IMPROVEMENTS IN SHEAF - BINDING AND TRUSSING MACHINES follows
Year: 1884

page_text: We JAMES HOWARD and EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD both of Bedford, in the
County of Bedford, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of our invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN SHEAF - BINDING AND TRUSSING MACHINES
follows:-
"
"
to be as
The objects of our present invention are to improve the construction and
increase the efficiency of machinery for cutting crops and binding the straw in
sheaves or trusses.
Our first improvement relates to the mechanism by which the binding arm and
knotting devices are started when sufficient straw is collected to form a sheaf or
bundle. Heretofore this starting has been effected by the collected straw being
forced against a weighted lever in front of the sheaf, or by a lever raised above
the binder table, technically called a deck trip; but according to our invention
we use a straw packer hinged upon a tension lever and we start the binding
mechanism by pressure upon the straw packer behind the sheaf, while the straw
accumulates. The tension is regulated by a spring or other suitable means and
when the pressure upon the packer exceeds the tension to which the tension lever
is adjusted, the said lever gives way and the binding mechanism is started.
Important advantages are gained by this arrangement. The sheaves or trusses are
more uniform in size; and they are more equally compressed than beretofore; and
the binding devices cannot be started by the dragging of the outgoing sheaf.
Another improvement relates to the operation of the knife bar and other parts-
Instead of the arrangement of driving gear described in the Specification of Letters
Patent granted to us September 22nd AD. 1881. N° 4092 we adopt the following
arrangement; that is to say: in our improved machine we place the main spur
driving wheel on the outer side, and drive the pitman by means of an inclined
shaft from the bevel wheel, the binding mechanisin being driven from a separate
horizontal shaft from the same bevel wheel.
The effect of these changes is to reduce the number of parts and otherwise
simplify the mechanism.
The finger bar, which is of angular shape in transverse section, instead of
extending in a straight line to the frame timbers as heretofore has its inner end
made of a special shape, that is to say it is bent rectangularly so that the bar
itself is secured, and the overhanging part of the frame of the binder is stiffened.

page_text: The pitman rod works underneath the aforesaid end of the bar in front, and the
knife may be readily withdrawn. The gathering reel is driven from the spindle
end of the top elevator roller at the rear by means of spur wheels.
Another improvement relates to the sheaf-carrier described in the Specification
of Letters Patent granted to us August 26th A.D. 1882 No 4093. We now
increase the utility and efficiency of this carrier by an automatic device by which
the sheaves are carried and discharged.
In an improved arrangement the normal position of the carrier is that shown by
the dotted lines q, Figure 2, sheet 2 of said specification; it can be held in this
position at the discretion of the driver to carry sheaves when the machine turns at
the end of the field; at all other times the action of the carrier is automatic,
discharging the sheaves in pairs or otherwise according to the number for which it
is set.
We effect the automatic movement of the sheaf carrier from the binding
mechanism by means of a ratchet and pawl; upon the face of the ratchet we
secure a trip-piece which operates a trip catch that engages with an arm or
extension of the sheaf carrier. If the ratchet has four teeth it will perform a
revolution during the binding of four sheaves, and if the trip piece bas two
projections it will release the catch and allow the carrier to fall twice in the
same time, the sheaves being dropped in pairs. By changing the number of teeth
in the ratchet, and the trip piece variations in the number of sheaves can be
made.
Another of our improvements is the adaptation of a compressor to the binding
arm, whereby compression of the sheaf or truss is continued after the binding arm
has enclosed the sheaf or truss to be bound. The result is that the string is
relieved of tension during the act of tying the knot, and we are enabled to bind
with a lower quality of string, a result which is of great importance in point
of cost.
Our improved binder arm instead of being rigidly keyed to its spindle, fits into
a sheath which forms the compressor, and is held in its normal position by a spring
or other device; when the binder arm moves forward enclosing the sheaf, its point
meets a stop, but the motion of the shaft being continued, the compressor is carried
forward, and the sheaf is further compressed. When the binder arm retires, it
re-enters the sheath or compressor, which carries the binder arm with it so as to be
ready for the next forward movement.
ו.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicants.

page_text: We, JAMES HOWARD and EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD, both of Bedford, in the
County of Bedford, Engineers do hereby declare the nature of our invention for
'IMPROVEMENTS IN SHEAF BINDING AND TRUSSING MACHINES" and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
The objects of our present invention are to improve the construction and increase
the efficiency of machinery for cutting crops and binding the straw in sheaves or
trusses.
Our said invention comprises improved mechanism by which the binding arm
and knotting devices are started when sufficient straw is collected to form a sheaf
or bundle; improvements in the sheaf-carrying and discharging mechanism
described in the Specification of former Letters Patent granted to us and dated
August 26th, A.D. 1882, N° 4093; and the adaptation of a compressor to the
binding arm, whereby compression of the sheaf or truss is continued after the
binding arm has enclosed the sheaf or truss to be bound.
Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a front elevation.
Figure 2 is an end view, and
Figure 3 a plan of portions of a sheaf-binding harvester.
Figure 4 is an end view of the packer-trip mechanism.
Figure 5 is an elevation, drawn to an enlarged scale, of the mechanism for
automatitally operating the sheaf-carrier.
Figure 6 is a side elevation, partly in section, and Figure 7 a front elevation of
the binding arm provided with our improved arrangements for compressing the
sheaf.
Figure 8 shews a portion of the same partly in section, on the line x Figure 6.
Figures 6 to 8 inclusive are drawn to an enlarged scale.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
In our binding mechanism as heretofore constructed, the starting of the binding
arm and knotting devices has been effected by forcing the collected straw against a
weighted lever in front of the sheaf, or by a lever (technically called a deck-trip)
raised above the binder-table; but according to our present invention we use a
straw-packer hinged upon a tension-lever, and we start the binding mechanism by
the pressure of the straw upon the packer behind the sheaf, when a sufficient
quantity of straw has accumulated.
One of the packers A¹ shewn in Figures 1, 2, and 4, is so arranged that, when
the machine. is working, the pressure of the straw upon the front of the said
packer, when a sufficient quantity has accumulated, effects the disengagement of
the clutch C and starts the binding mechanism, that is to say:- -The packer A
which actuates the trip is connected by the rod D to the tension-lever E, which is
attached to, or forms part of, the rod F carrying the arm B. The lever E, when
lifted, causes the rod F to partially rotate, and thereby actuate the arm B to throw
the end of the trip lever B₁ out of engagement with the clutch C.
This will be understood by reference to Figure 4, wherein the packer and parts
connected there with are shewn in dotted lines in the position which they normally
occupy when the packers are collecting the straw, the trip-lever B¹ being then in
its lowest position. The full lines shew the position of the parts when the pressure
of the accumulated straw has caused the packer to move back, in the direction of
the arrow (a), and raised the trip-lever B₁ so as to release the clutch C and allow
the binding mechanism to start.

page_text: The tension is regulated by a spring c arranged in the usual manner, or by other
suitable means.
Important advantages are gained by this arrangement; the sheaves or trusses are
made more uniform in size and are more equally compressed than heretofore, and
the binding devices cannot be started by the dragging of the out going sheaf.
The main driving gear, instead of driving the knife by a rocking lever, as
described in the specification of former Letters Patent granted to us and dated
September 22nd, A.D. 1881, Nº 4092, is preferably arranged in the following
manner, that is to say, we place the spur-wheel G on the outside of the main
driving wheel H, and drive the pitman from a crank I keyed to an inclined shaft I'
driven through the bevel gearing as shewn.
The binding mechanism is driven from a horizontal shaft J by a bevel pinion
driven by the same train of wheels as the knife.
The effect of these changes is to reduce the number of parts, and otherwise
simplify the mechanism.
The finger-bar K is of angular shape in transverse section, and is bent in an
upward direction at its inner end in order that it may be secured to the main
timbers of the frame. It may also have extensions k, k, as shewn in Figure 3,
which allow it to be more firmly secured than otherwise and also give stiffness to
the frame timbers.
The pitman for driving the knife works underneath the front extension, and the
inner timber of the frame; the said knife may, therefore, be readily withdrawn or
replaced at any time.
Our improvements relating to the sheaf-carrier, which are illustrated in Figures 1,
2, 3 and 5, comprise a carrier of suitable construction to carry the required number
of sheaves in combination with our improved, mechanism for operating and
controlling the same.
In our improved arrangement, the position of the carrier, when receiving the
sheaves, is that shewn by the full lines in Figure 2. It can be held in this position
at the di-cretion of the driver who has the means, by a cord, of arresting the
automatic discharge of the sheaves, but unless so arrested, the action of the carrier
will be automatic for the discharge of the sheaves in pairs, or otherwise, according
to the number for which it is set.
We effect the automatic disengagement of the sheaf-carrier from the binding
mechanism by means of a ratchet and pawl, and a trip-piece that operates a trip-
catch, which trip-catch engages with an arm or extension of the sheaf-carrier.
L, Figure 5, indicates one side of the frame of the sheaf-carrier, which is pivoted
on the frame of the binder at M. The tail-piece or extension m of the frame L
engages with the trip-catch or pawl N, and, while it is so engaged, the carrier n is
held in position for receiving the sheaves as they fall from the binder, as shewn in
full lines in Figure 2. The catch N is acted upon by a trip-piece having one or
more extensions or lugs O, attached to, or forming part of, a ratchet-wheel P. The
said lugs serve to disengage the pawl N at the required intervals, according to the
number of sheaves which it is desired to drop together from the carrier.
The ratchet-wheel P is moved forward one tooth, each time a sheaf is bound, by
means of the pawl Q carried by an arm on the shaft R, which is oscillated in a well
known manner by a cam on the large wheel of the train of wheels driving the
knotting mechanism. Or the pawl Q may be operated in any other suitable
manner, provided it moves the ratchet-wheel P forward one tooth for each sheaf
that is bound.
The lug or luge O fixed on the ratchet-wheel P regulate the number of sheaves
to be received by the sheaf-carrier, before it drops into the position shewn by dotted
lines in Figure 2, in order to discharge the same.
In the example shewn, there are two disengaging lugs to eight teeth of the
ratchet-wheel, so that the carrier will remain in its raised position till four sheaves
have been deposited thereon, and will then drop into the position shewn in dotted
lies and discharge them. It is evident, however, that, by altering the number of

page_text: lugs in proportion to the ratchet-teeth, any desirable number of sheaves may be
collected upon the carrier and dropped together by one operation of the same.
To enable the sheaves lying upon the carrier to be discharged sooner than they
would be with the automatic mechanism, for instance, before turning at the ends of
a field, the cord S, under the control of the driver, is provided. This cord enables
him to pull the catch N out of engagement with the extension m, thus allowing the
carrier to drop. When the carrier is released as described, the weight of the sheaf
or sheaves lying thereon is sufficient to overcome the tension of the spring T; when
the carrier is relieved from the weight of the sheaves, this spring raises the said
carrier to its normal position.
The cord S¹ provides the alternative method of raising the carrier by the driver's
foot.
Figures 6, 7 and 8 shew the improved binding arm with the arrangement for
compressing the sheaf.
U is the binding arm and V the compressor. The latter is keyed firmly to the
shaft W, while the binding arm is free to turn on the said shaft within the limits
permitted by the spring X and the sides of the alot Y in the said arm. The part U¹
of the binding arm lies within the groove of the compressor V, as indicated by
dotted lines in Figure 6 (being held in that position by the spring X), except when
the sheaf is enclosed by the string and the point of the binding arm comes into
contact with the stop Z. The shaft W continues its rotation after the binding arm
has stopped, overcomes the pressure of the spring X, and moves forward the sheaf-
compressor V into the position shewn in full lines, so that the sheaf is compressed
during the operation of binding.
By this arrangement, the string is relieved of tension during the act of tying the
knot, and we are enabled to bind with a lower quality of string, a result which is
of great importance in point of cost.
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:-
In a sheaf binding or trussing machine :—
First. Starting the binding mechanism by means of the pressure on a packer at
the back of the sheaf or truss, which packer is made to yield under a given
pressure, for the purpose specified.
Second. The combination of parts for permitting or securing the yielding action
of the said packer substantially as described with reference to Figures 2 and 4 of
the drawings.
Third. The improvements relating to the sheaf-carrier, whereby we provide for
automatically, or otherwise, regulating the collection and simultaneous discharge of
any desired number of sheaves, substantially as described. .
Fourth. The improvements relating to the compression of the sheaves or bundles,
comprising the binding arm and compressor constructed and combined substantially
as described with reference to Figures 6, 7 and 8 of the drawings, and operating
relatively to each other, as, and for the purpose, specified.
Dated this 29th day of November 1901
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicants.