IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, &
Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES." A communication from abroad
by Samuel Johnston, of Brockport, New York, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd July 1879.
William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARVESTING MACHINES."
[A communication from abroad by Samuel Johnston, of Brockport, New York,
United States of America.]
This Invention relates to harvesting machines, and comprises devices whereby
the platform of the machine can be raised at both the inner and outer ends at the
same time and by the same operation; it also comprises an organization of devices
for enabling the driver to tilt the platform; also devices which cause the driver's
seat to remain at nearly the same height from the ground, and in nearly the same
horizontal position, and to be independent of any change given to the height or
inclination of the platform.
In carrying the said Invention into practice I provide an internal gear wheel
rigidly attached to the spokes of the driving wheel. A shaft runs across and
beneath the platform from the driving wheel to the grain wheel; the outer end of
this shaft is bent into the form of a crank, and the grain wheel is there mounted
for the purpose of supporting the outer end of the platform. Below the platform
there is a torsion spring bar, one end of which is fixed to the bent end of the afore-
said shaft, the other end passing through a bearing and resting against the underside
of the platform. The inner end of the said shaft is supported by a compound crank
piece composed of a hollow central stem, a radial arm and a segmental rack piece,
permanently united.
On the inner face of the said segmental rack-piece, and at the centre of the
segment, a bent lever is pivoted at the fulcrum of said lever; to an arm of this bent
lever a suspension rod is pivoted. The lower end of this rod is attached by a pivot

page_text: to the inner end of the finger bar. The inner end of the aforesaid shaft is rigidly
attached to the outer extremity of the said radial arm of the crank piece.
To one arm of the said bent lever is attached a spring pawl which catches into
the teeth of the aforesaid segmental rack piece.
The organization of parts just described has for its object the supporting of the
aforesaid shaft, so that the latter, together with the platform which rests upon it, can
be elevated or depressed equally throughout its entire length by means of the afore-
said bent lever. This arrangement of the aforesaid shaft in combination with the
crank piece is made use of to support the crank shaft, and also the gearing by which
said crank shaft is made to drive the cutting apparatus, as follows, that is to say:―
A portion of the said shaft which runs from the driving wheel to the grain wheel is
journalled so as to permit it to carry and support a vibrating yoke piece. The arms
of this yoke piece are fitted loosely upon the last named shaft so as to vibrate
thereon. The tube in which the crank shaft which drives the cutting apparatus
revolves is supported at one end by the cross piece or head of the yoke.
The cutting apparatus is driven by a pinion which meshes into the aforesaid
internal gear wheel on the main wheel, and revolves upon the inner end of the first
named shaft as a journal. This pinion by a spring clutch attachment is made to
turn a bevel pinion when the machine advances. This bevel pinion also turns upon
the journalled part of the last named shaft, and gears into a bevel pinion upon the
end of the crank shaft.
A short shaft extends through the hollow stem of the crank piece, and to the
inner end of this shaft a short tumbling shaft is attached. This tumbling shaft is
to be joined by gearing to a rake head for the purpose of revolving the rake.
On the said short shaft, beyond the hub of the driving wheel, a ratchet wheel is
rigidly secured, into which fits a spring pawl, which pawl is attached to the outer
and of the hub of the driving wheel, so that as the machine moves forward the
driving wheel will revolve the short shaft and the tumbling shaft, the reverse
motion of the driving wheel allowing the short shaft to remain at rest. This shaft
is prolonged outwardly sufficiently beyond the hub of the driving wheel to furnish
a support for vibrating socket, to which a seat spring is attached in the following
manner, that is to say:-The said seat spring is fitted so as to vibrate in the socket,
and is pivoted thereto. The lower end of the seat spring is pivoted to a curved
brace, which extends and is secured to a tongue. From this curved brace to the
tongue there extends a short rock shaft having an arm projecting from it. At the
outer end of this rock shaft there is pivoted a rod, which is in turn pivoted to
the upper end of a curved shoe, which shoe is rigidly attached at the other
extremity to the finger bar. By means of this combination and arrangement the
platform can be rocked by a hand lever upon the main hub of the driving wheel
and the axis of the grain wheel as centres, so as to assume any desired angle
with the ground, and by means of the spring pawl attached to the hand lever
and the segmental rack can be held at any desired angle.
The aforesaid torsion spring lever is so secured to the platform and bent portion of
the shaft beneath the platform that the latter can be raised by exercising but a
small amount of strength. When it is desired to tilt the platform or change the
angle of inclination the hand lever is moved to the front or rear, thus changing the
angle of the platform at pleasure, and by means of the pawl attached to said lever
securing it at any desired angle. The manner of attaching the seat preserves its
position from the ground uniformly, and also preserves it in a horizontal position
whatever may be the height of the platform or its angle to the ground.

page_text: journalled as to permit it to carry and support a vibrating yoke piece J, J, J.
The arms J, J, of this yoke piece are fitted loosely upon the shaft E, E¹, E", so as
to vibrate thereon. The tube in which the crank shaft I that drives the cutting
apparatus revolves is supported at one end by the cross piece or head J of the yoke.
The cutting apparatus is driven by the pinion D which meshes into the internal
gear wheel C on the main wheel, and revolves upon the inner end of the shaft
E, E¹, E, as a journal. This pinion D, by a spring clutch attachment 7, is made
to turn the bevel pinion D' when the machine advances. This bevel pinion D¹ also
turns upon the journalled part of the shaft E, E¹, E, and gears into a bevel pinion I'
upon the end of the crank shaft I.
A short shaft M extends through the hollow stem H of the crank piece, and to
the inner end of this shaft a short tumbling shaft N is attached. This tumbling
shaft is to be joined by gearing to a rake head for the purpose of revolving the
rake. On the shaft M, beyond the hub of the driving wheel, is rigidly secured a
ratchet wheel R into which fits a spring pawl S; this pawl is attached to the outer
end of the hub of the driving wheel, so that as the machine moves forward the said
driving wheel will revolve the shaft M and the tumbling shaft N, the reverse motion
of the driving wheel allowing the shaft M to remain at rest. This shaft M is
prolonged outwardly sufficiently beyond the hub of the driving wheel to furnish a
support for the vibrating socket O, to which the seat spring P is attached in the
following manner :-The said seat spring P is fitted to vibrate in the socket O, and
is pivoted thereto at the point e. The lower end of the seat spring is pivoted to a
curved brace S¹ which extends and is secured to the tongue T. From this curved
brace to the tongue there extends a short rock-shaft W having an arm V projecting
from it. At the outer end of this rock shaft W there is pivoted a rod X, which is
pivoted to the upper end of a curved shoe Y rigidly attached at the other extremity
to the finger bar. By means of this combination and arrangement the platform
can be rocked by the hand lever Z upon the main hub of the driving wheel and the
axis of the grain wheel as centres, so as to assume any desired angle with the
ground, and by means of the spring pawl c attached to the hand lever Z and the
segmental rack d the said platform can be held at any desired angle.
The operation of the several parts of this improved machine is as follows, that is
to say: When the driver wishes to raise the whole platform from the ground he
removes the pawl p attached to the hand lever K, K, from the detent of the rack
Begment H, and turns it toward the rear of the machine. When he wishes to
lower the whole platform he turns the lever K, K', towards the front of the machine,
and by allowing the pawl p to drop into the rack segment H" he can sustain the
platform at any desired height. The torsion spring bar G is so secured to the
platform and bent portion E¹ of the shaft E, E, E, that the platform may be
raised by exercising but a small amount of strength. When it is desired to tilt
the platform or change the angle of inclination the driver removes the lever Z to
the front or rear, and can thus change the angle of the platform at pleasuro, and by
means of the pawl attached to said lever Z can secure it at any desired angle. The
manner of attaching the seat preserves its required position with regard to the
ground, and also keeps it in a horizontal position whatever may be the height of
the platform or its angle to the ground.
In Figures 3 and 4 the platform is shewn respectively at the lowest and highest
positions it can assume, and the position of the driver's seat is shown in both
positions of the same platform.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to mo by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it under-
stood that I claim,-
First. In a harvesting machine the combination of the crank piece H, H¹, H",
and the shaft E, E¹, E, with the hub of the main wheel and the grain wheel,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Second. The combination of the crank piece H, H, Hª, the shaft E, E¹, E¹¹, the
main wheel, and grain wheel with the elevating lever, substantially as described.

page_text: Third. The combination of the rock shaft, the brace, the hand lever, the shoe,
and the finger bar for the purpose of tilting or rocking the platform, as above
described.
Fourth. The combination of the brace, the vibrating socket, the seat spring, and
the supporting shaft M, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Fifth. The yoke piece loosely attached to the shaft E, E, E, in combination with
the crank shaft I, arranged to drive the cutting apparatus, substantially as shewn
and described.
Sixth. The torsion spring bar so arranged in combination with the shaft E, E', E",
as to assist in elevating the platform, substantially as shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
732
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