IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND HARVESTING MACHINES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Denton Abel, of No. 28, Southampton Buildings,
in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING
AND HARVESTING MACHINES." A communication from abroad by Maurice
Gorel, of Paris, France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Denton Abel at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th June 1880.
CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of No. 28, Southampton Buildings, in the County of
Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND HARVESTING MACHINES." [A com-
munication from abroad by Maurice Gorel, of Paris, France.]
This Invention has for its object to effect both the reaping of cereals and the
thrashing or separation of the grain from the ears on the field by means of one and
the same machine.
For this purpose instead of first reaping or cutting the corn in the ordinary
manner and then thrashing it, the machine is so arranged as first to thrash or
separate the grain from the ears of the standing corn, and then to cut or reap the
straw. The machine consists mainly of a trough shaped casing pivotted at its rear
end to uprights on a frame running on wheels, while its front end is rendered
adjustable in height by means to be presently described, and carries, firstly, a
revolving beating drum operating in a similar manner to the beating drum of an
ordinary thrashing machine, and, secondly, beneath and somewhat in advance of
the said drum, a row of fingers. As the machine advances these fingers penetrate
the standing corn just below the ears, and thus hold the same while the bars of the
As the
beating drum operate on the ears so as to remove the grain therefrom.
grain is delivered from the beating drum, it is collected and conveyed to the rear
along the bottom of the trough by a series of travelling bars fixed to endless
travelling bands on each side of the trough. At the rear end the grain is delivered
into a hulling apparatus consisting of a semi-cylindrical casing in which revolves a
sheet metal cylinder, whereby the grain is submitted to a rubbing action so as to
separate it from any ears or portions of ears that may have been detached by the
beater. The said casing has one or more shoots to which are attached sacks into
which the grain is delivered.

page_text: For adjusting the height of the front end of the trough, the framing of the
machine carries two bars crossing each other linked together in the middle of their
length, the trough being made to rest on rollers carried by their upper ends, while
the lower ends are capable of being moved farther apart or closer together by any
suitable mechanism, such as a chain attached to the end of the one bar and led
round a pitch wheel rotated by suitable gearing.
Below the rear end of the before described trough is the reaping or cutting
mechanism for cutting the straw after the grain has been separated therefrom.
This mechanism consists of a set of knives having a reciprocating motion against a
series of fixed knives or fingers, in a similar manner to an ordinary reaping
machine. These blades are carried by slides suspended by chains from a barrel
with ratchet wheel and pawl, whereby. the blades can be adjusted to cut the straw
at any desired height from the ground, and can also be raised entirely out of the
way for transport. Motion is imparted to the various before described moving
parts by a large road wheel, the axis of which gears with a second shaft having a
bevil wheel with which gears, firstly, a bevil pinion on a shaft which imparts
motion by an eccentric or crank and connecting rod to the reciprocating cutter bar,
while a second bevil pinion imparts motion to a shaft extending upwards and
gearing with a horizontal shaft in the trough, which last named shaft imparts
motion to the beater drum by a strap and pullies, and also serves to drive the
travelling bars for collecting the grain and the hulling cylinder.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Denton Abel in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 2nd
December 1880.
«
A com-
CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of No. 28, Southampton Buildings, in the County of
Middlesex. IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND HARVESTING MACHINES."
munication from abroad by Maurice Gorel, of Paris, France.
This Invention has for its object to effect both the reaping of cereals and the
thrashing or separation of the grain from the ears on the field by means of one and
the same machine.
For this purpose instead of first reaping or cutting the corn in the ordinary
manner and then thrashing it, the machine is so arranged as first to thrash or
separate the grain from the ears of the standing corn, and then to cut or reap the
straw. The machine consists mainly of a trough shaped casing pivotted at its rear
end to uprights on a frame running on wheels, while its front end is rendered
adjustable in height by means to be presently described, and carries, firstly, a
revolving beating drum operating in a similar manner to the beating drum of an
ordinary thrashing machine, and, secondly, beneath and somewhat in advance of
the said drum, a row of fingers. As the machine advances these fingers penetrate
the standing corn just below the ears, and thus hold the same while the bars of the
beating drum operate on the ears so as to remove the grain therefrom.
grain is delivered from the beating drum, it is collected and conveyed to the rear
along the bottom of the trough by a series of travelling bars fixed to endless
travelling bands on each side of the trough. At the rear end the grain is delivered
into a hulling apparatus consisting of a semi-cylindrical casing in which revolves a
sheet metal cylinder, whereby the grain is submitted to a rubbing action so as to
separate it from any ears or portions of ears that may have been detached by the
beater. The said casing has one or more shoots to which are attached sacks into
which the grain is delivered.
As the
For adjusting the height of the front end of the trough, the framing of the
machine carries two bars crossing each other linked together in the middle of their
length, the trough being made to rest on rollers carried by their upper ends, while
the lower ends are capable of being moved farther apart or closer together by any
suitable mechanism, such as a chain attached to the end of the one bar and led
round a pitch wheel rotated by suitable gearing.
Below the rear end of the before described trough is the reaping or cutting
mechanism for cutting the straw after the grain has been separated therefrom.
This mechanism consists of a set of knives having a reciprocating motion against a
series of fixed knives or fingers, in a similar manner to an ordinary reaping
machine. These blades are carried by slides suspended by chains from a barrel
with ratchet wheel and pawl, whereby the blades can be adjusted to cut the straw
at any desired height from the ground, and can also be raised entirely out of the
way for transport. Motion is imparted to the various before described moving
parts by a large road wheel, the axis of which gears with a second shaft having a
bevil wheel with which gears, firstly, with a bevil pinion on a shaft which imparts
motion by an eccentric or crank and connecting rod to the reciprocating cutter bar,
while a second bevil pinion imparts motion to a shaft extending upwards and
gearing with a horizontal shaft in the trough, which last named shaft imparts
notion to the beater drum by a strap and pullies, and also serves to drive the
travelling bars for collecting the grain and the hulling cylinder.

page_text: Fig. 5, a plan of the reaping blades and fingers; and Fig. 6 is a part plan shewing
apparatus for regulating the height of the upper casing. The machine is supported
on one side on the driving wheel A, and on the other side on smaller wheels B.
On the axle C of the wheel A is a toothed wheel D gearing with a pinion E, which
is provided with a clutch F of any known construction. On the shaft of the
pinion E is fixed a bevil wheel G which gears with two bevil pinions G₁ and G.
The pinion G¹ is on an inclined shaft, which by means of bevil gear d, d,
pullies c¹, c, and strap, works the revolving beating drum V. By pinions e, e¹, is
also worked from the same shaft, the upper shaft of the travelling band g', and by
gearing i, i, is worked the hulling cylinder K. The pinion G is on a horizontal
shaft L having at its end a crank j which works the reaping blades S. These are
fixed on a bar o terminating in a piece m having uprights k, k', between which the
crank j is engaged. The bar o is guided by ears n fixed on a bar from which
project the guide fingers p. The reaping frame is suspended by chains, one at each
end led over pullies fixed on a transverse spindle 8. By turning this spindle by
a handle and engaging it in one or other of a set of circular notches T, the reaping
apparatus can be adjusted to various levels or can be raised sufficiently far to
permit of free travel of the machine. The beating drum V consists of two circular
discs or frames a carrying beater blades b which strike off the grain from the heads
of corn guided towards them by fingers p. The grain threshed off is transferred by
the travelling bands g and their cross bars along the inclined bottom of the
casing H, and delivered to the casing of the hulling cylinder K. The casing H is
hinged at its back end to the upper part of the framing M, and it rests near its
front on two cross bars N, N¹, the former hinged to the framing, and the other
terminating in a roller Z which can run along a ledge of the framing. A chair v
attached to the end of N' passes round a pulley x to a chain wheel x, which can be
turned through bevil gear y¹, y, from a hand wheel Q, the casing H being thus
raised or lowered in front, as may be required.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent,
I claim in respect of reaping and harvesting machines,-
First. Combining in one and the same machine apparatus for threshing the heads
of corn while the stalks remain standing with apparatus for afterwards reaping the
stalks, substantially as herein described.
Second. The construction of combined threshing and reaping machine herein
described with reference to the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Denton Abel, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
CHAS. D. ABEL. (L.S.)