Twitch.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Oct, 1887
Specification Accepted, 11th Nov, 1887
Twitch.
I, SAMUEL JASPER COOLE, Engineer, of Coleford, in the County of Gloucester,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, and accompanying drawing (that is to say) :-
:-
This invention relates to machines used for forking out and removing twitch from
land which has been ploughed, dug, or otherwise cultivated, and for cleaning such
land by the removal of weeds. It is applicable more especially for use on land which
has been cultivated by steam digging machinery, in which case the twitch or weeds
remain below the surface of the soil and it is desirable to fork them out and remove
them.
The improved machine consists of a frame preferably of iron to which are attached
shafts or other appliances by which the power of horses can be applied.
The front part of the frame carries below, a transverse shaft or axis revolving in
bearings in the frame, the part between the bearings being square or otherwise shaped
to receive a series of parallel crushing rollers or wheels of suitable shape which fit
freely upon the shaft but so that as they revolve they turn the shaft with them. To
plates or brackets turning freely upon the axle, or to the lower ends of the side
frames near the bearings are bolted or otherwise fixed the front ends of horizontal
frames or plates, which carry bearings for toothed wheels which gear with and are
driven by corresponding toothed wheels preferably of larger diameter, fixed upon the
first described shaft just inside the side frames or by chains or other equivalent
devices. The horizontal frames are prolonged back beyond the toothed wheels which
they carry as described, and have formed upon or attached to them at or near their
back ends bearings which carry a second transverse shaft which revolves in them and
has fixed upon its ends smaller toothed wheels or pinions which gear with those
already described, so that when the machine is drawn forward the last mentioned
shaft is made to revolve in the same direction as the roller shaft but at a greater
speed. The shaft so driven is made square or of other suitable shape between the
bearings to receive a sufficient number of revolving forks which are fitted freely
upon it.
Each revolving fork is formed with four, or any other desired number, of radial
arms, curved forward at their points so that the latter enter. the ground to any desired
depth or angle, breaking the latter and catching and bringing to the surface the
twitch and weeds which are to be removed, the arms moving at a considerably greater
speed than that at which the machine is travelling.

page_text: The twitch and weeds so removed may be thrown forward by the arms as they
revolve, and caught in a moveable basket or box, preferably formed of wire, so that
it acts as a sieve to separate earth and dirt, carried by the machine, in a way somewhat
similar to that in which grass cut by a mowing machine is caught.
In order to determine the depth to which the forks enter the ground, the horizontal
frames carry at their back ends sockets in which are fitted adjustable bars carrying
wheels or rollers which run over the ground and the height of which can be adjusted
as desired.
By loosening the bolts which attach the horizontal frames to the side frames of the
machine as described, the former together with its toothed wheels and the shaft
carrying the revolving forks can be at once removed, so that the remainder of the
machine can be used as a simple roller or clod crusher.
I prefer to allow a sufficient number of the end rollers to turn freely upon the
driving shaft, so as to allow the machine more easily to pass round corners.
The side frames and other parts of the apparatus are tied together and strengthened
by stays where necessary, and I prefer to make the horizontal frames double,
(in play), the toothed wheels working between their two sides, and in this way great
strength and stability are obtained.
The accompanying drawing is in illustration of my invention, figure 1 being a side
view and figure 2 a plan of the improved machine. a a are the side frames of the
machine, connected by stays b, b1, to which the horse shafts (or pole) are fixed. dis
a transverse shaft or axle turning in bearings e e¹, in the frames, the shaft having
fitted upon it the parallel rollers or wheels f, so that as they turn, they turn the
shaft d with them.
•
9, g', are moveable frames bolted at o to plates or brackets turning freely upon the
shaft d, and carrying the intermediate toothed wheels i which gear with the toothed
wheels h upon the shaft d, and also with the toothed pinions k upon the transverse
shaft turning in bearings upon the frames g, g', and m, m, m, are revolving forks
(one of which is shown separately in figure 3) fitted upon the shaft and carried
round with it.
These forks may be kept at their proper distances apart by distance pieces m³, or
they may have central bosses cast or formed upon them, as shewn in figure 2, or
figure 5, and they are preferably curved at their points as shewn so that they enter.
the ground and fork up and remove the twitch and weeds as already described.
n, n', are guide wheels carried by the front part of the frames g, g¹, and the height of
which is readily adjustable. The frames g, g¹, are fixed by bolts at o, so that they can
be readily removed and the wheels fused as crushing rollers only.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination of the frames a, a¹, shaft d, wheels or rollers f, moveable
frames g, g', toothed wheels and pinions h, i, k, shaft 7 and revolving forks n, substan-
tially as described and shewn in the drawing.
2. In combination with the moveable frames g, g³, toothed wheels and pinions h, i, k,
shaft, and revolving forks m, the adjustable guide wheels n, n', substantially as
described and shewn in the drawing.
3. The moveable basket or receptacle for receiving and collecting the twitch and
weeds removed by the revolving forks, substantially as described.
Dated this 10th day of October 1887.
EDWARDS & Co.,
35, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Inventor.