Improvements in and relating to Machinery or Apparatus for Compressing or Baling Hay and other Materials.
Year: 1885

page_text: Improvements in and relating to Machinery or Apparatus for
Compressing or Baling Hay and other Materials.
I, HERBERT CHURCHILL CAPEL, of 34 Arminger Road, Shepherd's Bush, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR COM-
PRESSING OR BALING HAY AND OTHER MATERIALS" to be as follows:-
My invention relates to machinery or apparatus for compressing or baling hay
and other materials.
My said invention comprises a horizontal press wherein the follower is operated
by a drum or pulley and a chain or rope through the medium of a toggle-joint
or its equivalent. It, moreover, comprises various improvements hereinafter
described.
My improved press is conveniently and advantageously constructed as follows,
viz provide a strong frame of wood or other suitable material, in one end of
which is the fixed head of the press, and in which the follower is fitted to slide.
The said follower is connected with a cross-bar at the other end of the said frame
by a toggle-joint. The link of this toggle-joint next the follower is, by preference,
made about twice as long as the other link thereof. A pulley is fitted to rotate
upon the pin which couples the links of the said toggle-joint. A chain is attached
at one end of the said frame, and is passed around this pulley, then around another
pulley fitted to rotate upon a pin or stud secured in the frame. In some cases
however, the last named pulley is fitted to rotate in a frame pivotted at one end to
a cross-bar fixed to the main frame, and supported at the other end by a roller, so
that the pulley can shift to adapt itself to the direction in which the chain is
moving. The said chain is then wound around a peculiarly shaped drum or pulley
fixed on a vertical shaft supported in bearings attached to the said frame, the end
of the chain being firmly attached to the said drum or pulley."
A flanged sleeve provided with a socket is fitted to rotate upon the said shaft
above the drum or pulley. The said socket is designed to receive one end of a
pole whereby the machine is to be driven by one or more horses or other draught-
animals moving continuously in a circular path.
To enable the drum or pulley and the vertical shaft to be connected with the
said flanged sleeve at will, I provide the following devices, that is to say:-I make
a vertical hole through the said drum or pulley and insert therein a sliding bolt,

page_text: The flange of the said sleeve is made with a series of segmental slots into either of
which the said bolt will enter when pushed upward as hereinafter described.
A plate is attached to the frame, beneath the said drum or pulley, and a rod or bar
is fitted to slide up and down in a lug attached to the frame and in a hole in the
said plate. This rod or bar is coupled at its lower end to one arm of a lever
pivotted to the frame of the machine, the other arm of which lever extends
outward from the machine into a suitable position to permit of its being worked
by hand. The said rod or bar is so placed that, when the said drum or pulley is
in the position which it occupies when the follower is at the rear end of its stroke,
the aforesaid sliding bolt will be above and in line with the said rod or bar. By
depressing the outwardly projecting arm of the said lever, the sliding bolt will be
forced upward by the said rod or bar, so that it will enter one of the segmental
slots in the flange of the aforesaid sleeve or otherwise engage with the said sleeve.
The drum or pulley will thus be connected with the said sleeve so that it will
rotate therewith.
In order to ensure the automatic disconnection of the drum or pulley from the
said sleeve at the proper time, I make the said sliding bolt with a notch or a
projection and I provide upon the aforesaid plate or upon the frame of the press
a projecting piece having an inclined under surface, which will engage with the
said bolt, as soon as the follower has been pushed to the end of its forward stroke,
and will withdraw the said bolt from the slot in the flanged sleeve, so that the
latter, in its continued rotation, will be independent of the drum or pulley until
again connected therewith by the lever as above described.
I provide the drum or pulley with a series of teeth or projections, so that, when
the bay or other material has been compressed, the aforesaid rod or bar will engage
with one of the said teeth and lock the follower and other parts in position, until
they are released by drawing down the said rod or bar by means of the lever to
which it is coupled. When the bale has been bound, the said rod or bar is dis-
engaged from the teeth on the drum or pulley and the follower is instantly forced
back to its rearmost position by the reaction of the compressed bale and the weight
of the toggle-joint.
During the first portion of the forward movement of the follower, when pressing
hay or other material, the operation of the press requires comparatively little
power but, the more the material is pressed the greater is the power required to
work the press. I therefore prefer to make the aforesaid drum or pulley of
irregular semi-elliptical shape, that is to say, of such shape that, at the commence-
ment of its movement it will wind up the chain with considerable rapidity and
with correspondingly little power, but, as the material is compressed, the power
exerted by the drum or pulley on the chain will be increased and the speed of
winding correspondingly diminished. When, however, the toggle-joint is nearly
straight, the leverage is so great that little power is required to be exerted upon
the chain. I, therefore, make the drum or pulley so that, after it has reached a
certain point in its rotation, the power which it exerts upon the chain will be
diminished and the speed of winding correspondingly increased. I thus provide for
ensuring uniformity or approximate uniformity in the power which has to be
exerted by the horse during the pressing operation.
My improved press is either to be made stationary or it is provided with wheels
so that it can be moved from place to place. I prefer to provide it with a single
pair of wheels which, when the press is to be used, can be sunk in the ground so
that the frame of the press will rest upon the ground or upon suitable supports.
The said press is sometimes slightly modified in construction to adapt it to be
driven by steam or other power. It may, if desired, be provided with a box to
enclose the material to be baled.
In some cases, the chain attached to the toggle-joint is arranged to be wound
upon a drum or pulley fixed upon a horizontal shaft above the said toggle-joint.
Or instead of the chain and drum or pulley, I employ a crank shaft connected with
the toggle-joint by a suitable connecting rod.

page_text: If desired, two or more toggle joints are employed instead of one as above
described. Or as an equivalent for the toggle-joint, I use a single rod or link
coupled at one end to the follower, and provided at the other end with one or more
wheels or rollers running upon vertical rails or upon a plane surface; in this case
the chain is attached to the said link at or near the end provided with the roller
or rollers.
The chain or chains may be conducted either directly or over one or more pulleys
from the toggle-joint to the actuating drum or pulley.
I sometimes construct the press in such a manner that it can be used in a
vertical instead of a horizontal position.
When the machine is to be used for baling hay or the like, I prefer to provide
means for twisting or spinning hay or other bands or ropes for binding the bales.
For this purpose I arrange in bearings in a suitable frame one or more hollow
shafts, each of which is provided at one end with a forked piece. A flanged drum
is arranged to rotate between the arms or prongs of this forked piece. Two rollers
are fitted to rotate in suitable bearings in proximity to the other end of the hollow
shaft for the purpose of feeding or guiding the bay or other material into the
latter. The hollow shaft is rotated by means of any suitable gearing. A worm-
wheel is fitted upon the same shaft as the said drum and gears with a worm or
endless screw fixed upon one end of a shaft, carried in bearings attached to the said
forked piece, on the other end of the last named shaft is fixed a pinion gearing
with an internally toothed ring attached to the frame so that, when the hollow
shaft is rotated, motion will be imparted to the drum, which will thus be caused to
wind the band or rope upon it, as the said band or rope is formed. If desired
means are provided for transmitting motion from the hollow shaft to one or both of
the feeding rollers.
By preference I connect this spinning or twisting device with the aforesaid
flanged sleeve on the vertical shaft of the press by suitable gearing so that con-
tinuous motion will be imparted to the said device.
By combining spinning or twisting devices with a press I provide for effecting
great economy with respect to time and labour, as one boy can by these means
make the bands or ropes as fast as they are required.
10.1 1
1007
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.

page_text: Compressing or Baling Hay and other Materials.
I, HERBERT CHURCHILL CAPEL, of 34 Arminger Road, Shepherd's Bush, in the
County of Middlesex, 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 :—
My invention relates to machinery or apparatus for compressing or baling hay
and other materials.
One object of my invention is to provide a transportable horizontal press, which
will be simple in construction, compact and effective. Another object of my said
invention is to provide for repeatedly operating a press by the continuous rotation
of a shaft or similar device. A further object of the said invention is to provide
for spinuing or twisting hay or similar material to form ropes or bands to be used
as bale-ties.
My said invention, moreover, comprises various improvements hereinafter set forth.
In the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a plan of a horizontal press made according to my invention.
Figure 2 is a section on the line x, x, Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section, and
Figure 4 a plan, both drawn to an enlarged scale, showing details of construction.
Figure 5 is a view of the underside of a drum or pulley hereinafter described,
also drawn to an enlarged scale.
Figure 6 is an elevation of the right hand side of the said press, showing a
spinning or twisting device or apparatus applied thereto.
Figure 7 is a transverse section on the line a¹, x', Figure 6.
Figure 8 is an elevation of the left hand side of the said press.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
A is the frame of the press, which is made of wood or other suitable material.
B is the bed of the press, which is arranged at one end of the frame A. C is the
platen or follower, which is provided with guide-bars C¹ and is fitted to slide to
and fro in the said frame. The follower is, moreover, provided with a wheel or
roller C2 which runs upon a portion of the frame A, or upon the table or
platform D, to facilitate the to-and-fro movement of the said follower. Upon the
table or platform D is to be placed the hay or other material to be compressed.
This table and the bed B are preferably hinged to the frame as at B¹, D', so that
they can be turned into the positions shown by dotted lines in Figures 1 and 2.
I thus provide for enabling a horse to be harnessed to the press in such a manner
that it will occupy the space in which the hay or other material is placed when
the press is in use. The frame A is provided with short-shafts A* to which the
horse may be attached.
The follower C is connected, by means of a toggle-joint E, E, with a cross-bar F
carried in bearings F¹ attached to the frame A. The link or arm E¹ of this toggle-
joint is, by preference, about twice as long as the link or arni E thereof, so that,

page_text: when the follower is in its rearmost position, the said link or arm E will be
perpendicular or nearly perpendicular.
Gis a pulley, which is fitted to rotate upon a pin or bolt H fixed in a bracket H¹.
I is a chain, which is attached, at one end, to the pin or bolt E' which couples
the two arms of the toggle-joint. This chain is passed around the pulley G and
its other end is attached to a drum or pulley K hereinafter described. The
bracket His pivotted at H2 to a cross-bar A' attached to, or forming a part of,
the frame A, and is supported by a roller H³ upon a cross-bar A2 also attached to,
or forming a part of, the said frame. Therefore the pulley G can change its
position to adapt itself to the direction in which the chain I is moving.
Lis a sleeve or hollow shaft, which is fitted to rotate upon a rod or shaft M
fixed in the frame A. The drum or pulley K is also fitted to rotate upon the said
rod or shaft M. The sleeve or hollow shaft L is provided with a socket L' designed
to receive one end of a pole L³, whereby the said sleeve or shaft may be con-
tinuously rotated by one or more horses or other draught animals moving in a
circular path.
It will be seen that, by arranging the parts as above set forth, the horse or
other animal will have to travel around the entire machine instead of travelling
through or above a portion thereof as heretofore. I am, therefore, enabled to
make the press very compact.
To provide for the connection of the drum or pulley K with the sleeve or
shaft L, when the press is required to operate, I employ the devices hereinafter
described, that is to say ;-I make a vertical hole K' through the drum or pulley K
and insert therein a sliding bolt N, and I provide the sleeve or shaft L with a
flange L³ having, in its underside, a series of segmental slots or notches L into one
or the other of which the said bolt will enter when pushed upward as hereinafter
described. A plate O is attached to the frame A beneath the drum or pulley K,
and a rod or bar P is fitted to slide up and down in holes in the said plate and the
frane A. This rod or bar is coupled, at its lower end, to one arm of a lever Pl
pivotted at P2 to the frame A. The other arm of this lever extends outward from
the said frame into a suitable position to permit its being worked by hand. The
rod or bar P is so placed that, when the said drum or pulley is in the position
which it occupies when the follower is at the rear end of its stroke, the sliding
bolt N will be above, and in line with, the said rod or bar, as shown in Figure 3.
By depressing the outwardly projecting arm of the lever P¹, the sliding bolt N
will be forced upward by the rod or bar P, so that it will enter one of the slots or
notches L in the flange L³ as shown in Figure 3. The drum or pulley K is thus
connected with the said shaft or sleeve so that it will rotate therewith. In this
rotation, the rod or bar P is depressed and held down by a rim or flange K³
extending partly around the drum or pulley K.
In order to ensure the automatic disconnection of the drum or pulley from the
said shaft or sleeve, at the proper time, I make the sliding bolt N with a
projection N¹ baving its upper surface inclined, and I provide, upon the plate O, a
projecting piece O' which will engage with the said bolt, as soon as the follower
reaches the forward end of its stroke or movement, and will withdraw the said
bolt from the slot L, so that the shaft or sleeve L, in its continued rotation, will
be independent of the drum or pulley until again connected therewith by means of
the lever P¹ as above described.
When the follower reaches the forward end of its stroke or movement and the
hay or other material has been compressed thereby, the rod or bar P engages with
one end of the rim or flange K' and thus locks the follower and other parts in
position until they are released by the drawing down of the said rod or bar by
means of the lever P¹. When the bale has been bound, the rod or bar P is disen-
gaged from the rim or flange K2 by raising the lever P¹ and the follower is instantly
forced back to its rearmost position by the reaction or expansion of the compressed
bale assisted by the weight of the toggle-joint E, E¹.

page_text: During the first portion of the forward movement of the follower, when pressing
hay or other material, a comparatively small force is required to operate the press,
but, the more the material is compressed, the greater is the force required to work
the press. I therefore prefer to make the drum or pulley K of irregular semi-
elliptical shape as shown, so that, at the commencement of its movement, it will
wind up the chain with considerable rapidity and with a corresponding force, but,
as the material is compressed, the force exerted by the said drum or pulley on the
chain I will be increased and the speed of winding correspondingly diminished.
When, however, the toggle-joint is nearly straight, the leverage is so great that a
very slight force is required to be exerted upon the chain. I therefore make the
drum or pulley so that, after it has reached a certain point in its rotation, the force
which it exerts upon the chain will be diminished and the speed of winding
correspondingly increased. I thus provide for ensuring uniformity, or approximate
uniformity, of the force exerted by the horse during the pressing operation.
When the machine is to be used for baling hay or the like, I prefer to provide a
device or apparatus for twisting or spinning hay or other material to form bands
or ropes for binding the bales. This device or apparatus is constructed as herein-
after described, that is to say :-a, a are bearings, which are secured to the frame A,
and in which is supported a hollow shaft b, provided, at one end, with a forked
piece b¹. A flanged drum c is mounted upon a shaft c¹ fitted to rotate in bearings
in the arms or prongs of the said forked piece b¹. Two rollers d, are fitted to
rotate in suitable bearings in proximity to the other end of the hollow shaft b for the
purpose of feeding or guiding the bay or other material into the said shaft. The
hollow shaft b is connected by means of gear-wheels e, e¹, e², with a shaft e³on
which is fixed a crank-handle e for imparting rotary motion to the said shaft.
A worm-wheel ƒ is fixed upon the shaft c¹ and gears with a worm or endless
screw g fixed upon one end of a shaft g¹ carried in bearings attached to the forked
piece b¹. On the other end of the shaft gl is fixed a pinion 92 gearing with an
internally toothed ring attached to the frame A. When the hollow shaft b is
rotated, the hay or other material fed into the same by the rollers d, d' is twisted
to form a rope or band, and rotary motion upon or about its axis is imparted to
the drum c, so that the said band or rope, as it is formed, is wound upon the said
drum. The shaft e³ is extended through the frame A and has fixed thereon a
toothed wheel geared, by means of a pinion j, with a toothed wheel ¹ fitted to
rotate upon a pin or stud fixed in the frame A. A bevel gear-wheel ¹ is fixed
or formed on the toothed wheel j¹ and gears with a bevel pinion d² on the axle of
the roller d. The axles of the rollers d, d' are connected by toothed pinions d³, d³,
so that motion will be imparted to the said rollers in opposite directions.
I sometimes connect this spinning or twisting apparatus with the flanged shaft
or sleeve L by means of suitable gearing so that continuous motion will be imparted
to the said apparatus, while the said shaft or sleeve is rotated as above described.
Or I provide other suitable means for operating the said apparatus. By combining
a spinning or twisting device or apparatus with a press in the manner above set
forth, I provide for effecting great economy with respect to time and labour, as one
boy can, by means of the said apparatus, make the bands or ropes as fast as they
are required.
The said spinning or twisting device or apparatus can, if desired, be constructed
and used separately from the press.
The construction of my improved press may be somewhat modified without
departing from the nature of my invention. For instance, instead of attaching the
chain I to the pin or bolt E³, I sometimes pass the said chain around a pulley fitted
to rotate upon the said pin or bolt, and attach the said chain to the cross-bar A¹
And I sometimes substitute, for the peculiarly shaped drum or pulley K, a conical
drum such as those used in windlasses, around which drum two or three turns of
the chain will be wound in operating the press.
In some instances, the chain I is arranged to be wound upon a drum or pulley
fixed upon a horizontal shaft above the toggle-ioint E. E¹. Or. instead of the said

page_text: chain and drum or pulley, I employ a crank-shaft connected with the toggle-joint
by a suitable connecting rod and rotated by horse or other power.
If desired, two or more toggle-joints are employed. Or, as an equivalent for the
toggle-joint, I use a single rod or link coupled, at one end, to the follower, and
provided, at the other end, with one or more wheels or rollers running upon vertical
or inclined rails or plane surfaces; in this case, the chain is attached to the said
link at, or near, the end provided with the roller or rollers. When the said link is
raised, the follower is thereby moved forcibly towards the bed B..
The chain or chains may be conducted either directly, or over one or more pulleys,
from the toggle-joint or from the said rod or bar to the drum or pulley to which it
is attached.
I sometimes construct the press in such a manner that it can be used in a vertical
instead of a horizontal position.
My improved press is either designed to be fixed or stationary, or it is provided
with wheels so that it can be readily transported. I prefer to provide it with a
single pair of wheels (as shown) which, when the press is to be used, can be sunk
in the ground so that the frame of the press will rest thereon or upon suitable
supports.
The said press is sometimes slightly modified in construction to adapt it to be
driven by steam or other power. It may, if desired, be provided with a box to
enclose the material be baled.
In some instances, I so construct the press that the toggle-joint will be raised
above its "dead centre," that is to say, in operating the press, the said toggle-joint
will be first straightened and then slightly bent in the reverse direction to that in
which it was previously bent to draw back the follower. And I provide means
whereby the upward movement of the toggle-joint will be arrested a short distance
above its "dead centre," so that the expansive force of the compressed material will
hold the said toggle-joint in position while the bale is being bound. I am thus
enabled to dispense with the means herein before described for retaining the toggle-
joint in its operative position. In this case, I also provide a lever so arranged that
the toggle-joint can be thereby moved down past its "dead centre" to permit the
backward movement of the follower.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it understood
that I claim :-
First A horizontal press for the purpose above specified, wherein the follower
is repeatedly operated by a horse or other animal moving continuously around the
entire machine.
Second The combination, with the follower, of a toggle-joint or equivalent
device and means for connecting the same with, and disconnecting it from, a
rotating shaft or the like, substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Third The modification of my invention which consists in connecting the bed
and the table or platform to the frame by means of hinge-joints, substantially as,
and for the purpose, set forth.
Fourth-The combination, with the rotating shaft or sleeve L, of the drum or
pulley and means for connecting the same with the said shaft or sleeve and for
automatically disconnecting it therefrom, substantially as, and for the purpose,
set forth.
Fifth The combination of parts comprising the slotted or notched flange L³,
the sliding bolt N adapted to engage with the slots or notches in the said flange,
the rod or bar P, and the lever P¹, substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.
Sixth The combination, with the shaft or sleeve L provided with the notched
flange L³, and the drum or pulley K provided with the sliding bolt N, of the arin
or projection 01, adapted to engage with the said bolt, substantially as, and for the
purpose, set forth.

page_text: Seventh The combination of parts comprising the drum or pulley K, the toggle-
joint E, E and the chain I passed around the pulley G and attached to the said
drum or pulley and to the toggle-joint, substantially as, and for the purposes,
set forth.
Eighth The modification of my invention wherein the said chain is passed
around a pulley carried by the coupling pin or bolt of the toggle-joint and is
attached to the frame, substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Ninth The modification of my invention wherein I provide for moving the
toggle-arms past their "dead centre," as, and for the purpose, specified.
Tenth The improved device or apparatus, substantially as above described, for
spinning or twisting hay or other material to form ropes or bands for the purpose
specified.
Eleventh-The combination, with a press for baling hay and other materials,
of a spinning or twisting device or apparatus, substantially as, and for the purpose,.
set forth.
Twelfth The improved press (with or without the spinning or twisting
apparatus) consisting of the parts constructed and combined substantially as
described with reference to the accompanying drawings and operating as, and
for the purposes, specified.