IMPROVEMENTS IN IMPLEMENTS OR MACHINES FOR RAISING OR DIGGING POTATOES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Corbett, of Wellington, in the County of Salop,
Agricultural Implement Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
IMPLEMENTS OR MACHINES FOR RAISING OR DIGGING POTATOES."
Sealed the 25th February 1879, and dated the 2nd September 1878..
i
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Corbett at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd September 1878.
SAMUEL CORBETT, of Wellington, in the County of Salop, Agricultural Implc-
ment Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN IMPLEMENTS OR MACHINES FOR RAISING
OR DIGGING POTATOES."
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in implements
or machines for raising or digging growing potatoes from the earth, the object of
my said improvements being to effect the rapid and economical removal of the
potatoes with the expenditure of little power and without injury to the said
potatoes.
My said improvements are applicable to potato raisers which deliver the potatoes
on one side or on both sides of the ridge, and to potato raisers having either a spade
or a ploughshare in front of the separator.
In constructing the said implements or machines according to my Invention I
mount or support an iron frame on two travelling or driving wheels. The said
wheels are arranged to run on each side of the potato ridge to be lifted, and I
connect to the said travelling wheels by bevil or other gearing a separator or
separators, composed of a series of sets of forks or- tines arranged on a vertical
spindle or spindles or drum or drums. The said vertical separator is composed of a
set of cast or wrought iron bosses fitted one above the other on an upright spindle,
the said bosses having iron or steel tines or forks cast or fixed on them; or I arrange
the said tines or forks upon or around a drum or cylinder for the same purpose.
The tines or forks of each set are arranged on the spindle or drum a little in
advance of those of the next set, and the tines or forks of the bottom set are much
Dmine 873

page_text: longer than the top forks, whereby the forks at the bottom are larger in diameter
and travel quicker than the top forks. By this arrangement the potatoes are
forked out of the soil from under the tops, and the tops are left loose on the
surface:
When the implement is required to separate the potatoes from the earth, and
deliver the potatoes and tops on one side of the machine, I combine a plough body
with the implement, the said plough body having a share and short breast. In the
said short breast are longitudinal slots, through which the tines or forks of the
separator pass to get underneath the potatoes to lift them without injury.
By driving the separator at a quicker speed than the travelling wheels of the
implement a more complete and regular forking action is obtained than can be
obtained by hand labour.
When the implement is used to throw the potatoes and tops on each side of it I
fix to the implement a short ridge plough body, having short breasts with longi-
tudinal slots in them, for the purpose of forming a double vertical separator working
through the said slots; and for moving the implement from one field to another and
working the implement I fix a pole and swingle tree to it to be worked by two
horses abreast, and I connect the said pole to the frame of the implement, and form
a centre some distance in front of the main axle, and prolong the sides of the frame
nearer to the horses for the purpose of raising or lowering the separator into or out
of work; and for travelling from field to field I fit the driving wheels with self-
acting ratchets for turning at the ends or backing the machine; and for levelling
the ground to spread the potatoes on I fix an arm to the frame of the machine, and
on the bottom of the said arm I fix a cutter.
For raising the working part into or out of work I prolong the fore end of the
frame some distance along each side of the pole, and turn up each end some distance
above the top of the pole, and I fix a distance piece between them with the centre
screwed, and fix a screw with a crank handle or hand wheel on the top for the
purpose of raising or lowering the same, and by connecting the lower end of
the screw to the top of the pole the machine can be raised or lowered whilst at
work,

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Samuel Corbett in, the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th
February 1879.
SAMUEL CORBETT, of Wellington, in the County of Salop, Agricultural Imple-
ment Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN IMPLEMENTS OR MACHINES FOR RAISING
OR DIGGING POTATOES."
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in implements
or machines for raising or digging growing potatoes from the earth, the object of
my said improvements being to effect the rapid and economical removal of the
potatoes with the expenditure of little power and without injury to the said
potatoes.
My said improvements are applicable to potato raisers which deliver the potatoes
on one side or on both sides of the ridge, and to potato raisers having either a spade
or a ploughshare in front of the separator.
;
In constructing the said implements or machines according to my Invention I
mount or support an iron. frame on two travelling or driving wheels. The said
wheels are arranged to run on each side of the potato ridge to be lifted, and I
connect to the said travelling wheels by bevil or other gearing a separator or
separators, composed of a series of sets of forks or tines arranged on a vertical
spindle or spindles or drum or drums. The said vertical separator is composed of a
set of cast or wrought iron bosses fitted one above the other on an upright spindle,
the said bosses having iron or steel tines or forks cast or fixed on them; or I arrange
the said tines or forks upon or around a drum or cylinder for the same purpose.
The tines or forks of each set are arranged on the spindle or drum a little in
advance of those of the next set, and the tines or forks of the bottom set are much
longer than the top forks, whereby the forks at the bottom are larger in diameter
and travel quicker than the top forks. By this arrangement the potatoes are
forked out of the soil from under the tops, and the tops are left loose on the
surface.
I combine a cutting share or spade with the implement for loosening, the soil of
the ridge.
By driving the separator at a quicker speed than the travelling wheels of the
implement a more complete and regular forking action is obtained than can be
obtained by hand labour.
For moving the implement from one field to another and working the implement
I fix a pole and swingle-tree to it, to be worked by two horses abreast, and I connect
the said pole to the frame of the implement, and form a centre some distance in
front of the main axle, and prolong the sides of the frame nearer to the horses. For
the purpose of raising the separator out of or lowering it into work and for
travelling from field to field I fit the driving wheels with self-acting ratchets for
turning at the ends or backing the machine.
For moving the working part into or out of work I prolong the fore end of the
frame some distance along each side of the pole, and turn up each end some distancé
above the top of the pole, and I fix a distance piece between them with the centre
screwed, and fix a screw with a crank handle or hand wheel on the top for the
purpose of raising or lowering the same, and by connecting the lower end of
the screw to the top of the pole the machine can be raised or lowered whilst, at
work.
I will proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawings, the
manner in which my Invention may be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation, and Figure 2 in plan of upper side, an

page_text: potatoes.
Figure 3 represents a plan of a portion of the machine; and Figure 4 represents.
a plan and side elevation of a modification of the separator.
Figure 5 represents in end elevation, and Figure 6 in side elevation, drawn to a
larger scale the mechanism which I use for lowering or raising the separator of the
machine into or out of work.
The same letters. of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the
Drawings.
:.
a, a,, is the frame of the implement or machine mounted on the two travelling or
driving wheels b, b, one wheel running on one side, and the other wheel on the
other side of the ridge of potatoes to be lifted. At the rear of the machine is a
vertical separator, consisting of several sets of forks or tines fixed in bosses arranged
on a vertical spindle or axis, through which axis rotation is given to the said forks
or tines. The forks or tines of the separator are marked c, c, and the bosses
carrying them are marked d; d;
One of the sets of tines or forks is represented separately in plan in Figure 3.
The boss d of each set of forks or tines c, c, is made either of cast or wrought iron;
and the forks or tines are made either of iron or steel. The forks or tines may be
secured in the cast boss by the casting of the said boss upon them. When the boss
is made of wrought iron the forks or tines may be fixed in it in any convenient
manner. Each of the bosses d has a square hole in its axis, and the several bosses'
are fitted one above the other on the vertical axis e, the bottom boss of the set
resting upon a collar f carried by the share g. The whole of the bosses d of the
forks or tines are bound together upon the axis e carrying them by fixing the said
axis e in its place by the screw nut at h.
By an examination of Figure 2 it will be seen that the tines or forks of each set
are arranged on the axis e a little in advance of the set above them, and it will be
seen by an examination of Figure 1 that the tines or forks of the bottom set are
the longest; the sets of tines progressively diminishing in length from the lowest to
the topmost set. The combined sets of tines or forks have thus a screw-like figure,
and the extreme ends of the tines or forks of each set travel at a quicker speed than
the extreme ends of the sets of tines or forks above them.
The vertical separator is supported upon the bearing plate i, and the latter is
carried by the bow secured by screw bolts to the main frame a of the machine.
In front of the vertical separator c, d, is a nearly horizontal share or cutter g for
loosening the soil prior to the action of the vertical separator upon the ridge of
potatoes. The said share g is connected to the bearing plate i supporting the
separator, as seen in Figure 1.
Instead of using a separator composed of several sets of horizontal tines or forks,
as represented in Figures 1 and 2, a series of vertical tines or forks, carried by two
crossing arms or bars, and having a central boss, may be employed. This modifi-
cation is represented in plan and elevation in Figure 4, the arms or bars being
marked k, and the vertical tines or forks, . The vertical separator, Figure 4, is
fitted by its central boss m upon the vertical axis e of the. implement, the said
boss being adjusted at the proper place on the said axis by packing rings or
pieces.
Instead of making the vertical separator of a series of bosses carrying horizontal
tines or forks, or of a horizontal frame carrying vertical tines or forks, a drum or.
cylinder of the length of the combined bosses, Figures 1 and 2, and having on its
cylindrical surface forks or tines, arranged by preference helically thereon, may be
used. I prefer however to make the separator in.the manner described and repre-
sented in Figures 1,.2; and 3.
The vertical separator constructed in either of the ways described is driven from
the travelling wheels b, b, in the following wayFixed to the travelling wheels b; b,

page_text: and passing through the hollow axle of the said wheels is a shaft n, and turning
loosely on the said shaft n is a bevil toothed wheel p, which gears with a smaller
bevil wheel p on the horizontal shaft p³ turning in bearings on the frame a, a, of
the machine. The rear end of the said horizontal shaft p³ carries a bevil wheel p',
which gears with the bevil wheel p on the top of the axis e of the separator.
The bevil wheels p and p are protected by the boxes or cases represented. By
means of the gearing described a rotatory motion is given to the separator c, d,
the said separator being driven at a much quicker speed than the travelling
wheels b, b.
The separator is thrown. into and out of gear with the travelling wheels by
means of a sliding clutch q (see Figure 2) connected by a sliding key with the
shaft n, the said clutch 2 when thrown into work gearing with a clutch on the loose
bevil wheel p. The clutch q is moved by the lever q2 working in an inclined slot
in the said clutch, the handle of the lever being within reach of the driver seated
on the seat 1.
As the machine or implement is drawn along the ridge of potatoes to be raised,
the horizontal share or cutter g moving beneath the said ridge first lifts and loosens
the soil of the ridge, and the rotating separator c, d, following the said share raises
or forks out from the loosened soil the potatoes in the said ridge.
8
The implement is drawn along and the separator c, d, thrown into and out of
work and adjusted by the following parts: Fixed to the frame a of the implement
by the centre or axis s is a pole t carrying the swingle-trees u, to which two horses
abreast are connected for drawing the implement. The centre or axis s permits the
frame a to have motion in a vertical plane upon the pole without effecting the
horizontal position of the said pole. The sides of the fore part of the frame a of
the implement are prolonged forward at a², a², and the ends of the said prolonged
parts a², a², are bent or turned up some distance so as to constitute a pair of
uprights a³, as, between which the pole t is situated, as best seen in the enlarged
views, Figures 5 and 6. The lower ends of the bent parts or uprights a³, a³, of the
frame are braced together a*, and their upper ends carry a screw box a³, in which
a screw works, the said screw having a hand wheel wat top for turning it
within reach of the driver on the seat r. The bottom of the screw vis connected
to the collar 12 carried by snugs fixed on the pole t. The screw is capable of
rotating in the collar t, but is incapable of motion in the direction of its length.
In order to throw the separator c, d, into or out of work, or to adjust the working
height of the said separator, the driver turns the hand wheel win one or other
direction; the screw box as is thereby made to rise or fall upon the screw v, and
with it the uprights a³ and front end of the frame a, the said frame swinging upon
the main axis n. The rear end of the frame a is thereby raised or lowered, and
with it the separator c, d, which is thus taken out or put into work or adjusted at
the required height.
The frame a is fixed in its adjusted position by means of a pin or cotter passed
through one of the holes in the bent and prolonged ends a³ of the said frame, the
said cotter bearing against the under side of the pole.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention,―
The improvements in implements or machine for raising or digging potatoes
herein-before described, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, that is to
say, the combination with the said implement or machine of a rotating separator
having motion on a vertical axis for raising or forking out the potatoes, the said
separator being used in conjunction with a cutting share or spade, the parts of the
said separator being constructed and arranged, and the separator worked from the
travelling or driving wheels, substantially as described and illustrated.
Also the construction and combination of parts, described and illustrated, for

page_text: lowering the separator into and raising it out of work, and for adjusting the vertical
height of the said separator.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Corbett, have bereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventeenth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
.
Witness,
GEORGE WYCHERLEY CORBETT,
Wellington,
Salop.
SAMUEL CORBETT. (L.S.)