Improvements in Pressing and Tying up Straw, Hay, Flax, and other Commodities.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd April, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 3rd April, 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 3rd Aug., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pressing and Tying up Straw, Hay, Flax, and other
Commodities.
HENRY RUCK Castle Hill Down Ampney Cricklade in the County of Wiltshire
Farmer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
A frame and crate is made to keep Straw, Hay Flax or other commodities into a
certain shape and then chains, cords, ropes or other bands are used to press such
commodities into a reduced dimension than the size of frame and crate by manual
power and weight.
I pass other bands into the groove of tension made by the pressing chains, cords
ropos or other bands and then tie up.
Openings are made on top of fraine and crate to allow the press chains, cords, ropes
and other bands to pass through.
Sloping slides are placed on a cross platform to the frame and crate to carry treadles,
which slides gives the press chains or other bands a greater tension than otherwise,
these treadles are placed on the ends of each pair of chains or other bands the other
end of chains or bands are fastened to the centre line on the platform the said
treadles, chains, or bands are passed through, and cross between each other, after
which they work down and by the sides of the sloping slides on opposite side of
frame and crate and then by applying manual power and weight the commodities
placed in the frame and crate are pressed into a shape previous to tying up the same
which causes a greatly reduced size in bulk of the commodities acted upon.

page_text: Improvements in Pressing and Tying up Straw, Hay, Flax, and other
Commodities.
HENRY RUCK Castle Hill Down Ampney Cricklade in the County of Wiltshire
Farmer 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 :-
A frame and crate is made to keep Straw Hay, Flax or other commodities into a
certain shape and then chains, cords, ropes, or other bands are used to press such
commodities into a reduced dimension than the size of frame and crate by manual
power and weight.
I pass other bands into the groove of tension made by the pressing chains, cords
ropos, or other bands and then tie up.
Openings are made on top of frame and crate to allow the press chains, cords, ropes
and other bands to pass through.
Sloping slides are placed on a cross platform to the frame and crate to carry treadles
which slides gives the press chains or other bands a greater tension than otherwise,
these treadles are placed on the ends of each pair of chains or other bands the other
end of chains or bands are fastened to the centre line on the platform, the said
treadles, chains, or bands are passed through and cross between each other after which
they work down and by the sides of the sloping slides on opposite side of frame and
crate and then by applying manual power and weight the commodities placed in the
frame and crate are pressed into a reduced size in bulk of the commodities acted upon
previous to tying up the same.
Each chain or bands on treadles are placed at such a width to keep the chains or
bands to a required distanco apart to prevent their lapping upon each other when in
work.
Catches are placed on each ends of platform to hold the bands previous to
tying up.
A stool is made (with fingers of wood or steel) to fix on either end of framo to
hold bands.
The frame and crate with the press can be used with one or more chains, cords,
ropes or other bands.
With the flat bottom in crato I can press and tie up trusses of hay and other
commodities.
The drawing annexed shows an apparatus constructed according to my invention.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section-Figure 2 a side elevation and Figure 3 a plan
view.
A is a frame or crate into which the straw or other matter to be pressed is placed.
For tying straw and such like matters into bundles I make the bottom of the .crate
semicircular as shown at Figure 1 but when comparatively square bundles are required
as for example for hay the crate may be made square at the bottom. B is a platform
fixed crosswise below the crate and upon which the crate is carried-C Care sloping
supports for the central portion of the sides of the crate-these supports may be
formed as shown in the drawing but preferably I make them each of a solid triangular
piece of wood fixed securely at the bottom to the platform B-D D are two vertical
openings formed through the sides of the crate and extending downwards from top to
bottom FF are chains each secured to a ring or eye G which is fixed securely to the
platform B on the central line of the crate Preferably I provide each chain with a

page_text: hook at its end which may either be hooked into the eyes G or may be passed through
the eyes and then be led back and hooked into any one or other of the links of the
chain so that each chain may be shortened or lengthened as required. Two chains
are in this way secured to each ring or eye G-one chain is led from it in one direc-
tion and the other in the opposite direction. The outer ends of the two chains which
are led away from the rings or eyes G in one direction are secured to a bar or treadle
F and the outer ends of the other two chains to another similar bar or treadlo―
EE are catches at each end of the platform B by which the ends of two straw
bands E with which a bundle of straw when compressed is to be tied may be retained
during the time that straw is being piaced into the crate and whilst this straw is being
subsequently compressed by the chains these catches may be formed in the manner
shown at Figure 4 so that the ends of the straw bands have simply to be pressed
below them.
The apparatus is worked in the following manner.
Two straw bands are laid along the platform B one along each side of it and the
ends of the bands are placed under and held by the clips so as to keep the bands from
moving and one of the bars F is placed to one side of the crate and the other to the
opposite side of the crato as shown at Figure 3. The quantity of straw that is to be
tied up into a bundle is then filled into the crate and afterwards each bar F¹ is passed
over from the side of the crate at which it was lying to the opposite side and one bar
is passed between the chains secured to the other bar. The chains attached to one bar
are attached to it at a somewhat loss distance apart than the chains attached to the
other bar so that the chains may be side by side against the straw when at work.
A man at each side of the crate then takes hold of the bars each one taking hold of
the bar which has been passed over to his side of the press from the opposite side and
he draws the bar towards himself. In this way the men draw the chains against the
straw and compress the straw sufficiently to allow of the ends of the bar being brought
below the upper ends of the supports C and being made to bear against the inclined
backs of the supports. The two men then place their feet on to and stand upon the
bars which they can readily do if each with one hand holds one hand of the other.
By the men standing on the bars the straw gets still further compressed and the bars F¹
descend to some distance down the inclines. The men then by beating the straw on
the top of the bundle with mallets whilst still standing on the bars can complete the
compressing of the bundle the bars descending down the inclines little by little at each
blow. When the compression is complete the ends of the straw bands E are removed
from under the catches E' and are bent over the bundle close against the side of the
chains and are securely tied together.
The chains can then be released and the bound bundle of straw can be ejected from
the crate and the pressing of a fresh bundle can then be proceeded with.
His a stool carrying at the top a rack composed of pegs or fingers I standing up
from it at each end. A number of straw bands ready twisted can be held in this rack
the ends of the bands being pressed down between the pegs and thereby held. The rack
can be made to hold a large supply of such bands.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. The construction of apparatus substantially in the manner hereinbefore described
for pressing straw and other commoditics.
2. The combination of the crate, the chains, the treadles and the inclines against
which the treadles bear substantially as described.