Year: 1885

page_text: I JOHN GOUCHER of Portland Iron Works, Worksop, Nottingham, Engineer
and Machine Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
In bolting or open drum threshing machines as now generally constructed the
straw and corn to be threshed is introduced on to the revolving drum at the face
or breast which is termed underhand or undershot feeding and the drum is made
to run towards the feeder, he standing in front thereof. By this plan the feed is
liable to be drawn in by gluts which renders the said drum liable to lap and choke
up and stop the machine. This plan also materially curtails and reduces the semi
concave casing by which the said drum is in part enveloped and in consequence
thereof does not under all conditions of the grain to be threshed thoroughly
separate it from the ear and thereupon does not always effect clean threshing.
Now the object of my improvements is to remedy these defects.
For the purpose of my invention I construct and place in front at the mouth of
the revolving beater a roller or cylinder which is fitted on its periphery with
spikes, pegs, teeth or other suitable projections, the said drum being made to
revolve and run from the feeder while the said roller is made to run in a direction
towards the feeder and the corn to be threshed, being spread on an inclined board
parallel with the said roller, is drawn in underneath and is thus driven forward on
to the revolving drum at the uppermost point of its periphery and as will be
understood, the action of the toothed roller regulates the feed as each row of teeth
takes in but a certain quantity and as the feed cannot be drawn in faster than the
said roller will admit, the drum is thus prevented from becoming glutted and
choked as before described as the corn and straw to be threshed is thus made to
pass through the machine with more uniform regularity, and also by this plan the
drum is enveloped by nearly one third more concave casing and the drum thus
having more concave space to beat the ear against does not require the concaving
to be set so near the beater to effect clean threshing consequently more work can
be done with less power.
And the said roller and revolving drum being both securely covered in prevents
the corn from being driven out and also confines and suppresses the dust which as
is well known is so injurious to the health of the feeders of open drum machines
but by this plan these injurious effects are prevented. The said roller can also be

page_text: fitted with a contrivance by which it can be instantly stopped and it thus being
put under the immediate control of the feeder renders it next to impossible for
any accident to occur to the operatives employed on the machine by the revolving
beater.
As a further prevention to the causes of drums lapping and choking and for more
effectually suppressing and stopping the corn being driven over the shockers by
the revolving drum I put in below at the point of delivery of the straw at a
suitable distance from the revolving drum a stop board which is suspended on
pivots or centres and being balanced so that the lower part being a little heavier,
closes by its own weight.
The said stop board being fixed in the machine in an oblique form in such
manner that it thoroughly suppresses and stops the corn from being driven out
but by it being balanced as before described renders it easily lifted by the passing
straw by the action given to it by the shockers it therefore does not stop and
impede the passage of the straw.

page_text: I, JOHN GOUCHER of Portland Iron Works, Worksop, Nottingham, Engineer
and Machine Maker, 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 :—
In bolting or open drum threshing machines the straw and corn to be threshed
is introduced on to the revolving drum at the face or breast which is termed
underhand or undershot feeding and the drum is made to run towards the feeder
who stands in front thereof. By this plan the feed is liable to be drawn in by
gluts which renders the said drum liable to lap and choke up and stop the machine.
This plan also materially curtails and reduces the concave casing by which the said
drum is in part enveloped and in consequence thereof does not under all conditions
of the grain to be threshed thoroughly separate it from the ear and therefore does
not always effect clean threshing.
Now the object of my improvements is to remedy these defects,
For the purpose of my invention, which is illustrated by the annexed drawings
Figure 1 being a plan and Figure 2 a side elevation I construct and place in front
of the revolving drum of the threshing machine a roller or cylinder A which is
fitted on its periphery with spikes, pegs, teeth, or other suitable projections B, B,
the revolving beater or drum C being made to revolve and run from the feeder in
the direction indicated by the arrow while the said cylinder or roller A is made to
run in a direction (shown by the arrows) towards the feeder and the corn to be
threshed being spread on an inclined board or table D parallel with the said
cylinder or roller A is drawn in underneath by its teeth B, B, and driven forward
on to the revolving drum O at the uppermost point of its periphery, and as will be
understood, the action of the toothed roller regulates the feed as each row of teeth
takes in but a certain quantity and as the feed cannot be drawn in faster than the
said roller will admit, the drum is thus prevented from becoming glutted and
choked as before described. The corn and straw to be threshed is thus made to
pass through the machine with more uniform regularity, and also by this plan the
drum is enveloped by nearly one third more concave casing E and the drum C thus
having more concave space to beat the ear against does not require the concaving
to be set so near the beater to effect clean threshing consequently more work can be
done with less power than in the ordinary machines.
The said roller A and revolving drum C are both securely covered in, which
prevents the corn from being driven out and also confines and suppresses the dust
which as is well known is so injurious to the health of the feeders of open. drum
machines but by this plan these injurious effects are prevented. The said roller A
can also be fitted with fast and loose pulleys F and G with a lever or levers H for
shifting the belt by which it i.e. the roller can be instantly stopped and it thus
being put under the immediate control of the feeder renders it next to impossible
for any accident to occur to the operatives employed on the machine.
As a further prevention to the causes of drums lapping and choking and
for more effectually suppressing and stopping the corn being driven out by the

page_text: revolving drum C I put in below at the point E on the line marked J, J, of
delivery of the straw at a suitable distance from the revolving drum C a stop
board K which is suspended on a centre or centres L and being balanced so that
the lower part is a little heavier closes by its own weight.
The said stop board K is arranged in the machine in an oblique form as shown
at Figure 2 in such manner that it thoroughly suppresses and stops the corn from
being driven out but by it being balanced as before described it is easily lifted by
the passing straw by the action given to it by the shockers and while it thus
effectually stops the corn it does not impede the passage of the straw.
The drawing shows the stop board K suspended on its axis or centre L and
balanced inside the machine, but it may be balanced outside by weights or arranged
in any convenient manner.
The upper part of the concave casing E is provided with a roof plate M of iron
or other suitable material which is notched at N to allow the teeth or pro-
jections B, B, on the roller or cylinder A to pass through, this completely encloses
the revolving drum C and prevents the roller A from taking the straw round and
causing choking.
:
The construction of the inner rails P and outer rails Q, and the framework and
feeders box R and also the general arrangements of the machine may be varied
without departing from my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I' claim is :-
.
1. The improved form or construction of feeding roller A for threshing machines,
as set forth and as shown in the drawings.
2. A balanced stop board in a threshing machine fitted in and acting for the
purpose described,