IMPROVEMENTS IN ELEVATORS OR APPARATUS FOR STACKING HAY, STRAW, WHEATSHEAVES, AND OTHER PRODUCE
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Roberts, of Deanshanger Ironworks, in the County
of Northampton, Agricultural Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN ELEVATORS OR APPARATUS FOR STACKING HAY, STRAW, WHEATSHEAVES,
AND OTHER PRODUCE"
Sealed the 5th March 1880, and dated the 19th September 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Roberts at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th September 1879.
HENRY ROBERTS, of Deanshanger Ironworks, in the County of Northampton,
Agricultural Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELEVATORS OR APPARATUS FOR
STACKING HAY, STRAW, WHEATSHEAVES, AND OTHER PRODUCE."
My Invention relates to elevators or stackers for raising or stacking hay, straw,
wheatsheaves, and other agricultural produce, and it has for its object to enable
the upper length or section of the folding trough to be unfolded and raised into
position over a partly finished stack, or to be lowered and folded down after the
stack is completed whilst the apparatus is in position against the stack, i.e., without
being obliged, in the one case, to raise the trough before the apparatus is moved
up to the stack, or in the other case, to run the apparatus back from the stack in
order to lower the trough as is the case with stackers and elevators as usually con-
structed and operated. To this end my Invention consists in operating the upper
length or section of the trough by gear applied thereto at or near the joint on
which it turns in such manner as to unfold or fold it and simultaneously raise to
the desired angle, or lower down both lengths or sections of the trough, or instead
of raising or lowering both sections simultaneously, the gear might be similarly
applied to operate only the upper length or section, the lower section being raised
by separate tackle. One arrangement of gear consists of a pair of circular racks
or toothed segments bolted one to each side of the upper section of the trough and
concentric with the joint on which it turns. With these racks or segments gear
pinions keyed on a cross shaft mounted beneath the upper end of the lower section
of the trough. Upon this shaft is also keyed a worm pinion with which gears a
worm on a longitudinal shaft that extends the whole length of the lower section
and is geared at the lower end with another cross shaft operated by a winch handle

page_text: at the side of the machine. In this case the upper section is suspended by chains
passing over sheaves at the top of poles rising from the base frame and down to a
windlass mounted in said frame, and the operation of the gear above described
is to simultaneously unfold and raise both sections to the desired angle.
Instead however of racks and toothed gear as above described the racks might
be replaced by segments of pulleys similarly fixed to the upper section, or by lever
arms to which rope tackle would be connected for raising and lowering the upper
section whilst the lower section is supported in the raised position by other means.
In either case the rake, chains, or belts are brought to their proper tension when
the apparatus is in the raised or extended position and are slackened sufficient to
allow it to be folded down by making the bearings of the upper drum movable and
operating them by a sliding rod which extends longitudinally beneath the upper
section and terminates in a friction roller which abuts against a bracket fixed on
the upper end of the lower section when the two sections are brought into line with
one another.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Roberts in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th March
1880.
HENRY ROBERTS, of Deanshanger Ironworks, in the County of Northampton,
Agricultural Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELEVATORS OR APPARATUS FOR
STACKING HAY, STRAW, WHEATSHEAVES, AND OTHER PRODUCE."
My Invention relates to elevators or stackers for raising or stacking hay, straw,
wheatsheaves, and other agricultural produce, and it has for its object to enable
the upper length or section of the folding trough to be unfolded and raised into
position over a partly finished stack, or to be lowered and folded down after the
stack is completed whilst the apparatus is in position against the stack, i.e., without
being obliged in the one case to raise the trough before the apparatus is moved
close up to the stack, or in the other case to run the apparatus back from the
stack in order to lower the trough as is the case with stackers and elevators as
usually constructed and operated. According to my Invention the upper length
or section of the trough is operated by gear applied thereto at or near the joint
on which it turns in such manner as to raise or unfold it from the lower section
or to fold it down thereon. Simultaneously with this movement the lower section
may be raised to the desired angle, or lowered down as the case may be, but when
operated by one man only the lower section would be first raised and the upper
section then unfolded, and vice versú in lowering the elevator. One arrangement
of gear consists of a pair of circular racks or toothed segments bolted one to each
side of the upper section of the trough and concentric with the joint on which it
turns. With these racks or segments gear pinions keyed on a cross shaft mounted

page_text: beneath the upper end of the lower section of the trough. Upon this shaft is also
keyed a worm pinion with which gears a worm on a longitudinal shaft that extends
the whole length of the lower section, and is geared at the lower end with another
cross shaft operated by a winch handle at the side of the machine.
In this case the elevator is raised to its proper inclination by chain tackle
attached to the upper section and passing over sheaves at the top of poles rising
from the base frame down to a windlass mounted in said frame. Instead however
of racks and toothed gear as above described, the racks might be replaced by
segments of pulleys similarly fixed to the upper section (or by lever arms) to
which rope tackle would be connected for raising and lowering the upper
section whilst the lower section is supported in the raised position by the other
tackle.
In either case the rake, chains, or belts are brought to their proper tension when
the apparatus is in the raised or extended position and are slackened sufficiently
to allow it to be folded down by making the bearings of the upper drum movable
and operating them by a sliding rod which extends longitudinally beneath the
upper section and terminates in a friction roller which abuts against a bracket
fixed on the upper end of the lower section when the two sections are brought into
line with one another.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved stacker or elevator in its raised and
extended position. Figure 2 is a cross section of the same at the joint of the upper
and lower sections of the trough drawn to a larger scale. Figure 3 is a side view
on a still larger scale showing details of the joint on which the upper section works,
and of the gear for operating the said upper section. Figure 4 shows the movable
bearing of the upper drum over which the rake, chains, or belts pass.
The gear
shown in these Figures is the toothed gear first herein described, which is the
arrangement I prefer.
A is the upper and B the lower section of the trough. These two sections are
jointed together at C, and the lower section B works on a joint at D upon the
inain or base frame E, which is mounted on wheels for travelling, and provided with
a hopper F at the bottom of the lower section B.
G are the poles or uprights (one at each side of the trough) by which the trough is
supported in its raised position. They are pivoted to short uprights rising from
the main frame E and are maintained in the upright position by their lower ends
being bolted or clamped to the wheel axle. The elevator is raised and supported
by chains H attached to the upper section A as shown, and passing over sheaves g
at the top of the uprights G down to a windlass I on the main frame E. All these
parts are much the same as usual; the gear shown in these Figures for operating
the upper section A consists of a pair of toothed segments K each equal to about
three fourths of an entire circle, and each cast in one with a plate k by which it is
bolted to the side of the trough A, there being one of these segments at each side.
Each segment K is concentric with the joint C on which the upper section A turns,
the joint being formed by a bolt C passing through the centre of each segment K
and through a knuckle in an iron strap L bolted one to each side of the section B.
M are pinions gearing with segments K. They are keyed on a cross shaft N hung
beneath the lower section B and turning in bearings in arms or extensions of the
straps L. O is a worm pinion also keyed on this shaft, and P is a worm gearing
therewith and keyed on a longitudinal shaft Q running from top to bottom of the
section B and turning in brackets fixed to the underside thereof. At its lower end
said shaft gears by bevel gear with another cross shaft R mounted in bearings
bolted to the underside of section B, and passing through a curved slot in the side
of the hopper to allow of the section B being raised and lowered on its pivot, a
winch handle being applied to one or both ends of said shaft R, whereby to

page_text: operate the gear just described, and cause the upper section A to turn over on the
joint C.
When lowered or folded for travelling the lower section B lays flat on the
base frame E, and the upper section A is folded down on B and the poles G are
lowered.
The elevator may be raised into the position shown in Figure 1 by one man by
first turning windlass I to raise the lower section B by means of tackle H (the
upper section A being still folded down), and then turning shaft R by means of
its winch handle in order to drive pinions M, and thereby rotate the segments K,
and with them the section A, which is thus unfolded and brought into line with
section B, or both these operations may be performed simultaneously by two men.
In either case the weight of both sections is all the time borne by the chains H
passing over uprights G, the worm gear O, P, keeping the joint C always rigid by
preventing the pinions M being rotated except as above described.
S are the rake chains or belts passing round drums T, T¹, as usual. The axis of
the drum T is mounted in movable bearings U shown separately in Figure 4. These
bearings U slide in a guide u on the underside of the section A to admit of the rake
chains or belts being slackened when the section A is folded down on B. In order
to draw the rake chains or belts to their proper tension when section A is unfolded
and raised, a rod V is attached to each bearing U and extends down to the
lower end of section A, being fitted to slide in guides von the underside thereof.
This rod V terminates in a head or roller W which when the bearing U is slid
downwards to slacken the chains, projects beyond the lower end of the section A,
and as the latter comes into line with section B abuts against a bracket X fixed at
top of section B, thereby sliding the bearing U and drum T upwards, and so
tightening the rake chains or belts.
Having described the nature of my Invention and the manner of performing the
same I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. The employment of toothed segments fixed to the upper section of the trough,
in combination with gear mounted on the lower section and meshing with
said segments for operating the upper section of the trough, substantially as
described.
2nd. The combination of the toothed segments K, pinions M on cross shaft N,
worm gear O, P, longitudinal shaft Q, and cross shaft R, applied to operate
the jointed sections of an elevator trough, substantially as shown and described.
3rd. The movable chain drum bearings attached to rods fitted to slide along
the one section of the trough and operated by contact with a fixed abutment on
the other section of the trough, substantially as and for the purpose shown and
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Roberts, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventeenth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
HENRY. ROBERTS. (L.S.)