IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COM- PRESSING ENSILAGE
Year: 1885

page_text: I EDWARD THORNTON BLUNT of Blaby Hill near Leicester Farmer do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COM-
PRESSING ENSILAGE and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
"
This Invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying
Drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a chamber in which the ensilage
is compressed and Figure 2 a like view of the apparatus as applied to a stack
without any chamber or silo.
The ensilage to be compressed by this apparatus may be either in a silo or in a
stack without a silo. If a silo is used it may be as represented in the Drawings
by the box or chamber A which forms in itself a complete silo or chamber in which
the ensilage is to be compressed. As shewn in the drawing it is constructed entire
but as it is especially suitable for barns, granaries, and the like, some of the walls
of the building may be utilized so that the chamber A might consist of one, two,
three or four walls of its own, the remaining walls (if any) being those of the
building in which it is placed.
To work the apparatus either upon a stack or in a silo a lid B is provided which
works freely upon the top of the ensilage; upon it are placed cross bars C projecting
beyond the sides of the silo or stack of ensilage and through the ends of the bars
pass the screw rods D jointed at their lower ends D³ to the lever. E or formed like
a stirrup or hook for the levers to rest upon or in, as shewn in Figure 1.--The short
ends of E pass under the fixed supports F or any other suitable fulcrum such as a
hole in the wall. The levers E each carry a weight G (or weight box which may
be loaded as required) at their ends and the action of the whole is as follows:-
The lid B is placed in position on the top of the ensilage the cross bars C are
placed upon the lid projecting beyond the sides of the ensilage stack and, where a
silo is used, projecting through the slots A¹ in the sides of the chamber A. The
screwed rods D pass through holes in the bars C and the nuts D¹ are screwed down
until the ends of the levers E are raised sufficiently high as shown in the Drawing
for instance.
By reason of the great distance from D' to G as compared with the very short
distance from D³ to that is the length of the long arm of the lever being greatly
in excess of that of the short arm the weights G exercise very great pressure upon
the lid B and the ensilage or contents of the chamber-As the long ends of the

page_text: •
levers E fall in consequence of the ensilage being reduced in bulk they can be
restored to their original position or raised as high as necessary by screwing down
the nuts D¹ so that the pressure is thus rendered continuous as it is not necessary
to remove the weights to do this although of course the weights may be removed or
the levers propped up whilst the nuts D₁ are screwed down if that course be
preferred.
In Figure 1 the levers are crossed for convenience each exercising pressure upon
one end and there is of course one pair to each side of the silo A or ensilage stack
so as to bring the lid B down evenly.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 2 the bars C and rods D are brought nearer
together and the levers instead of being crossed as in Figure 1 are fulcrummed
near togethor extending upwards and outwards as shown-The action however is
the same as in Figure 1.
This arrangement is convenient where small quantities of ensilage have to be
pressed as a single bar O and only two levers E and rods D are required the bar C
and rods D occupying a central position upon the stack or chamber.
The fulcrum F must be firmly secured by some suitable means either in the
ground or to beams passing underneath the chamber A or ensilage stack.
Structural details may be modified as for instance the cross bars C may form
part of, or be secured to, the lid B provision being made for getting them into the
slots A¹ or the exact construction and arrangement of the levers and fulcrum might
be varied 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
.
First In an apparatus for compressing ensilage the combination with a weighted
lever E fulcrummed upon a fixed support F of a rod D the length whereof is
adjustable substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Second-In an apparatus for compressing ensilage the combination of two
weighted levers E connected by screw rods D with the lid B fulcrummed upon
fixed supports F and crossing each other approximately midway between said
supports substantially as specified and shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying
Drawings.
Third In an apparatus for compressing ensilage the combination of two
weighted levers E connected by screw rods D with the lid B fulcrummed upon
fixed supports F located near together and extending in an upward and outward
direction substantially as specified and shown in Figure 2 of the accompanying
Drawings.
Fourth In an apparatus for compressing ensilage the combination of four
weighted levers E arranged in pairs one pair on each side of the chamber or stack
each lever being independent of its fellows but the whole adapted to act together
upon the lid B substantially as specified.