Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Digging, Sorting and Sacking Potatoes or other Roots.
Year: 1899

page_text: IRUVIDIONAL DI MULTICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Digging, Sorting and
Sacking Potatoes or other Roots.
-
I, EDWARD MASSEY, of Lane Ends, Holmes Chapel, in the County of Cheshire,
Corn Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for digging sorting and sacking potatoes,
or other roots capable of being grown in
drills"
or ridges of the ground.
According to this invention the apparatus is drawn over the land by horses,
or is propelled by steam power or otherwise along the "drills or ridges in which
potatoes, for instance, grow. The apparatus is provided with a projecting apron,
which cuts off and receives the upper portion of the drill or ridge, and above
this apron is a rotary appliance or other device adapted to cut or knock off the
haulms, and preferably to deliver them clear of the machine.
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At the end of the apron opposite to that at which the top of the drill comes
on to it is a conveyor and sieve; over the latter the earth and tubers are drawn
from the apron, most of the earth dropping out of the apparatus and the potatoes
being elevated by the same or another conveyor on to another sieve, upon which
any dirt remaining in company with the potatoes is got rid of. From the sieve
the potatoes pass on to sorting grids which grade them into assorted sizes;
delivery shoots or spouts extend from these grading grids to a platform upon
which sacks are supported beneath the mouths of the shoots or spouts.
The sieves and grids may be vibrated or jogged automatically, if desired.
The various conveyors and the devices by which the haulms are removed,
together with the sieve-operating gear, if such be employed, may be operatively
connected either to the wheels upon which the apparatus travels or to a sepa-
rate driving apparatus operated manually or mechanically, as may be convenient.
The road wheels in either of the constructions above referred to may be pro-
vided with projections which will prevent them from slipping as they travel.
Dated this 11th day of August 1809
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Digging, Sorting and
Sacking Potatoes or other Roots.
I, EDWARD MASSEY, of Lane Ends, Holmes Chapel, in the County of Cheshire,
Corn Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
Price 8d1

page_text: manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statenient:―
This invention relates to apparatus for digging sorting and sacking potatoes,
or other roots capable of being grown in drills" or ridges of the ground.
According to this invention the apparatus is drawn over the land by horses,
or is propelled by steam power or otherwise along the "drills" or ridges in which
potatoes, for instance, grow.
The apparatus comprises a device which removes the upper portion of the
drill or ridge and a sieve or sieves for shifting out the potatoes from the carth
in which they are contained; from the sieves the potatoes pass on to sorting
grids which grade them into assorted sizes; delivery shoots or spouts extend
from these grading grids to a platform upon which sacks are supported beneath
the mouths of the shoots or spouts.
The sieves or grids may be vibrated or jogged automatically or otherwise as
desired.
Conveyors can be employed to convey the earth and potatoes from one part
to another in the apparatus; these together with the sieve-operating gear, if
such be employed, may be operatively connected either to the wheels upon which
the apparatus travels, or to separate driving apparatus operated manually or
mechanically, as may be convenient. The apparatus is provided with rotary or
other means of known construction for removing the haulms.
The road wheels of the apparatus may be provided with projections which will
prevent them from slipping as they travel, and they may be provided with
extra wide rims for use on very light soils.
If desired the sorting grids or sieves may be dispensed with and the roots
carried directly from the sieve employed for separating the roots from earth into
sacks or other receptacles.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Figure is a side, and Figure 2 an end elevation respectively of an appa-
ratus constructed according to this invention.
Figures 4 and 3 are similar views of such an apparatus without the sorting
grids.
Like letters indicate like parts in all the figures.
The apparatus is carried on a four wheeled carriage the frame of which con-
sists of two side pieces A A', conveniently formed of bars of angle iron., on to
which are secured depending bars A² to carry the bearings for the axles BB of
the road wheels.
Between the rear road wheels is a vertical conveyor consisting of an endless.
band C with buckets C, within a casing C2 secured on to the frame of the car-
riage. The endless band C is carried on two drums or wheels, the bottom one C³,
running idly on the road wheel axle, the upper one C, provided with cogs or
the like to give travel to the endless band, is fixed on a shaft D carried in bear-
ings D on the casing C².
The shaft D is operated from the road wheel axle, through gear wheels D2 D3
and chain D'.
The bottom of the casing C² is open in front and is provided with a forward
extension E. The bottom of the extension consists of an inclined sieve E¹,
terminating in front in a plate or blade E2, arranged to cut off and receive the
upper portion of the drill or ridge.
Within the extension E is a travelling band E³ with curved blades E occupy-
ing the whole width of the extension E.
The travelling band is carried on drums. secured on short shafts EE borne
in hearings on the sides of the extension E, and is operated from the axle B of
the road wheels by gear wheels E7 E8 and chain E⁹.
The front of the casing is provided near the top with a delivery spout C³.
Beneath the delivery spout is placed a sieve or grid F. This sieve is carried
on vertical rods F¹, the upper ends of which are pivotally connected to the sides
:

page_text: of the sieve, whilst their lower ends are similarly connected to side bars F³,
secured to the elevator casing and to uprights F3 carried on the main frame of
the apparatus.
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The sieve F is arranged with a slight incline, its higher end being placed
under the delivery spout C³. Its lower end is provided with a projecting delivery
spout one at each side. Beneath a portion of the mesh of the sieve a solid
bottom is provided to direct the material falling through the mesh towards
one end of a second sieve G placed below the sieve F, and carried on the side
bars F2 on pivotted rods G¹ in a similar manner to that sieve.
The sieve G is also arranged with a slight incline, and its lower end provided
with a projecting delivery spout G2 one on each side.
Beneath the mesh of the sieve G a funnel shaped bottom ending in a delivery
spout G may be provided. Means are provided for reciprocating each of the
sieves F and G. This may be arranged to be worked by hand preferably it is
operated as shown in Figures 1 and 2, by means of eccentrics and rods F6 G4
respectively carried on a shaft H. A wheel H₁ on the said shaft. is geared by
a belt or chain H2 with a wheel H3 on the shaft D, which, as before described,
is rotated from the road wheels of the apparatus.
A platform J is provided on each side, of the apparatus being supported on
the frame bars A. A respectively, and on these platforms the sacks to receive the
roots are placed. The sacks may be held in position by hooks on the side bars F2,
and are placed under the spouts of the sieves F and G. In the figures however
for the sake of clearness no sacks are shown under the spouts 14.
A rotary or other device is arranged above and slightly in advance of the
plate E to cu or knock off the haulms but as such devices are well known and
form no part of this invention they need not be described and are not shown in
the drawings.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows: As the vehicle is propelled
over the field the plate E2 cuts into and removes the upper part of the drill or
ridge, when the roots and earth together are caught by the blades E of the con-
veyor, and carried over the inclined sieve E', during which process,
the greater
portion of the earth will be separated from the roots and fall back on to the field.
From E the roots fall into the bottom of the casing C³, are carried up by
the conveyor buckets C and discharged through the spout C on to the sieve F.
The mesh of this sieve is of such a size as to retain only the larger sized roots
and these are carried forward by the motion of the sieve (owing to its inclined
position) and discharged through the spouts_F4. The smaller roots and any
dirt etc. fall through the meshes of the sieve Fonto the sieve G. The mesh of
this sieve is of a size to retain all marketable roots, which are discharged through
the spouts G³, dirt small stones and other refuse being thrown back on to the
field through the spout G³.
It is obvious that only one sieve may be employed or more than two, accord-
ing as it is desired to grade the roots.
Or the grading sieves may be dispensed with. Such a construction is shown
in Figures 3 and 4. In place of the spout two delivery spouts CC7 are
provided and the roots are delivered directly from the conveyor into the sacks.
Although automatic apparatus is described for giving motion to the sorting
grids it is evident that these might be moved by hand. Or they might be fixed
solidly on the frame and the jolting of the carriage relied on to give the requi-
site motion to their contents.
Although the arrangement of grading sieves shown and described is what I
prefer it is evident that this construction may be varied without departing from
the spirit of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is: :-
1. In an apparatus for digging and sacking roots the combination with a

page_text: travelling carriage of a blade such as E2, an inclined sieve such as E¹, a con-
veyor for carrying material over said sieve and a second conveyor to distribute
the material which has passed over said sieve to any desired portion of the appa-
ratus substantially as described.
2. In an apparatus for digging sorting and sacking roots the combination
with a travelling carriage a blade such as E2, an inclined sieve such as E' a con-
veyor for carrying material over said sieve and a second conveyor to distribute
the material which has passed over said sieve of a grading apparatus for the
material from the second conveyor substantially as described.
3. In an apparatus for digging sorting and sacking roots the combination
with a travelling carriage, a blade such as E2 an inclined sieve such as E¹ and
two conveyors of a second sieve inclined and provided with a delivery spout at
its lower end with or without means to give motion to the second sieve sub-
stantially as described.
4. In an apparatus for digging sorting and sacking roots the combination
with a travelling carriage, a blade such as E2 an inclined sieve such as E¹ and
two conveyors of two or more other sieves, arranged so that the material passing
through the mesh of the upper sieve falls on the sieve next below, whilst the
material retained by each sieve is delivered into an independent receptacle with
or without means to give motion to these other sieves substantially as described.
5. An apparatus for digging sorting and sacking roots substantially as
described or illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
6. An apparatus for digging and sacking roots substantially as described or
illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.
Bated
EDWARD MASSEY.
Boult, Wade & Kilburn,
Agents for the Applicant.
EDWARD MASSEY.
Boult, Wade & Kilburn,
Agents for the Applicant.