Improvements in Apparatus for Washing Hop Plants, Vines, or for like purposes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 7th Dec., 1893-Accepted, 13th Jan., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Washing Hop Plants, Vines, or for
like purposes.
We, WILLIAM WEEKS & SON LIMITED of Perseverance Iron Works,
Maidstone in the County of Kent and EDMUND GASCOINE Junior of the same
place Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
This invention relates to apparatus for washing hop plants, vines and for like
purposes and is more especially intended for use for washing plants or vines which
are trained on what is known as the " string system" that is where the plants or
vines are trained on overhead slanting strings or the like extending from a lower
position on one pole to a higher position on the next.
According to this invention the apparatus consists of a reservoir and pump
mounted upon wheels as usual but the apparatus is provided with brackets or
supports carrying bearings upon which a frame is mounted so that it can be turned
thereon in a plane at or about right angles to the line of travel of the apparatus.
This frame carries pipes preferably extending across the frame transversely and
provided with outlets or nozzles through which the liquid is ejected as the apparatus
is traversed along the alleys beneath the plants or vines. The pump supplies the
liquid through pipes or passages connected to the centre upon which the frame can
be turned and a pipe or passage extends from the said centre and communicates
with the pipes carried by the frame. The frame is set to one side to correspond
with the incline of the strings above, and after traversing that alley the angular
position of the frame is reversed by turning it upon its aforesaid centres so as to
bring it into the necessary reversed direction to correspond with the incline of the
strings of the next alley and so on alternately. The pipes through which the
liquid is emitted may be provided with an arrangement of levers connected together
so that when the frame is reversed the pipes are maintained in or brought to such a
position as to eject the washing liquid in the necessary direction.
The frame may be retained in its positions by spring catcbes or other equivalent
engaging devices.
Dated this 7th day of March 1893.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Washing Hop Plants, Vines. or for
like purposes.
We, WILLIAM WEEKS & SON LIMITED, of Perseverance Iron Works,
Maidstone, in the County of Kent, and EDMUND GASCOINE Junior, of the same
place, Engineer 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 relates to apparatus for washing hop plants, vines, and for like
purposes and is more especially intended for use for washing plants or vines which
are-trained on what is known as the "string system?" that is where the plants or vines

page_text: are trained on overhead slanting strings or the like extending from a lower position
on one pole to a higher position on the next.
According to this invention the apparatus consists of a reservoir and pump
mounted upon wheels as usual-but the apparatus is provided with brackets or
supports carrying bearings upon which a frame is mounted so that it can be turned
thereon in a plane at or about right angles to the line of travel of the apparatus.
This frame carries pipes preferably extending across the frame transversely and
provided with outlets or nozzles through which the liquid is ejected as the apparatus
is traversed along the alleys beneath the plants or vines. The pump supplies the
liquid through pipes or passages connected to the centre upon which the frame can
be turned and a pipe or passage extends from the said centre and communicates
with the pipes carried by the frame. The frame is set to one side to correspond
with the incline of the strings above and after traversing that alley the angular
position of the frame is reversed by turning it upon its aforesaid centres so as to
bring it into the necessary reversed direction to correspond with the incline of the
strings of the next alley and so on alternately. The pipes through which the
liquid is emitted may be provided with an arrangement of levers connected together
so that when the frame is reversed the pipes are maintained in or brought to such
a position as to eject the washing liquid in the necessary direction.
The frame may be retained in its positions by spring catches or other equivalent
engaging devices.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a perspective view of an apparatus
constructed according to this invention and
Figures 2 and 3 represent in side elevation and plan respectively a modification
showing a duplicate arrangement of jet pipes as hereinafter described.
Referring to Figure 1A is the tank or reservoir containing the liquid to be
distributed the said tank being mounted on wheels B as usual to facilitate its
movement. Secured to the tank A are brackets C carrying at their upper ends a
pipe D on which a frame E is mounted so as to be capable of being oscillated
thereon in a plane at about right angles to the line of travel of the apparatus.
This frame carries pipes F connected by suitable couplings to a flexible tube G
provided with a cock H to which is also connected the pipe D and other pipes I
communicating with the pump K in connection with the tank A; by means of
which pump liquid from the tank is forced into and through the pipes I, G, F and D.
The admission of the liquid to these pipes may be regulated or cut off as required
by cocks L on the pipes I and the cock H on the flexible tube G. Connected to
the pump K by flexible connections M are other pipes N arranged on both sides of
the tank A and provided with cocks O by which the admission of liquid to these
pipes may be regulated as required. The pipes D F and N have perforations
therein fitted with nozzles a through which nozzles when the apparatus is in action,
the liquid issues in the form of spray. When the apparatus is at work the liquid
is forced by the pump K through the pipes I into the pipe D and through the
cock H and flexible pipe G into the pipes F the frame E being set at an angle
either to one side or the other corresponding to the angle or direction of inclination
of the overhead strings carrying the plants or vines so that the jets of fluid issuing
from the nozzles a will act uniformly on the overhead portions of the plants on
vines.
When the apparatus has traversed one alley the angular position of the frame E
is reversed by turning it on the pipe D so as to correspond with the direction of
the incline or angle of the overhead strings of the next alley through which the
apparatus is traversed to the end from which it started and so on alternately
the inclination or angle of the frame E being reversed at the end of each alley.
To secure the frame in its angular position, retaining devices of any suitable
kind such for example as spring catches may be provided on the tank or other
convenient part of the apparatus to engage the frame and retain it in its adjusted
position.
To maintain the nozzles a in the required position to emit the washing liquid in

page_text: the desired direction when the angle of the frame E is reversed the pipes F are
mounted so as to be free to turn in holes in the frame and are connected by links
or levers P to a rod or bar Q centred to the bracket C at a point below the pipe D
on which the frame turns so that when the frame is turned on the pipe D the
bar Qand links P will cause the pipes F to turn in the holes in the frame and
maintain the nozzles in the same position that they occupied before the frame was
reversed and thereby ensure the jets or sprays of liquid being emitted in the
required direction in whatever position the frame may be placed.
The pipes N arranged on opposite sides of the tank are provided for the
purpose of distributing the washing liquid onto the plants or vines forming the
vertical walls of the alleys. These pipes are carried in sockets 6 which are
capable of being adjusted in height in brackets c on the tank A the pipes N being
also capable of being turned in the sockets 6 so as to vary as required the direction
of the jets of liquid emitted from the nozzles d.
The sides of the frame E are each made in two parts connected together by
bolts e so that by removing these bolts one half of the frame only may be turned
on the pipe D so as to form a double incline to suit alley of plants or vines having
roofs sloping or inclined from the centre to the two opposite sides."
In the arrangement illustrated by Figures 2 and 3 the frame E carries in
addition to the pipes D and F other pipes F and instead of only one cock H for
governing the supply of liquid to the pipes F two three-way cocks H H2 are
provided so that by means of these cocks the supply of liquid may be cut off from
the set of pipes F and admitted into the pipes For vice versa or the liquid may be
admitted to all the pipes F and F at one time or to only those carried by one
half of the frame as required. The liquid is forced by the pump K from the
tank or reservoir A through the pipe I into the pipe D and through the flexible
pipe G into one or other of the sets of pipes F through the cock H or H2 as
required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In apparatus for washing hop plants, vines, or for like purposes, a frame
mounted so that it can be turned in a plane at or about right angles to the line of
travel of the apparatus the said frame carrying pipes provided with outlets or
nozzles which by the adjustment of the position of the frame are brought to
different inclinations substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In apparatus arranged as claimed by the preceding claiming clause the
combination of levers which when the frame is adjusted in position maintain the
pipes or nozzles in, or bring them into, proper position to direct the washing
liquid in the required direction, substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. The arrangements and combinations of parts constituting the apparatus for
washing hop plants or for like purposes substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 7th day of December 1893.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.