Year: 1895

page_text: παριυνσΜΜ
I, JOHN ROOTS, of South Green Iron Works, East Dereham, in the County of
Norfolk, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:-
This invention relates to improvements in straw and hay presses and has for
object to provide a press which is more simple in construction and which can be
manipulated with greater facility than heretofore.
According to my invention I provide a framing to which I rigidly attach the bed
of the press. Above the said bed I hinge to the framing of the press a lever
preferably provided with a counterweight and to which the head of the press is
Becured by means of a screw which is pivotally connected to the said head and
passes through a hole in the lever, having an internal screw-thread, forming a nut
in which the screw works.
In carrying out my invention as applied to a straw press I fit to the bed of the
press a number of curved bars preferably somewhat U-shaped and designed to
receive the straw to be bundled. The head of the press is also formed of a
number of curved bars advantageously of the same shape as the bars on the
bed, but being in an inverted position and pivotally attached to the screw depending
from the lever as above mentioned.
The straw is placed in the bends of the lower set of curved bars and the lever
is then depressed causing the upper bars to pass between the lower bars until
the straw is compressed between the two sets of bars as much as is possible by
means of the lever. The lever is then secured in position by any suitable means
and the screw carrying the upper set of bars is turned, thereby forcing the said
upper bars still further downwards and further compressing the straw.
When the straw has been sufficiently compressed it is tied, the screw is loosened,
the lever set free and raised by means of the counterweight so that the bundle of
straw may be removed from the press.
The joint between the lever and the framing of the machine is preferably
made adjustable in height so as to adapt the press to make bundles of different
sizes.
When applying my invention to a hay press I remove the above described
curved bars on the bed and substitute for the upper set of curved bars a plate or
platen pivotally, attached to the screw in the manner above described.
Dated this 14th day of December 1895.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: improvements in Straw and Hay Presses.
I, JOHN ROOTS, of South Green Iron Works, East Dereham, in the County
of Norfolk, Engineer, 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 invention relates to improvements in straw and hay presses and has for object
to provide a press which is more simple in construction and which can be manipulated
with greater facility than heretofore.
According to my invention I provide a framing to which I rigidly attach the bed
of the press. Above the said bed I hinge to the framing of the press a lever
preferably provided with a counterweight and to which the head or top table of the
press is secured by means of a screw which is pivotally connected to the said head
or top table and passes through a hole in the lever, having an internal screw-
thread, forming a nut in which the screw works. A second screw in conjunction
with a catch device is also provided by means of which the lever can be screwed
down and held before operating the first named screw as hereinafter described.
In carrying out my invention as applied to a straw press I fit to the bed of
the press a number of curved bars preferably somewhat U-shaped and designed
to receive the straw to be bundled. The head of the press is also formed of a
number of curved bars advantageously of the same shape as the bars on the bed,
but being in an inverted position and pivotally attached to the screw depending
from the lever as above mentioned.
When applying my invention to a hay press I remove the above described curved
bars on the bed and substitute for the upper set of curved bars a top table or plate
pivotally attached to the screw in the manner above described.
In a modified form of my invention I replace the two screws by a rack and
pinion, the top table of the press being in this case, pivoted to the main lever by
means of ordinary pivots.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a straw press constructed according to my
invention:
Figure 2 is a plan of the same:
Figure 3 is a side elevation of a hay press constructed according to the modified
form of my invention:
Figure 4 is a plan of the same :
Figure 5 is a view of a detail.
Similar letters of reference indicate similar or corresponding parts throughout
the drawings.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, which represent a straw press, a is the frame of
the press the said frame being mounted on wheels in the usual manner, and b, b are
two uprights or standards secured to the same; c is the lever pivoted at co to the
two uprights or standards b, b and jointed at c', as shewn clearly in the figures, for
convenience of transport; c, are the counterweights hung on arms c³, o pivoted
to plates c, secured to the lever c, in such a manner that they can be folded back for
convenience of transport.
d is the bed or bottom plate of the press and e, e are the curved U-shaped bars
secured to the same so as to form a cradle to receive the straw to be compressed.
ff are the curved bars forming the top table or head of the press and g is the screw

page_text: by means of which they are pivotally attached to the lever c.
The screw g passes
through the lever c, which is internally screw threaded to receive it and is provided
with a hand wheel g¹ by means of which it can be turned. h is the second screw
passing through an internally screw threaded hole in the lever c and having a hand
wheel.
To the lower end of this screw h is pivoted a notched bar h' the notches
of which are adapted to engage with the catch h* secured to the frame a of the
machine so as to hold the lever c in its lower position as shewn in dotted lines in,
Figure 1.
;
My straw press is employed as follows,-The straw is placed in the cradle e and.
the lever c is then depressed so as to cause the bars f to pass between the bars e
until the straw is compressed between the two sets of bars as much as is possible
by means of a direct pull on the lever c and the said lever is then held in position by
means of the catch, as shewn in dotted lines in Figure 1. The screw is then.
turned so as to further compress the straw and the final pressure is applied by
means of the screw g which directly forces the upper bars fon to the straw.
с
When the straw has been sufficiently compressed it is tied, the screw g is loosened
and the catch his released so that the lever c is raised to the position shewn in
Figure 1 by means of the counterweights c³, c², thus leaving the truss of straw free
to be removed from the press.
As above described to adapt the press for compressing hay the curved bars e and f
are removed and replaced by a flat lower table or bed and a top table or plate of
ordinary construction.
In the modified construction of my invection shewn in Figures 3, 4 and 5
I dispense with the screws g and for effecting the final compression of the
truss and in lieu thereof I employ a rack and pinion device as hereinafter
described.
These figures represent a hay press and the bars e and (shewn in Figures 1 and 2)
are replaced by a bed e¹ and a top table f¹ which latter is pivoted at f' to the lever c
by means of ordinary pivot pins.
i (shewn in Figure 5 to a larger scale) is the pinion mounted on a spindle
supported in bearings arranged on the upper side of the lever c, and jis the curved
rack pivoted at j¹ to a bracket screwed or otherwise attached to the frame a of
the press and so formed that the rack is held in its upright position or turned down
when not required for use as shewn. The lever c is provided with a hole through
which the rack passes as the lever is pulled downwards when operating the press
and is a guide roller placed at the back of the rack j.
k is a ratchet wheel fixed to the spindle of the pinion i the said ratchet wheel
being provided with a lever by means of which the spindle i¹ can be rotated through
the medium of the catch which engages with the teeth of the ratchet wheel kas
hereinafter more particularly described. k¹ is a pawl pivoted to the lever cat k²
the said pawl being designed to prevent the backward movement of the ratchet
wheel k.
kis an arm connected to the pawl k and provided with a chain k designed to be
attached to a hook on the catch so as to release the pawl k¹ from the ratchet
wheel when desired as hereinafter described.
The bay press is employed as follows;-The hay is placed on the lower table and
the lever c is then pulled downwards so as to cause the rack to pass through the
hole in the said lever and to engage with the pinion until the truss has been
compressed as far as possible by the direct pull on the lever. The lever is then
operated so as to cause the catch to rotate the ratchet wheel 'k, in the direction of
the arrow Figure 3, thereby causing the lever c to descend further and compress
the hay to the required extent. After the truss is tied in the usual manner the
catch is released from the ratchet wheel k and the chain is hooked on to the
hook whereby, when the lever is moved upwards, the pawl k is released from
the ratchet wheel k so that the lever can be returned to its upper position (shewn in
dotted lines in Figure 3), by the counterweights c³, c³.

page_text: 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 straw and hay press having a top table hinged to a pivoted lever, and means
whereby, after the said lever has been pulled downwards so as to compress the straw
or hay as far as possible by a direct pull, the said straw or hay can be further,
compressed, substantially as described.
2. In a straw and hay press of the kind described in Claim 1 pivoting the top
table to the lever by means of a screw working in the lever and providing a second
screw carrying a catch and working in the said lever, substantially as and for the
purpose described.
3. In a straw and hay press of the kind described in Claim 1 the employment of
a pinion mounted on the lever and of a rack pivoted to the frame of the press and
of means such as ratchet and pawl mechanism for operating the pinion, substantially
as, and for the purpose, herein before described.
4. The combination of parts forming the improved straw press hereinbefore
described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
5. The combination of parts forming the improved straw and hay press
herein before described and illustrated in Figures 3 to 5 of the accompanying
drawings.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.