A NEW AD INDRAZED POTATO DI MAGING "
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Heydemann, of Krebsow, and August
Klinkmann, of Greifswald, both in the German Empire, for the
Turation of " A NEW AD INDRAZED POTATO DI MAGING "
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Heydemann
and August Klinkmann at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 27th July 1875.
of
WC, ROBERT HEYDEMANN, of Krebsow, and AUGUST KLINKMANN,
Greifswald, both in the German Empire, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED POTATOE DIGGING MACHINE,"
to be as follows.―
This Invention consists of a framework mounted upon wheels and
capable of being raised and lowered by means of a set screw and hand
wheel, so that a ploughshare or digger, which is suspended from the

page_text: body of the framework, can be made to plough or dig to any required
depth in the soil The share or digger is suspended from the frame
by links, and the angle of suspension can be increased or diminished
by manipulating a union or tube nut joint upon a screw bar or con-
nection that further secures the ploughshare or digger to the framework
of the mealune
↓
↓
by manipulating a union or tube nut joint upon a screw par or con-
nection that further secures the ploughshare or digger to the framework
of the machine.
The axle of the leading pair of wheels is attached to the frame by
means of chains, and the draught power for working the machine is
applied to a hook protruding from the said axle.
As the tubers-are excavated by the share or digger they fall into a box
or enclosed inclined plane (composed of bars placed a short distance
apart from cach other), one end of which is situate behind and attached
to the ploughshare or digger, while the other end rests upon the
axle of the rearward or trailing pair of wheels or on any other suitable
fixed point, and the said box or enclosed inclined plane terminates
in a short portion turning obliquely downwards, and passing over a
basket or other receptacle which is placed upon a stage slung from the
framework
An agitating or shaking movement is imparted by suitable mechanism
to the herein-before described inclined box or shute, and the potatoes
are caused to ascend the same by means of an clevator consisting of an
endless chain or band, or chains or bands, from which spikes or fingers
project into the inclined box or shute. This clevator is placed at the
same angle as the box or shute, and is stretched between pulleys or
rollers, the bearings of the lower pulley or roller being made adjustable
and situated upon the links that hold the ploughshare or digger in sus-
pension The upper pulley or roller is actuated by an internal rack
wheel, or it may be a spur wheel, formed upon or attached to one of
the rearward or trailing wheels, and gearing with a pinion fixed to the
axis of the pulley or roller. By these means motion is imparted to the
elevator, the spikes or fingers of which rake the potatoes up the inclined
box and discharge them into the basket or receptacle placed to receive
them, at the same time that the shaking movement given to the shute
removes the adhering soil, which falls between the bars.
The stalks and leaves which remain in the box or shute are removed

page_text: The action of the elevator may be stopped when desired by throwing
the pinion on the axis of the roller out of gear with the spur or internal
wheel, a lever being provided for this purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Heydemann and August Klinkmann in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th January 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, ROBERT
HEYDEMANN, of Krebsow, and AUGUST KLINKMANN, of Greifswald,
both in the German Empire, send greeting
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said Robert Heydemann and August
Klinkmann, Her special licence that we, the said Robert Heydemann
and August Klinkmann, our exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said Robert Heydemann and August Klinkmanu,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"A NEW OR IMPROVED POTATOE DIGGING MACHINE," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Robert Heydemann and August
Klinkmann, our exccutors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Robert Heydemann and August
Klinkmann, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference-

page_text: being had to the accompanying Drawings and to the letters of reference
marked thereon, that is to say --
This Invention consists of a framework mounted upon wheels and
capable of being raised and lowered by means of a set screw and hand
wheel, so that a ploughshare or digger, which is suspended from the
body of the framework, can be made to plough or dig to any required
depth in the soil. The share or digger is suspended from the frame by
links, and the angle of suspension can be increased or diminished by
manipulating a union or tube nut joint upon a screw bar or connection
that further secures the ploughshare or digger to the framework of the
machine.
The-axle-of-the-leading--pair of_wheels is attached to the frame by
means of chains, and the draught power for working the machine is
applied to a hook protruding from the said axlc.
As the tubers are excavated by the share or digger they fall into a box
or inclosed inclined plane composed of bars placed a short distance
apart from cach other, one end of which is situate behind and attached
to the ploughshare or digger, while the other end rests upon the
axle of the rearward or trailing pair of wheels, or on any other suitable
fixed point, and the said box or enclosed inclined plane terminates
in a short portion turning obliquely downwards and passing over a
basket or other receptacle which is placed upon a stage slung from the
framework.
An agitating or shaking movement is imparted by suitable mechanism
to the hercin-before described inclined box or shoot, and the potatoes
are caused to ascend the same by means of an elevator consisting of an
endless chain or band, or chains or bands, from which spikes or fingers
project into the inclined box or shoot This elevator is placed at the
same angle as the box or shoot, and is stretched between pulleys or
rollers, the bearings of the lower pulley or roller being made adjustable
and situated upon the links that hold the ploughshare or digger in sus-
pension The upper pulley or roller is actuated by an internal rack
wheel, or it may be a spur wheel formed upon or attached to one of the
rearward or trailing wheels, and gearing with a pinion fixed to the
axis of the pulley or roller. By these means motion is imparted to
the elevator, the spikes or fingers of wluch rake the potatoes up the
inclined box and discharge them into the basket or receptacle placed to

page_text: receive them, at the same time that the shaking movement given to
the shoot removes the adhering soil, which falls between the bars.
The stalks and leaves which remain in the box or shoot arc removed
from time to time by the operator.
The action of the elevator may be stopped when desired by throwing
the pinion on the axis of the roller out of gear with the spur or internal
wheel, a lever being provided for this purpose
This Invention then consists in a combined potato digging and col-
lecting machine, and in order that the said Invention may be more fully
understood, we will now proceed to describe the same with reference
to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, of which Figure 1 is a side
elevation; Figure 2, a plan; and Figure 3, back clevation with one
of the hund road wheels (the driving wheel) shown in section.
Figure 4 shows the upper chain shaft, with chain shaking wheels,
Figure 5 shows detail views of the spikes of the road wheels; and
Figure 6 shows the disconnecting gear for the upper chain shaft.
The machine consists of a frame of flat iron a, which in front rests
on two road wheels b. On the front road wheel axle is fastened a
bracket or standard c, in which a screw or screwed spindle S with a hand
wheel & turas On the spindle s a nut e moves to and fro, to which the
frame a is fastened, and which thereby may be raised or lowered to enable
the apparatus to dig or plough to any required depth The said frame a
Js fastened by means of 2 chains & to the axle of the road wheels,
in order to transfer the draught of the horses which are tied to the
hook to the frame, and thereby to the machine. To the frame a a pecu-
larly formed ploughshare a is fixed or fastened, it is rivetted to 2
flat iron links p, which are allowed to swing at the frame a, and it is
kept in the required position by means of two regulators, so that it can
be adjusted to the greatest exactness, and thus no doubt greatly enhances
its usefulness
At the ploughshare there is a kind of enclosed inclined plane or
box livetted on, which is made of iron bars, by preference round, and
the object of which is to receive the digged out earth with potatoes and
vines. They are then carried up by means of an elevator into the box f
and on the way shaken by a shaking apparatus in the same, sec Figure 4,
by which means the earth is removed. The clevator consists of an iron
link chain y, which carries crcct standing spikes or fingers of round

page_text: iron, which latter project into the box fand push forward the earth
which has been taken up by the ploughshare The box has at the
lugher end an oblique downwardly turned continuation, the object of
which is to carry the potatoes above the basket and the vines beyond
the same. The putting in movement of this elevator is effected by
means of the hind wheels ' and e, which are fastened to the frame a,
namely, through the wheel ¹, to which is screwed an internal rack
wheel, which geais with a pinion Ŏ four times smaller
The pinion
is fixed on the spindle of the pulley or roller d' and moves the chain
which at the other end passes over the pulley a², which works in
adjustable journals B The disconnecting of the tooth wheels is effected
-by-means of the lever g, Figure 6, whereby the axle with the pinion Ŏ
and the chain wheel or pulley is lowered to such a point that the-textlı-
do not gear any more. In order to prevent the hind wheels from
sliding they are provided with prismatical projecting pieces or teeth, see
also Figure 5, where they are shown in detail
At the frame a hangs, behind under the box f, a stage on which
stands on rollers & a basket or receptacle which is to receive the digged
out potatoes.
The working of this machine requires 3 assistants, onc conducting the
horses and two to remove the potato vines and the stones from the
box f.
And having thus fully described the nature of this Invention and how
the same is or may be carried in effect, we declare that we claim, a
potato digging machine, consisting mainly of a share, an inclined
openworked shoot with shaker and elevator, and a potato receptacle, all
combined and operating substantially as described and as shown.
In witness whereof, we, the said Robert Heydemann and August
Klinkmann, have hereunto set our hands and scals, thus Twenty-
Sixth day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-six.
ROBERT HEYDEMANN
(1.0)
ROBERT HEYDEMANN (IC.)
AUGUST KLINKMANN. (L.S)