Improvements in Potato Diggers.
Year: 1898

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Potato Diggers.
We, JOHN EVAN POWELL, ROBERT JONES POWELL, and WILLIAM WHITAKER, all
of the Cambrian Iron Works, Wrexham, in the County of Denbigh, Engineers,
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 has for its object improvements in that class of potato diggers
in which a digging wheel rotates transversely to the direction of travel of the
machine, and relates to the means we employ for firmly securing the digging tines
to the rim of the rotating wheel whereby they are capable of independent adjust-
ment.
Heretofore it has been customary to form the revolving arms, or their equivalent
with forks at their extremity, and in some cases the fork arms have been bolted
to a central disc keyed or otherwise firmly fixed to the rotating shaft.
This construction of tine involves considerable care and expense in manufacture,
and it is to the simplification in the construction of the tines and to the method of
their attachment, that our present improvements more particularly relate.
Instead of the tines or fork arms being secured to a central rotating disc, we
attach and secure them through the rim of a rotating wheel in the following
manner viz.:The rim is preferably of rectangular section and on either side
thereof we form grooves (or it may be holes) arranged diametrically or obtusely
to the direction of rotation of the said wheel, as circumstances may require, and
these grooves, or holes, are of either semi-circular, circular, or rectangular form.
Corresponding with the grooves in the rim of the wheel are caps which are bolted
through the rim of the said rotating wheel. The attachment of these clips or
fastening brackets serves to grip the tines on either side by the tightening of the
bolts. It will thus be seen that instead of a fork being formed on the end of the
arm as usual, that in this case they are single tines, and their application on either
side serves to simply and efficaciously secure them in their predetermined distance
apart. This distance apart is the width of the rotating wheel.
The tines project outwards a convenient distance beyond the periphery of the
rotating wheel and they also project inwardly, thereby admitting of a thorough
adjustment and setting of the tines relatively to the digging share, which can be
done by the operator from the rear.
We will now proceed to describe our invention with reference to the accom-
panying drawings in which similar letters of reference refer to like parts in the
several views.
Figure 1 is an elevation of the rotating wheel according to one modification,
showing a pair of tines removed:
Figure 2 is a part transverse section through the rim of the wheel:
Figure 3 is a part plan showing two pairs of couplings;
Figure 4 is a part plan of a modified form of fastening of which Figure 5 is
a part elevation of one side and Figure 6 of the other side.

page_text: The wheel a is provided with a convenient number of tines b which fit in
grooves al shown in Figure 1. These tines are secured to the rim a of the wheel
by bolts passing through the rim and through the caps or clips c. By the slacken-
ing of these bolts the tines can be set further in or out as required and they may
at their inner end be so marked and graduated that the setting throughout of the
tines may be uniform.
In Figures 4, 5 and 6 a single bolt is shown as securing a pair of tines, but
instead of securing them in grooves at the sides of the said wheel we core holes
through the rim a or extensions a² thereof.
This bolt d is conveniently of a shape, the one end hooking and fastening the
one tine b at the one side, and at the other side a clip washer c is formed so as to
clamp the other tine b.
It will be obvious that each pair of tines can be set at different angles.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1. In a machine for digging potatoes the employment of a transversely rotating
wheel having a rim of rectangular section and provided on its sides with grooves
in which the tines are held, and clamped in position by clips and bolts, substan-
tially_as, and for the purposes, herein set forth.
2. In a machine for digging potatoes the employment of a transversely rotating
wheel provided towards its sides with diametrically or obtusely arranged holes
through which the inner ends of the tines pass, each pair being secured by one
bolt as shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6, as, and for the purposes, herein set forth.
3. In machines for digging potatoes the attachment of single tines on either
side of the rim of a transversely rotating wheel, the width of said rim determining
the gauge of the tines, all substantially as, and for the purposes, herein set forth.
Dated the 4th day of October 1898.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.