Improvements in Apparatus or Machines for Digging, Raising, Sieving Potatoes and other like Root Crops.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Oct., 1894
Complete Specification Left. 15th Aug., 1895-Accepted, 21st Sept., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus or Machines for Digging, Raising,
Sieving Potatoes and other like Root Crops.
and
We, THOMAS HASLAM of 189, Rice Lane, Walton, near Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, and PETER MAWDSLEY, of New Street, Halsall, near Ormskirk, in
the said county, Engineer and Farmer, respectively, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention of improvements in apparatus or machines for topping, digging
raising and screening or sieving potatoes and other like root crops consists in
arranging or combining, in a suitable framework, and mounted on wheels for
drawing along the drills or ridges, the following series of parts-
1st. A plough, which may be of any suitable construction so that it will enter
the drills or ridges and plough or turn up the potatoes or other like root crops.
We prefer the plough, however, to be formed in two parts with a space between
to allow the weeds or roots to pass between otherwise it would form an
obstruction.
2nd. A revolving riddle or sieve consisting essentially of two parts, that is the
front part and the rear part. The front part of this riddle or sieve has fitted in its
interior a series of blades say four, arranged spirally and extending to the central
shaft and leading into or feeding another. The riddle or sieve has also on its front
face and preferably at one side a grating placed at an angle by means of which a
portion of the soil is allowed to escape and being placed at an angle throws back
onto the spiral blades of the riddle the remaining soil clinging to the potatoes or
roots. The sieving surfaces of the front part may be of any suitable construction,
for instance, they may be simply rows of bars against which the potatoes roll and
become freed from the adhering soil. The soil of the drill or ridge with the potatoes
being taken up by the shoe or plough aforementioned placed at the mouth of the
front part of this riddle or sieve, are, whilst becoming freed of the adhering soil, led
by the series of spiral blades to the rear part of the riddle or sieve. This rear part
is formed of a series of bars or rods comprised between two end plates, and between
these two end plates the whole series of bars or rods is bent or twisted so as to form
a kind of spiral or zig-zag which is supported at intervals by suitable brackets.
The potatoes or the like, having to traverse these twisted or zig-zag bars or rods,
forming the rear part of the riddle or sieve, become perfectly freed of the remaining
adhering soil.
3rd. A conveyor. This conveyor receives the riddled or sieved potatoes from the
rear end of the riddle or sieve. The conveyor can have suitable hooks to hang
bags onto, into which the riddled or sieved potatoes tumble, the bags, as they become
filled, being substituted by empty ones which are hung up by the attendant. Or
the framework of the apparatus or machine inay have two angle irons for carrying
hampers into which the potatoes fall.
4th. At the end of the sieve are arranged two or more boxes or pockets having
pivoted doors which doors ou coming uppermost are caused to turn on their pivots
and to eject the potatoes which are contained therein, the doors being turned only
one half a revolution are thereby again closed. This can be carried out in a variety
of ways.
In our experimental apparatus, we form in one with the back bearing of
the riddle spindle, a disc having a recess and projection, which latter engages with

page_text: a plate or teeth fixed on the spindles of the aforementioned, doors and as each
pocket comes uppermost the spindle and with it the door is turned on its pivot.
It will be understood from the foregoing that all the parts, being mounted on a
suitable framework, will operate in the following manner :-
As the apparatus or machine travels forward, the shoes or plough cutting under-
neath the potatoes raises them. into the mouth of the riddle or sieve, that is to say,
the mouth of the front part of the riddle or sieve which has in its interior, the series
of spirals blades beforementioned. The potatoes or other roots become partially
freed from the adhering soil in this front part of the riddle or sieve, but the spirals
serve to bring them to the second or rear part of the riddle or sieve, formed as
above described, where they are entirely freed from all the soil and the like.
they have travelled to the back portion of this second part of the riddle or sieve,
they enter the boxes or pockets aforementioned and from thence pass through the
conveyor to the bags or hampers as above mentioned.
When
As some drills or ridges are deeper than others, and, again,, as the potatoes or
other like root crops may lie at varying depths in the drills or ridges, it is
necessary that the various parts should be capable of being raised or lowered to
suit these different circumstances. The gearing therefore, by which the various
parts are driven consists of a bevel wheel on the main axle gearing with a second
bevel wheel on a shaft running parallel with the riddle shaft at one side of the
machine. This shaft again drives the riddle shaft by means of a chain and sprocket
wheel.
Finally, the parts must also be provided with adjustable or sliding bearings or
supports which can be adjusted or will slide up and down and so will adapt them-
selves to the various depths at which the machine works. The front end of the
riddle need only be raised, the back end working on a trunnion. We prefer also,
that the lever, by which the parts can be lifted when the apparatus or machine has
to travel along the roads, shall serve for raising and lowering the parts to suit the
different depths of the potatoes or the like in the drills or ridges.
Dated this 13th day of October 1894.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Apparatus or Machines for Digging, Raising, and
Sieving Potatoes and other like Root Crops.
We, THOMAS HASLAM of 189, Rice Lane, Walton, near Liverpool in the County
of Lancaster and PETER MAWDSLEY of New Street, Halsall near Ormskirk in the
said county, Engineer and Farmer respectively, 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 :-
Our invention of improvements in apparatus or machines for digging, raising and
screening or sieving potatoes and other like root crops consists in arranging or
combining, in a suitable framework, and mounted on wheels for drawing along the
drills or ridges, the series of parts hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the
accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a front view of the machine;
Figure 2, a sectional elevation; and
Figure 3 a rear elevation.
In these figures, A is a plough which may be of any suitable construction so that
it will enter the drills or ridges, and plough or turn up the potatoes or other like
root crops. We prefer the plough however to be formed in two parts or shares a―a

page_text: with a space between each share to allow the weeds or soil to pass between, other-
wise it would form an obstruction. B is a revolving riddle or sieve, the front
part of which is made of somewhat larger diameter than the rear part. This
riddle or sieve is supported on the ground by the frame K mounted on wheels C, by
the frictional contact of which the screen is rotated. The plough A is located in
front of the screen so that as the potatoes are brought to the surface of the ground,
they are fed into the revolving screen B. In our Provisional Specification we
proposed to fit in the interier of the front part of this riddle or sieve a series of
blades arranged spirally and extending to the central shaft. Since our Provisional
Application was filed however, we have discovered that these blades are unnecessary
in the front part and we have therefore abandoned the use of them there and prefer
instead to arrange the sieve so as to slope somewhat from front to rear or near the
centre as shown, and in the central portion place curved or oblique guides or blades
attached to the riddle for guiding the potatoes onward. This is specially a useful
arrangement with new or tender skinned potatoes. By this means as the sieve
revolves, the tendency will be for the potatoes to roll or travel towards the rear or
delivery end of machine. The riddle or sieve has near its front face, and preferably
at the sides, gratings or boards D placed at an angle, by means of which a portion
of the soil or mould is removed from the potatoes and being placed at an angle
throw back onto the riddle the potatoes and the soil or mould which has been
removed. The sieving surface may be of any suitable construction, for instance,
it may be simply rows of annular bars or wires b against which the potatoes roll and
become freed from the adhering soil, the bars or wires being at such a distance apart
as to prevent the potatoes from passing between, but at the same time allowing the
soil to escape and fall through, as it is removed from the potatoes in their passage
through the screen. To prevent the front part of the riddle from getting clogged,
we prefer to apply two wire brushes one on the outside, the other placed obliquely
against the inside, so as to brush the riddle as it revolves. The soil of the drill or
ridge with the potatoes being taken up by the shoe or plough aforesaid placed at
the mouth of the front part of this riddle or sieve B, are, whilst becoming freed
from the adhering soil, caused to roll or travel by the slope of the riddle or sieve
to its rear part. This rear part is formed with a series of bars or blades E arranged
at an angle and forming boxes or pockets, the blades being supported by the rows
of bars forming the riddle surface or by suitable brackets. These boxes or pockets
may, as described in our Provisional Specification, have pivotted doors, which
dours on coming uppermost are caused to turn on their pivots and to eject the
potatoes which are contained therein, the doors being turned only one half a
revolution are thereby again closed. The doors are not however necessary. The
potatoes then on reaching these bars or blades forming the pockets are lifted to a
certain height by the revolution of the pockets and screen. F is a conveyor. This
conveyor receives the riddled or sieved potatoes from the pockets aforesaid. It can
have suitable hooks to hang bags onto, into which the riddled or sieved potatoes
tumble, the bags as they become filled being substituted by empty ones which are
hung up by the attendant; or the framework of the apparatus or machine may have
brackets G for carrying hampers H into which the potatoes fall. I is a pivotted
door located near the end of the conveyor F, which door is so arranged that it can
be turned on its pivots, to close the conveyor when a filled hamper is being replaced
by an empty one, or open the conveyor so as to eject the potatoes which have collected
therein into the hamper. J is a pivotted bracket which serves to hold the door
open to allow the potatoes to roll into the hamper from the conveyor, or when the
hamper is required to be changed, this bracket is turned round to one side, and the
door will then fall down. K is the framework of the machine, L the back wheels,
and M the rotary shaft on which the riddle or sieve is mounted by the arms N.
It will be understood from the foregoing that the parts will operate in the
following manner :—
As the apparatus or machine travels forward, the shoes or plough cutting under-
neath the potatoes raises them into the mouth of the riddle or sieve, that is to say, "

page_text: the month of the front part of the riddle or sieve which has in its interior the
gratings or boards D aforesaid. The potatoes or other roots become partially freed
from the adhering soil by these gratings or boards in the front part, but as the
riddle or sieve slopes from front to rear, it causes the potatoes to roll or travel to
the second or rear part of the riddle or sieve where they are entirely freed from all
the soil and the like. When they have travelled to this rear portion they enter the
pockets E aforesaid, by which they are lifted to a certain height above the
conveyor F, and then drop into the conveyor and from thence pass through the con-
veyor into the bags or hampers as above mentioned; the conveyor F having a
shaking motion imparted to by the hexagonal or other shaped collar F' keyed to
the rotary shaft M, so as to ensure the potatoes tumbling into the hamper H.
B1 is a grating or flange at the rear end of the screen, which prevents the potatoes
falling out, and ensures their being elevated by the pockets.
As some drills or ridges are deeper than others, and again as the potatoes or other
like root crops may lie at varying depths in the drills or ridges, it is necessary that
the various parts should be capable of being raised or lowered to suit these different
circumstances. The gearing therefore, by which the various parts are driven
consists of a bevel wheel on the main axle O gearing with a second bevel wheel on
a shaft P running parallel with the riddle shaft at one side of the machine. This
shaft P again drives the riddle shaft by means of a chain Q and sprocket
wheels R and S.
Finally, an arrangement is provided whereby the parts can be raised or lowered
so that they will adapt themselves to the various depths at which the machine works.
The front end of the riddle need only be raised. This arrangement consists of a
pivotted lever T coupled to the frame K by means of the connecting rod V, the
connecting rod V being coupled to the bracket W which serves as a support for the
plough or shares A and riddle shaft M. By pulling down this lever T, the shares A
are raised, and the riddle also raised at the front end, thus enabling the apparatus
to be lifted up at the front end when it has to travel along the roads, and serving
also for adjusting the height of the parts to suit the different depths of the potatoes
or the like in the drills or ridges. X is a quadrant for enabling the lever to be
locked in any required position.
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. The improvement in apparatus for digging, raising and sieving potatoes or
other like root crops, namely, forming them with a revolving cylindrical or other
screen whose diameter at the front is preferably somewhat larger than the diameter
at the rear, and provided with guides on the sloping part, whereby when the
potatoes are fed into the revolving screen, they will travel from the feeding end to
the delivery end thereof, (the soil or rubbish being removed from the potatoes in
the course of the latter's passage through the screen) and fall through the meshes
onto the ground, substantially as described.
2. In apparatus for digging, raising and sieving potatoes and other like root
crops, the use and arrangement of a plough or digger for bringing the potatoes or
the like to the surface of the ground and delivering them into the interior of a
riddle or screen, said plough or digger being formed in two parts or shares a-a,
with a space between, said shares being located at such a distance apart as to
prevent the potatoes themselves from passing between, but allowing the soil and
rubbish to escape, substantially as described.
3. In a machine of the kind set forth, the use of a revolving riddle or screen
having in the interior at the rear thereof, boards or plates arranged obliquely,
whereby the potatoes as they are fed onto these boards are lifted and discharged
into a sloping conveyor for delivery substantially as described.
4. In a machine of the kind set forth, the use of a rotating riddle or screen
having in the interior near its front face and preferably near the sides, a grating or

page_text: board D, whereby as the screen revolves, the potatoes are thrown back on to the
sieving surface of the riddle, substantially as and for the purpose described.
5. In a machine for digging potatoes in which a revolving riddle is adapted to
screen the potatoes from the adhering soil and rubbish, the mechanism whereby the
riddle can be raised or lowered so that it will adapt itself to the various depths at
which the machine works, or enable it to be adjusted into or out of its working
position, substantially as described.
6. The general combined arrangement and construction of parts, forming an
improved apparatus for digging, raising and screening potatoes and other like root
crops substantially as set forth.
Dated this 14th day of Anout 1005
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London, Patent Agents.