 5 can be passed, thus varying the width or side
of the frame according to 'requirements. The axle 6 is carried by the side
members 3, the wheels 7 having a wide tread and provided with a medial peripheral
ridge 8 adapted to form bevel tracks close to the frame and to the furrows made
by the shovels of the machine as will presently appear. The members 1, 2 are
reinforced by braces 9, the position of which may be shifted when occasion arises
to distribute wheels along the axle within the frame.
Disposed along the front of the frame, and vertically adjustable along suitable
aligning recesses 10 formed in the downwardly deflected ends or arms 11 of the
members 3, is a bar 12 adapted to be clamped and held within any recess by a
pivoted clamping arm 13 whose free end is made secure by a bolt 14 passing
through the arm 11. The bar is substantially circular in cross section, a portion
of the periphery being flattened, the flattened portion presenting a bearing surface
for the inner ends of the bolts 15 by which the sliding rings 16 distributed along
the length of the bar are clamped to said bar. Each ring is provided with lugs
or ears 17 between which is pivoted one end of an arm 18 having a rear curved
D
077

page_text: end, the latter being secured to a shovel 19 between lugs 20 carried in the rear of
the blades, the attachment being effected by two pins 21, 22, the former being of
metal and the latter of wood, whereby, should the shovel encounter a serious obstruc-
tion, the pin 22 would give way, permitting the shovel to tilt back (see dotted lines
Fig. 3) and ride freely over the said obstruction. I have here illustrated four
shovels and four supporting arms, although the number, of course, may be varied
according to the desired distance between the furrows, by simply loosening the
bolts 15, shifting the rings along the bar 12 to any predetermined positions,
adding such additional shovels as may be desired, and then tightly clamping the
rings to the bar. It is obvious, of course, by reason of the sliding arrangement of
the rings on the bar, that the width between any two furrows can be altered at
will.
Pivoted along the top of the member 1 on each side of the centre thereof, aro
levers 23 to the free ends of which is secured the shovel supporting bar 24, (made
extensible if necessary), the latter being provided with a series of perforations 25
through which is adapted to loosely pass and project the upper end of a guide
rod 26 whose lower end is pivotally secured to the arm 18, a coiled spring 27
encircling the rod, being interposed between the arm 18 and the under surface
of the bar 24, the effect of each spring being to positively force the point of the
shovel against the soil passed over. A terminal nut 28 retains each guide rod
(so called because it guides the spring encircled about it) in place. Each end
of the bar 24 has secured thereto an operating lever 29 carrying a spring actuated
pawl 30 which rides over the teeth of a curved rack bar 31 mounted on top of the
member 2. By tilting the levers 29 to any position along the racks 31, the bar 24
will be correspondingly raised or lowered, and hence the degree of compression
which the springs 27 exert against the shovels will be varied, the adjustment of
course depending on the character of the soil passed over. As the bar 24 swings
in the arc of a circle, the tendency would be, if depressed too low, to throw or tilt
the points of the shovels unduly in an upward direction or from the ground;
and in order to preserve the normal angle at which the shovels should be directed
against the ground, the operator may, under the circumstances, lower the position
of the bar 12 to the proper supporting notches or recesses 10 designed to receive
it. In this way, the angle of the shear of the blades relatively to the surface of
the ground passed over will be normally preserved.
For some kind of vegetable, such as cabbage, simple grooves such as made by
the ridges of the wheels 7 are sufficient, in which event several such wheels may
he distributed along the axle within the frame. For other kinds, such as corn,
potatoes, etc., shovels making actual furrows must be used. By reason of the
adjustability prevailing among the several parts, it is obvious that any width or
number or depth of furrows is possible with the present device, which, by the way,
may be altered in many details without departing from the spirit of my invention.
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
1. In a land marker, a suitable frame, a bar carried by the frame at the forward
end thereof, arms having pivotal ends connected to said bar, means for adjusting
the bar in a vertical plane, shovels carried by the free ends of said arms and
occunving a position substantially under the axle of the frame and suitable springs
for pressing the shovels against the ground, substantially as set forth.
2. In a land marker, a suitable frame, a bar carried by the frame, arms having
pivotal ends adapted to slide along said bar, means for adjusting said bar in a
vertical plane, shovels carried by the free ends of said arms, and occupying a
position substantially under the axle of the frame, and suitable springs for pressing
the shovels against the ground, substantially as set forth.
3. In a land marker, a suitable frame comprising front and rear members,

page_text: side members adjustable along said front and rear members, a bar carried at
the front end of the frame, rings slidingly mounted on said bar, arms pivoted to
said rings, deflected arms having aligning recesses or notches for receiving the
opposite ends of the bar whereby the latter can be adjusted vertically, means for
clamping said bar in position, levers pivoted along the front member, a bar carried
by said levers, guide rods extending from said last bar and connecting with the
pivoted arms, springs encircling the guide rods and interposed between the pivoted
arms and the bar carried by the pivoted levers, shovels carried at the free ends
of the pivoted arms, operating levers for the shovel carrying bar, a spring-actuated
pawl carried by each lever, and a rack bar for the pawls, the parts operating
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
T1th 12th dave of Al 1808
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.