IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DIGGING OR CULTI- VATING LAND
Year: 1862

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Joseph Ellicott Holmes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 26th
May 1862.
I, JOSEPH ELLICOTT HOLMES, of New York City, in the United States of
America, but now residing at South Parade, Chelsea, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil and Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DIGGING OR CULTI-
VATING LAND," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improvements in machinery for digging or cultivating land
relates, first, to an arrangement and mode of operating a series of spades,
prongs, tines, or digging instruments, which are made to enter or penetrate.
the earth in succession as they are drawn over the surface, and having penetrated
the land are caused to lift up and turn over the earth, and in so doing to
disintegrate and break up the clods. In carrying out my Invention, the
spades, tines, prongs, or digging instruments are fixed on or secured to hori-
zontal rods or bars, the ends of which are fitted to run in grooves made in a
pair of cams, which are keyed on or attached to the hinder axletree. The
spades, tines, or teeth are fitted to work in grooves formed by a series of

page_text: blocks, which are fixed on to the inner sides, or to the spokes, or the running
or travelling wheels. On the sides of each of these wheels is secured a large
toothed wheel, into which gears a pinion, whereby the wheels are driven upon
motion being communicated to the pinion from the engine or other prime
mover. It will now be understood that the running or travelling wheels being
set in motion and turning freely on the axle, the ends of the horizontal bars
(which carry the spades or digging instruments) will be carried round in the
grooves of the side cams, and in so doing the spades or tines will be thrust
outwards between the blocks on the wheels and downwards into the earth, and
upon quitting the earth they will lift up a portion thereof, and as the spades
are drawn back between the fixed blocks on the travelling wheels the earth
will be thrust off the spades, and in so doing will be turned over and mixed
with the clods or earth that is being lifted up by the other spades or tines.
By this arrangement of parts the whole weight of the hinder part of the
machine will be thrown on to the digging instruments, which will therefore
be thrust with considerable force into the earth. When it is desired to trans-
port the machine from place to place on the travelling wheels the digging
instruments must be drawn back or prevented from touching the ground.
This is effected by simply moving round the grooved sides cams a part of a
revolution, so as to bring the smaller radius of the cams nearest the ground.
A convenient mode of relieving the digging instruments and throwing them
out of work consists in adapting to the grooved cams an arm carrying a dog
or trip lever, which is under the control of the driver by means of a connecting
rod. Attached to the outside framing is a plate or arch having a series of
notches made therein, and into one or other of these notches the dogs are
made to catch. When the attendant wishes to hold up the spades from the
ground he pulls his rod and relieves the dog and at the same time causes the
other end of the trip lever to bear against the teeth of the travelling wheels,
and by so doing the trip lever and arm will lift up the side cams and teeth
and the arm will be held up by allowing the dog to drop into another notch.
This machine may be provided with an engine on the same frame, and whereby
it may be driven, or it may be drawn forward by horse or other animal power,
or by means of a rope actuated by a stationary or portable engine.
Another improvement consists in so arranging the driving gear that every-
thing may be conveniently under the control of the engineer or driver, and
the two travelling wheels of the machine driven by separate engines or cylin-
ders and pistons. A vertical tubular boiler is employed and a steam cylinder,
with its accessories, is adapted to drive each wheel separately. The axle of the

page_text: guiding or steering wheel in front is mounted in bearings in a circular frame,
which is placed horizontally, and is provided on its edge with teeth, into which
gears a pinion on the lower end of a vertical shaft provided at its upper end
with handles or a hand wheel. The horizontal circular frame is also provided
with antifriction rollers to facilitate its working.