Improvements in Implements or Apparatus for Cultivating Land.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 14th June, 1899
Complete Spec:fication Left, 14th Mar., 1900-Accepted, 9th June, 1900
Improvements in Implements or Apparatus for Cultivating Land.
We, THOMAS CHURCHMAN DARBY, THOMAS ALBERT DARBY, and SIDNEY CHARLES
DARBY, all of 1'leshey Lodge, Pleshey, near Chelmsford, in the County of Essex,
Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
The invention relates to that class of apparatus described in the Specification of
Letters Patent granted to Thomas Albert Darby and Sidney Charles Darby,
No. 23,928 of the year 1895.
A shaft of the engine gives motion to the main driving wheels by means of a
number of toothed pinions and wheels when the engine is used for digging, but
when the engine is used for traction or other purposes, one of the pinions 18
moved along its shaft and gears direct with another toothed wheel, thus cutting
out two of the gear wheels and allowing the engine to travel at its normal speed.
Instead of employing duck's-foot shaped cutters, we employ dises mounted on
the lower ends of the forks, said discs being preferably convex or slightly conical
or hollow. These discs are capable of turning upon their own axes, and when
they come into contact with the ground, are caused to turn by friction therewith.
In some cases it may be found advisable to drive these discs around their own
A convenient
axes during the whole or part of the revolution of the forks.
method of doing this is to mount a toothed wheel on the top of the axis of each
disc and to fix a toothed wheel to some fixed part of the machine, preferably to
the sleeve or bearing in which the central arm of the fork rotates. The two
exterior toothed wheels gearing with the fixed toothed wheel will thus be caused
to rotate when the fork is rotating. The fixed toothed wheel may be replaced
by a curved lack on one side of the fork only, so that the exterior gear wheels
only receive motion during part of their revolution.
When it is desired to dig or stir the land to a greater depth than usual, we
may attach two discs to each stem of the fork, one or both of which may be flat,
one to stir the land near the surface and the other to stir the underneath portion;
or we may attach one disc to one arm of the fork near the surface of the land, and
the other disc to the other arm of the fork at a lower depth. In this latter case
the upper dise may be larger than the lower one, and the arm of the fork on
which it is mounted may be further from the axis of the fork.
We find that we are able to dig with less power when using discs instead of
duck-foot shaped cutters, and another advantage is that we can dig backwards
as well as forwards, which was impossible with the said cutters.
In the present invention the digging forks are driven by bevel wheels from
bevel wheels mounted on shafts on each side of the V frame, as in the specification
herein before referred to, but these shafts are driven by means of a bevel wheel
mounted on a shaft carried by bearings attached to the horn plate of the engine,
which gives motion to a bevel wheel mounted at the top of an inclined shaft
running in bearings on one of the radial arms which connect the digger to the
said horn plate of the engine, and having a bevel wheel fixed on its lower end
which gears with a bevel wheel mounted on a shaft passing across the V frame
of the digger. Bevel wheels mounted on the ends of this last mentioned shaft
give motion to the shafts running parallel with the sides of the digging frame by
means of bevel wheels mounted thereon.

page_text: The radial arms above mentioned are mounted at their lower ends on the shaft
passing across the V frame of the digger, and are connected together at their
upper ends by a sleeve through which passes that shaft of the gearing above
mentioned which is carried by bearings on the horn plate.
The triangular digging frame is carried at its rear end by means of a wheel
so mounted on its axis that it will rock in a vertical plane to one side or the other
when the traction engine is being steered and thus enable the digging part to
move in the opposite direction to that in which the engine is being steered.
The digging part of the apparatus will thus automatically follow the engine.
A convenient method of carrying this part of the invention into effect is as fol-
lows: The axis of the carrying wheel is mounted in a frame capable of rocking
in vertical guides carried by the triangular digging frame. These guides are
capable of sliding up and down upon the ends of a cross bar, in the centre of
which is mounted a roller running on the top of the wheel frame. The cross
bar carries at each end, pulleys, over which pass chains attached at their rear
ends to the digging frame by means of springs. These chains pass forward to a
winding shaft; other chains pass from the winding shaft around guide pulleys
to the dust caps of the main wheels of the traction engine. The winding shaft is
provided with springs to enable the lifting to be accomplished with greater
ease, and it is operated by means of a hand wheel mounted on a shaft carrying
a worm. When the hand wheel is rotated, it will operate all the chains simul-
taneously and thus the depth of digging may be regulated, or the digging tools
may be lifted clear of the ground.
It is only necessary to remove the caps of the bearings of one of the shafts on
the engine to raise the inclined shaft above referred to, and to disconnect the
chains from the dust caps of the main wheels of the engine, in order to release
the engine.
One of the toothed wheels above referred to is then moved along its
shaft into gear with another wheel and the engine may then be used alone.
We prefer to form a hinged joint in each of the shafts running parallel with
the digging frame, to enable the ends thereof to be moved inwards for passing
through gates and along roads.
Dated this 11th
T
1000
HARRIS & MILLS,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Implements or Apparatus for Cultivating Land.
We, THOMAS CHURCHMAN DARBY, THOMAS ALBERT DARBY, and SIDNEY CHARLES
DARBY, all of Pleshey Lodge, Pleshey, near Chelmsford, in the County of Essex,
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:-
The invention relates to that class of apparatus described in the Specification of
Letters Patent granted to Thomas Albert Darby and Sidney Charles Darby,
No. 23928 dated December 13th 1895.
: —
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the digging apparatus showing the gear and rear
wheels of the traction engine diagrammatically.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the digging apparatus showing the shaft of the traction
engine from which it is driven.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation and Fig. 4 is a back view of the steering wheel of the
digging apparatus.

page_text: Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the digging tools, Fig. 6 is a slight modification
thereof and Figs. 7 and 8 represent another modification.
A are the rear wheels of the traction engine to which the digger is attached.
B is a shaft of the engine which gives motion to the driving wheels A by means
of the toothed pinions and wheels B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 when the engine is used for
digging, but when the engine is used for traction or other purposes the pinion B¹
is moved along its shaft and gears direct with the toothed wheel B*.
Instead of employing duck's foot shaped cutters we employ convex or slightly
conical hollow discs a which may be circular, hexagonal or square in shape
mounted on the lower ends of the forks a¹. These convex dises a are capable of
turning upon their own axes, and when they come into contact with the ground,
are caused to turn by friction therewith. In some cases it may be found advis-
able to drive these discs a around their own axes during the whole or part of
the revolution of the forks. A convenient method of doing this is to mount a
toothed wheel a* on the top of the axis a³ of each disc a, and to fix a toothed
wheel to some fixed part of the machine, preferably to the sleeve or bearing a
in which the central arm a6 of the fork a¹ rotates, as shown in Fig. 6. The two
exterior toothed wheels a³ only one of which is shown gearing with the fixed
toothed wheel a will thus be caused to rotate when the fork is rotating. The
fixed toothed wheel a' may be replaced by a curved rack on one side of the fork
only, so that the exterior gear wheels only receive motion during part of their
revolution, but this is not shown in the drawings as it is readily understood.
In the modification shown at Figs. 7 and 8 the tine sockets a¹ on the fork are
oval at top and bottom but round in the middle so that when the fork revolves
in the direction shown by arrows the resistance of the earth on the disc shares a
causes the tines to stand in the position shown, and by so doing the side of the
disc share a which is cutting the solid earth is always lower than the opposite
side. Directly the engine is reversed the tines are forced into the opposite
position, thereby cutting the earth as freely when backing as when going for-
ward.
When it is desired to dig or stir the land to a greater depth than usual, we
may attach two discs to each stem of the fork, one or both of which may be flat,
one to stir the land near the surface and the other to stir the underneath portion :
or we may attach one disc to one arm of the fork near the surface of the land,
and the other disc to the other arm of the fork at a lower depth. In this latter
case the unner disc may be larger than the lower one, and the arm of the fork on
which it is mounted may be further from the axis of the fork.
We find that we are able to dig with less power when using discs instead of
duck's-foot shaped cutters, and another advantage is that we can dig backwards
and forwards, which was impossible with the said cutters described in the speci-
fication of the prior patent referred to.
In the present invention the digging forks are driven by bevel wheels a² and
bevel wheels b mounted on shafts 61, as in the specification above referred to.
but the shafts 1 are driven by means of the bevel pinion mounted on the
shaft 6, which gives motion to the bevel pinion 64 mounted at the top of an
inclined shaft b5 having a bevel pinion 66 fixed on its lower end, which gears with
the pinion 67 mounted on the shaft 68 passing across the machine and giving
motion to the other side thereof by means of the bevel pinion 67. The pinions b
and give motion to the shafts b¹ by means of the pinions 69.
The triangular digging frame is carried at its rear end by means of the
wheel c so mounted on its axis that it will rock in a vertical plane to one side
or the other when the traction engine is being steered and thus enable the
digging part to move in the opposite direction to that in which the engine is
being steered. The digging part of the apparatus will thus automatically
follow the engine.
As seen in Fig. 4, the axis el is carried by a frame capable of rocking in
vertical guides carried by the triangular digging frame C. These guides ³

page_text: are capable of sliding up and down upon the ends of a cross bar +, in the centre
of which is mounted a roller running on the top of the frame The cross
bar carries at each end pulleys e, over which pass chains attached at their
rear end to the digging frame by means of the spring . These chains pass
forward to pulleys d³.
Other chains * pass from the pulleys around guide pulleys add to the
dust caps d of the main wheels A of the engine. The pulleys are provided
with springs to enable the lifting to be accomplished with greater ease, and
they are operated by means of the hand wheel c, shaft and worm . When
the hand wheel is rotated it will operate all the chains simultaneously and
thus the depth of digging may be regulated or the digging tools lifted clear of
the ground.
When it is desired to use the traction engine without the digger it is only
necessary to remove the cap f¹ of the bearing f to raise the inclined shaft 5,
and to disconnect the chains from the dust cap d, in order to release the
engine. The toothed wheel B1 is moved along its shaft into gear with the
wheel B and the engine may then be taken away, leaving the digger stationary.
We prefer to form a hinged joint 610 in each of the shafts to enable the ends
thereof to be moved inwards for passing through gates and along roads.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. An implement for digging or cultivating land having a carrying wheel
capable of rocking and of thus assuming either vertical or inclined positions
thereby enabling the machine to steer automatically.
2. An implement for digging or cultivating land having discs whose shanks
are mounted loosely in sockets on the rotating digging forks or driven by means
of toothed wheels.
3. An implement for digging or cultivating land having discs whose shanks are
mounted in fork sockets which are of oval shape at top and bottom and circular
in the middle to enable the disc shanks to assume such positions as to work
equally well whichever way the machine may be running.
4. In an implement for digging or cultivating land, the method of carrying
the forward part of the digging apparatus by means of chains passing from the
centre of the main wheels of the engine around guide pulleys to a spring pulley,
the method of carrying the rear part of the digger by means of chains passing
over pulleys on a cross bar resting on the frame of the carrying wheel, and the
method of adjusting the depth of digging or raising the digging tools clear of
the ground by winding said chains around a spring pulley.
5. In an implement for digging or cultivating land, the method of driving
the digging tools by means of the cross shaft, bevel wheels, and inclined shaft,
enabling the diocing apparatus to be readily detached from the engine, sub-
stentially as herein shown and described.
6. An implement for digging or cultivating land, having a hinge formed
in each of the shafts running narallel to the V frame, thus enabling it to be
made narrower for passing through gates, substantially as herein shown and
described.
HARRIS & MILLS,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.