Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Oct., 1886.
Complete Left, 28th July, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 16th Sept., 1887.
I JAMES JOHN ARNOLD, of Lincoln's Eastleigh Southampton Farmer and
Surveyor do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
It is intended to replace the present form of under or over lever guides which
working from fixed centres do not and cannot so fixed accommodate the movement of
the fork handles of agricultural digging machines to the progressive motion of the
propelling power causing the forks to be either turned up lifted out of their work or
their backs to have a counteracting pressure against the soil, especially in hard ground.
The sliding guides provide against this pressure by thrusting backward the fork
handles as the machine travels forward in under lever machines or otherwise regulating
the movement in over lever machines in accordance with the distance travelled during
the down stroke and part of the up cast of the fork. This movement is obtained by a
cam fixed either on the digging fork-crank shaft or on a separate cam shaft moving
backwards or forwards a lever to which is attached the sliding guide--or the cam may
act directly on the end of the sliding guide working either with it vertically or
horizontally. Furthermore by the use of the cam or cams acting on the sliding
guides above or below or both above and below the digging fork crank shaft desirable
movements other than that compensating for the forward movement of the machine
may be obtained.
Dadhi 7th Jove of Antahan 104U2

page_text: Improvements in Agricultural Digging Machines.
I JAMES JOHN ARNOLD of Lincoln's, Eastleigh in the County of Southampton
Farmer and Surveyor, 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 of my invention is to avoid certain disadvantages in the present form of
under and over lever guide arms controlling the action of the digging forks of
mechanical diggers driven by steam or other motive power which guide arms do not
and cannot as hitherto arranged accommodate the movement of the said digging forks
to the progressive motion of the propelling power but cause them to be lifted out of
their work or their backs to be so pressed against the soil as to retard the said
progressive motion and increase the power necessary to work the said machine. In
order therefore to adjust the action of the forks to this progressive motion of the
machine the sliding guide arms and frame hereinafter specified and shown in
accompanying drawings are provided to thrust backwards and forwards and otherwise
regulate the movements of the under or over levers links or fork handles in accordance
with the distance travelled during the down stroke and up cast or part of the up cast
of the digging forks.
This movement is obtained by a grooved disk or circular plate fixed either to the
digging or other specially provided shaft moving backwards or forwards by means of
a stud or studs working in the groove or grooves a bent arm or bent arms connected to
the over or under or both under and over levers guiding the fork handles. The disk or
plate may be so varied as to the grooves cut thereon as to give other desirable move-
ments to the fork handles beyond those intended solely to compensate for the forward
or backward movement of the motive power.
To give stability and prevent twisting the ends of the bent arms are prolongued and
work in guides or slots in a plate frame which prolongued may also prevent lateral
movement of the fork handles by admitting them to work backwards or forwards
through the guide frames.
In the drawings Figures 1 & 2 on sheet 1 show two positions of the movement
applied to under lever machines Figures 5 & 6 on sheet 2 two positions of the move-
ment applied to a combined over and under lever machine.
On the digging shaft A is keyed the disk or plate B in which is cut the groove C
regulating the movement of the bent arm E and under lever G by means of the stud e.
C is a groove cut on the opposite side of the disk to C and regulates the movement of
the bent arm E' and over lever G. F is the centre on which E & E¹ turn. H is a
frame plate in slots or guides in which the ends of the bent arms E & E and fork
handles J, the upper and lower ends of which only are shown by dotted lines, work.
D is the crank or stud driving the fork handles. The arrows K show the extent of
the forward movement of the propelling power during one revolution of fork driving
crank. L is the ground to be dug.

page_text: Figures 3 & 4 on sheet one are diagrams the former of the actual the latter of the
apparent or effective movement described by the point of the digging fork in one
revolution of the fork crank D.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
Firstly. The movement regulating and bringing the digging forks directly over their
work during and in accordance with the movement forward or backward of the
propelling power or machine to which the forks are attached.
Secondly. The combination of the disk or plate bent arms and guide plate to effect this
movement, to give stability to the levers and digging fork handles and to enable the
said fork handles to perform other desirable movements to assist in turning over
the soil.