Planting Potatoes or for other like Purposes.
Year: 1888

page_text: Planting Potatoes or for other like Purposes.
I FRIEDRICH GRASSNICK of Hennigsdorf near Schebitz, Silesia, in the Kingdom
of Prussia and German Empire, 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 :-
This new or improved drill machine for potatoe planting or for other like purposes
consists of a horizontal frame A (Figures 1 and 2) which at the front rests on or is
supported by the front gear B which is supported by the two adjustable wheels b. b,
with the connecting rods h and k the former advantageously of T iron-at the back
the frame is supported by the two wheels a. a which are adjustable by means of the
clutches n.
In the frame A there is the draw bar c advantageously of square iron upon which
are placed in pairs the eight clutches or clamps d adjustable by means of the adjusting
screws i; through each pair of clutches d are run the hinge rods e which connect the
side beams and their hinges with the clutches d, so that the beams which at the
other end are connected in pairs also by the connecting rods or cross bars g, can move
at this end freely up and down.
Between each pair of beams f, or between the beams of each pair, there is a drilling
wheel c (Fig. 2) with the axle p, projecting on both sides of the nave or boss and
resting on or in the bearings m. This drilling wheel has between its spokes the drill-
diggers rr which have one end set in the nave z, while the other end is formed into a
spring fork w at the extremities of which and outside the circumference t of the
wheel c there are the drill-diggers rr which face each other and are spoon shaped,
In the wheel
sharp and may advantageously be made of strong sheet steel.
circumference there are slits made to receive the spring forks.
If now the whole machine is drawn forward by means of either mechanical or other
motive power applied to the hook of the draw chain the drilling wheel c is set in
motion and every time the drills touch the ground they strike into the soil and scoop
out a hole when the drills facing each other bend towards each other by means of
the spring in the fork, and the drills are sloped off from the outside.
On leaving

page_text: the ground the spring fork returns to its original position, thus facilitating the dropping
of the scooped out earth. Four such drill wheels c are fitted on the frame A in the
machine illustrated but they may be more or less in number, each wheel works by
itself so that every unevenness in the ground can be gone over by each drill wheel
separately without affecting the other parallel running drill wheels, as each wheel c
separately can accomodate itself to the uneveness of the ground.
At the back of the frame A is fitted the disconnecting gear ss; if the lever s is
pulled down the beams hanging on chains are raised by the lever and the machine is
placed entirely out of gear.
Figure 3 shows a clutch with adjusting screw i.
Figure 4 shows the drill digger r in section Figure 2 showing the holes dug out by
the machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A Machine for drilling or making holes for planting potatoes and for other like
purposes, with several separate wheels c resting on adjustable pairs of side beams ff
which wheels have between their spokes the drill-diggers of which one end is
fastened on the nave z while the other end is formed into a spring fork on the
points of which fork there are the drill-diggers sloping on the outside spoon
shaped and sharp and set opposite each other in pairs substantially as set forth.
2. A machine for drilling or making holes for planting potatoes and for other
like purposes arranged and constructed in the manner and for the purposes sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings annexed.
Dated 1st day of March 1888.
Dated 1st day of March 1888.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.