Year: 1897

page_text: I, JOHN WILLIAM WOODWARD, of Springfield Cottage, Belbroughton, near
Stourbridge, in the County of Worcester, Manufacturer's Clerk, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to potato digging machines of the kind in which
there are revolving digging tines at the back of the machine which dig into the
soil and lift the potatoes as the machine is drawn along the rows the digging tines
receiving rotary motion through suitable gearing from the axle of the two road
travelling wheels of the machine.
This invention consists of the improved construction and arrangement of the
revolving tines whereby the potatoes are effectually dug up with a smaller expen-
diture of power than is required with well known machines of this kind.
In carrying out this invention I provide a skeleton barrel which is arranged
lengthwise of the machine and is mounted on an axle and receives rotary motion
through suitable gearing from the axle of the two road travelling wheels of the
machine. Fixed on this skeleton cylinder are the tines of the digging machine
which are arranged at short intervals apart in one two three or more spiral rows
running round or partly round the cylinder from end to end the rows of tines
forming as it were screw threads round the cylinder. The cylinder is mounted
in the machine so as to almost touch the top of the row of potatoes and when the
cylinder is revolving as it is going along, the tines operate on the soil consecutively
and as there are so many times it is impossible or almost impossible for any of the
potatoes to be missed and as only a few of the tines are embedded in the soil at the
same time the power required to pull the machine along is small. The tines are
by preference made pointed like the tines of a hand fork for digging potatoes.
In combination with the said cylinder with the tines arranged in the spiral form
as above described, I may use a share shaped to go underneath the row of potatoes
in front or under the tines so as to loosen the ground and make less work for the
tines to do. Also I may or may not use a coulter or skimmer fixed in front of the
tines and shaped and arranged to clear away the potato tops and other rubbish and
prevent them from coming in contact with the tines.
Dated this 12th day of July 1897
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: Certain Improvements in Potato Digging Machines.
J, JOHN WILLIAM WOODWARD, of Springfield Cottage, Belbroughton, near
Stourbridge, in the County of Worcester, Manufacturer's Clerk, 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:-
This invention has reference to potato digging machines of the kind in which
there are revolving digging tines at the back of the machine which dig into the
soil and lift the potatoes as the machine is drawn along the rows the digging tines
receiving rotary motion through suitable gearing from the axle of the two road
travelling wheels of the machine.
This invention consists of the improved construction and arrangement of the
revolving tines whereby the potatoes are effectually dug up with a smaller expendi-
ture of power than is required with well known machines of this kind.
I will describe my invention by referring to the accompanying drawings on
which Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of a potato digging machine constructed
in accordance with this invention; Fig. 2 is a plan of the same, and Fig. 3 is a
back elevation of the same on line X X of Figs. 1 and 2.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures of the
drawings.
In carrying out this invention I provide a barrel A which is arranged lengthwise
of the machine and is mounted on an axle B and receives rotary motion through
suitable gearing from the axle C of the two road travelling wheels D¹ D² of the
machine. The gearing which I prefer to use for transmitting the rotary motion
from the axle C of the machine to the axle B consists of the bevel wheel E which
revolves loosely on the axle C and gears with the bevel pinion F fixed on the
countershaft G on which latter is mounted the spur wheel H which gears with
another spur wheel I mounted upon the tine barrel shaft B so that the latter
revolves at the required speed faster than the road travelling wheels D¹ D2. An
ordinary clutch J mounted to slide on a feather on the road travelling wheel axle C
can, as by the levers KL, be thrown into gear with the corresponding clutch e'
formed on the bevel wheel E so that the latter will then revolve with the shaft C,
or the clutch J can be thrown out of gear so that the bevel wheel E and the parts
driven thereby will not revolve.
On the cylinder A I fix the tines M of the digging machine which are arranged
at short intervals apart in a spiral row running round the cylinder A from end to
end the row of tines forming as it were a screw thread round the cylinder. This
will be clear by an examination of the drawings. The tines M are curved as
shewn in Fig. 3 and are also bent forward as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2 as I find this
is the best shape for lifting the potatoes. The shaft B which carries the cylinder A
turns in bearings 61 be carried by the slings or brackets N' N³ fixed to the machine
frame O so that the cylinder A will almost touch the top of the row of potatoes
and when the machine is drawn along the cylinder A revolves in the direction
indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3 and the tines M operate on the soil consecutively
and as there are so many tines M it is impossible or almost impossible for any of
the potatoes to be missed. Moreover as only a few of the tines M are embedded
in the soil at the same time the power required to pull the machine along is small.
The tines M are as shewn made blunt pointed like, but are much stronger than,
the tines of a hand fork for digging potatoes.
The frame O, which as aforesaid carries the cylinder A and its shaft B and bear-
ings, also carries the bearings 91 92 of the countershaft G and is provided with

page_text: bearings o¹ through which the road travelling wheel axle C passes so that the
frame and parts carried thereby can be lifted about the road travelling wheel
axle C as a centre so as to lift the tines free of the ground when turning at the
ends of the rows. In order to facilitate the lifting of the frame O as aforesaid, I
provide the chain P which at one end is fixed to the back of the frame O and is
carried up in an inclined direction and over the pulley 72 which by the bracket p³
is carried up above the top of the frame O. The other end p' of the chain P is
connected to the quadrant Q which is mounted on the shaft q' arranged to be turned
by the hand lever q² fixed on one end of the shaft q so that this hand lever q²
is depressed the chain P will be partly wound round the quadrant Q and the back
part of the frame O will be lifted about the axle C as a centre. The shaft q¹ is
carried by the fork R to which the pole R¹ of the machine is fixed the two
limbs of the fork R being provided with bearings outside the frame O and in
which the axle C revolves.
The depth which the tines M enter the ground can be regulated by adjusting the
trailing wheel S which is carried by the fork s¹ the stems of which is fixed by
the set screw t¹ to the back part of the machine frame O, so that by slackening this
set screw the shank s² of the fork s¹ can be slided in its bearing block 3 and thus
the roller S can be fixed at any required distance from the frame O to allow the
tines M to dig down to the proper depth.
In combination with the cylinder A made with the tines M arranged in the
spiral form as described, I prefer to use the share U which is carried by the
bracket N2 of the machine frame and is shaped so as to go underneath the row
of potatoes in front and under the tines M so as to loosen the ground and make
less work for the tines to do. Also I prefer to use in front of the share U the
coulter or skimmer V which is fixed to the bracket N2 of the machine frame O so as
to clear away the potato tops and other rubbish and prevent them coming in contact
with the tines.
The accompanying drawings illustrate what I consider to be the best way of
carrying my invention into practice but it is to be understood that my invention
is not limited to the precise details shewn and also that the cylinder A may, with-
out departing from the nature of my invention, be provided with two three or
more spiral rows of tines instead of only the one spiral row as described and shewn
upon my drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a potato digging machine the employment of a revolving barrel arranged
lengthwise of the machine and receiving rotary motion from the axle of the two
road travelling wheels said barrel being provided with projecting tincs arranged
at short intervals apart in one or more spiral rows running round or partly round
said barrel from end to end for the purpose and substantially as set forth.
2. In a potato digging machine the employment of the barrel A arranged
lengthwise of the machine and receiving rotary motion from the axle of the two
road travelling wheels said barrel being provided with the projecting tines M
which are curved and bent forward and arranged at short intervals apart in one
or more spiral rows running round or partly round said barrel from end to end
for the purpose and substantially as set forth.
3. In a potato digging machine of the kind denoted under Claims 1 and 2, and
in combination with the revolving barrel provided with the projecting tines
arranged at short intervals apart in one or more spiral rows running round or partly
round the barrel from end to end, the employment of the share U arranged in front
of the said barrel for the purpose and substantially as set forth.
4. In a potato digging machine of the kind denoted under Claims 1 and 2, and
in combination with the revolving barrel provided with the projecting tines
arranged at short intervals apart in one or more spiral rows running round or

page_text: partly round the barrel from end to end, the employment of the share U and
coulter V arranged in front of the said barrel for the purposes and substantially as
set forth,
5. A potato digging machine constructed and arranged substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.