IMPROVEMENT IN BUNDLE-CARRIERS FOR GRAIN BINDERS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, Fel. Inst. P.A. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster and
323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENT IN BUNDLE-CARRIERS FOR
GRAIN BINDERS," (a communication from abroad by Cyrus H. McCormick Junior,
of Chicago in the County of Cook and State of Illinois, United States of America,
President of the M'Cormick Harvesting Machine Company) and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
In that type of bundle-carriers which swing or tilt transversely to the line of
advance of the machine, so as to open a gap between themselves and the binder
decking or discharge-chute, through which gap the load is deposited on the ground,
difficulty has been experienced in making a clean and compact dump, owing to the
fact that the floor of the carrier remains parallel with the advance and being, as a
rule, composed of slats, these catch the sheaves and twist them around, leaving
them lying awry and scattered as the machine passes on. This it is herein proposed
to remedy by supporting and tilting the carrier on different axes at front and rear,
which is most effectively done by suspending it on pivoted arms or bails, the rear
arm being the longer so that when swung out to discharge a load, the rear of the
carrier will be taken further from the binder than the front, leaving a wider gap at
the rear, whereby the onward movement of the machine will tend to take the
flooring away from the sheaves discharged, instead of scraping it past them.
With such carrier also it requires an expenditure of considerable force to open
them for the discharge of the accumulated load, and if this is thrown upon the
driver, coupled with the other labors incident to the management of the machine, a
few hours work exhausts him. For this reason various efforts, attended with more
or less success, have been made to operate the carrier by power furnished by the
draft of the machine. This improvement so far as it relates to this feature, consists
in connecting the lever arm by which the carrier is swung, with a rack-bar which
engages with a pinion on the harvester, to throw the carrier open, and by means of
[Price 8d1

page_text: a treadle and friction-brake may be retained against the stress of the carrier, after
said pinion has ceased to actuate it, until the load is entirely cleared.
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a top plan view of so much of a harvester (the binding attachment
being omitted) embodying the invention, as is necessary to an understanding
thereof.
Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the parts shown in the preceding figure.
Figure 3 is a diagramatic elevation from the stubble side of the machine.
Figures 4, 5, and 6 enlarged details of the rack-bar and accessory mechanism.
Figure 7 represents, in rear elevation, means whereby the special carrier herein
described may be operated by hand; and
Figures 8 and 9 are respectively a side elevation and a section of the preferred
construction of the mechanism for operating the rack-bar.
A represents the elevator-frame which does not, or need not, differ from the
usual shape. B is the rear sill, and B¹ the front sill, C the end sill on the stubble
side, D and D¹ the lateral beams constituting the wheel frame, and E the main
wheel: F is the binding table or decking, prolonged by a discharge-chute f, but no
binding mechanism is shown as the invention is irrespective of any particular type
of automatic binder, and the parts already enumerated are to be taken only as
exponents of a very general class.
Suitably secured, adjacent to the front sill and parallel therewith, is a bar G,
projecting out from the machine, and having at its extreme end a low standard g,
provided with a bearing near its top but this standard may be omitted if it is seen
fit to place the bar at a higher elevation. From the rear struts of the elevator-
frame, or from other suitable support, projects another bar G³, in a plane parallel
with the first, but so that its outer end is higher than the outer end of that, and
this last named bar has at said outer end à journal bearing g³, still considerably
higher than the journal bearing in the standard on the other.
The carrier H may be constructed in any suitable manner and of any suitable
material. It is shown for the purpose of this case as composed of parallel metal
slats h, pointing in towards the harvester, riveted to a cross-bar h¹, and at the outer
ends turned up and united by a strap h², and this is perhaps the lightest and most
durable form in which it can be embodied. At both front and rear it has vertical
'arms h³, both rigidly secured to the cross bar, and therefore directly opposite each
other, but the rear arm being somewhat longer than the other. These arms or bails
carry pivot pins at such relative height on each that when set into bearings at g
and g respectively, the carrier will be supported by them horizontally so long as it
is in the receiving position.
To the rear bail is secured a lever arm i, with which is pivotally connected one
end of an operating bar or rod I, extending to the elevator and there either
provided with a hand-hold, as in Figure 7, that the driver may open the carrier by
main strength, or else with a rack i, for engagement with a pinion whereby it may
be operated by the draft of the team. Other means may be adopted to open a
carrier of this construction, it being understood of course that it is intended to
gravitate back to receiving position.
It is evident that with this construction, whenever the carrier is open, its rear
supporting bar will make the longest sweep, taking that side of the carrier further
from the binder than the other and lifting it higher-that is, to a level with its
rear pivot. A gap will thus be caused between binder and carrier and between
ground and the ends of the carrier slats, that increases constantly in dimensions
from front to rear, so that the onward movement of the machine will take the
carrier from the pile of sheaves as a housewife draws a mold from the jelly.
In order to utilize the power of the team in operating the carrier, whether it
swings on two axes or but one, a pinion on some constantly driven shaft of the
harvester, convenient for the purpose, is arranged to be engaged with the rack-
bar I, either intermittently or permanently. In the first base the pinion will be
keyed to its shaft and run therewith, but in the second it will be loose on the

page_text: shaft, and clutched thereto only when the carrier is to be opened. One arrange-
ment is indicated in the first six figures of the drawing, and the other in the
eighth.
Proceeding to describe the first indicated method:-in harvesters and binders
manufactured by the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, and well known
in this Kingdom, the reel is usually driven by a telescopic tumbling shaft K
extending from the rear, where it receives motion through a sprocket wheel K³,
over the foot plank k to its connections with the reel-supports. Upon the rear
member of this shaft, which is mounted in fixed bearings, it is now proposed to
key a pinion k¹ in such position that it will come immediately above the rack-bar,
which is so confined in a guide loop or keeper k* that it may be moved towards or
from the pinion to bring it into, or throw it out from engagement therewith.
A strong plate spring with its effective face parallel with, and pressing upon, the
teeth of the rack serves not only to constantly urge it away from the pinion, and
to the bottom of the guide loop, but also as a brake whereby the rack-bar may be
temporarily held from retrogression after being disengaged from the pinion, to
keep the carrier open until its load is entirely cleared.
A treadle, or foot-lever L, is pivoted to one of the brackets A, which carry the
bearings for the tumbling shaft, or to any other convenient support above the foot-
plank, so that it may be operated by the driver in his seat. At the rear end this
lever is bent down and brought beneath the rack-bar, opposite the pinion, or
thereabout, and is provided with an anti-friction roll for contact with said bar.
By depressing the lever, the bar will be raised against the force of the spring,
and brought into engagement with the pinion, which will instantly act to draw it
in, thus swinging the carrier out and discharging the load. When the carrier is
fully opened, the driver will release the treadle sufficiently to disengage it from the
pinion, but will still hold it against the spring, now acting as a brake, with
sufficient force to prevent the carrier from closing, until the load is fully escaped.
In the second method, as illustrated in Figures 8 and 9, the spring is dispensed
with, the rack-bar is confined closely in its loop, and in constant engagement with
its pinion, the pinion is mounted loosely, upon its shaft, and has a friction disk M
on its rear face, while a counter disk M¹ is keyed to the shaft, so that the pinion
will be clutched to said shaft, whenever jammed against the counter disk with
sufficient force. On a bracket, adjacent to the hub of the pinion is pivoted a short
lever N, having a collar n, loosely embracing the shaft and arranged to be brought
against the end of the pinion hub to press it towards the disk. A bell-crank
treadle O, is pivoted to a low standard on the foot board, and connected with the
power end of lever N, by means of the link O'. To ensure a steady frictional grip,
a spring o is interposed between the link and the treadle arm to which it is
connected, and a nut provided to adjust this spring.
As thus far described these parts are sufficient to ensure the action of the pinion
upon the rack-bar, and the retention of the latter while the load is being cleared,
since, according to the degree of pressure upon the friction-clutch, the carrier will
be opened or merely held open, or allowed to close, the clutch either driving the
pinion, or acting as a brake to hold it and the rack-bar stationary, or releasing it
altogether. But as it sometimes happens that the bundle-carrier is accidentally
tilted, it is advisable to lock it against movement until the pinion is clutched to
its shaft. For this purpose a fork is made in the link, one arm o¹ of which is hooked
and passes through an elongated slot in the end of the lever N, while the other o'
is passed through a guide in the standard which supports said lever, and its end
brought immediately behind the end of the rack-bar to prevent it from moving
inward until the treadle is depressed, which action will first withdraw the locking
arm o' without disturbing the lever N, owing to the play of the other arm in the
recess, and then, bringing said latter arm against the inner side of the recess, will
actuate the lever and cause the engagement of the friction-clutch.
The forked link is constantly under stress to return to the locking position
through the instrumentality of a spring P, pressing on the end of the hooked arm,

page_text: so that the instant the treadle is released it will fly back to that position unless
otherwise restrained. Such restraint is afforded, so long as the carrier is open, by
the contact of the locking arm with the side of the rack-bar, which bars its
passage, but as soon as the end of this bar is reached, which will be at the moment
the carrier is entirely closed, the restraint ceases, and the locking arm shuts in,
past said end as before:
Having now particularly described and ascertained 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 declare that what I claim is :-
1. A bundle carrier for grain-binders, mounted upon axes out of line with each
other, and arranged in such manner that the rear of the carrier is swung further
from the binder than the front, to leave a wider gap.
2. The combination substantially as hereinbefore set forth, with the harvester-
frame of a bundle-carrier, pivotally suspended from supporta on said frame by arms,
the rear arm being the longest, and a lever and a draw-bar whereby said bundle
carrier may be swung out to discharge its contents.
3. The combination substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the beams
extending from front and rear of the harvester frame, the standard on the front
beam and the bearing on the rear beam at a higher elevation than a like bearing
in said standard, the bundle-carrier having a short arm or bail in front pivoted in
said standard, and a long arm at rear pivoted in the bearing of the beam, and the
lever fixed to said longer arm, and the draw-bar extending from the end of the
lever to the elevator-frame.
4. The combination substantially as hereinbefore set forth, with a bundle-carrier,
of a lever-arm by which it can be swung upon its pivots, a rack-bar connected with
said lever-arm and extending to the harvester, a pinion upon a driven part of said
harvester, and means whereby the pinion may be caused to draw in the rack-bar to
open the bundle-carrier.
5. The combination substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a bundle-carrier
pivoted in supports from the harvester, a lever for swinging said carrier on its
supports to discharge its load, a rack-bar connected with said lever, a pinion which
operates the rack-bar, and a brake by which the rack-bar may be held against
retrogression after the pinion has ceased to move it.
6. The combination substantially as hereinbefore set forth, with a bundle-carrier
pivoted in supports from the harvester frame, of a lever attached to said carrier,
whereby it may be swung upon its supports, a rack-bar attached to said lever, a
pinion mounted loosely on a driven shaft of the harvester, a friction-disk on the
pinion, a friction disk fixed to said shaft, and a foot lever or treadle whereby said
pinion may be brought against the fixed disk with varying force, to engage with
the shaft in order to open the carrier, and to be held stationary to keep the carrier
open.
7. The combination substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a bundle-carrier
pivoted in supports from the harvester frame, a lever attached to said carrier
whereby it may be swung or tilted in its supports, a rack-bar connected with said
lever, and a pinion upon the reel driving shaft of the harvester to operate said.
rack-bar.
8. The combination substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a bundle-carrier
pivoted in supports from the harvester-frame, a lever attached to said carrier
whereby it may be swung or tilted on its pivots, a rack-bar connected with said
lever, a pinion provided with a friction-disk and mounted loosely upon the reel-
driving shaft, and constantly engaged with said rack-bar, a friction-disk fixed on
the shaft alongside of that on the pinion, and a foot lever or treadle whereby the
said pinion may be brought against the disk on the shaft with varying force to
engage with the shaft, or to be held stationary, or to be released altogether, for the
purpose stated.

page_text: 9. The combination substantially as herein before set forth, of the swinging and
tilting carrier pivotally suspended from its supports by arms or bails, the lever
attached to the longer arm, the rack-bar connected with said lever, the pinion
engaging with said rack-bar and running loosely on the reel-shaft the friction-
clutch arrangement for engagement with said pinion, and the foot-lever for causing
such engagement.
10. The combination substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the pivoted
carrier, the lever-arm by which it is swung on its pivot, the rack-bar connected
with said lever arm, the pinion which operates the rack-bar to open the carrier,
and a stop to prevent accidental opening of the carrier arranged to be thrown into
action to dog the rack-bar when the carrier closes, and to be withdrawn immediately
preceding the effective action of the pinion.
11. The combination substantially as herein before set forth, of the pivoted
carrier, the lever-arm by which it is swung upon its pivot, the rack-bar connected
with said lever-arm, the pinion constantly engaged with said rack-bar, and clutched
to its shaft at will, a locking bolt arranged to be projected past the end of the
rack-bar when the carrier is closed, to dog it and prevent opening, and means
whereby said bolt is withdrawn whenever the pinion is thrown into engagement
with its clutch.
12. The combination substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the pivoted
carrier, the lever arm by which it is swung upon its pivot, the rack-bar connected
with said lever-arm, the loose pinion constantly engaged with said rack-bar and
having a friction-disk, the reel driving shaft and friction-disk fast thereon, the
lever pressing on the hub of the pinion to force it against the fixed disk, the forked
link hooking by one arm into an elongated recess in the power end of the lever,
and having the other arm formed as a bolt to be projected past the end of the
rack-bar, and the treadle to which the link is connected at its forward end.