Improvements relating to Harvesting Machines.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 13th July, 1889-Accepted, 24th Aug., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Harvesting Machines.
We, JAMES HOWARD of Britannia Works, Bedford in the County of Bedford,
Engineer and HENRY ELVIN and HERBERT ÉDWARD FISHER ELVIN of Castle Acre
in the County of Norfolk, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The object of our invention is to facilitate the harvesting of laid crops, that is to
say, crops which have been prostrated by wind, rain or other causes, and the said
invention consists in providing a number of prongs called "Lifters" constructed as
hereinafter "described and attached to the machine in a suitable manner, so as to
project in front of the knives for the purpose of raising tho laid portion of the crop
into a position proper for cutting.
We are aware that "Lifters "of various forms, with and without spring-appliances,
have been previously used, but they have not come into general use, because they
have not been hitherto so constructed as to work without difficulty under the various
circumstances met with in actual practice.
We have discovered that the conditions on which success depends are that the
lifters should be strong but flexible; not liable to choke; and so constructed as to
follow the irregularities of the ground, whilst the points should be kept well down
upon the surface.
each
We construct our improved lifters in the following manner, that is to say,
lifter (which may be either single-or-double-pronged) is made with a vertical mortise
at its rear end for the purpose of forming a jointed connection with the finger, which
is fitted with a tongue-piece to receive it. A spring of suitable form is located
under the lifting prong at its rear end, one end of the said spring being attached to
the lifting prong, and the other to the finger, or, in some cases, to an extension-piece
secured to the platform. The effect of the spring is to keep the point of the lifter
close to the ground, but at the same time to allow it to yield to the irregularities of
the surface. The said spring is shielded by a shoe or sheath which also covers and
protects the jointed attachment to the "Finger."
The attachment of the lifter to the "Finger" is effected by means of an extension
tongue-piece, which is either formed in one piece with the finger, or is rigidly fixed to
it; the mortise of the lifter is jointed on the tongue-piece of the finger, and the
required rise and fall of the lifter are obtained by the play of the tongue-piece in
the mortise, and thereby undue strain on the spring is prevented.
Dated this 31st day of October 1888.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Harvesting-machines.
We, JAMES HAROLD HOWARD, Engineer, GEOFFREY HOWARD, Engineer, both of
Clapham Park, Bedford, in the County of Bedford and JOHN FREDERICK NUTTER,
of Caldwell Priory, Bedford aforesaid, Gentleman, Executors of the late James
Howard, of Britannia Works, Bedford, in the County of Bedford, Engineer, and
HENRY ELVIN and HERBERT EDWARD FISHER ELVIN, of Castle Acre, in the County
of Norfolk, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what

page_text: manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
The object of our invention is to facilitate the harvesting of laid crops, that is to say,
crops which have been prostrated by wind, rain or other causes.
"
"
According to our said invention we provide a number of lifting prongs or lifters
constructed and attached to the machine as hereinafter described so that they project
in front of the knives for the purpose of raising the laid portion of the crop into a
convenient position for the cutting of the same.
We are aware that "lifters" of various forms have been previously constructed
with and without spring-appliances, but they have not come into general use, because
they have not hitherto been so constructed as to work without difficulty under the
various circumstances met with in actual practice.
In order that the lifters may be capable of performing satisfactory work, they
should be strong and at the same time flexible, and so constructed that they will not
be liable to become choked or clogged, and so that they will follow the irregularities
of the ground, whilst the points will be kept well down upon the surface thereof.
By our invention, we provide a lifter which meets the above requirements, and
which, moreover, is of simple construction and can be attached to any existing harvester
without alteration thereof.
In the accompanying drawings, we have shown how our said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a plan, and
Figure 2 a side elevation partly in vertical section, showing one form of our
improved lifter attached to the cutter-bar or finger-bar of a sheaf-binding harvester.
Figure 3 is a plan showing a slight modification of our invention.
Figure 4 is a plan, and
Figure 5 a side elevation, showing a further modification of the said invention.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
A is the cutter-bar or finger-bar of the harvester, B is one of the fingers or guards
thereof.
a is a bracket, one extremity of which is attached to the cutter-bar or finger-bar A
by means of a bolt and nut 61, or in any other suitable manner. Or the said bracket
may be attached to the platform or other convenient part of the machine, the shape of
the said bracket being varied, if necessary, to adapt it for any reaping, mowing or
harvesting machine.
c is one of the lifters, which has welded or otherwise attached thereto at or near the
point, one or more horns or prongs d which extend towards the rear end of the said
lifter. The said lifter c is connected to the bracket a by a suitable joint which will
permit the lifter to rise and fall through a limited angle to adapt itself to any in-
equalities that may exist in the surface of the land. We prefer to employ for this
purpose a hinge-joint consisting of a tongue or tenon e provided upon the bracket a,
arranged to work in a mortise e provided in the lifter c, the two parts being secured
together by means of a pin or rivet e². The tongue or tenon e is permitted just suffi-
cient play in the mortise e' to obviate any liability to straining of the parts.
A spiral springis attached at one extremity to the bracket a or to an extension
provided upon the platform of the machine, and at its other extremity to the lifter c.
The said spiral spring f tends to keep the said lifter pressed against the ground. A
suitable guard, shoe or sheath 9 is provided for protecting the hinge-joint and the
spiral spring and preventing clogging of the same by soil, grass or the like.
Figure 3 illustrates a modification of our invention wherein the lifter c is provided
with two horns or prongs d.
In the modification of our invention illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, the bracket a is
dispensed with and the lifter c is hinged or jointed at e² to the finger or guard B one
end of the spring is also attached to the said finger or guard.
It is obvious that any suitable number of our improved lifters may be employed.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we wish it understood
that we claim :-
The combination of the corn-lifter c jointed either to the bracket a or directly to
the finger B, with the protected spiral spring substantially as herein before described
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 13th dox of July 1889
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicants.