IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR LIFTING TURNIPS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Munro, of Fones, in the County of Elgin, North
Bitain, Blacksmith, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR LIFTING TURNIPS"
Sealed the 22nd June 1877, and dated the 10th February 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Munro at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th February 1877
JOHN MUNRO, of Foures, in the County of Elgin, North Britain, Blacksmith
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR LIFTING TURNIPS
"
The machine for lifting tuinips as constructed in accordance with this Invention
consists of a frame, towards whose for ward end are carried knives for cutting off the
turnip tops or shaws
The frame is supported on three wheels and is capable of
being raised and lowered at its fiont end, so as to set the knives according to the
average size of turnips in the field or in the separate rows or dills thereof
The knives which are carried upon finger bars are reciprocated horizontally from
the main axle by a train of spur and bevel wheels, and by a crank disc connected
by rods to the knives The finger bars whereon the knives are supported are
attached to the central beam of the machine by means of flexible and oscillating
joints, which are so arranged that when the machine is being diawn along the drills
and the fingers in front of the knives come in contact with a bulb larger than the
size for which the machine has been set, the knives are caused to ride over the bulb
and cut off its shaws or tops without doing injury to the bulb itself The finger
bars and knives on being so raised are forced back into then original positions by
springs attached to the centre beam
A divider is placed in front of the knives with its ends passing over and behind
them for the purpose of throwing aside the severed tops or shaws out of the way of
the coulters which cut the turnip 100ts, and by this means the machine is prevented
from being clogged. The root cutting coulters, of which two' or any other suitable
number may be used, according to the number of diilis it is desued to clear at one
operation, are carried on a shaft or bar extending across the frame behind the main
axle, the said coulters being fixed on the bar (at the requisite distances apart, and
so as to have a penetration regulated by the average depth of the roots) by means
of wedges or their equivalents.

page_text: The shaft or bar is provided with a lever working in a quadrant in order that the
coulters may be raised clear of the ground when turning the machine at the ends of
the dulls, or when it is being tiaveised froin place to place
An especial feature in this Invention is the flexible and oscillating joints for the
finger bars and knives, whereby they are enabled to ride over a bulb larger than the
average as herein-before set forth
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Mumio in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th August 1877.
_JOHN MUNRO, of Foires, in the County of Elgin, North Britain, Blacksmith
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR LIFTING TURNIPS
"
The machine for lifting tumps as constructed in accordance with my said
Invention consists of a fiaine, towards whose for waid end are cured knives for
cutting off the turnip tops or shaws The frame is supported on three wheels, and
its front end is capable of being raised and lowered so as to set all the knives
according to the average size of turnips in the field or in the separate rows or drills
thereof.
The
The knives which are carried upon finger bars are reciprocated horizontally from
the main axle by a train of spui and bevel wheels, and by a crank disc connected
by rods to the knives, which crank disc may work either in a slotted pendulum, so
as to move the end of said pendulum to which the said rods are attached hon-
zontally, or the knives may work by means of a clank disc attached by a connecting
1od to one end of a lever, the other end of said lever being connected with the
kuves by the first-mentioned connecting rods, the lever working on a fulcrum
finger bais whereon the knives are supported ue attached to the centre beam by
means of flexible and oscillating joints, which are so aanged that when the
machine is being drawn along the diills, and the fingers in front of the knives come
in contact with a bulb larger than the size for which the machine has been sct, the
knives uc caused to de over the bulb and cut off its shaws or tops without
injuring the bulb The finger bais and knives on being so raised fall back into
their original positions Springs may be attached to the centre beam in order to
keep them steady Springs may also be used under the finger bais to assist them
in iiding over the bulbs
A divider is placed in front of the knives with its ends passing over and behind
them to the purpose of throwing aside the several tops or shaws out of the way of
the coulters which cut the turnip roots, and by this means the machine is prevented
from being clogged The 100t cutting coulters, of which two or any othei suitable
number may be used, according to the number of diills it is desued to clear at one
operation, are carried on a shaft or bai extending accross the frame behind the main
axle, the said coulters being fixed on the bar (at the requisite distances apart, and so
as to have a penetration regulated by the average depth of the 100ts) by means of
wedges or the equivalents To the 100t cutting coulters are attached one or more
prongs for displacing the tuinips after the 100ts are cut
The shaft oi bai is provided with a lever working in a quadiant in order that the
coulters may be raised clear of the ground when tuining the machine at the cuds of
the drills, or when it is being traversed from place to place
An especial feature in this Invention is the flexible and oscillating Joints for the
finger bais and knives, whereby they are enabled to 11de over a bulb laiger than the
average as herein-before set forth
And in order that my said Invention may be better understood, I now proceed
more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner in oi under which the
same is or may be used or practically carried into effect, reference being had to the
'annexed Sheet of Diawings and to the letters and figuies marked thereon, that
Je to say –

page_text: Figure 1 of the annexed Sheet of Diawings is a plan of a machine for lifting
turnips constructed in accordance with my Invention, and Figure 2 is a side
elevation thereof
Figures 3, 4 and 5 are details herein-after referred to
The frame of the machine is marked A, the loop for the attachment of the
drawing rope or chain is markod B, the guiding handles C, and the wheels D, D
The knives E are carried on finger bais F, which are attached by means of pins a
passed through lugs b, b, formed on the frame A, as more particularly shown at
Figures 3 and 4, which are respectively side and fiont elevations of a portion of the
frame with the joint for the finger bar attached thereto, or (which I prefer) on
adjustable side pieces A¹ fixed to the frame A by a pivot or centro pin a¹ and set
nut and screw a' The slots a' in the side pieces A¹, permit of the adjustment of
the said side pieces and consequently of the knives canned by them to different
angles with the horizon the said side pieces being fixed in any position to which
they may have been brought by the set nut a The knives E are supported by
fingers d fastened to the finger bais beneath the knives, and passing beneath, in
front of, and partly over the said knives, as shewn in the Drawing, and also by
clips or guide pieces fixed on the finger bais above the said knives
The fingers d in addition to acting as guides for the knives E, projecting as they
do in front of the said knives, come into contact first with any bulb of larger size
than that for which the machine has been set, and cause the knives to cant upward
and ride clear of the bulb, and cut its shaws or tops without injuring the bulb The
hinging of the finger bais to the fiaine by the pin a allows of the outer ends of tho
knives using, and the rising of the edge of the knife is permitted by making a
vertical slot for the pin a in that lug b¹ nearest the cutting edge of the knife, in
which slot the pin a can use, as seen clearly in Figure 4 The finger bars F and
knives E after being so raised fall back into then original position by virtue of
then own weight, or spings attached to the centre beam and bearing thereon (not
shown on the Diawings) may be used for the purpose of urging them downwards,
they being prevented from descending too low by so forining then ends that they
bear against the frame A or the adjustable pieces A, as the case may be, as shewn
at c, Figure 2 The knives E carited by the bars F are reciprocated horizontally by
means of the connecting rods e attached to the crank duscf on one end of the
shaft g, which is rotated from the main shaft K through the toothed gearing G, H, I J
One of these wheels is provided with clutches (not shewn in the Drawings), by
which the said wheels may be thrown out of gear when required, as for instance,
when turning the machine or moving it from place to place
Figure 5 shews an arrangement which sometimes I prefer to use for giving the
reciprocating motion to the knives in place of the arrangement shewn in Figures 1
and 2 In this case the shaft y terminates in a clank g¹, the bearings in which the
said shaft g tuins being prolonged to carry the fulcium r of a bell-crank lever R, to
which motion is imparted by the crank through the connecting 1od S at one end,
the other ond of the said lever R taking a path through the line 1, 2 The
connecting rods e to the knives are connected to this end as shewn in dotted lines.
By the rotation of the shaft g a reciprocating motion is thus imparted to the knives
The 100t cutting coulters L (of which two or any other suitable number may be
used, according to the number of diills it is desired to clear at one operation), are
fixed to the arm M at a depth regulated by the average depth of the roots of the
bulbs to be operated upon The arms Maie fixed at the desned distances apart on
the shaft or bai N by wedges or other suitable means The shaft or bar N extends
across the frame and is provided with a lever handle O, by which the shaft N may
be turned and the coulters L may be kept down to their work or raised clear of the
ground when it is desired that they may be thrown out of action, the said coulters
being retained in either position by engaging the catch of on the supplementary
lever o¹, with holes formed in the quadiant P fixed to the frame of the machine.
The prongs marked on the coulters L are for displacing the turnips after the roots
are cut.

page_text: The machine operates in the following manner --The knives are adjusted to the
proper level to suit the average size or weight of the turnips to be operated upon by
raising or lowering the front end of the machine by the adjustment D The
coulters L are also adjusted to the proper depth from the arms M The shaft K
is geared with the train of wheels J, I, H, G, by the clutch herein-before mentioned.
The knives E of the machine as it is drawn along over the turnips to be operated
upon, cut off the shaws or tops of the turnips, the roots are next cut off by the
coulters L, and the turnip itself is afterwards displaced by the prongs 2 fixed to the
coulters L
For the purpose of lifting up the shaws in front of the knives as the machine is in
operation, revolving rakes or reels carried a short distance in front of the knives,
and rotated by a chain or other gearingin the direction necessary for that purpose,
may be substituted for the arms X
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the system, mode, or manner in or under which the same 19 or may be used
or practically carried nto effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to
be novel and onginal and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent 15,-
First The general combination and arrangement of parts constituting the
improved turnip -lifting machine, herein-before descubed and illustrated in tho
accompanying Drawings
Second Providing the finger bars carrying the reciprocating Knives of turnip
lifting machines with moveable or yielding joints at their junction with the frames,
substantially as herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Diawings
Third The improved arrangement for shifting the coulters into or out of action,
and retaining them in the one or the other position, substantially as herein-before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Munro, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Seventh day of August, in the year of our Loid One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-seven
WILL GRANT, of Forres, Solicitor, Witness
ADAM TAIT, of Edinburgh, Solicitor, Witness
JOHN MUNRO. (LS)