Improvements in Potato Diggers.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 13th Nov., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Potato Diggers.
I, CHARLES ARTHUR ALLISON, of 52 Chancery Lane, London, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, (which
has been communicated to me from abroad by Jacob Shoch, of 155 Review
Avenue, Long Island City, County of Queens, State of New York, United States
of America, Gentleman) and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:--
This invention relates to a potato digger of improved construction and by
means of which the potatoes may be quickly dug up, screened, assorted and bagged.
The invention consists in the various features of construction more fully pointed
out in the claim.
In the acompanying drawing:
Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the potato digger on line 1, 1,
Fig. 6.
Fig. 2 an inverted plan.
Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are plans of screens e, f, g, respectively.
Fig. 6 a plan of the machine.
Fig. 7 a front view of the delivery hopper.
Fig. 8 an end view of the screen box, and
Fig. 9 a vertical longitudinal section through the hopper and the rear end of the
screen box.
The letter a, represents the frame of the machine to the front fixed axle a¹, ot
which there is secured by arms a², the hinged plow share or scoop b, adapted to
raise the potatoes out of the ground. This plow share may be adjusted vertically
by means of the screw rod, carrying nut 62, and is shown to be made in tho
form of a flattened tube. The rear end of this tube delivers the potatoes upon the
blades c¹, of an endless conveyer c, formed of wire netting, through the meshes
of which some of the earth is discharged and which travels over lower roller c³,
and upper roller c³. The upper roller c³, receives motion by chain c, passing over
idlers, and driven by chain wheel c, fixed on crank shaft c, having cog wheel c³,
that meshes into cog wheel c, mounted on the revoluble rear axle a³, of the
machine. The conveyer c, raises the potatoes and dumps them into a rearwardly
inclined and bottomless sieve-box d, that receives reciprocating motion from
crank shaft c7, by means of pitmen , and which is mounted on rolls d², travelling
on rabetted longitudinal rails of the frame a (Figs. 8 and 9).
Within the box d, are placed three, more or less, superposed screens e, f, g,
forming horizontal chambers and adapted to assort the potatoes. These screens
have meshes of different sizes so that the large potatoes will remain on screen e,
the medium potatoes will fall upon screen f, and the small potatoes will fall upon
screen g, while the earth is discharged through the open bottom of box d.
Each of the screens is provided at its rear end with a guide for delivering the
potatoes to a fixed discharge hopper h, which is of the same width as box d, and is
divided by upright partitions h¹, h², into three compartments h³, h, h³. The

page_text: connection between the sieve-box and hopper is so formed that screen e, delivers its
charge into compartment h³, screen f, into compartment h, and screen 9, into
compartment h³. To this effect each of the compartments of the hopper is pro-
vided with a short forwardly projecting open tube i, i, 3, that telescopes a cor-
respondingly placed open tube j, j, ja, projecting rearwardly from the three
chambers of the sieve-box d.
The telescoped tubes are arranged in an oblique direction (Figs. 7 and 8) in
order that each of the horizontal chambers of the sieve-box may be made to deliver
into one of the vertical compartments of the hopper. In order to conduct the
potatoes from the screens to these obliquely placed tubes, the rear guides on the
screens are so arranged as to deliver their charge in different vertical planes.
Thus the guide e¹, of screen e, conducts the potatoes to the right hand compart-
ment, the guides f¹, f¹, of the screen f, conduct them to the central com-
partment h, and the guide g¹, of screen g, conducts them to the left hand
compartment. Thus it will be seen that by the obliquely placed telescoping or
extensible tubes the potatoes are properly fed to the delivery hopper while such
tubes at the same time permit the free reciprocating motion of the sieve-box.
Each of the compartments of the hopper h, is provided with a rear discharge
opening h6, h, hs, that is adapted to deliver the potatoes into a separate bag k,
placed upon a platform 7, affixed to the rear end of frame a. In this way it will
be seen that the potatoes are dug up, screened, assorted and bagged in a simple
and expeditious manner.
In order to disconnect the operating mechanism from the driving gear and
permit the wagon to be driven without actuating the same, the cog wheel c³, is
loosely moanted upon its shaft a³, and may be coupled thereto or uncoupled
therefrom by a clutch m.
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 is:-
1. In a potato digger, the combination of a reciprocating sieve-box with a
number of enclosed differently meshed sieves to form a series of horizontal
chambers, a fixed delivery hopper having a series of compartments and extensible
couplings that connect the chambers of the sieve-box with the compartments of
the hopper, substantially as specified.
2. In a potato digger, the combination of a reciprocating sieve-box with a
number of enclosed differently meshed sieves to form a series of horizontal
chambers, a delivery hopper having a series of compartments, and a series of
obliquely placed telescoping tubes that connect the chambers of the sieve-box with
the compartments of the hopper, substantially as specified.
3. In a potato digger, the combination of a reciprocating sieve-box with a
number of enclosed differently meshed screens having rear delivery guides
arranged to deliver in different vertical planes, a delivery hopper having a series
of compartments, and a series of obliquely placed telescoping tubes that connect
the chambers of the sieve-box with the compartments of the hopper, substantially
as specified.
4. An improved potato digger constructed substantially as herein shown and
described.
Dated this 28th day of Cantamalian 1807
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.