Apparatus for Trashing and Cutting Sugar Cane and such like Crops.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 15th Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 20th Jan., 1888
Apparatus for Trashing and Cutting Sugar Cane and such
like Crops.
I, THOMAS TOMLINSON of Munro Cottage Montague Road, South Brisbane in the
Colony of Queensland, Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to apparatus arranged to operate on sugar cane or such like
crops, so as to raise and support such of the stems as may be bent over or fallen, to
trash them by removing dead leaves, to cut off their tops, and to cut them at the
bottom. The apparatus for this purpose is drawn along the ground by horses or other
power travelling on wheels by the revolution of which motion is imparted to its
working parts. Above the lower wheeled frame at a height above the tops of the'
highest stems is supported a top framing which extends at one side beyond the vertical
line of the lower frame.
From this frame diagonal braces extend down nearly to the ground having at their
lower ends shoes having jointed to their fronts scrapers that run along the ground
between the rows of stems, these scrapers having freedom of vertical movement so
that they can yield to the inequalities of the ground and also sufficient freedom of
lateral movement to allow of their entering between the rows of stems. Between a
set of chain wheels which are mounted on the top framing and are driven by gearing
from the running wheels and a corresponding set of chain wheels mounted free to
revolve in bearings in the shoes below, extend side by side a number of link chains.
These are in lines inclined backwards and are driven at such a speed that any point
in the front ascending oblique line of chain having its motion compounded with that
of the advance of the machine travels in a vertical line or nearly so, the forward
advance of the machine being equivalent to the backward component of the oblique
upward movement of the chain. To a number of the links of this chain are pivotted
arms which hang vertically folded together on the binder part of the chain which is
descending and pass freely between the stems, but which, when the chain turns round
the lower chain wheels and begins to ascend, open out under bent or fallen stems and
raise and support them in an upright position. Between the descending and ascending

page_text: lines of each chain extend rods from eccentrics on the chain wheel shaft above to
springs attached to the shoes below, so that as the shaft revolves these rods are made
to reciprocate up and down. They carry a number of elastic blades which rubbing
along the stems as they pass trash them or remove the dead leaves.. Behind the one
set of chain and trashing blades may be another set more or less inclined, and acting
in a similar manner. From the front of the top frame extends downwards a frame
having at its lower end a set of fingers with reciprocating knives as in a reaping
machine to cut off the tops of the stems. As these vary in height, the reaping
mechanism is fitted to slide up or down the frame which carries it, and in order from
time to time to adjust it to the required level, the frame is provided with a rack with
which gears a pinion worked by a chain or rope from a convenient part of the
travelling framo within reach of the attendant. At the rear part of the lower frame
is arranged an oscillating cutting knife which is moved backwards in opposition to a
weight or spring by a cam on a counter shaft worked from the running wheels, and
which on a sudden drop of the cam presenting itself makes a rapid stroke forwards
severing the stems a little above the ground. By removing the reaping or the cutting
mechanism, or both, the machine can be made available for raising and trashing the
stems with or without cutting them at top or bottom.
נית
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ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Trashing and Cutting Sugar Cane and such
like Crops.
I, THOMAS TOMLINSON, of Munro Cottage, Montague Road South Brisbane, in the
Colony of Queensland, Civil Engineer, 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 improvements are embodied in the machine, one form of which is shown in
the accompanying drawings, whose various parts perform the following functions.
(1) raising and supporting the cane. (2) trashing the cane, i.e. removing dead
leaves. (3) top cutting the cane. (4) bottom cutting the cane, the disposal of the
trash in any required direction, and the disposal of the cut canes are also provided for.
The machine illustrated in the accompanying drawings is intended to be drawn by
two or more horses; but steam or other motive power may be used for its traction or
propulsion the design being altered to suit the power adopted and the manner in
which it is applied.
Fig. 1 is a side view and Fig. 2 is a front view. Fig. III are detail views of the
chain links with their folding guides. Fig. 4 is a plan of the upper part of the
apparatus and. Fig. 5 is a part plan below. Fig. 6 is a plan of 'the cutter.
..
Upon the two wheels A is carried the framing having upright standards on
trunnions B of which is carried the top frame C. From the overhanging" portion of
the top frame C project downwards legs D which are placed at suitable distances
apart and are numerous enough to overlap on each side the transverse breadth of the
cane stools. Attached to these legs D at their lower extremities are the shoes E the
points of which are pivotted and are free to move along the surface of the ground
adapting themselves to slight irregularities. The top frame C can be tilted on the
trunnions B by means of the crank lever F so that the shoes E can be lifted to clear
obstacles, or while travelling. When the machine is used for cutting cane, the
shoes E may be connected together, and to the body of the machine (indicated by
dotted lines in Fig. 1 shewing backward continuation of the shoes) behind the point
at which the canes are cut, this increases the strength of the arrangement. Each of
the shoes E carries between the plates of which it is composed, a pair of polygonal
chain wheels or tumblers G free to revolve. The shafts Hand K which revolve in
bearings in the top frame have on them similar tumblers L in vertical planes
corresponding with these of the lower tumblers G. Endless pitch chains are led over
the tumblers and G. These pitch chains are of ordinary construction except as to
certain of their links at suitable equidistant intervals. Each of these special links as
shewn in Fig. III has a stud projecting at such an angle that when the chain is in
position the stud is horizontal or nearly so. This stud carries a pair of short armis,
which may be termed folding guides" whilst the special links may be termed
folding guide links. The "folding guides" when travelling upwards open out as

page_text: indicated at M in Fig. 1 and 1 in Fig. III, but when the links are travelling down-
wards the guides fold in as indicated at N in Fig. 1 and 2 in Fig. III. These chains
are driven at such speeds, relatively to the speed of advance of the machine-and
depending on the inclination of the chains that the path with reference to the
ground, of the folding guides as they ascend, is nearly vertically upward, or slightly
backwards.
;
The desired motions are obtained by suitably proportioning, according to the
slopes of the chains, the speeds of the shafts (as H and K) which work the chains, to
the speed of the axle P which is a measure of the speed of advance of the machine.
The shaft H is driven by bevil gear from the vertical shaft Q which is driven by
bevil gear R from a counter shaft driven by spur gear S S¹ from the axle P of the
carrying wheels A. This axle may be secured to one wheel only, the other wheel
being free to turn on the axle so as to allow the machine to turn. The shaft K is
driven from shaft H by a chain and sprocket wheels.
The machine being propelled with its shoes E moving along the spaces between the
cane rows with a little freedom for lateral play the canes are caused to pass along the
open spaces between the legs D and such of the canes as lie over transversely are thus
raised.
The folding guides being closed as they descend pass freely between the canes, but
as they ascend they open out and insinuate themselves amongst the canes, and so
raise such canes as lic over in the direction of the advance of the machine. The
guides of contiguous chains approach so closely to one another that none of the canes
can escape them. The folding guides on the front chains effect this raising of the
canes and those on the hinder chains only serve to hold up the canes raised by the
front chains. When the canes are strong and upright growing not requiring
the support of the hinder chain "folding guides," the hinder chains may be dispensed
with.
The canes being thus raised and supported, between the chains and the legs; the
trashing may be done by vanes T, of india rubber, spring steel, bamboo cane strips or
other suitable elastic material, attached to small castings pivotted to the vane
frames T to which reciprocating motion is given by eccentrics V on the shafts H
and K the vanes being connected together by light rods and to springs at the shoe
ends as indicated in Fig. 1.
With some varieties of cane these vanes may be stationary ; for self trashing canes
they may be dispensed with.
::
The trash removed by these vanes as well as that which may be lying about the
butts of the canes, may be carried up by the "folding guides," from these it can be
removed at the top frame, by circular revolving brushes, and combs, and tipped when
necessary in any required direction.
If the machine is required to trash only, the vanes above the height to which it is
required to trash are removed, so also are the top and bottom cutting arrangement,
about to be described.
The top cutting may be done in various ways as for example by ordinary mower
knives and fingers, or by an endless chain Fig. 6 carrying cutters attached to alternate
links, this chain moving through and across suitable fingers. In order to provide for
the top-cutting of canes of various heights the frame which carries the top cutting
gear is guided to be moved up or down by toothed racks gearing with pinions worked
from the attendants seat by a rope actuating a worm and worm wheel W. The
shaft Z which drives the cutters is grooved longitudinally to receive a feather in the
boss of the mitre wheel Z through which the shaft can slide but with which it must
turn.
.
The bottom cutting may be done in a similar manner to the top cutting or in the
manner shown in the drawings. The knife O is attached to a frame U which is hung
from the pins XX that can travel in grooves X" and can be raised or lowered (so
altering height of cut from the ground) by the lever J in whose forks X the
pins are also engaged. This knife frame U has fixed to it the wiper Y against
which works the cam driven by the bevil gear Z Z. The action of the cam Y

page_text: and wiper Y is to cause a chopping blow, the force of which being due to the weight
of the knife, frame, and the distance of its fall can be regulated to suit the cane to
be cut.
The canes when cut fall behind the machine on to the ground in line with the cane
stools, or they may be received on a table attached behind the machine, whence they
may be continuously elevated into attending carts, periodically tipped or otherwise
removed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim in respect of apparatus for trashing and cutting sugar canes and such like
crops, is:-
1. For raising and supporting canes lying over, the combination of shoes
penetrating between the rows of canes with travelling chains carrying folding guides,
arranged and operating substantially as herein described.
2. For trashing the canes, sets of clastic blades or strips caused to reciprocate by
eccentrics on the shafts that drive the folding guide chains, substantially as
described.
3. For top cutting the canes, a set of cutters mounted in a frame adjustable in
beight by the action of a hand rope, with gearing for driving the cutters, substantially
as described.
4. For bottom cutting the canes, a cutting knife on a swing frame worked by a
cam and wiper, substantially as described.
5. The construction and use of a machine, substantially as described with reference
to the accompanying drawings, such machine being propelled by horse or other power
on wheels which by their revolution give motion to the folding guide chains for
raising and supporting canes, to the eccentrics working reciprocating trashers, and to
the top and bottom cutters.
Dated this 15th day of December 1887
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.