An Improved Machine for Thinning Turnips and for similar Purposes.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Machine for Thinning Turnips and for similar Purposes.
I, SANDHAM JOHN SYMES, of Hill View, Tinahely, in the County of Wicklow
Ireland, Gentleman Farmer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved machine chiefly designed for thinning
turnips but also applicable for thinning other crops, the object of my invention
being to provide a machine of this class which is more efficient in operation
than machines of the kind heretofore used.
In constructing a machine according to my invention I provide a main through
axle having mounted upon it two travelling wheels one of which is fixed to the
axle so that the latter rotates with it whilst the other is loose upon the axle to
permit of the machine readily turning. To this axle is connected a frame, the
side bara of which are preferably arranged on the wheel axle outside the wheels,
and the rear end of which frame runs upon a castor wheel. This frame, herein-
after referred to as the rear frame, is provided with a bridge piece extending
across the same for the purpose hereinafter described. The axle has also con-
nected to it at the front of the machine a framing to which the shafts or other
draught appliance are connected.
Upon the axle is also pivoted a bracket advantageously made of cast iron pro-
vided with a rearward extension in which is journalled a shaft or spindle carry-
ing at its rear end a disc to which the thinning hoes are attached, the said shaft
having on the other or front end a bevel panion with which a bevel wheel
mounted upon the axle engages. The said bevel wheel is arranged in connec-
tion with a sliding clutch upon the shaft, by means of which clutch it can be
locked to or left free upon the shaft, the said clutch being operated by a lever
which extends into proximity to the hand of the driver, a seat for whom is pre-
ferably arranged upon the rear frame. The rear or free end of this bracket is
connected by a rod to one end of a lever fulcrummed upon the bridge piece
herein before referred to, the other end of the said lever being provided with an
adjustable balance weight. Upon this lever and near to the end upon which the
balance weight is supported is arranged a hook supported by a spring and to this
hook is connected one end of a chain, which chain, after being passed around a
pulley on the draught framing of the machine or other suitable position, is
connected at its other end to a screw, lever or the like arranged on the rear
framing and serving for acting upon the said lever for the purpose of raising
or lowering the bracket and consequently regulating the depth at which the
hoes work. The said lever has also arranged in connection with it another lever
or a lever extension by means of which the bracket with the hoes may be quickly
raised by the driver in case of necessity.
The hoes which I advantageously make use of are thin blades each bent to an
angle of 500 more or less and arranged in such a manner upon the arm carrying
it that the front side makes an angle of say 45° with the line of draught. “On

page_text: the back end of each blade and on its lower edge is rivetted a slide slightly
curved.
In practice I find it advantageous to secure eight hoes to the disc (although
a greater or lesser number may be used) the speed of the disc being suitably
proportioned to the speed of the driving wheels to suit the distance to be cleared
between adjacent plants.
1011 1
1000
An Improved Machine for Thioning Turnips and for similar Purposes.
I, SANDHAM JOHN SYMES, of Hill View, Tinahely, in the County of Wicklow,
Ireland, Gentleman Farmer, 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:-
My invention relates to an improved machine chiefly designed for thinning
turnips but also applicable for thinning other crops, the object of my invention
being to provide a machine of this class which is more efficient in operation
than machines of the kind heretofore used.
In constructing a machine according to the invention I provide a main
through axle upon which the two travelling wheels are loosely mounted. A
bracket is also provided in which the hoc shaft is mounted and which is in con-
nection, by means of a pivoted lever, with a bridge piece mounted upon the
frame of the machine to which the shafts or other draught appliance are or is
connected. The lever is preferably provided with a counterweight and with
means such as a spring chain whereby it can be operated to raise or lower the
bracket for regulating the depth at which the hoes work. The hoe shaft is
connected by a universal joint to a second spindle rotatably mounted in the
framing of the machine and operated through the medium of tooth and clutch
gear from one of the travelling wheels of the implement. The hoes which I
advantageously employ are of the particular construction hereinafter described
whereby they can gap a row of turnips or the like without damaging the stand-
ing bunches.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a turnip thinning machine having my
improvements applied thereto:
Figure 2 is a plan of the machine:
Figure 3 a rear view thereof; and
Figures 4, 5 and 6 are a rear elevation, side elevation and plan respectively
of one of the hoes.
a is the framing of the machine, b, b the shafts thereof, which are secured, to
the said framing a in the usual manner, and c, d the travelling wheels.
d is the main through axle upon which the travelling wheels c, c¹ are mounted
and e is the bracket, the said bracket being pivotally mounted at its front end
in the two bearings e¹, el bolted or otherwise secured to the framing a of the
machine. The rear end of the said bracket is adjustably supported in the manner
hereinafter described.
fis the shaft or spindle which carries the disc f' to which the revolving hoes
are secured in the usual manner, the said spindle f being supported in a ball

page_text: and socket bearing e³ in the rear end of the bracket e and being connected at
its front end, by a universal joint g¹, with the spindle h mounted in bearings h
fixed to the framing a of the machine. The main axle d is cranked to allow of
the passage of the spindle f. The spindle his adapted to be operated through
the medium of a spur wheel 2 keyed upon it and which gears with a toothed
wheel i keyed upon a spindle ¹ supported on the framing a of the machine
and provided with a clutch end 2 in which is supported the front end of a
spindle which is in alignment with the spindle and is mounted in bearings j'
on the framing of the machine, the said spindle ; being also provided with a
bevel wheel which gears with a bevel wheel c² on the boss of the travelling
wheel c. A clutch part is mounted upon the spindle j, the said clutch part
being operated by a lever k pivoted to the frame of the machine at and adapted
to be operated by a rod 3, which extends into proximity to the hand of the
driver, in such a manner that the said clutch part can be put into or out of gear
with the clutch part so as to rotate the hoe spindle and thereby the hoes from
the travelling wheel e¹ when desired.
The rear or free end of the bracket e is connected by rods to one end of a
lever fulcrummed at 12 upon the bridge piece m which is bolted or otherwise
secured to the frame a of the machine; the other end of the lever is provided
with an adjustable balance weight 13. Upon this lever and near to the end
upon which the balance weight 13 is supported there is arranged a hook n which
is supported by a spring n¹ and to this hook n there is connected one end of a
chain o, which chain after being passed around a pulley o¹ on the framing of
the machine, is connected at its other end to a screw ? which works in the
bridge piece m and is provided with a. handle p¹ by turning which the lever l
can be raised or lowered so as to lower or raise the bracket e and consequently
regulate the depth at which the hoes work. The spring n connecting the
chain o to the lever permits the hoes to yield to inequalities in the ground.
Instead of the screw I can employ a lever or other suitable device for operating
the chain. The lever has also arranged in connection with it another
lever
f
which is pivoted to the bridge piece m at 12 and works between
stops, upon the rods / so that the driver, in case of necessity, can quickly
raise the hoes by manipulating the said lever g.
I sometimes construct the framing of the machine in two parts forming a
front or draught framing and a rear frame which runs upon a castor wheel at its
rear end and carries the aforementioned bridge piece.
The hoes which I advantageously make use of are illustrated in Figures 4, 5
and 6 and consist of thin blades which are bent in the arrangement shewn in
the drawing to an angle of 50° more or less so as to form the working blade r
and the front or dividing blade r¹. The blades are arranged in the arrangement
illustrated upon the arms 2 carrying them in such a manner that the front
sides make an angle of about 45° with the line of draught. At the back end
of each blade and on its lower edge there is riveted what I term a slide ³
slightly curved and having for its object to assist in supporting the hoe disc and
in conjunction with the spring ¹ to give to the inequalities of the ridge, the said
spring enabling the hoe disc to move relatively with the adjusting chain o.
Although I have above stated that the dividing blades should make an angle
of 45° with the line of draught it is to be understood that this will only be the
case when the driving wheels and the hoe blades have approximately the same
circumferential velocity as is the case in the arrangement illustrated. The angle
which the said blades ¹ make with the time of draught is in all cases dependent
upon the relative velocities of the driving wheels and hoes whereby the blades
always strike the ridge at such an angle that they are not moved laterally by the
combined movements of the travelling wheels and hoes.
In practice I find it advantageous to secure eight hoes to the disc (although
a greater or lesser number may be used) the speed of the disc being suitably pro-

page_text: portioned to the speed of the travelling wheels to suit the distance to be cleared
between adjacent plants.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In a machine for thinning turnips and for similar purposes, mounting the
hoe disc upon a shaft supported in a bracket, which is pivoted to the framing
of the machine, and adapted to be operated by suitable toothed mechanism from
one of the driving wheels of the machine, the said bracket being provided with
means such as a counterweighted lever, controlled by a chain or the like, for
raising or lowering it, substantially as herein before described.
2. In a machine of the kind described in Claim 1 connecting the chain to the
hoe regulating lever by means of a spring substantially as, and for the purpose
herein before described.
3. In machines for thinning turnips and for similar purposes, the employment
of hoes constructed substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in
Figures 4, 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
4. The combination and arrangement of parts forming the improved machine
for thinning turnips and for similar purposes, hereinbefore described and illus-
trated in the accompanying drawings.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.