IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTERS
Year: 1885

page_text: "
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, Fel. Inst. P.A. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster and
323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTERS
(a communication from abroad by Cyrus H. McCormick Junior, of Chicago in
the County of Cook and State of Illinois, United States of America, President of
the, McCormick Harvesting Machine Company) to be as follows:-
This invention relates chiefly to the butter apron now commonly used on grain-
binders, but is applicable to other endless aprons such as generally employed in
harvesters and has for its primary purpose to provide a light; strong and equable
tightener which will permit the rapid assembling and dismantling of the group of
mechanism of which itself forms a component, while keeping the apron always
taut when in use.
:
In the use of butter-aprons also, which, as is well known, have one end strapped
to the other and overlapping it loosely, it has been found that this overlapping
piece in passing the pivotal roller is swung out and strikes or whips against the
supporting bracket repeatedly, and so wears away very fast. The ends of the
straps, which usually project beyond this flap, assist in this whipping or thrashing
movement against the bracket and are themselves worn, so that after a short time,
the apron has to be replaced by a new one or have a piece sewed on, and as to this
feature the invention consists in attaching a shield or guide to the bracket which
supports the pivotal roller, or to an adjacent part of the frame-work, which extends
over and in close proximity to the back of the apron, and is curved at its ends, so
that the flap, approaching it and passing beneath it while the belt is still straight,
may be kept down and prevented from striking or whipping against the bracket.
The butter-frame consists essentially of a top-board and bottom-board, united by
two or more cross-pieces and at one end further braced by a driving roller upon
the gudgeons of which the frame swings pivotally, while at the other end an idle-
roller, also to some extent serves as a brace, This frame is shown as supported
[Price RAI

page_text: in bearings afforded by a bracket or casting, which forms its usual means of
attachment to a harvester elevator, but will be substituted by one of different
shape, or by different mechanical arrangement when the butter is used on a low
level binder, or dispensed with altogether when the improvement is applied to
platform or elevator-aprons, or others running in a fixed frame.
Instead of mounting the idle roller in fixed bearings as heretofore, it is the
purpose to make it elastically yielding, in order to keep the apron in a constant
state of tension. To this end a bearing is placed upon one of the intermediate
cross-bars of the wooden frame, to receive the longer arm or shank of a metal
Y-framo or casting, the forks or branches of which. extend respectively to the top
and bottom boards. Near their ends these forks are braced by a cross-bar and
then become parallel to enter longitudinal grooves formed directly in said boards,
or in wooden strips secured thereto, and thereby be guided. In heavier structures
these grooves may be formed in, or reinforced by, metal. At their extreme ends
the forks have open sockets lying in the direction of their length, to receive
bushings for the gudgeons of the idle-roller.
The shank of the Y-frame or tightener-frame is encircled by a coiled spring
which at one end is seated against the inner side of the bearing on the before
mentioned cross-bar, and at the other against a shoulder or adjusting nut on the
shank, so that its force will be exerted to push the tightener frame away from the
cross bar and in the direction of the idle-roller. The shoulder also may serve, by
coming against a second cross-bar, on the inner side of which it is located, as a stop
to prevent the accidental escape of the tightener frame.
In assembling the parts the coiled spring is slipped on the end of the shank
which is next placed in the bearing and pressed back until the straight portions of
the forks enter the grooves in the end of the butter-frame, then the idle-roller with
the bushings is placed in its open bearings at the extremities of the forks, and the
bushings secured by pins or keys, and finally the apron or belt applied and drawn
tight by means of the usual straps, when all the parts will be held together in
proper relation for work, with the tightener mechanism entirely covered, concealed
and protected by the folds of the apron between which it lies.
Now, as before stated, one of the difficulties encountered in the use of thes
butter-aprons is that the loose flap of canvas where the ends are united, and th
ends of the straps uniting these flaps, fly out and whip against the supportin
bracket whenever they are whirled round the pivotal driving roller, and so the
are speedily worn out. To prevent this it is herein proposed to attach to th
bracket, or to the adjacent frame-work a shield or guide which may be a sing
piece of sheet inetal or may be composed of two fingers extending out parallel wit
the back or unexposed portion of the belt or apron, and in close proximity to i
surface and curved at their ends, so that the flap approaching them, while still i
the straight fly of the belt, shall be pressed down, keeping with it the straps, unt
it is practically past the supporting bracket and there is no longer any danger
its being whirled out and striking it..
tine 1
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5

page_text: ;
Improvements in Harvesters.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, Fel. Inst. P.A. of the Agency.for Foreign Patent
Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, and 323 High
Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention (a communication from abroad by Cyrus H. McCormick Junior,
of Chicago in the County of Cook and State of Illinois, United States of America,
President of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company) and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
This invention relates chiefly to the butter-apron now commonly used on grain-
binders, but is, as to the leading feature, applicable to other endless aprons such as
generally employed in harvesters.
The primary purpose is to provide a strong, light and equable tightener, which
will permit the rapid assembling and dismantling of the group of mechanism of
which itself forms a component, while keeping the apron always taut when
mounted for work. To this end the invention consists in combining an apron-
frame, an actuating drum or roller at one end thereof, an idle roller in movable
bearings at the other end, upon which two rollers the apron is supported, and an
elastically acting tightener located between said rollers and covered and protected
by the folds of the apron and normally pressing the idle-roller away from the
actuating roller.
'
:
In the use of butter aprons also, which, as is well known, have one end strapped
to the other and overlapping it loosely, it has been found that this overlapping piece
in passing the pivotal roller is swung out and strikes or whips against the
supporting bracket repeatedly, and 80 wears away very fast. The ends of the
straps, which usually project beyond this flap, assist in this whipping or thrashing
movement against the bracket and are themselves worn, so that, after a short time
the apron has to be replaced by a new one or have a piece sewed on; and as
to this feature the invention consists in attaching a shield or guide to the bracket
which supports the pivotal roller, or to an adjacent part of the framework, which
extends over and in close proximity to the back of the apron and is curved at its
end, so that the flap, approaching it and passing beneath it while the belt is still
straight, may be kept down and prevented from striking or whipping against the
bracket.
Referring to the drawings-
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a butter-apron and supporting frame embodying
the invention, the apron being partly broken away to expose mechanism beneath.
Figure 2 a top plan view with the top frame-board removed for the same
purpose, and
Figure 3 a section transversely of the frame and apron, parallel with the rollers
upon which said apron is stretched.
The butter-frame consists essentially of a top board A and bottom board A¹,
united by two or more cross-pieces a, a¹, and at one end further braced by a driving-
roller B, upon the gudgeons of which the frame swings pivotally, while at the

page_text: other end an idle roller B¹, also to some extent serves as a brace. This frame is
shown as supported in bearings afforded by a bracket or casting C, which forms
its usual means of attachment to a harvester-elevator, but will be substituted by
one of different shape, or by different mechanical arrangements when the butter is
used on a low level binder, or dispensed with altogether when the improvement
is applied to platform or elevator aprons, or others running in a fixed frame.
Instead of mounting the idle-roller in fixed bearings as heretofore, it is the
purpose to make it elastically yielding, in order to keep the apron D in a constant
state of tension. To this end a bearing d is placed upon one of the intermediate
cross-bars a, of the wooden-frame, to receive the longer arm or shank of a metal
Y-frame or casting E, the forks or branches E¹ of which extend respectively to the
top and bottom boards, as shown. Near their ends these forks are braced by
a cross-bar e and then become parallel as at e¹ to enter longitudinal grooves
formed directly in said boards, or in wooden strips secured thereto, and thereby be
guided. In heavier structures these grooves may be formed in, or reinforced by,
metal. At their extreme ends the forks, have open sockets e*.lying in the direction
of their length to receive bushings for the gudgeons e of the idle-roller.
'
The shank of the Y-frame, or tightener-frame, is encircled by a coiled spring F
which at one end is seated against the inner side of the bearing on the before
mentioned cross-bar a, and at the other against a shoulder or adjusting nut f, on
the shank, so that its force will be exerted to push the tightener-frame away
from the cross-bar, and in the direction of the idle-roller. The shoulder also may
serve, by coming against a second cross-bar a¹, on the inner side of which it is
located, as a stop to prevent the accidental escape of the tightener-frame.
In assembling the parts the coiled spring is slipped on the end of the shank,
which is next placed in its bearing and pressed back until the straight portions
of the forks enter the grooves in the end of the butter-frame, then the idle-roller
with the bushings is placed in its open bearings at the extremities of the forks,
and the bushings secured by pins or keys, and finally, the apron or belt applied
and drawn tight by means of the usual straps, when all the parts will be held
together in proper relation for work, with the tightener, mechanism entirely
covered, concealed and protected by the folds of the apron between which it lies.
Now, as-before stated, one of the difficulties encountered in the use of these
butter-aprons is that the loose flap of canvas where the ends are united, and
the ends of the straps uniting the flaps, fly out and whip against the supporting
bracket whenever they are worn out. To prevent this it is herein proposed to
attach to the bracket, or to the adjacent frame-work, a shield or guide G which
may be a single piece of sheet-metal, but it is, in the present instance, shown as
composed of two fingers g extending out parallel with the back or unexposed
portion of the belt or apron and in close proximity to its surface, and curved at
their ends, so that the flap approaching them, while still in the straight ply of the
belt, shall be pressed down keeping with it the straps, until it is practically past
the supporting bracket, and there is no longer any danger of its being whirled out
and striking that.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination substantially as herein before set forth, of an apron frame,
an actuating drum or roller at one end thereof, an idle roller in movable bearings
at the other end, upon which two rollers the apron is supported, and an elastically
acting tightener located between said rollers and covered and protected by the
folds of the apron and normally pressing the idle-roller away from the driving
roller.
i
2. The combination substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the apron-frame,
the metal tightener composed of a shank, playing centrally in a bearing on one of
the cross-bars of said apron frame, and two forks having straightened extremities

page_text: which engage with longitudinal guide-ways in the side-boards at one end of the
apron-frame, the spring encircling the shank of the tightener-frame, the idle-roller
journalled in open bearings formed in the ends of the forks, and the apron or belt
holding said roller in its bearings.
"
3. The combination, substantially as herein before set forth, of the butter-apron
frame, the metal Y-frame having its shank seated in a guide or bearing centrally
of one of the cross-bars of the wooden-frame, and the straight ends of its forks
received in longitudinal grooves or ways formed directly in the top and bottom
boards of the wooden-frame, the spring encircling the shank of the metal-frame or
tightener-frame, the open bearings at the outer ends of the forks, the bushings and
the roller seated in said bearings, and the apron serving to hold said roller and
tightener-frame in place in the wooden frame.
'
4. The combination substantially as herein before set forth, of the supporting
point of said adjuster and reaching alongside of, and in close proximity to, the
apron as it approaches the pivotal roller, to prevent the flap from being swung out
and striking the supporting bracket or adjacent parts.
5. The combination with the butt-adjuster of the shield or guide composed of
two or more fingers attached to the supporting bracket or adjacent frame-work and
extending alongside of the apron in close proximity thereto and curved outward
at their ends, to prevent the overlapping flap of said apron, om being thrown out
against the bracket or adjacent parts in passing the pivotal roller.
.