Improvements in Machines for Strewing or Spreading Manure.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Strewing or Spreading Manure.
I, MORITZ LIESEGANG, of Hammersdorf, near Braunsberg, East Prussia, in
the German Empire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The manure-strewing machines hitherto known have only proved serviceable
in so limited degree and have given so little satisfaction that most agriculturists
or farmers still adhere to the practice of having artificial manure strewn or
scattered by hand.
In those strewing machines, for example, in which the manure is taken up by
means of rollers, brushes, chains or the like from the bottom of a store box, the
various kinds of manure which in their original state consist of small lumps or
crumbs are by parts of machinery operating on one side continuously forced
towards the aperture of the store box or receptacle-an aperture which at best
is comparatively narrow-and are thus compressed and thoroughly kneaded, the
consequence being that machines of this class are very apt to become clogged and
obstructed.
Even by the aid of the well-known construction wherein a frame of knife
edges which was made to reciprocate under the manure receptacle was designed
to cut the artificial manure into disc-shaped slices, as with a slicing knife, the
disadvantage, above alluded to could not be altogether obviated. Owing to the
fact, that between the lower edge of the manure receptacle and the operative
surface of the movable slicing frame, there must in all cases be a certain amount
of free space or play, the lower layer of the body of manure does not offer the
knives that resistance, which is required for producing the desired
cutting or slicing effect. Hence the apertures or passages between the
knife edges and frames also become clogged and stopped within a somewhat brief
space of time, the dropping of manure is impeded, the slicing frames fail to
receive a uniform supply to operate upon and the knives keep moving backwards
and forwards under the manure receptacle without any useful effect.
Now by the machine, which forms the subject of this invention, artificial
manure may be scattered in a manner calculated to satisfy all requirements by
means of two knives or cutters, which form the bottom of the manure recep-
tacle, the blades of which are turned towards each other and which are arranged
to reciprocate in the direction of motion of the vehicle, that is, the blades move
continuously forward and backward underneath the manure receptacle. When-
ever this direction of motion of the cutters is reversed, they are alternately
re-adjusted in relation to each other, as to height or level in such a manner,
that the cutter at the time being situated behind, the other rises above the one
in front of it, the object being to cause the cutters to cut off a slice of the manure
mass or paste corresponding in thickness to the difference of level between the
two cutter edges.
Besides the longitudinal side-walls of the store box or receptacle-unlike what
has been the practice in oscillating-wall boxes hitherto known-are here made

page_text: movable in the vertical direction, so that their sharp bottom edges rest upon
the cutters and that, when the cutters are adjusted at each reversal of their
motion as before stated, they too are alternately raised or lowered. By this
means while it enables the stirring mechanism which has been applied to
certain well-known machines to be dispensed with a reliable and uniform
descent or supply of manure paste is in all cases secured, and in addition to
this, the sharp bottom edges of the longitudinal sides of the store box operate
as scrapers, whereby the surfaces of the cutters or knives are invariably kept
clean, and they also always offer to the lowermost layer of manure a resistance
sufficient to insure a proper slicing effect.
Dotod the 2nd day of August 1800
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
I, MORITZ LIESEGANG, of Hammersdorf, near Braunsberg, East Prussia, in
the German Empire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement: —
The manure-strewing machines hitherto known have only proved serviceable
in so limited degree and have given so little satisfaction that most agriculturists
or farmers still adhere to the practice of having artificial manure strewn or
scattered by hand.
In those strewing machines, for example, in which the manure is taken up by
means of rollers, brushes, chains or the like from the bottom of a store box, the
various kinds of manure which in their original state consist of small lumps or
crumbs are by parts of machinery operation on one side continuously forced
towards the aperture of the store box or receptacle-an aperture which at best
is comparatively narrow-and are thus compressed and thoroughly kneaded, the
consequence being that machines of this class are very apt to become clogged and
obstructed.
Even by the aid of the well-known construction wherein a frame of knife
edges which was made to reciprocate under the manure receptacle was designed
to cut the artificial manure into disc-shaped slices, as with slicing knife, the
disadvantage, above alluded to could not be altogether obviated. Owing to the
fact, that between the lower edge of the manure receptacle and the operative
surface of the movable slicing frame, there must in all cases be a certain amount
of free space or play, the lower layer of the body of manure does not offer the
knives that resistance, which is required for producing the desired
cutting or slicing effect. Hence the apertures or passages between the
knife edges and frames also become clogged and stopped within a somewhat brief
space of time, the dropping of manure is impeded, the slicing frames fail to
receive a uniform supply to operate upon and the knives keep moving backwards
and forwards under the manure receptacle without any useful effect.
Now by the machine, which forms the subject of this invention, artificial
manure may be scattered in a manner calculated to satisfy all requirements by
means of two knives or cutters, which form the bottom of the manure recep-
tacle, the blades of which are turned towards each other and which are arranged
to reciprocate in the direction of motion of the vehicle, that is, the blades move

page_text: continuously forward and backward underneath the manure receptacle. When-
ever this direction of motion of the cutters is reversed, they are alternately
re-adjusted in relation to each other, as to height or level in such a manner,
that the cutter at the time being situated behind, the other rises above the on
in front of it, the object being to cause the cutters to cut off a slice of the manuro
mass or paste corresponding in thickness to the difference of level between the
two cutter edges.
The longitudinal side-walls of the store box or receptacle-unlike the practice
in oscillating-wall boxes hitherto-are according to this invention made movable
in a vertical direction, so that their sharp bottom edges rest upon the cutters and
that, when the cutters are adjusted at each reversal of their motion as before
stated, they too are alternately raised or lowered. By this means-while it
enables the stirring mechanism which has been applied to certain well-known
machines to be dispensed with--a reliable and uniform descent or supply of
manure paste is in all cases secured, and in addition to this, the sharp bottom
edges of the longitudinal sides of the store box operate as scrapers, whereby the
surfaces of the cutters or knives are invariably kept clean, and they also always
offer to the lowest layer of manure a resistance sufficient to insure a proper
slicing effect.
In the accompanying drawings one form of the improved manure strewing
machine is represented by way of example.
Fig. 1 being a rear view thereof;
Fig. 2 a corresponding plan with the store box omitted, and Figs. 2ª and 2h
are detail drawing shewing slots q³.
Fig. 3 and 4 are cross sections with similar numbered lines of Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 and 6 are detail-views;
Fig. 7 illustrates a modified form of the arrangement for adjusting the cutters.
The arrangement and operation of the machine is as follows:-
At one side or end of the machine a small toothed wheel a is mounted upon
the axle of the carriage wheels in such a manner as to be capable of being thrown
in or out of gear. Its rotary motion is transmitted in the direction indicated
by the arrows in Fig. 4, to a larger toothed wheel b which is mounted, in common
with a pulley c upon a shaft supported by the machine frame d.
The pulley e, on its inner side is provided with a cam-groove f and also with
two steps or catches g¹, g² arranged diagonally. In the cam-groove f there
engages the pin of a crank h, which is secured on a shaft mounted upon the
machine frame in the rear; and such shaft further carries two toothed seg-
ments which are in gear with rods 1, 7 movable or adjustable in the direction
of motion of the carriage and partially toothed. With these rods a round pin
or rod m is connected in the manner illustrated in the detail-view Fig. 5 and
ever it is passed loosely a sleeve n which as it revolves, is guided by means of au
inclined slot o and a pin p screwed into the rod m. In the upper part of the
said sleeve there is held by screws a second pin or rod ml
having an annularly reduced part; and to this rod m¹ the cutter or knife q
is secured with the interposition of an angle-piece. The connection of the
second knife or cutter g' with the rods is identical at each end or side of the
machine; and in each case two sleeves or bushes are placed in gear with each
other by a set of teeth such as ¹. The slots o of each pair of sleeves or bushes
are set in oppositely inclined directions.
Fig. 2, in particular, shows that the sleeves situated on the left and
right hand sides of the machine respectively are connected with each other by a
rod or barr; and furthermore, the right hand sleeve is fitted with an arm upon
which each of the catches g¹, g² of the pulley or cam c comes to operate in
succession.
In the drawings (particularly Fig. 3 and 4) it has been assumed that the
carriage is in motion and that the front cutter q', raised above the rear cutter,
has just completed its effective rearward stroke and severed a slice of corre-

page_text: sponding thickness from the body or mass of manure; and that this slice has
dropped down through the longitudinal interstice or space left between the two
knives. Such being the position, the pin of the crank is at one of its dead
points in the cam-groove f while the catch g' of the cam c is about to act upon
the arm of the front right hand sleeve n. As the carriage proceeds further,
therefore, the said catch g, through the agency of the arm r₁, rod r, and toothed
segments n', will start turning the sleeves n in such a manner that owing to the
slots o slanting in opposite directions, the forward sleeves will be lowered, and
the rearward ones raised; and accordingly in view of the connection described
with reference to Fig. 5, the front knife q' will be moved downward and
the rear-knife 2 upwards. At this juncture the cam-groove f begins to exert
its action upon the crank hand the toothed segments k move the rods /, together
with the rods or pins m, m', the sleeves n and the two knives or cutters in the
forward direction; so that now the rear-knife makes its cut. In the end
position the displacement of the knives and their reversed motion will be actuated
in like manner.
In order that the cutting off in one and the same machine may be rendered
more or less powerful as may be required, all that is necessary is to vary either
the speed of the driving gear or the relative vertical position of the knives.
A modified and considerably simplified form of the knife or cutter-arrangement
is shown in Fig. 7. In this arrangement the cutters or knives g', q2 are mounted
upon lengths of cylindrical tubes s, s, adapted to revolve in bearings y, y and
adjustable upon the reciprocating rods 1, 1; they being so connected by means
of levers t, and of a rod u that, whenever one of the knives assumes a nearly
The
horizontal position the other knife has its edge raised, and vice versa.
operating mechanism required for this raising and lowering of the knife edges
may be of any suitable construction.
For the purpose of ensuring a reliable and uniform supply of manure sub-
stance from the store box to the knives the longitudinal sides v of such
box are movably attached to its transverse sides by means of small hinges or
links such as w; also, the said longitudinal sides rest loosely upon the knives g¹, q².
Owing to this arrangement, as one of the knives is raised whenever their
direction of motion is reversed, the corresponding longitudinal side of the store
box will also rise while the other longitudinal side of the same will descend
together with the descending knife owing to the weight of the manure which it
sustains.
The knives may also be adjusted in relation to each other horizontally and
are for this purpose provided with longitudinal slots q³ as shown in Fig. 2, and
more clearly in Figs. 2 and 2b.
According to Fig. 7 this adjustment is shewn as being effected by means of a
right-and-left threaded screw z which is revolvably held in a vertical pro-
jection or bridge y¹ of the rods and fits into the correspondingly tapped bear-
ings y, y. The wheel z¹ of the screw z may for purposes of accurate adjustment
be provided with a graduated scale.
While the machine travels on the rod the mechanism operating the knives or
cutters is set at rest by moving the toothed wheel a out of gear.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :---
1. A manure spreading machine characterised by two knives or cutters such
as q, forming the bottom of the manure receptacle having their cutting
edges directed towards each other and adapted to reciprocate in the direction of
motion of the vehicle or carriage of the machine which knives or cutters when-
ever the said direction of motion is reversed are so alternately re-adjusted as to
their relative height or level that the knife which happens to stand rearmost at
the time is raised higher than the knife which is for the time being in front of
it for the purpose of causing a slice of the manure substance corresponding in

page_text: thickness to the difference of level between the two knives to be severed and
dispersed on the ground, essentially as and for the purpose described.
2. A constructional form of the manure strewing machine referred to in the
first claim the main feature of which is that the front and rear walls of the
store box are arranged movably so that as the knives or cutters are adjusted the
said walls alternately rise or descend for the purpose of ensuring a reliable and
continuous supply of manure from the store box to the knives, essentially as
and for the purpose described.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.