IMPROVEMENTS IN STRAW, HAY, AND CORN ELEVATORS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Perkins, of Hitchin, in the County of
Hertford, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STRAW, HAY, AND
CORN ELEVATORS."
Sealed the 28th January 1873, and dated the 25th October 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Perkins at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th October 1872.
I, THOMAS PERKINS, of Hitchin, in the County of Hertford, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STRAW,
HAY, AND CORN ELEVATORS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to provide convenient means for
raising the hopper end of the elevator as the height of the stack
increases, so that without unduly increasing the inclination of the trough
a higher stack may be reached. Also at the same time that I raise the
hopper end of the trough I move it forwards towards the stack in order
to keep the upper or delivery end of the trough more nearly over the

page_text: centre of the stack. For this purpose I mount the hopper and the lower
spindle of the elevator upon a movable frame, which is jointed to the
main frame or bed of the elevator. The lower spindle is driven from an
axis situate at the centre, about which the movable frame turns, so that
this frame may be raised or lowered without interfering with the driving
gear. The movable frame may be controlled by a lever fixed at right
angles upon it, a rope attached to this lever passing to a barrel on which
it is wound; or a pole or stud carrying the lower end of the trough
may be moved up and down by rackwork or otherwise; or the bottom
spindle of the trough may be capable of being removed from its usual
bearings and placed in other bearings provided for it higher up on the
framing; or an inclined rack may be provided, up which the trough may
be raised by a spindle with suitable gearing fixed upon it working
in the rack; this arrangement not only raises the lower or hopper
end of the trough but at the same time moves it endways more into
the middle of the stack; or standards may be fixed in the main
frame rising to a height of four or five feet above it, and having a sheave at
the top. A rope is passed over the sheave from the bottom of the trough
on one side to a rope pulley and winch handle on the other; thus the
trough is lifted and also moved endways towards the stack; or the
travelling wheels may at the hopper end be fixed on levers; by drawing
these from an inclined to or towards a perpendicular, the hopper end
will be raised, or both front and hind wheels may be fixed on levers, in
which case both ends of the machine may be raised.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 25
filed by the said Thomas Perkins in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 25th April 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
PERKINS, of Hitchin, in the County of Hertford, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent, Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 30
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of. October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas Perkins, Her special license that
I, the said Thomas Perkins, my executors, administrators, and assigns, 35

page_text: or such others as I, the said Thomas Perkins, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for " 'IMPROVEMENTS IN STRAW,
HAY, AND CORN ELEVATORS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Thomas Perkins, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Perkins, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
Th cobject of this Invention is to provide convenient means for raising
the hopper end of the elevator as the height of the stack increases, só
that without unduly increasing the inclination of the trough a higher
stack may be reached. Also that at the same time that the hopper end
of the trough is raised it may be moved forwards towards the stack in
order to keep the upper or delivery end of the trough more nearly over
the centre of the stack. For this purpose I mount the hopper and the
lower spindle of the elevator upon a movable frame, which is jointed to
the main frame or bed of the elevator. The lower spindle is driven from
an axis situate at the centre, about which the movable frame turns, so
that this frame may be raised or lowered without interfering with the
driving gear. The movable frame may be controlled by a lever fixed at
right angles upon it, a rope attached to this lever passing to a barrel on
which it is wound.
Figure 1 is a side view of an elevator. constructed according to my
Invention. a is the bed frame of the implement, it is supported upon
two pair of carrying wheels; bare the shafts by which the implement
is drawn from place to place; c is a movable frame jointed to the frame a,
and able to turn about the axis d; this axis is carried in bearings upon

page_text: the frame a and is driven by horse gear or in other convenient manner.
When the elevator is used in connection with a thrashing machine it is
worked by means of a driving belt brought to it from the thrashing
machine; e is another axis upon the frame c, it is driven from the axis d
by a pitch chain and chain wheels, or for this chain and chain wheels
spur wheels may be substituted. The axis e is also the pivot, about
which the elevator trough f turns when its further end is raised or
lowered. The endless chains g, g, carrying the cross lats and teeth, by
which the crop is taken up, the trough pass around chain wheels upon
the axis e and also around similar wheels upon a spindle h at the upper
end of the elevator trough. i, i, are uprights from the frame a, and
k, k, are ropes attached to the elevator trough fand passing over pulleys
at the top of the uprights. The ropes k have blocks k¹ at their lower
ends, and through these blocks the ropes 1, 1, are passed. They are
attached at one end to the frame a, and at the other are wound upon
the barrel m, so that by turning the barrel the upper end of the elevator
trough can be raised or lowered. A pawl locks the barrel when it has
been brought to the position desired; n, n, are levers fixed to the frame c
at right angles to it; ropes o, o, are attached to these levers; they pass
under guide pulleys on the frame a to the barrel p, on which they can
be wound so as to bring the frame c into any desired position from the
horizontal to the vertical. In this way the lower end of the elevator
trough can be raised and the command of several additional feet in
height is obtained. The same motion of the frame c, which gives this
additional height, also carries the elevator trough forward towards the
centre of the stack, and compensates for the loss of distance arising
from increased inclination of the trough, so that without moving the
implement it is possible to deliver the crop to the centre of the stack
from the commencement to the finish, a point of considerable importance
and unattainable with elevators of the ordinary construction.
q is the
hopper, into which the crop to be elevated is thrown; it is fixed upon
the lower end of the trough f, and out of it the crop is taken by the
teeth on the lats carried by the chains g, g. The hopper q is shewn
separately to a larger scale at Figures 2 and 3; it has a movable tail-
board, and when the implement is used to take the straw from a
thrashing machine the tailboard rests against the thrashing machine
and closes up as the inclination of the trough increases. r, r, are
windboards upon the trough, anḍ s, s, are supports to prevent the
chains g, g, sagging beneath the trough f.

page_text: Figure 4 is a side view of a portion of the machine already described,
as it is arranged to work before the stack has become high; and in the
same Figure by dotted lines the position of the parts when the machine
is packed for travelling is shewn. The uprights i are folded down, the
bolts connecting them with the frame a being removed.
Figure 5 shews another arrangement, in which the lower end of the
trough can be raised and lowered by means of slides t, which carry the
lower end of the trough and are moved up or down by rackwork or
otherwise. This arrangement requires the driving chain, which actuates
the spindle e to be altered in length to suit the positions of the slides,
and it does not afford the advantage possessed by the arrangement first
described of carrying the upper end of the trough forward towards the
centre of the stack as the lower end is raised.
Figure 6 shews an arrangement in which the lower end of the elevator
trough is provided with a spindle w, which is capable of being removed
from it lower or usual bearings and placed in other bearings provided
higher up on the framing. When in its lower position the axis e is first
driven, but when it is raised it receives motion through a pitch chain
from the axis d, as already described.
Figure 7 shews an arrangement in which inclined racks are provided,
up which the trough may be raised by a spindle with suitable gearing
fixed upon it working in the racks. This arrangement not only raises
the lower or hopper end of the trough but at the same time moves it
endways more into the middle of the stack; it requires the adjustment
of the length of the pitch chain connecting the axes d and e, each time
the lower end of the trough is raised; or this rack may be formed of the
segment of a circle, in which case no alteration in the length of the
pitch chain would be required.
Figure 8 shews an arrangement very similar to that shewn by
Figures 1 and 2. A standard is fixed in the main frame rising to a
height of four or five feet above it, and having a sheave at the top. A
rope is passed over the sheave from the bottom of the trough on one
side to a winch barrel, on which it is wound; thus the trough is lifted
and also moved endway towards the stack.
Figure 9 shews an arrangement in which the travelling wheels at the
hopper end of the trough are mounted on levers, and by drawing these

page_text: from an inclined position towards the perpendicular the hopper end of
the trough is raised. Both the front and hind wheels are in the arrange-
ment shewn mounted on levers, and the levers are connected together,
so that the frame a to which the levers are jointed is raised or lowered
equally at its two ends.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that I
claim, the construction of straw, hay, and corn elevators in such manner
that the trough can be raised at its lower end, and simultaneously moved
towards the centre of the stack on to which it discharges, substantially
as described.
I also claim the construction of straw, hay, and corn elevators, sub-
stantially as described and shewn by the annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Perkins, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand sight hundr