Improvements in Sheaf-binding and Trussing Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 29th July, 1891
Complete Specification Left. 5th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 21st May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sheaf-binding and Trussing Machines.
We, JAMES HAROLD HOWARD, GEOFFREY HOWARD, and GEORGE GIBBS,
all of Britannia Iron Works, Bedford, in the County of Bedford, Engineers, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
Our invention relates to improvements in sheaf-binding and trussing machines.
One of the improvements comprised in this invention is an improvement upon the
mechanism hitherto employed to start the binding arm or needle and the knotting
devices automatically when a quantity of cut crop or straw sufficient to form a
sheaf or truss has been collected. An example of one mode in which such starting
has heretofore been accomplished is described in the Specification of Letters
Patent No. 9967 of A.D. 1884 granted to James Howard and Edward Tamey
Bousfield. According to the present invention, and choosing for example a machine
in which double ended packing levers, centrally pivoted, are employed, acting upon
the cut crop or straw with their upper ends, the lower end of one packer or for
instance of each of the packers in a sheaf-binding or a trussing machine is con-
nected to a lever by means of a link the said lever being pivoted to the framing
of the machine, and being provided with an antifriction roller which operates as
will hereinafter be described. During the operation of packing the lower end of
each packer causes the link to which it is attached to vibrate about the point at
which the link is connected with the lever as aforesaid, the lever remaining
stationary. But, when a quantity of cut crop or straw sufficient to form a sheaf
or truss has been collected, the said cut crop or straw will act upon the upper ends
of the packers so that they will be tilted and their lower ends while continuing to
vibrate the links about the point of attachment to the end of the lever as herein-
before described, will, in addition, raise the end of the lever, whereupon the anti-
friction roller carried by the lever will commence raising the binder arm or needle
and will thereby rotate the shaft upon which the binder arm or needle is fixed and
will at the same time raise the trip lever which is fixed upon the other end of the
said shaft, and so permit the knotting devices to come into operation. By this
arrangement we are able to simplify the working parts and to reduce their
number; and we combine the advantages of the needle trip with those of the
packer-trip.
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The shaft carrying the binding arm or needle is operated by the packers at
certain times as above described and is operated in addition by the tension exerted
by a pitman or connecting rod driven by a stud on the large wheel of the train of
spur wheels which operates the binding mechanism. It is necessary that the said
pitman or connecting rod should not be a rigid rod, therefore to allow the lower
end of the pitman or connecting rod to have the necessary freedom of movement
we form the rod in two parts, connected by a knuckle joint or rule-joint" at the
upper end of the rod, this arrangement of joint permitting the rod to shorten when
compression is exerted upon the lower end thereof by the operation of the needle
shaft or binder arm shaft by the packers as described, but not allowing the rod to
alter in length when operated by the stud on the large wheel. The lower portion
of the pitman or connecting rod below the knuckle joint may be provided with an
end capable of being adjusted by a screw and locking nuts towards or away from
the rod to lengthen or shorten the said lower portion of the rod as may be found
necessary in working. The said lower portion of the pitman or connecting rod
may be acted upon by a spring which can be conveniently adjusted in any suitable
manner so as to require a certain resistance to be offered to the packers by the cut
crop or straw being packed in order that the packers cannot tilt to automatically

page_text: start the binder arm or needle and knotting device, until a certain amount of com-
pression has been exerted upon the sheaf or truss.
The adjustment of the said spring as aforesaid will thus determine the amount of
compression which is applied to the truss or sheaf.
A second improvement comprised in this invention relates to a novel arrangement
of wheel gearing for driving the rollers which operate the cut crop or straw con-
veyors or aprons.
The said second improvement consists in the employment of spur pinions secured
to the ends of the said rollers, the pinions being geared together by a lantern-wheel
which turns upon a stud and which is so constructed and arranged that one of the
two pinions is outside the periphery of the lantern-wheel and the other pinion is
situated within the periphery of the said wheel, the said pinions engaging respec-
tively with the outside and inside of the lantern-wheel periphery. This constitutes
a light, simple, and compact form of gearing for the purpose specified.
In certain sheaf binding and trussing machines heretofore constructed the com-
pressor lever is attached to an arm or lever, one end of the said arm or lever being
pivoted to an extension of the binding arm or needle and an intermediate point on
the said arm or lever being connected by a link to a crank which is operated by
à cam on the large wheel of the train of spur gear which operates the binding
mechanism the said wheel being carried upon the knotter shaft. An improvement
upon this arrangement constitutes a further improvement according to our invention
which consists in securing an adjustable or other compressor arm directly to the
crank which is operated by the cam carried upon the knotter shaft. We thus
simplify the mechanism and effect a reduction in the number of parts employed.
The last improvement forming part of the present invention consists in providing
for the easy removal of the knotting mechanism from the machine without the
necessity for withdrawing the knotter shaft.
This improvement we effect by dividing or jointing the part or parts of the
knotter bracket and of the swinging frame operating therewith at the points where
they encircle the knotter shaft or at any other convenient place so as to avoid the
encirclement of the said shaft by solid or undivided parts, and we secure the divided
or jointed portions together by bolts or other suitable means which may be readily
operated.
By operating the said bolts to disconnect the jointed or divided portions above
referred to the said portions may be rapidly removed from the machine for storage
or to admit if desired of the substitution, with equal rapidity, of another set.
Dated this 29th day of July 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sheaf-binding and Trussing Machines,
We, JAMES HAROLD HOWARD, GEOFFREY HOWARD, and GEORGE GIBBS,
all of Britannia Iron Works, Bedford, in the County of Bedford, Engineers, 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 :-
Our invention relates to sheaf-binding and trussing machines, and comprises
the improvements hereinafter set forth.
One important feature of our said invention relates to the provision of improved
mechanism for automatically starting the binding arm or needle and the, knotting
devices when a quantity of cut crop or straw sufficient to form a sheaf or truss has
been collected by the packers. This mechanism is controlled by the resistance
.offered by the cut crop or straw to the movement of the packers, and can be

page_text: adjusted so that the trip will be released when any desired density of the sheaf or
truss is attained.
Other features of our said invention relate to the compressor arm and to the
mechanism for driving the rollers which operate the straw conveyors or aprons.
In the accompanying drawings we have shown how our invention may be con-
veniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of so much of a sheaf-binding and trussing machine
having our improvements applied thereto as is necessary to illustrate our invention.
Figure 2 is a similar view, but showing the knotting devices when just released
and ready to come into operation.
Figure 3 is another view showing the needle in its elevated position.
Figure 3 is a view of the inner side of the pitman joint.
Figures 4 and 5 are front and side elevations respectively on an enlarged scale of
a knotter bracket.
Figures 6 and 7 are side elevations and transverse section respectively of the
gear wheels for operating the conveyor or apron rollers.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
A is the ordinary cam wheel that operates the binding and knotting mechanism.
a, a are the oscillating packers which are carried and operated as heretofore by
cranks a', a' that are centred on the shaft a². The said packers are connected at
their lower ends by means of links b, b to one end of a levere which is pivoted
at c' to a fixed bracket d. 2 is a friction roller carried by the lever c for the
purpose hereinafter specified. e is the needle or binding arm which is keyed on a
shaft is the trip for releasing the knotting mechanism. The said trip is
mounted on the aforementioned shaft e¹. g is an arm fixed at one end on the
spindle e and connected at the other end by a pitman with the cam wheel A.
The said pitman is pivoted at ito a short link i which is carried by a stud 2 fixed
in the said wheel A. On the pitman his mounted a loose sleeve h¹ which has a
flat face adapted to engage with one side of the link i. 3 is a strong spiral
spring mounted on the pitman between the sleeve h¹ and an adjusting nut h. The
link is formed at its end with a lug 3 which is adapted to engage with the side of
the sleeve h¹. It will be seen from this peculiar construction that while the link i
cannot turn about its pivot ¹ in one direction owing to the engagement of the lug 3
with the side of the sleeve, it can turn slightly in the other direction. In so doing
the link presses upon one corner of the flat face of the sleeve and forces the
sleeve down the pitman a short distance thereby compressing the spring. The
distance between the stud and the arm g to which the pitman is pivoted can thus
be shortened by applying sufficient force to compress the spring 3 but cannot be
increased beyond the length to which it is set. The initial compression of the
spring can be adjusted by means of the nut. /*. This connection enables the trip to
release the knotting devices. The trip is secured to the army by a bolt f¹ which
passes through a slot 2 formed in the trip to enable the latter to be adjusted.
The operation of the device is as follows:- When the packers have collected a
sufficient quantity of cut crop or straw to form a sheaf or truss of the desired
density the resistance of such cut crop or straw to the movement of the packers so
acts upon the front of the said packers as to cause the lower ends of the same to
rise and press the lever c upwards. This movement of the lever c operates through
the friction roller 2 to raise the needle e with the lower edge of which the said
roller is adapted to engage and thereby partially rotates the shaft e¹ thus raising
the trip and releasing the knotting devices. The latter then come into action.
By suitably adjusting the initial compression of the spring ³ the degree of force
required to lift the trip f can be regulated and therefore sheaves of greater or less
density can be formed by the said mechanism.
The part of the needle is so formed that when the needle begins to rotate, it
engages with a friction roller carried by the lever c and thereby holds the said
lever down and prevents it from swinging about its centre as it would otherwise do
if it were not held down.

page_text: The compressor arm; is according to our invention secured directly to the crank
arm which is operated by the cam 7 on the cam wheel A. The said crank arm k
is, as heretofore, carried by a shaft on which is fixed an arm that is connected
by a link with an arm m that carries the antifriction roller which engages with
and is operated by the aforesaid cam 1. By this direct connection of the compressor
arm to the crank arm k the mechanism is simplified and a reduction is effected of
the number of parts employed.
n Figures 4 and 5 represents a knotter bracket the upper part or boss of which is
split and secured on the supporting shaft by bolts. The swinging frame o is also
split. This construction enables these attachments to be readily applied and
removed from the machine without disturbing other parts.
For gearing together the conveyor rollers P, p¹ Figure 7 we employ an inter-
mediate lantern wheel q which is carried by a stud 9 and is adapted to engage
externally with a pinion on the conveyor roller p, and internally with a pinion
on the other conveyor roller p'. The roller p is driven by chain gearing. This
mechanism is very compact.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
First. A sheaf-binding or trussing machine wherein the pressure or resistance of
the sheaf or truss acting upon the packers operates to turn the needle shaft thereby
releasing the trip and allowing the binding mechanism to be brought into action,
substantially in the manner described.
Second. The combination of the trip lever, the needle shaft, the lever c, and the
links connecting the said lever with the packers, substantially as described.
Third. The needle constructed to engage with the antifriction roller ³ on the
lever c, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.
Fourth. The sheaf or truss compressor mechanism, arranged substantially as
described.
Fifth. The pitman, constructed and operating substantially as herein described,
and for the purpose specified.
Sixth. The combination, with a sheaf binding or trussing machine, of the lantern
gearing for driving the conveyor rollers, substantially as described.
Seventh. A sheaf binding or trussing machine, provided with the improvements
herein described with reference to the drawings, and operating as, and for the
purposes, specified.
Dated this 4th day of April 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.