Improved Potato Digger.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improved Potato Digger.
ANDREW BURNS, Potato Merchant, Wester Norton, Ratho, ALEXANDER NEW-
LANDS, Senior, Agricultural Implement Maker, Provost Road, Linlithgow,
ALEXANDER NEWLANDS, Junior, Agricultural Implement Maker, Provost Road,
Linlithgow, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
Consists of a pronged shaker with any desired number of prongs, the solid end
of the said shaker, being hinged to the back of sock, or share, of any ordinary
digger. The said shaker to have an up and down motion transmitted to it, by
means of double levers working on a three sectioned cam wheel.
By this process, we lift potatoes without being damaged.
ANDREW BURNS.
A. NEWLANDS.
A. NEWLANDS, Jr.
We, ANDREW BURNS, of Wester Norton, Ratho, N.B., Potato Merchant,
ALEXANDER NEWLANDS, Senior, of Provost Road, Linlithgow, and ALEXANDER
NEWLANDS, Junior, of Provost Road, aforesaid, Agricultural Implement Makers,
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 an improved potato digger or machine for digging up
potatoes, and has reference more particularly to that class of digger in which a
V-shaped sock or share is provided, the point of this share being adapted to dig
under the rows of potatoes as the machine travels along, so that the earth con-
taining the potatoes rides up the share and falls over the rear or wide end thereof.
Machines of this kind as heretofore constructed have been provided with a set
of radial arms which revolve very rapidly behind the share in such a manner as
to strike the earth as it falls over the end of the share and throw it laterally in a
broken up condition against a vertical grating or grid consisting of depending
parallel bars or prongs carried by the side of the machine. The earth is further
broken up by the grating or grid, and the greater part of it passes between the
bars or prongs, whereas the potatoes fall in a line by the side of the machine
practically free from earth.

page_text: Now this construction of digger is open to the objection that the arms frequently
get entangled with the tops of the potatoes to such an extent as to entirely stop
their revolution. The potatoes are also often damaged by reason of the violent
action of the revolving arms and the impact against the grating or grid, thus
causing considerable waste, especially if the potatoes be new.
Now the main object of our present invention is to provide simple and convenient
means for breaking up the earth and separating the potatoes therefrom without
risk of damaging them, and in a manner analogous to that used in hand digging.
For this purpose we provide a device comprising a series of prongs, which we
term a shaker hinged behind the share in such a manner as to receive the earth
therefrom. A rapid up-and-down or angular movement is imparted to the shaker
by cams or otherwise whereby the potatoes are separated from the earth in the
same manner as when using an ordinary hand digger.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into.
effect we will proceed to describe the same by aid of the accompanying drawings,
in which
Figure 1 is a side view, and
Figure 2 is a plan of the essential portion of one form of our improved potato
digger, having a three-throw cam for operating the shaker.
Figure 3 is an end view of the same form of digger.
Figure 4 is a side view, and
Figure 5 is a plan of a slightly modified construction of the digger in which a
crank disc and levers are employed for operating the shaker.
Referring more particularly to Figures 1 to 3:
a is the share or sock of the digger, which is arranged transversely of the
machine and is secured to a vertical rod or stem b extending upward from one side
thereof and secured in an eye or socket c in the framing d in any convenient
manner.
The shaker consists of a number of prongs e secured to a cross bar f mounted
in lugs or brackets ġ secured to the rear of the share a, the arrangement being
such that as the earth in the forward movement of the digger rides up the share
it is pushed therefrom on to the shaker. The prongs e of the latter are preferably
varied in length as shown, those in the middle being shortest and the others
gradually increasing in length towards the ends of the shaker, thus giving a more
even distribution of the earth which falls from the shaker.
h is the cam by which the angular up-and-down or shaking movement is
imparted to the prongs.e, through the medium of a lever i and a link .connected
to a crank arm f¹ on the cross bar f of the share. The cam h shown in the draw-
ings is a box-cam and its groove * has three sections or lifts so that the shaker
rises and falls three times for each revolution of the cam. Obviously however
any other suitable cam may be employed.
The lever is pivoted at ¹, and has at one end a roller or pin 3 engaging in the
groove of the cam, while its other end is connected to the link k by a forked
piece or shackle which permits such angular movements of the link as are
necessary on account of the rocking motions of the lever i and crank arm f¹.
'
The movement of the cam is obtained from the side wheels of the machine
in any convenient manner. In the example shown, a bevel wheel m on the axle
of the side wheels drives a bevel pinion n'on the axle h of the cam h. To prevent
injury through dust and grit the axles are inclosed in tubular casings o and the
gearing is also provided with a suitable casing p.
7 is a clutch of any suitable construction, which may be provided for throwing
the cam out of action, the arrangement in this case being such that the bevel
pinion n' runs loose on the axle h¹ when the clutch is disengaged. The means for
effecting this latter operation are not shown, but may consist of a forked lever
engaging in a groove q¹ in the movable part of the clutch in the well known
manner.
The horses for drawing the digger are attached to the single draught poler and

page_text: nother respects the construction of the digger is similar to ordinary diggers
he kind herein before referred to.
The power required to draw the improved digger is less than that required for a
nachine having the revolving arms as herein before referred to.
If it be desired to apply our invention to an existing digger of the latter kind,
his can readily be done say for example by replacing the revolving arms by a cam
such as h, and by applying a shaker, such as e, behind the share or sock, such
shaker being connected with the cam by any suitable means, and the grating
normally carried by the side of the ordinary potato digger being removed.
Referring now to Figures 4 and 5, the construction of digger shown therein is
substantially similar to that shown in Figures 1 to 3, with the exception that
instead of a cam, a crank-disc s is employed for operating the shaker, which it does
through the medium of a rocking beam or levert and a link u acting on the crank
arm f of the said shaker. The lever is connected by a short link t¹, with a
crank pin s on the disc s, and the latter is driven by a train of gear wheels v from
the axle of the side wheels. A clutch q is provided in combination with one
of the wheels of the train, so as to enable the shaker to be thrown into and out
of operation when desired."
It will be seen that in our improved construction of digger, the newly dug earth
coming over the back edge of the share or sock is shaken up-and-down on the
prongs e just as the earth is shaken up on a fork in hand digging. The conse-
quence is that the earth is broken to pieces and falls through the shaker, while
the potatoes eventually roll over the points of the prongs and fall on the top of
the earth. Thus the potatoes are not scattered so much as by machines having
revolving arms, nor are they subjected to any violent treatment, or in any way
injured by the machine. Moreover as the earth and potatoes falling from the
shaker lie immediately in the rear of the digger, the latter can be started on any
row desired, whereas with the ordinary kinds of digger in which the revolving
arms throw the earth out laterally, it is usually necessary before starting on any
particular row to dig one or two of the adjacent rows by hand.
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. A potato digger or machine for digging potatoes, having a pronged shaker
5 hinged to the rear portion of its sock or share substantially as and for the purposes
'set forth.
2. Our improved potato digger constructed and operating substantially as
herein before described with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3 or to Figures 4 and 5 of
the accompanying drawings.
1000
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 81
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
thomnton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.
Dated CITES OF
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.