Improvements in Machines for Digging Potatoes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Oct., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 22nd July, 1896-Accepted, 22nd Aug., 1896
Improvements in Machines for Digging Potatoes.
We, JAMES EDWARD RANSOME, and JAMES ARTHUR LEWIS, both of
Orwell Works, Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk, Engineers, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to that class of potato digging machine, which has a
share for going under the roots and a rotary vertical wheel at the rear end
furnished with arms, prongs, breasts or other suitable parts for throwing out the
potatoes, working transversely to the rows of potatoes and driven by suitable
gearing from the road wheels.
In order more effectually to raise all the potatoes and not to leave any of them
in the earth and especially on the off side of the machine, there is employed in
connection with the rotary vertical wheel above mentioned a rotary forked disc
also driven by the road wheels. This forked disc lies in a slightly inclined but.
nearly horizontal position directly behind the share. It is furnished with prongs
and moves in the same direction when operating on the crop as the prongs or
breasts of the vertical wheel.
Instead of a portion of the soil and of the potatoes falling behind the share
direct on to the ground and some of them being buried, as has happened heretofore
they fall on to this forked disc and are scattered over the surface of the ground
behind the machine leaving the potatoes exposed on the surface. This forked disc
is driven by bevil gearing at the end of the spindle of the vertical wheel and is
supported by a suitable connection with the main frame of the machine. The
front of the forked disc revolves close up to the back of the share and underneath
the extremity of the arms of the vertical wheel. As the forked disc is required to
work at different angles according to the size of the potato ridges and condition of
the soil, a suitable adjustment is provided for this purpose.
The above description refers to a right handed machine, but it is evident the
parts can be applied to a left handed machine, the position of the parts and motions
being reversed.
When breasts, or double prongs, or prongs standing out from the radial arms are
used on the vertical wheel which throws out the potatoes, it is often an advantage
to be able to set these parts at a greater or less angle to suit the state and character
of the soil. To this end the radial arms are made of round section and clipped
tightly to the nave by suitable screw adjustment.
In some cases, instead of using the forked disc, the share blade is lengthened on
the off side, which passes under the roots, and to the end of it which is left nearly
horizontal there are attached a number of lifting prongs extending rearward and
acting on the soil on the off side, passing under the soil and potatoes which may be
left by the vertical wheel. The action is to level the land and bring any of the
potatoes that may be left in the soil to the surface.
In order to give a shaking motion to the lifting prongs attached to the share,
horizontal bar, lying transversely and carrying all the prongs, is sometimes
jointed to the share and on one of the prongs there is mounted a small wheel or
runner having three spokes or arms. As the machine moves forward the runner
revolves and each spoke in turn as it passes beneath the centre lifts the prongs and
then lets them fall again directly so a lifting and dropping motion is imparted to

page_text: the lifting prongs which causes the soil to pass through whilst the potatoes are
brought to the surface.
J. E. RANSOME.
J. A. LEWIS.
We, JAMES EDWARD RANSOME, and JAMES ARTHUR LEWIS, both of
Orwell Works, Ipswich in the County of Suffolk, Engineers, 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 :-
These improvements relate to that class of potato digging machine which has a
share for going under the roots and a rotary vertical wheel at the rear end
furnished with arms, prongs, breasts or other suitable parts for throwing out the
potatoes, working transversely to the rows of potatoes and driven by suitable
gearing from the road wheels.
In order more effectually to raise all the potatoes and not to leave any of them
in the earth and especially on the off side of the machine there is employed in
connection with the rotary vertical wheel above mentioned a rotary forked disc
also driven by the road wheels. This forked disc lies in a slightly inclined but
nearly horizontal position directly behind the share. It is furnished with prongs
and moves in the same direction when operating on the crop as the prongs or
breasts of the vertical wheel.
Instead of a portion of the soil and of the potatoes falling behind the share
direct on to the ground and some of them being buried, as has happened heretofore
they fall on to this forked disc and are scattered over the surface of the ground
behind the machine leaving the potatoes exposed on the surface. This forked dise
is driven by bevil gearing at the end of the spindle of the vertical wheel and is
supported by a suitable connection with the main frame of the machine. The
front of the forked disc revolves close up to the back of the share and underneath
the extremity of the arms of the vertical wheel. As the forked disc is required to
work at different angles according to the size of the potato ridges and condition of
the soil, a suitable adjustment is provided for this purpose.
The above description refers to a right handed machine, but it is evident the
parts can be applied to a left handed machine, the position of the parts and motions
being reversed.
When breasts, or double prongs, or prongs standing out from the radial arms
are used on the vertical wheel which throws out the potatoes it is often an
advantage to be able to set these parts at a greater or less angle to suit the state
and character of the soil. To this end the radial arms are made of round section
and clipped tightly to the nave by suitable screw adjustment.
In some cases instead of using the forked disc the share blade is lengthened on
the off side which passes under the roots, and to the end of it which is left nearly
horizontal there are attached a number of lifting prongs extending rearward and
acting on the soil on the off side, passing under the soil and potatoes which may be
left by the vertical wheel. The action is to level the land and bring any of the
potatoes that may be left in the soil to the surface.
In order to give a shaking motion to the lifting prongs attached to the share a
horizontal bar, lying transversely and carrying all the prongs is sometimes jointed
to the share and on one of the prongs there is mounted a small wheel or runner
having three spokes or arms. As the machine moves forward the runner revolves
and each spoke in turn as it passes beneath the centre lifts the prongs and then
lets them fall again directly so a lifting and dropping motion is imparted to the

page_text: lifting prongs which causes the soil to pass through whilst the potatoes are brought
to the surface.
Figure 1 is a side elevation. Figure 2 is a plan and Figure 3 a rear elevation of
a potato-digging machine constructed according to this invention. A is a rotary
wheel having radial arms B furnished with skimmers or digging breasts C C C.
D is a rotary disc with prongs E E E which are either radial or preferably more
or less tangential to the disc D and may be either straight or curved. The rotary
disc D is driven by bevel gearing enclosed in the case F at the end of the spindle
of the vertical rotary wheel A. The disc D is also supported by the bar G.
This bar is so arranged that the disc D can be moved radially from a horizontal to
an inclined position as required. The disc D rotates directly behind the share H
and moves in the same direction when operating on the crop as the breasts or
prongs C of the rotary vertical wheel A.
Figures 4 and 5 shew a detailed arrangement on a larger scale of the adjustment
of the arms B in the rotary vertical wheel A. The radial arms B are made of
round section and are clipped tightly to the nave by eye-bolts J, so that the
breasts CCC may be set at a greater or less angle to suit the character of
the soil.
In place of using the rotary forked disc D the arrangement shewn at Figure 6
may be adopted. In this case the prongs K K are fixed to the share blade H and
extend rearward and passing under the soil and potatoes on the off side, let the
soil pass through and leave the potatoes exposed to view. In order more effectually
to accomplish this a shaking motion may be given to the prongs K K. Figures 7
and 8 shew these prongs K K attached to a separate cross bar L hinged to the
share H. On one of the forks K is mounted a small wheel or runner O, having
three or more spokes or arms. This wheel revolves as the machine moves forward
and imparts a shaking movement to the prongs K. K.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:
1. In a potato-digging machine the combination with a vertical transverse wheel
of a horizontal or inclined forked disc behind the share for more effectually
separating the potatoes substantially as described.
2. Adjustably connecting the radial arms to the vertical transverse wheel so that
the breasts or prongs carried by the arms can be set at a greater or lesser angle
with the wheel substantially as described.
3. The combination with the share of a set of prongs attached either rigidly or
by joints to its off side for separating the potatoes substantially as described.
4. The combination with the subject matter of the third claim of means for
giving a shaking motion to the prongs substantially as described.
5. Machines for digging potatoes substantially as described and shewn in the
drawings.
J. E. RANSOME.
J. A. LEWIS.