IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR LIFTING TURNIPS, AND FOR TOPPING AND TAILING THE SAME
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Macdonald and Alexander Macdonald, of Blackjug,
in the County of Banff, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR LIFTING TURNIPS, AND FOR TOPPING AND
TAILING THE SAME."
Sealed the 13th June 1878, and dated the 20th December 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Macdonald and
Alexander Macdonald at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
20th December 1877.
JAMES MACDONALD and ALEXANDER MACDONALD, of Blackjug, in the County of
Banff, North Britain. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR LIFTING
TURNIPS, AND FOR TOPPING AND TAILING THE SAME."
This Invention has reference to a new or improved construction of "turnip
lifter," or machine for cutting off the leaves or blades and the roots of turnips in
the drill, and lifting them out of the drill on to the surface of the ground, all ready
for being carted away and stored in houses or pits for use as required, which
machine is more simple and efficient in its action, besides cutting and wasting fewer
turnips, than those heretofore in use.
And the essential nature and novelty of the Invention or construction of the
machine consists of a strong central or main upper frame or beam (such as that of
a "scuffle" harrow), which carries all the working and cutting parts of the
machine, and is nearly straight along the middle part, but arched up at the two ends,
with deep nearly vertical eyes or other equivalent to receive and secure the
raising and lowering stems and axles of the front and back guiding and carrying
wheels, which work under the bowed-up ends of the main beam, and run in the
furrows at the side of the drill or drills of turnips to be topped, tailed, and raised
by the forward motion of the machine, drawn by one or two horses by the ordinary
drawing shackle or chain and swing trees at the front end, and steadied and
guided (through the usual hand-controlling shafts or arms secured to the back arm)
by the attendant walking in the [furrow close behind the back carrying wheels,

page_text: which have a straight axle shifted and set to the proper height by stems in the
back of the main frame, while the front wheels swivel on a central stem and bow
over the centre of the drill actuated by a long steering handle carried back to the
guiding arms or horns of the machine.
All the knives and essential acting parts are screwed or secured to the main
beam by screws and vertical sliding stems or other equivalent to allow them to be
raised or lowered to suit the depth of drill and turnip, either individually or jointly
with the whole frame itself, the lower central part of the beam to which the root
knives are attached being sufficiently above the drill to clear the turnips after the
leaves and shaws have been cut off.
The top leaves or blades are first cut off in front of the rooting knives and lifters
by two light steel lifters or gatherers projecting forward between the front wheels
from an inverted U or bow-shaped strong stem passing up through and set and
fixed in an eye in the central beam behind the swivelling stem of the front guiding
wheels, and with light curvilinear bars or rods, which lift and guide the leaves or
shaws towards the centre of the drill, where a correspondingly curved horizontal
knife and guide are placed, both sets of lifters being widest and lowest in front to
go under the leaves at each side of the turnip, and lift and guide the leaves to the
curved knife projecting forward from one of the stems of the lifters close under the
lifters across the narrow part of their opening or gap, where they converge on
the necks of the turnips, the leaves of which are thus cut close by the forward
motion of the machine and curved knife, and deliver the shaws into one of the side
furrows, leaving the turnips undisturbed in the drill, having their roots cut off,
and being raised or delivered by the root guides and knives herein-after
described.
The close and regular cutting of the tails of the turnips by this machine is
chiefly effected by a new arrangement of guides and cutters, which have their flat
or other vertical stems attached to the lower straight central part of the main beam,
one guide and one root knife projecting out and downwards to enter the drill and
under the turnip on each side, the knives assuming in end view a wide heart or
turnip shape, the lower parts of one or other of the knives cutting off the roots by
the forward motion of the machine and main beam over the centre of the drill of
turnips to be dressed and raised. The first guide slightly presses the turnips from
the one side towards the centre, so that its cutter, set some little distance behind it,
gets under and cuts the roots off the turnips from that side, while the next guide
on the other side of the drill presses them over from that side, so that its following
knife cuts the roots off the turnips on that side, and so on till they are all cut and
thrown quite up and over on the top or surface of the ground, dressed and ready for
being removed. Each of these heart-shaped or root cutters is fitted with corre-
spondingly shaped cleaners at their outer surface, oscillating or sliding on a centre
close up to the main beam, fitted with a rod or lever for actuating them at intervals
when the knives get clogged with leaves or weeds to keep them in a clean cutting
condition.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Macdonald and Alexander Macdonald in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 20th June 1878.
JAMES MACDONALD and ALEXANDER MACDONALD, of Blackjug, in the County of
Banff, North Britain. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR LIFTING
TURNIPS, AND FOR TOPPING AND TAILING THE SAME.'
Our said Invention has reference to a new or improved construction of turnip
lifter, or machine for cutting off the leaves or blades and the roots of turnips in the
drill, and lifting them out of the drill on to the surface of the ground, all ready for
being carted away and stored in houses or pits for use as required, which machine
is more simple and efficient in its action, besides cutting and wasting fewer turnips,
than those heretofore in use.
And in order that the nature, novelty, and mode of performing our said Invention
may be properly understood, we shall now proceed to describe the several Figures
on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, which we have hereunto appended for that
purpose, the same reference letters indicating the same parts in the several
Figures.
Figures 1 and 2 are a side elevation and plan respectively of our improved
turnip topping and tailing machine, while Figure 3 is a front end view of the
same.
Referring to these Figures the machine consists of a strong central or main
upper frame or beam A (such as that of a scuffle harrow), which carries all the
working and cutting parts of the machine, and is nearly straight along the middle
part, but arched up at the two ends A¹, A', with deep nearly vertical eyes or other
equivalent to receive and secure the raising and lowering stems B, B₁, and axles b
of the front and back guiding and carrying wheels C, C¹, which work under the
bowed-up ends A', A', of the main beam A, and run in the furrows at the side of
the drill or dills of turnips to be topped, tailed, and raised by the forward motion
of the machine, which is drawn by one or two horses by the ordinary drawing
shackle or chain and swingle trees at the front end, and steadied and guided by the
attendant by means of the usual hand-controlling shafts or horns D secured to the
beam A. The back carrying wheels Chave a straight or bent axle C" shifted
and set to the proper height by the stem B¹ and pinching screw b' in the back arched
part A¹ of the main frame A, while the front wheels C swivel on the central
stem B and bow axle B₁ over the centre of the drill actuated by a long steering
handle D¹ carried back to the guiding arms or horns D of the machine.
All the knives and essential acting parts are screwed or secured to the main
beam A by screws and vertical sliding stems or other equivalent to allow them to
be raised or lowered to suit the depth of drill and turnip, either individually or
jointly with the whole frame itself, the lower central part of the beam A to which
the root knives E are attached being sufficiently above the drill to clear the turnips
after the leaves and shaws have been cut off.
The top leaves or blades are first gathered together in front of the rooting knives
and lifters E, E¹, by two light steel lifters or gatherers F projecting forward between
the front wheels C from an inverted U or box-shaped strong stem Fll passing up
through and set and fixed by a pinching screw f in an eye f' in the front arched
part A¹ of the central beam A behind the swivelling stem B of the front guiding
wheels C, and with light curvilinear trailing bars or rods G, g, so fulcrumed at their
front ends to the said gatherers F as to oscillate up and down to suit the height of
the turnips, and lift and guide the leaves or shaws thereof towards the centre of
the drill, where a corresponding curved horizontal knife H and correspondingly
curved guide H¹ are placed, both sets of the lifters G, g, being widest and inclined
upwards from the front to go under the leaves on each side of the turnip, and lift
and guide the leaves to the curved knife H projecting backwards from one of the
stems g of the lifters G, g, and close under them across the narrow part of their
opening or gap, where they converge on the necks of the turnips, the leaves of

page_text: .
which are thus cut close by the forward motion of the machine and its curved
knife H, and the shaws are delivered into one of the side furrows, leaving the
turnips undisturbed in the drill until their roots are cut off and they are raised or
delivered by the root knives E, E¹, herein-after described.
The up-and-down oscillation of the curvilinear bars G, g, is assisted by the
roller carried on a stud in a slot, and adjusted or set by a nut, all preferably
carried on the guide H', which roller rolls over and adjusts the height of the
knife H to suit any inequality in the height or size of the turnips.
The close and regular cutting of the tails of the turnips by this machine is
chiefly effected by a new arrangement of cutters E, E¹, and guides E", which have
their flat or other vertical stems e, e', attached to the lower straight central part A
of the main beam; and by preference two guides E" and two root knives E, E',
project out and downwards from the beam A to enter the drill and under the
turnip on each side, the knives E, E', assuming in end view a wide heart or turnip
shape, as seen in Figure 3, the lower parts of one or other of the knives E, E,
cutting off the roots by the forward motion of the machine over the centre of the
drill of turnips to be dressed and raised. The first guide El slightly presses the
turnips from the one side towards the centre, so that its following cutter E, set some
little distance behind it, gets under and cuts the roots off the turnips from that
side, while the next guide Ell on the other side of the frame or beam A and drill
presses them over from that side, so that its following knife E¹ cuts the roots off the
turnips on that side, and so on till they are all cut and thrown quite up and over
on to the top or surface of the ground, dressed and ready for being removed. Each
of these heart-shaped root cutters E, E', is fitted with correspondingly-shaped
cleaners I at their outer surface, oscillating or sliding on centres or arms J close up
to the main beam A, and fitted with draw rods or levers K coupled to each, the
rear end of which slides through an eye in the cross bar L of the horns D for
actuating the cleaners I at intervals when the knives E, E¹, get clogged with leaves
or weeds, thus keeping the knives in a clean cutting condition.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same, we have to state that we do not confine ourselves to the precise
details herein described or delineated, but what we consider novel and original
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The general arrangement, construction, and combination of the parts of a
turnip topping and tailing machine, substantially as herein described in reference to
and shown in the accompanying Drawings, or any mere modification thereof.
Second. The arrangement and construction of the trailing and oscillating or
rising and falling curved topping knife, with its guide, roller, and shaw deliverers,
substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying
Drawings, or any mere modification thereof.
Third. The general arrangement and combination of the root-cutting knives and
guides with the cleaners I and method of operating the latter, substantially as
herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings, or any
mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Macdonald and Alexander Mac-
donald, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fifteenth day of June,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
JAMES MACDONALD.
(L.B.)
ALEXANDER MACDONALD. (L.S.)