An Improved Potato Planter.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 21st Jan., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Potato Planter.
1, CURT REIMANN, of, Für Strasse, Jauer, in the German Empire, Engineer,
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:―
The subject of the present invention is an improved potato planter, 80
constructed as to pick up the potatoes singly and place them in a previously
prepared furrow. For this purpose the machine is provided with a vibrating
seed receptacle by means of which the potatoes are conveyed to a place from
which they are picked by a reciprocating swinging hook. A suitable device for
stripping the potato from the hook is provided so that same falls into the
furrows along which the machine moves. Behind the device for stripping the
potato from the hook a suitable scraper or blade is arranged which when the
vehicle moves will draw the earth froin the sides of the furrow so as to cover
the seed potatoes laid therein.
The invention is illustrated in the annexed drawings, in which Fig. 1 shows
vertical section through the improved potato planter, Fig. 2 illustrates the
mechanism employed for imparting the reciprocatory movement to the picking
hook and the vibratory motion to the seed receptacle, and Fig. 3 is a partial
plan illustrating the mechanism for throwing the apparatus in and out of action.
The improved potato planter is mounted on a two wheeled vehicle and comprises
a box of funnel or hopper shape into which the seed potatoes are placed; a
casing b forming the body of the vehicle is arranged beneath the box a within which
the vibrating receptacle c is situated. The lower end and sides of the casing or
body b are turned up so as to catch and retain the potatoes conveyed to it by the
vibrating receptacle c. The lower open end of the receptacle c may be closed by
means of a hinged or pivotted lid e having a handle d which may also serve to lock
the lid e in its respective positions. The lide is provided to enable the box a to be
recharged with potatoes.
The potatoes are singly picked from behind the upturned edge of the casing or
body b by means of a reciprocating swinging hook ƒ with sharp point and fitted with
suitable barbs.
The hook with a potato picked and retained on its point swings back and passes
through a metal hoop g which allows only the hook f to pass through, but strips the
potato from the hook. This latter position of the hook fis indicated in Fig. 1 by
dotted lines. The potato stripped from the hook f by the hoop g drops into a
previously prepared furrow. A scraper or blade h fitted to the frame of the vehicle
behind the metal hoop g draws the earth from the sides of the furrow into the latter,
when the vehicle moves thus covering the seed potatoes deposited therein.
The reciprocating movement of the hook f and the vibratory movement of the
receptacle c is effected by means of a common crank n mounted ou a shaft o. This
shaft o is supported in suitable bearings on the rear of the box a and is rotated from
the vehicle wheel axle p by means of suitable chain or band wheels q q' and chain,
band or linked belt q². A connecting rod is pivotted to the crank n and to a

page_text: lever and the latter is reciprocated about its fulcrum by the rotation of th
crank n. The other extremity of the lever 71 carries a toothed segment which
engages a toothed wheel mounted on an axle 4, which is mounted in suitable
bearings on the rear of the vehicle and carries the pointed hook f. The reciprocating
movement of the lever is thus imparted to the hook f. A second connecting rod 8,
is pivotted to the crank n and to a lever arm & causing the latter to be reciprocated
around its fulcrum 2, by the rotation of the crank n. The fulcrum 82 is an axle
supported in suitable bearings and being firmly connected to the arm s¹ moves
therewith. The axle 82 extends underneath from one side of the vibrating
receptacle c to the other and carries short studs 3 which are pivotted to the
bottom of the receptacle e so that the latter is shaken or vibrated by the to
and fro movement of the axle 82. On moving the vehicle in a forward direction
the axle o will rotate by the above described motion transmission gear from the
vehicle axle p, and will impart movement to the various described parts, whereby
the hook is swung to and fro describing about a three quarter revolution ;
simultaneously the seed receptacle c is shaken or vibrated.
In order to place the actuating mechanism of the apparatus in and out of gear
a clutch arrangement is provided which consists in so mounting the lower chain
wheel as to be laterally movable on the vehicle axle by means of the hand
operated lever t. A projecting feather on the axle p and a corresponding
groove in the nave of the chain wheel cause the latter to partake of the movement
of the axle p, but on laterally displacing the chain wheel q by means of the hand
operated lever t, its groove will be released from the feather on the axle p so that
it will now act as an idle pulley. This arrangement renders the machine casily
transportable. A seat for the driver and feeder of the machine may be provided.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In a machine for planting potatoes the arrangement of a road vehicle
containing a vibrating seed potato receptacle conveying the potatoes to a place
from which they are picked by a reciprocating swinging hook in combination
with a device for stripping the potato from the hook and closing the furrow
thus covering the seed potatoes, substantially as and for the purpose described.
2. A machine for planting potatoes the whole being arranged and adapted to
operate substantially as described and shown.
Dated this 11th day of November 1808
F. W. GOLBY,
36, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agent for the Applicant.