IMPROVEMENTS IN THRASHING
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Arling, of the Albert Iron Works,
Uxbridge, in the County of Middlesex, Agricultural Implement
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THRASHING
Sealed the 22nd September 1853, and dated the 27th July 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Arding at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,.op
the 27th July 1853.
I, FRANCIS ARDING, of the Albert Iron Works, Uxbridge, in the
County of Middlesex, Agricultural Implement Manufacturer; do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for.." IMPROVEMENTS
IN THRASHING MACHINES" to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in improvements in the various details of
thrashing machines at present in use, and relates, firstly, to the sub-
stitution of triangular frames for the support of the body of the machine,
by which the bulk of the weight of the machine is brought within the
base of the machine, and great solidity is thereby attained with less
tendency to vibration or oscillation; these end frames may be formed of

page_text: wood or other material of the shape of a triangle or letter A, with cast
iron head pieces forming the top, in which the shaft of the drum is sup-
ported. Another improvement consists in the straw shaker, which I pro-
pose to form as follows:-The bed of the shaker is formed of wood or
other suitable material, with a succession of lines of arms thus,
which arms have a rotatory motion, and the straw falling upon the first
of them is traversed forward to the next, and so on to the end of the
series; the space between the lines of the arms is filled in with per-
forated zinc, wire gauze, or other similar material, so as to allow the
grain to fall through on to an endless sheet placed below, whilst the
straw is conveyed along the bed of the shaker. The endless sheet,
formed of canvass or other material, is fitted beneath the bed of the
shaker, and passes over a roller at each end, having linked chains
attached to its sides, which links fit into wheels at each end of the
roller, thereby preventing the possibility of the sheet running off the
rollers, or collapsing, or forming into creases; the grain falling upon
this sheet is conveyed to the riddle placed under the body of the
thrasher. A third improvement consists in driving the riddle board
under the body of the thrasher by means of eccentrics or cranks so
placed that the riddle will have a continuous horizontal and vertical
motion, by which arrangement the grain is deposited on the floor of
the thrashing barn, separate from the chaff and short straw.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Francis Arding in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 27th January 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
FRANCIS ARDING, of the Albert Iron Works, Uxbridge, in the County
of Middlesex, Agricultural Implement Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the

page_text: seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Francis Arding, Her special
license that I, the said Francis Arding, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Francis Arding,
my executors, administrators, or 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 In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THRASHING MACHINES," upon the condi-
tion (amongst others) that I, the said Francis Arding, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Francis Arding, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to lic performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say:
My said Invention relates to certain improvements-in-thrashing
machines, and consists in improvements in the various details of
thrashing machines at present in use, and-relates, firstly, to the substi-
tution of triangular frames for the support of the body of the machine,
by which the bulk of the weight of the machine is brought within the
base of the machine, and great solidity is thereby obtained-with-less
tendency to vibration-or-oscillation; these end-frames-may-be formed
of wood or other material of the shape of a triangle or letter A, with
cast iron head pieces forming the top, in which the shaft of the drum
is supported. Another improvement consists in the straw shaker,
which I propose-to-form-as-follows:-The bed of the shaker is formed
of wood or other suitable material," with a succession of lines of shafts
with cams, which shafts bave a rotatory motion, and the straw falling

page_text: npon the first of them is traversed forward to the next, and so on to
the end of the series. The space between the lines of the arms is filled
in with perforated zinc, wire gauze, or other similar material, so as to
allow the grain to fall through into troughs placed below, whilst the straw
is conveyed along the bed of the shaker. An endless sheet, formed of
canvass or other material, may be fitted beneath the bed of the shaker,
and passed over a roller at each end, having linked chains attached to
its sides, which links fit into wheels at each end of the roller, thereby
preventing the possibility of the-sheet-running-off-the-rollers,-or-col-
lapsing or forming_into_creases; the grain falling from this sheet
may be conveyed to a riddle placed under the bed of the thrasher, and
the riddle board under the body of the thrasher may be driven by
means of eccentrics or cranks so placed that the riddle will have a
continuous horizontal and vertical motion, by which arrangement the
grain is deposited on the floor of the thrashing barn, separate from the
chaft' and short straw, or, in lieu of these arrangements," the grain may
be conveyed to a sifter by means of brushes fitted on to cudless cloths
or belts, which are traversed over a pair of carrying rollers driven by
spur wheels from the shaker. The sifting is effected by brushing the
grain over a curved sieve by means of brushes on revolving arms.
And in order that my said Invention may be more readily under-
stood I will now proceed to describe the several Figures on the
Sheet of Drawings hereunto attached. Figure 1, of the Drawings
represents a complete side elevation of my improved thrashing ma-
chine and straw shaker, with certain portions broken away to show
the internal arrangements. Figure 2, is a corresponding front view of
the same, looking on the end of the straw shaker. The rest of the
Figures on the sheet represent various details of the thresher and
straw shaker, which will be herein-after referred to. A, A, represent
the triangular framing which consists of two posts joined together at
their upper ends, where they are securely united by means of a cast iron
head plate B. B. A transverse bar C, morticed into these posts serves
to hold them firmly together. The two standards thus constructed are
connected by the tie rods D, D. The thresher shaft E, which is driven
by the belt and pulley E', is situated near the apex of the triangular

page_text: f.
framework, and is carried in bearings F, F, in the cast iron 'liead
plates. This shaft is of a rectangular section, and is fitted with
series of cast iron discs G, G, shewn in detail at Figures 3, and 4
which represent respectively a vertical section and side elevation of one'
of them drawn to a scale of one fourth the real size. These discs servé
to carry the beaters H, H, which consist of a series of iron bars rolled'
into a T section, and bolted to the periphery of the discs G, being also
further. secured by the projecting lugs I, I. The boss of the discs is
of a rectangular form, and is fitted with a tightening screw J, to
secure the disc firmly on to the rectangular shaft E. By placing the
tightening screw at one corner of the rectangular boss so as to press
upon one of the corners or angles of the shaft E, all tendency to
shaking or play is avoided, as the shaft is thereby held between two
sides of the rectangle at once. The straw shaker and propeller con-
sist of a wooden frame K, containing a series of rectangular transversé
shafts I, which carry the propelling and shaking cams M, one of whicli
is shewn half sizċ at Figures 5, and 6, which represent respectively aii
edge view and side elevation of the cam. These cans are drived
simultaneously by the bevel gearing N, which is actuated by the small
pulley O, on one end of the main shaft of the machine. Round this
pulley is passed the twisted driving belt P, which gives motion to tlie
larger driving pulley Q, fast on the end of the first of the series of
transverse shafts L. The last shaft of the sorics is fitted with a small
spur wheel R, which gears with a larger one S, fast on the end of the
shaft T. This shaft carries a pair of rollers U, for giving motion to the
endless belts V, which are also passed round the carryer rollers W.
A pair of brushes X, X, are secured to each belt, by the aid of which
the grain and small pieces of straw and husks, which pass through the
perforated plate Y, of the shaker into the troughs Z, is conveyed into
the segmental sieve a. In place of giving a vibratory motion to the
sieve or riddle a revolving brush b, is employed, shewn in detail
at Figures 7, and 8, which represent an end and partial front elevation
of the bruish employed. It consists of three arms c, which carry the
longitudinal brushes d. These brushes during their revolution sweep

page_text: over the curved riddle or sieve a, and effectually separate the grain
from the cavings or short straws and husks, the grain passing through
the meshes of the sieve or riddle, whilst the short straw or caving is
carried by the brushes and passes over the edge of the sieve and falls
over the inclined board e, to the floor. A rotatory motion is communi-
cated to the brushes d, by nieans of the driving belt f, passed round
the pulley Q, such pulley being made sufficiently wide to accommodate
both driving belts, as will be seen on reference to the Drawings. The
belt f, actuates the large pulley 7, fast on the end of the shaft h, carry-
ing the brushes, to which a rather slow revolving motion is communi-
cated. The fixed thresher bars i, are composed of angle iron, through
which are passed transversely a series of wires j. The height of these
bars is regulated by the adjusting nuts and screws k, k, the screws
passing through the lugs 1, 1, which are formed on the side of a
moveable frame carrying the whole of the fixed thresher bars i. At
m, is an adjusting nut and screw for enlarging or contracting the feed-
ing aperture which is effected by a swing board hanging on hinges, the
lower edge of such board being connected at n, with the screw m, so
that by regulating the position of this screw the feed opening may be
adjusted to suit the required supply. The grain to be thrashed is
entered into the machine at o, the attendant standing on the platform p.
On issuing from the interior of the machine the thrashed straw falls
upon the shaker when the loose grain is effectually shaken out of it,
such grain falling upon the riddle or sieve, or into the troughs beneath
the perforated plate or wire gauze before referred to. The straw is
gradually propelled forward until it falls off the end of the shaker,
whence it is removed and tied into bundles.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not
confine or restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements which
I have had occasion to describe or refer to, as many variations may be
made therefrom without deviating from the principles or main features
said Invention; but what I consider to be novel and original, and
of
my

page_text: therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent, is,
First, the general arrangement and construction of mechanism for
thrashing grain, as herein-before described.
Second, the general arrangement and construction of mechanism for
shaking the straw, as herein-before described.
Third, the general arrangement and construction of mechanism
for separating the grain from the short straw, as herein-before
described.
Fourth, the application and use of the triangular framing herein-
before described as applied to thrashing machines.
Fifth, the application and use of the cams or propellers herein-
before described for giving a simultaneous shaking and progressive
motion to the thrashed grain.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Arding, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, the Twenty-sixth day of January, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.