Year: 1887

page_text: ՆԱԵ ՍԱ,
I HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co. Patent Agents
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, 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 :-
The present invention relates to clod crushers and pulverizers and comprises an
improvement in the apparatus described in the specifications of patents of the United
States of America already granted to the communicator of the invention for similar
machines and especially of Patent Number 357152 dated February 1st 1887.
The said invention consists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices
hereinafter described.
To enable others to make and use the said invention I will describe a preferred
construction and indicate the manner in which the same is carried out.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 represents a sectional view of a clod crusher and pulverizer embodying
my improvements.
Figure 2 is a similar view showing crushing bars or fingers of different form and
showing the same elevated.
Figures 3 to 12 inclusive illustrate different details of construction hereinafter
referred to.
A represents a suitable frame adapted to support the working portion of my
machine; a transverse shaft B is fixed within the frame A, and is provided with a
series of wheels or discs C, having teeth or projections a, which sink into the ground
and by contact therewith rotate said wheels or discs. In a former specification the
teeth or projections were shown and described as being square or rectangular whereby
their sharp angles effected a preliminary breaking of the clod before it was carried to
D
077

page_text: the crushing bars or fingers but in all the constructions heretofore employed these
teeth produced the best results on lands that had previously been broken, either by a
plough or by fingers or bars entering the ground in advance of the spiked wheels.
This entailed double work and greatly added to the cost of preparing the ground.
In the present instance I have so altered the construction of the teeth on the wheels
or discs that they virtually become ploughs which break up the new ground, the same
teeth immediately thereafter lifting the several portions or clods of earth to be acted
upon by the combined action of the wheels and of bars contiguous thereto. The teeth
(see Figure 6) as I now prefer to construct them, have broad surfaces and somewhat
resemble chisels the lower edges of said teeth being bevelled or not as desired; when
so constructed (see Figure 6) it will be manifest they first enter the ground and as
they pass the vertical centre of their wheel or disc they fulcrum upon the edges of the
openings made by the teeth on entering the ground, and by the continued rotary
movement of said wheels they sever from the main body of ground a portion of the
earth; the same principle being set forth in the hoeing of land by hand, the several
portions or clods being advanced behind the main body of land by the continued
movement of the wheels or teeth, and finally lifted or carried against contiguous bars
and crushed as I shall hereinafter describe.
In
The teeth are fitted to the rim of, the wheel or disc, so that they may be adjusted to
different angles, the angle of adjustinent in each instance however being such relative
to the draft of the machine, that the latter is modified to a greater. or less extent.
the machine constructed according to the patent before specified a series of crushing
bars or fingers which acted in conjunction with the rotary spiked wheels to crush the
clods is employed. The main purpose of these crushing bars or fingers was to enter
the ground at points adjacent to the teeth on the wheels, so as to loosen the earth and
permit the latter to be broken by said teeth and afterwards crushed.
The crushing bars were so arranged that their lower ends pointed in the direction of
the machine's travel. They therefore were susceptible of clogging by rubbish, and
also served to rake up foreign substances, stones etc. to such an extent that special
means had to be employed to throw the series of crushing bars or fingers sufficiently
far in the rear of the wheels or discs to "permit the machine to release itself of such
obstruction. In the present case the fingers act as crushers and perform the work
designed for their accomplishment in a very satisfactory manner. By reason of their
arrangement and construction they overcome the difficulties attendant upon the former
designs and at the same time do their work equally as well. These bars D are mounted
in a supplemental frame A¹, journalled upon the shaft B and arranged between the
spiked wheels or discs as in the said former patent but they curve rearwardly or
towards the back of the machine, so that their curved or I may say convex surface
lies next to the ground. By so disposing their bars they present a rounded surface
to a stone, stump, or other obstructions and permit such obstacle to be passed over so
that the working power of the machine is not obstructed.
The bars D are made of some suitable metal possessing sufficient elasticity to permit
them to yield when brought into contact with a stone, or other object and are secured
to a transverse beam E located either in the front or rear of the spiked. wheels, but
preferably in the rear as shown in Figure 1. As before mentioned the crushing bars
in the said former patent were designed to enter the ground and lift up the earth to
be acted on by the spiked wheels, but I have found that utilizing the well known
process of hand holding in a compact machine, such as is here represented, I do not
require these crushing bars to enter the earth to break the soil, while the draught in
the present case is much lighter than in the former machines. In the present case the
spring bars curve away from instead of towards the wheels or discs but in addition to
this change of construction they perform a function somewhat different to the former
ones, although the essential object of all the said machines i.e. the crushing of the
clods proper, is performed by the combined action of rotating spiked wheels and
crushing bars. With the present machine when the teeth break off portions of earth,
they advance them slightly forward to permit the succeeding teeth to perform their
work and then bring said clods against the bottom surface of the bars, the teeth on the

page_text: rotating wheels passing hetween the said bars at an acute angle to cause a shearing
force to be applied, the breaking power increasing constantly from the moment the
clod first strikes the crushing surface until the minimum space between the teeth and
spring bars is reached. Owing to the peculiar construction of the present crushing
bars I obtain a plurality of crushing faces on each bar and this is at times very desirable
as in some instances the clod after being broken is left in lumps so large that they are
sometimes carried by the spiked wheels during their continued revolutions.
It has been demonstrated by actual experiment that after a clod has first been
crushed certain lumps have been retained between the adjacent teeth of the wheels
and when said teeth passed through or between the crushing bars these lumps would
fall upon the teeth of contiguous wheels and be carried around by said wheels.
An observation of Figure 1 will show that as the teeth on the wheels or discs pass
between that portion of the spring bars represented at 6 they cause a crushing of the
clod, and should any lumps be left between the teeth as before mentioned they would
be brought against the bars at the point where said teeth again pass out of or between
said bars as represented at c. Each spring bar therefore may have a number of
distinct and independent crushing surfaces, the clod not only being crushed but
practically pulverized by the rotating spiked wheels, and the crushing surfaces of the
bars.
In Figures 2, 3, 4, 5 and 9 I illustrate modifications of the spring bars shown in
Figure 1 these bars in all instances operating in the manner above described, and
thoroughly pulverizing the soil. In Figure 2. the bars D' are represented as having
their front ends mounted upon the main shaft B, and their rear ends fixed to the
transverse beam E, on the frame A¹ in the rear of the wheels or discs, the said bars
having also a compound curve of S-shape of less tensile strength than the major
portion of the bars, so that said bars yield automatically to permit the passage bencath
their lower surface of an incompressible object, stone, stump &c.
The beam E which connects the rear portions of the bars shown in Figures 1 and 2
is capable of vertical movement to elevate said bars from the ground when going on
or off the field and the independent bars D, shown in Figure 1 are capable of a move-
ment towards or from the spiked wheels, by reason of a link connection such as is
shown in the said former American patent Number 357,152 dated Feby. 1st 1887,
that is to say, at each end of the cross bar or shaft d see Figure 1 is a crank arm d¹
which is pivotally connected to a link e which in its turn is pivoted to the inner sides
of the main frame A. When the machine is in the position shown in Figure 1 the
link e extends approximately at right angles to the crank arm d¹ and firmly locks the
series of fingers or crushing bars.
As the pressure is against the working face of the fingers or crushing bars, it is
transmitted to the crank arms d' and as these arms are at right angles to the links e
the movement of each of the crank arms will be in a line, nearly or quite parallel with
its adjacent link, therefore the position of the latter will not be changed, the series of
fingers and the entire frame A¹ remaining in a rigid or locked condition until the
operator grasps the lever p, and slightly moving the same, releases the parts and
practically converts the said frame A from a rigid to a flexible condition.
The above described manner of connecting the frame A¹ carrying the cross bar or
shaft d and fingers or crushing bars D with the main frame of the machine constituting
what may be termed a toggle joint connection, and as, the operating lever is connected
by the link n to the rear part of the frame A¹ it is manifest that the movement of the
said lever is communicated directly to said frame, therefore as the lever is moved
backward the link n which is connected to its short arm, raises the rear part of the
said frame and the arms d¹.
The movement of these parts is transmitted to the links e, which in turn describe
arcs of circles thereby draw upon the crank arms d¹ and thereby cause a slight rotary
movement of the cross bars or shaft d and a consequent adjustment of the fingers or
crushing bars from the wheels or discs to provide for crushing large clods, for releasing
an incompressible object lodged between the crushing bars and teeth or for cleaning
said bars of the weeds or rubbish adhering thereto.

page_text: The bar illustrated in Figure 3 is similar in construction to the bars D and D¹ and
operates in like manner thereto, but in addition to its function as a crushing bar, it is
provided with an angular extension 9, which serves as a scraper to level the earth
after being crushed. In this Figure the bar is shown as presenting a sharp edge to
the ground the result being the same as before described.
Another modification of these spring bars may consist in mounting in said bars a
loosely journalled disc or sharp edged wheel h such as is shown in dotted lines in
Figure 1 and in full lines in Figure 4, the function of this wheel being to effect a
preliminary breaking of the clod at its centre preparatory to its being again broken
by the sides of the bars and the opposing spiked wheels or discs.
Thus it is that various modifications and changes in the shape of the crushing bars
may occur, I therefore do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to any particular
form or design of bars, as the same may be changed to meet existing circumstances,
the essential feature in all cases being the capability of said bars to yield to permit
them to pass over a stone etc. beneath them and the fact that they temporarily hold
the clod between their crushing surfaces and the spiked wheels.
These bars generally rest upon the surface of the ground or slightly above it, and
therefor the clod does not have to be lifted to any degree before the opposing crushing
surfaces meet the crushing bars.
When designed to perform the functions herein described the crushing surfaces
must necessarily wear rapidly at the points where the actual crushing takes place and
it is therefore necessary that some means should be adapted to provide for this wear.
I therefore may supply the crushing surfaces of the bars with steel shoes / preferably
T-shaped in cross section, see Figures 5, 7 and 8 and having their flanges m bolted
or otherwise secured to the bars, whereby they may be readily removed, and new ones
substituted when they become so much worn as to be unfit for use ;-and I may also
construct these shoes of V-form see Figure 9, so that they force the earth from the
crushing bars in opposite directions and level the ground.
It is to be understood that whenever the shoes are employed, they enter the soil so
that the flat portions of the bars rest on the surface.
In addition to the modifications previously noted I may interpose between the
spiked wheels, other wheels G (see Figures 1 and 7) of smaller diameter than the
wheels C, and, if desired, provide these supplemental wheels with teeth, adjustable
or otherwise, which act to crush the clods carried by the wheels C.
These supplemental wheels may be substituted for the spring bars, they may have
a movement to permit them to pass over an obstruction and may also be provided
with wearing shoes similar to that above described; the result with these wheels being
the same as with the several modified forms of spring bars above noted, and when
mounted upon a transverse shaft they may be adjusted vertically by the toggle joint
connection applied to said shaft as in Figure 1.
In some cases it may be necessary to employ a series of sharped edged discs to run
in advance of the spiked wheels and cut the sod so that the land be
may more readily
broken by the adjacent wheels, these discs W, see dotted lines in Figure 1, being so
arranged in relation to the main frame that they may be readily removed when not
needed.
'
The supplemental frame A' at the rear is provided with a link n which is engaged
by the short arm of a lever P journalled upon the main frame, and, in conjunction
with a pawl and ratchet mechanism, serves to raise the frame A' and its crushing bars
and hold said frame and bars in an elevated position, see figure 2.
On the rear of the main frame is mounted a transversely sliding bar H, see figure 10,
having a series of spring bars and strippers s which are fulcrummed upon a bar I in
front of the bar H and have their forward ends pressing against the sides of the
teeth a, as shown in said figure.
The purpose and operation of these bars is obvious. It is well known that in certain
lands the soil will adhere to the teeth and finally close the space between the adjacent
teeth of the wheel and therefore some means must be employed to force out these
adhering portions and clean the teeth. The spring arms or strippers & are designed to

page_text: do this; Their free ends rest against the sides of the teeth, and when passed by said
teeth they spring within the spaces between the teeth and knock out any particles of
dirt adhering thereto. The bars being mounted upon a sliding bar it is manifest their
tension or pressure against the teeth and the power of the spring strippers is regulated;
a lever and holding devices being employed to cause the parts to maintain their
positions after being once adjusted.
The above is a preferred mechanisin for this purpose, yet it may be modified if
found desirable, the main object being to have a spring bar engaging each wheel to
clear them and at the same time have these bars so arranged that their tension or
pressure against the teeth is regulated. The present improvements may be applied to
many of the agricultural machines now in common use with but little cost and trouble.
They may be used in connection with a cultivator or a harrow of any well known form,
in either case the crushing will be substantially the same as that before described and
operated in conjunction with the shovels of said cultivator or the teeth of the harrow
to facilitate the successful treatment of the ground.
When the machine is used as a straddle row cultivator certain of the spiked
wheels and crushing devices will be removed to provide the necessary space for the
corn etc.
In Figure 11 the machine is represented as being on a reduced scale and provided
with a handle P, so that it may be drawn by hand and thereby utilized as a hand
machine.
In Figure 12 a holder is represented as containing two spiked or chisel teeth
adjustable or not, the arms of said holder extending outward in opposite directions to
a point about midway between adjacent wheels, said holder having also a threaded
shank whereby it may be secured to the wheel.
The machine is mounted upon supporting wheels S, which are operated by suitable
levers T to adjust the said wheels, so that they support the machine in going on or off
the fields, and also regulate the depth which the teeth on the wheels or discs penetrate
the ground.
The crusher as now described embraces the active principles of a plough, crusher,
pulverizer and leveller, the several parts enumerated co-operating with each other and
subjecting the soil to thorough treatment.
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 :-
First. The combination with a series of spiked wheels, of a series of adjacent
crushing bars between said wheels, said bars being formed of spring metal and
having curved or rounded front surfaces whereby they yield to permit them to pass
over an obstruction, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
Second. In a clod crusher, the combination with a main frame, a main shaft and a
supplemental frame A¹ projecting from said shaft, of a series of spiked wheels or discs
and a series of adjacent crushing bars secured to said shaft and supplemental frame,
said bars having curved or rounded front ends and a curved or 2-shaped rear end,
substantially as, and for the purpose, described.
Third. The combination with a series of rotating spiked wheels or discs, of a series
of adjacent crushing devices having a centrally projecting preliminary crushing edge,
substantially as herein described.
Fourth. The combination with a series of rotating spiked wheels, of an adjacent
series of crushing devices having crushing shoes with a projecting rib or preliminary
crushing edge, substantially as described.
Fifth. The combination with a series of rotating wheels having flat teeth
projecting therefrom, of a series of rearwardly curved crushing bars pressing upon the
ground and crushing the clods between their lower surfaces and the adjacent teeth,
substantially as specified.
Sixth. A main frame, the wheels supporting said frame and a main shaft having a
series of spiked wheels thereon, in combination with a supplemental frame extending

page_text: rearwardly from said shaft, a series of spring rearwardly curved crushing bars carried
by said frame, and means for elevating the said supplemental frame and crushing bars,
substantially as described.
Seventh. The combination with a series of wheels having teeth projecting therefrom,
of a corresponding series of crushing devices and a series of adjustable spring arms
adopted to engage the space between said teeth, substantially as herein described.
Eighth. The combination with a series of wheels having teeth or projections
extending therefrom, of an adjacent series of crushing devices, a laterally adjustable
bar mounted in the main frame, and a series of adjustable spring arms extending from
said bar and engaging the spaces between the teeth substantially as, and for the
purpose, described.
11: 911.... CM 1007
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.