IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR GATHERING AND TYING UP CROPS IN SHEAVES
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Richard Worthington at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd February 1878.
I, RICHARD WORTHINGTON, of Cadeby, in the County of Leicester,
do heroby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR GATHERING AND TYING UP CROPS IN SHEAVES," to bo
as follows:-.
The Invention has for its object a novel construction of machine for
gathering and tying up crops in sheaves with part of the cut crop
or with straw. For this purpose I construct a suitable framework
supported on wheels to carry the gathering, compressing, and tying
apparatus, the horse or horses to operate such machine being attached
to shafts or to a polo at the sido thereof. The front of the machino is
provided with rako teeth to gather or pick up. the crop, whilst an
elevator, consisting of bands or chains having teeth fixed thereon at
suitable intervals and passing around guido pulleys is caused to take
up a sufficient quantity of the crop from off the front part of the
machine to form a sheaf and carry and deliver it to the compressing and
tying or binding apparatus.

page_text: Motion is communicated to the elevator from the axle of one of the
supporting wheels by means of pulleys and endless bands or chains, or
by means of gearing, as will be well understood.
The compressing apparatus consists of a number of arms arranged
around a shaft to which rotary motion is given in any suitable manner 5
from the axle of one of the supporting wheels. These arms are
arranged in pairs, one of each of which is fixed whilst the other is
mounted upon an axis of motion. The ends of these arms are curved
so that when they come together in pairs they form a clip to hold the
sheaf. In connection with each pair of these arms is a sliding piece 1
which is capable of sliding upon the arms, and by its own weight
compress the contents of the pair of arms.
The action of the compressor is as follows:-As each pair of arms
is carried round by its shaft the fixed arm first descends to receive the
sheaf from the elevator, then in the further revolution of the said shaft 1
the pivotted arm is caused by its own weight to fall towards the fixed
arm, when the sliding piece will run down and compress the sheaf
within the arms. In the revolution of the compressor the sheaf is
partly supported by a fixed guide and by other arms also fixed to the
compressor axis; the ends of each of the compressor arms are also 2
formed with forked pieces in which the attendant lays a sufficient
quantity of the crop or of straw to form the tie or band, and when these
two arms come together they carry the tie or band completely around
the sheaf and hold it there until it comes to the apparatus used for
twisting the tie. This last mentioned apparatus consists of a pair of 2
arms or grips receiving rotary motion at the required times; between the
ends of these arms or grips the ends of the tie or band are brought in the
revolution of the compressor axis and then by rotary motion being
given to the arms or grips the ends of the tie or band are twisted
together, and in the further revolution of the compressor axis the sheaf 8
is delivered from the machine.
Although I have described my Invention as constituting a distinct