IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINES FOR DIGGING POTATOES
Year: 1885

page_text: I JAMES ARTHUR LEWIS, of Hassall, near Sandbach, in the county of Chester,
Engine Fitter do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINES FOR DIGGING POTATOES," to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in machines for digging potatoes, and
the invention consists in the employment of two fork wheels the axes of which
are at an angle to each other; the angles of the said axes are adjustable, and the
wheels in revolving serve respectively to spread the ridge and to separate the
potatoes from the soil. The digging wheel first digs the ridge and the separating
wheel turns the potatoes from the soil.
I construct the digging wheel (which is attached to and operated from the
machine in any suitable manner) of a number of iron forks screwed to the centre
or boss so that the latter can be fitted with a larger or smaller number of forks
which are set at an angle forward of about 30, degrees so as to obtain an under cut
as the ridge falls onto them from the share, thereby requiring less power to operate
the machine. The separating wheel (which is also attached to and operated from
the machine in any suitable manner) is constructed of a number of wooden prongs
screwed to an iron centre, and when the machine is working finishes the work of
the digging wheel.

page_text: Improvements in Machines for Digging Potatoes.
I JAMES ARTHUR LEWIS, of Hassall, near Sandback, in the county of Chester,
Engine Fitter, 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 improvements in machines for digging potatoes, and
the invention consists in the employment of two fork wheels the axes of which
are at an angle to each other; the said axes are, adjustable, and the wheels in
revolving serve respectively to spread the ridge and to separate the potatoes from
the soil. The digging wheel first digs the ridge and the separating wheel turns the
potatoes from the soil.
I construct the digging wheel (which is attached to and operated from the
machine in any suitable manner) of a number of iron forks screwed to the centre
or boss so that the latter can be fitted with a larger or smaller number of forks
which are set at an angle forward of about 30 degrees. The separating wheel
(which is also attached to and operated from the machine in any suitable manner)
is constructed of a number of wooden prongs screwed to an iron centre, and when
the machine is working finishes the work of the digging wheel.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawings in which figure 1 represents a
sectional side elevation and figure 2 a back elevation of a machine for digging
potatoes constructed according to my invention. Similar letters in both the figures
are used to indicate similar parts.
a, is the centre or boss of the digging wheel attached to a shaft b, the other end
of which carries a bevil pinion c, gearing with a bevil wheel d, revolving in the
frame A of the machine and driven by a toothed wheel e, which is engaged with
another toothed wheel f, fixed on the shaft B, of the travelling wheels of the
machine one of which is shewn at C; g, g, g, are the iron forks of the digging
wheel which are screwed to the centre or boss a, so that it can be fitted with a
larger or smaller number of forks according to the nature of the soil and which are
set at an angle forward of about 30 degrees as shewn in figure 1, so as to obtain
an under cut as the ridge falls onto them from the share h, attached to the frame
of the machine, at i, thereby requiring less power to operate the machine;
1,1,1, represent the wooden prongs of which the separating wheel is constructed
and k, is the iron centre to which the prongs j, are screwed at an angle backward
of about 30 degrees to the centre k, of the wheel, the axis of which is at an angle
to that of the digging wheel a, g; l, is a wrought iron stay fixed to the frame A
of the machine and serving to support the separating wheel j, k; m, is a set screw
for fixing the boss of the digging wheel to the shaft b, and whereby the position of
the digging wheel can be adjusted relatively to the share h; r, is a set screw, at
the inner end of the stay 1, bearing against the frame A and serving to adjust the
height of the wheel k, from the ground; or the adjustment can be effected by other
suitable means; D represents one of the shafts of the machine which carries
a toothed quadrant n, for regulating the height from the ground of the digging

page_text: apparatus by means of a hand lever o, spring rod p and link q, attached to the
said lever and to the frame A of the machine.
The operation is as follows:-The machine is drawn along by means of its
shafts D and the travelling wheel or wheels C will communicate motion to the
gearing e, f, and c, d, and through the shaft b, the digging wheel a, g, will be
rotated; the share h, will turn up the ground and the forks g, of the digging wheel
will spread the ridge; the separating wheel j, k, is driven round by the weight of
the soil and potatoes which are lifted against it by the digging wheel a, g; the
potatoes are turned over behind the machine and separated from the soil by the
separating wheel without being suddenly stopped and bruised and they are
prevented from falling with the loose soil and are left on the ground in a more
convenient position for picking them up.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what
I claim is
1. In a machine for digging potatoes the employment of two forked wheels such
as those herein described arranged with their axes at an angle to each other in
such a manner as to spread the ridge made by the share and to separate the
potatoes from the soil substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The improved machine for digging potatoes substantially as hereinbefore
described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
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