Delivering Potatoes and like Root Crops.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 16th Jan., 1888
Complete Accepted, 24th Feb., 1888
Delivering Potatoes and like Root Crops.
We JOHN HOPE of 14 Water Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer and ROBERT ALEXANDER CLARK of the same place, Agriculturist, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
The object is to provide simple and efficient apparatus capable of removing with
facility potatoes and like root crops from the soil, separating soil from the said roots
without injuring the roots and delivering the roots into hampers or receptacles in a
body or after being first sized or sorted.
Apparatus under our invention consists essentially First-In constructing cylin-
drical, conical or like hollow screens, in giving rotary motion to the said screens and
in providing with a cutting or digging edge, carrying frames and driving gear
therefor.
Second In providing a rotating hollow screen under the first part with internal
screw threads for causing the potatoes or roots to travel along the screen.
Third In constructing rotary hollow screens for potato diggers with internal
screw threads having increasing pitch from back to front and with intermediate
threads in front.
Fourth In combining with potato diggers having rotating hollow screens platforms
carrying two or more hampers or receptacles and movable delivery shoots or doors
for directing the screened potatoes or roots alternately to one or other of the hampers
or receptacles.
Fifth In making rotary hollow screens of potato diggers with meshes or openings
of increasing size from front to back and providing ways, shoots and receptacles for
receiving the different sizes of potatoes or roots delivered through the different
meshes or openings.
Sixth-In providing rotary hollow screen potato diggers with rough and fine
adjustment levers and screws for regulating the depth of cut.
Seventh-In providing potato diggers with additional cutting or delivery tools in
front of the rotary hollow screen when required.
Eighth-Suspending rotary hollow screens of potato diggers and the hamper or

page_text: receptacle platforms from the frames, and yoke the horses thereto that the said screens
and platforms may be raised, lowered and adjusted without disturbing the line of
traction which always passes through the main carrying axle.
Ninth In combining in one apparatus any two or more of the improvements
herein before set forth.
The frames are carried on wheels and axles and motion is given to the screens by
driving gear operated from the axles, chain bevel gear, or like driving mechanism
may be used.
Dated this 14th day of April 1887.
J. T. KING,
Agent for the Applicants.
Improvements in Apparatus for Digging, Screening, Sizing, and
Delivering Potatoes and like Root Crops.
We JOHN HOPE of 14 Water Street Liverpool in the county of Lancaster
Engineer and ROBERT ALEXANDER CLARK of the same place Agriculturist 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:-
The object is to provide simple and efficient apparatus capable of removing with
facility potatoes and like root crops from the soil, separating soil from the said roots
without injuring the roots and delivering the roots into hampers or receptacles in a
body after being first sized or sorted.
Apparatus under our invention consists essentially; First: in constructing cylin-
drical conical or like hollow screens with a digging and cutting edge in giving
rotary motion to the said screens and in providing carrying frames and driving gear
therefor.
:
Second In providing a rotating hollow screen under the first part with internal
screw threads for causing the potatoes or roots to travel along the screen.
:
Third In constructing rotary hollow screens for potato diggers with internal
screw threads having increasing pitch from back to front, and with intermediate
threads in front.
Fourth In combining with potato diggers having rotating hollow screens-
platforms carrying two or more hamp rs or receptacles and movable delivery shoots or
doors for directing the screened potatoes or roots alternately to one or other of the
hampers or receptacles.
Fifth In making rotary hollow screens of potato diggers with meshes or openings
:

page_text: Ninth in combining in one apparatus any two or more of the improvements
herein-before set forth.
The frames are carried on wheels and axles, and motion is given to the screens
by driving gear operated from the axles; chain bevel gear or like driving mechanism
may be used.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation, fig. 2 a front elevation, the steering wheel being removed
and fig. 3 a back view of apparatus under our invention illustrative of the first second
third, fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth heads thereof 1 frame, 2 carrying
wheels secured to the axle 3 which is free to revolve in bearings in the frame 1-
4 chain wheel secured on the axle 3-5 chain wheel secured at one end of a shaft 6
carried in bearings 7 on the frame 1. 8 chain, gearing together the wheels 4 and 5.
9 bevel wheel secured on the other end of the shaft 6 and gearing with a bevel wheel
secured on the spindle 10. The spindle 10 is free to rotate in bearings in the frame 1
and carries the hollow conical screen 11-The said screen 11 is provided at its lower
end with a cutting edge 12. 13 screw blades secured to the interior of the screen 11,
and made with increasing pitch from back to front. The front of the said screen is
provided with intermediate screw blades 14 between the main screw blades 13.
15 platform suspended from the frame 1 and carrying hampers 16. 17 shoot free
to be moved so as to diliver from the screen to either of the hampers 16. 18 levers
and handles for raising and lowering the front of the screen. 19 regulating screws-
20 additional cutter in front of the hollow screen 11-21 traction bars hinged to the
axle 3 and carried at their free ends by the steering wheels 22.
By means of the levers 18 and regulating screws the cutting edge of the rotating
screen is adjusted to the required level, and the apparatus is drawn forward by the
traction bars 21 so causing the wheels 2 and with them the axle 3 and chain wheel 4
to rotate the chain wheel 4 communicates motion by the chain 8 and wheel 9 to the
spindle 10 and screen 11.
The screen 11 rotates and advances so as to dig the roots or potatoes, and the
screw blades 13 and 14 cause the roots or potatoes to travel up the screen to
the delivery end-The soil and refuse pass through the meshes and the potatoes or
roots are delivered to the hampers 16-At the end of a drill the lower end of the
screen is raised and the apparatus is brought into position to attach another drill.
Fig. 4 is an elevation of a screen and frame under the fifth part of my invention.
There the screen 11 is made at the delivery end with meshes or openings 23 increasing
in size from front to back-so that the smaller roots are delivered through the
first openings and second into recaptacles 16-and the coarsest over the end into
receptacles 16*.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
First The combination of a cylindrical conical or like hollow screen having a
cutting edge with driving gear for the purpose set forth,

page_text: Second Constructing screens under the first part of our invention with screw
threads for the purpose set forth.
Third Constructing hollow rotating screens with screw threads of increasing pitch
substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.
Fourth-The combination of rotating hollow screens with platforms and shoots,
substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.
Fifth Constructing rotary hollow screens substantially in the manner and for the
purpose set forth.
Sixth The combination of rotary hollow screens with rough and fine adjusting
devices for the purpose set forth.
Seventh-The combination with a rotary hollow screen having a cutting edge of
additional cutters substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.
Eighth Suspending and connecting potato root diggers and traction bars sub-
stantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Ninth Apparatus substantially as specified for the purpose set forth.
Dated this Fourteenth day of January 1888.
Per pro J. T. KING,
Agent,
James Johnson.