IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND BINDING CUT CROPS INTO SHEAVES
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Spencer at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 9th July 1881.
GEORGE SPENCER, of Spout Farm, Ashleyhay, Wirksworth, in the County of
Derby. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND BINDING CUT CROPS
INTO SHEAVES."
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me I described securing
together the ends of a cord after it had been passed around a bundle or sheaf by
first twisting together the ends of the cord, then causing the ends to lie in opposite
directions alongside of the cord around the sheaf, and then by a pair of rubbers
causing the cord to roll over and wind up the ends around itself.
In order to effect the twisting of the two ends of the cord together after it has
been passed around a bundle of cut crop, I now employ a disc which can be revolved,
and which at two opposite points of its circumference has a portion notched out.
A pin projecting at right angles from one side of each notch forms a pivot for a
nipping pawl; the pawl is acted on by a spring so as to keep its end pressed up
against the other side of the notch and serves to hold the cord when the cord is
inserted between itself and the side of the notch. One end of the cord is held
by the pawl in one notch and the other end of the cord by the pawl in the other
notch. The disc is thon revolved four or five times and twists the cords together
and is brought to rest in such a position that the ends of the cord are parallel with
the cord around the bundle of crop. During this time one of the rubbers used is
between the twist on the cords and the bundle of crop. When the twisting is
completed this rubber is drawn back endwise whilst the other rubber is moved
end wise in the opposite direction and comes below, the twist; the cord with the
twist on it is thereby rolled over and over and so caused to wind up the two ends
of the cord which are then set free. The setting free of the ends of the cord is
effected by the lower rubber as it comes forward acting upon projections which
stand up from the nipping pawls and thereby pressing the pawls downwards these
projections which stand up from the pawls also serve to prevent too great a strain
being brought upon the cord whilst it is being twisted, as the cord passing from
the circumference of the disc to the twist formed above its centre lies over the top
of these projections, and if the strain on the cord gets too great it presses the pawls
TP IN

page_text: down and can then draw itself through the nip until the strain upon it is
sufficiently relieved; the nip then closes and again holds the cord.
The cord I pass around the bundle of crop by a curved needle arm in the
ordinary manner; the cord passing from a reel is threaded through an eye at the
point of the needle arm, and the end of the cord is held by a nipper below the
bottom of the platform or receptacle on which the bundle of crop rests. The
bundle of crop is delivered into the receptacle against the cord whilst the needle
arm is raised; the portion of cord below the platform is then in position to enter
one of the notches in the disc twister before described; the needle arm then
descends and carries the cord around the bundle; the twister also makes a half
turn, and the cord is placed by the needle into the other notch of the twister.
The pawls are held down to allow the cords to enter. When both ends of the
cord have thus been taken hold of by the twister, the cord is cut between the
twister and the eye of the needle arm; this is effected by causing a wedge to
advance between this part of the cord and the needle and to lift the cord and
carry it against a fixed inclined knife which then passes into a longitudinal slot
in the wedge.
At the same time the cord on the side of the wedge towards the needle eye gets
pressed against the side of the wedge by a spring blade, and the end of the cord
passing through the needle to the reel is thus retained until it subsequently gets
held in one of the notches of the twister, as before explained.
In some cases in order to more securely tie together the ends of a cord after it
has been passed around a bundle of cut crop, I cause the twister after it has made
two or three turns to come to rest in a position to bring the ends of the cord
somewhat at an angle to the cord around the bundle instead of parallel with it, as
before described; I then cause a nipper, or it might be a hook, to come below one
end of the cord and to rise up and pass between the cord that encircles the bundle
of crop and the crop; I then cause the twister to make about a half turn and carry
the end of the cord under the cord around the bundle and bring it to the other
side of the nipper; I then cause the nipper to descend to its former position and
turn the twister back in the opposite direction; the cord is thereby laid onto the
nipper, and is by it seized and drawn back, carrying the cord in a loop between the
bundle and the cord encircling it; the end of the cord is so formed into a bow, or if
the end of the cord is drawn completely through it would form it into a knot; the
nippers then open and release the loop.
The apparatus above described for binding cut crop into sheaves may be used
either on a reaping machine for binding up the crop as it is cut, or on machines
adapted for picking up from off the ground crop that has previously been cut,
or for tyeing up straw as it comes from a thrashing or other such like machine.
In order to pick up cut crop from off the ground and tie it into bundles
I employ a platform mounted on wheels and sloping down and resting upon the
ground at its front; a fork mounted at the fore part of the machine is inade to
descend on to the ground in front of the platform and to be drawn backwards so
as to push the crop upwards from the front to the back of the platform. The stem
of the fork I joint at its upper end to a rod, the upper end of which passes through
a slot in a fixed arm. Intermediate of the length of the rod the rod is tied to the
stem of the fork by a connecting arm. In the lower end of the rod is a slot into
which the pin of a crank enters.
As the crank is revolved the fork will be moved
up and down and backwards and forwards in an oval course.
When the arm which connects together the rod and stem of the fork is in a
position at right angles to the rod and stem or thereabouts, the fork at the end of
its backward movement will have pushed back the crop on the platform sufficiently
far for the binding mechanism to tie it into a bundle. If the connecting arm is turned
into a position parallel with the stem of the fork and with the rod or thereabouts,
the fork will not be moved so far back along the platform, and then cannot get in
the way of any part of the binding mechanism.

page_text: The connecting arm can be turned by means of a rod extending at right angles
from it and jointed at its end by a universal joint to a spindle.
When there is sufficient crop at the back end of the platform to form a bundle,
the driver of the machine by moving a lever handle puts the binding mechanism
into operation, and at the same time and by the same lever movement gives a
quarter turn to the short spindle just mentioned, so that the gathering fork does
not move so far back. The movement of the lever also causes the sheaf to be
compressed.
When the sheaf is bound the binding mechanism goes out of gear.
When the driver moves the lever back to its former position, the fork again moves
the crop on the platform backwards far enough to bring it within reach of the binding
mechanism, and when enough has been collected the driver causes it to be tied up
into a sheaf by again moving his lever handle.
To prevent the cut crop from being blown about whilst it is resting on the
platform, or from slippng down the platform after it has been lifted back along it
by the fork, I employ a chain (or chains) suspended by its end at a short distance
above the platform. The chain or chains run lengthwise of the platform and hang
downwards loosely above it. As the crop is moved backwards by the fork the
chains rest upon the top of the crop and remain holding it when the fork goes
forward, or an arm or arins jointed to the back end of the platform might be used
to effect the same object; these arms might be so shaped as to form a top to the
receptacle which holds the crop whilst it is being bound and to prevent its escaping
from the front opening of the receptacle after it has been made to pass into it.