ACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DIGGING
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Frank Proctor at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 30th September 1882.
FRANK PROCTOR, of Stevenage, in the County of Herts
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DIGGING"
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
My invention relates to machinery or apparatus for digging or turning up the
ground by means of forks or other suitable tools, in which the entire apparatus is
drawn forward by horse power or other suitable animal or other power and not by
self contained locomotive propelling machinery.
It has for its objects improvements in the construction and arrangement of such
digging machinery or apparatus, so that it can be readily and usefully applied for
purposes and in situations where locomotive digging machinery actuated and
propelled by self contained steam or other Engines could not conveniently be made
available.
I take a frame or carriage, preferably of metal, sufficiently strong and light, to
which the horses or other propelling power can be harnessed or attached, supported
upon two strong wheels arranged at a suitable distance apart for the position in
which the apparatus is to be used. I make these wheels sufficiently strong and
heavy to serve not only as carrying wheels but as driving wheels to actuate digging
appliances arranged at the back of the carriage.
For this purpose, I fix upon the axis of the wheels a toothed wheel of sufficient
diameter driving a pinion upon a cross shaft arranged to revolve in bearings in the
carriage frame, this cross shaft carrying a second toothed wheel of sufficient diameter
driving a pinion upon a transverse shaft or axis actuating the digging appliances
and itself revolving in bearings which may either be formed on or attached to the
frame, or may be made moveable as hereinafter described.
This last mentioned shaft is provided with a sufficient number, preferably three,
of cranks upon the pins of which are pivotted a corresponding number of bars or
arms inore or less vertical the lower ends of which are provided with a sufficient
number of suitable digging forks or tines, whilst their upper ends are jointed to
links more or less horizontal, the other ends of which are jointed to a cross bar
carried by the upper ends of levers the lower ends of which turn upon a bar (which
may also serve as the axis of the second toothed wheel above described).

page_text: The levers are also provided with arms in a horizontal or other convenient position
the outer ends of which are connected together and work in one or more guides by
which their position can be regulated and fixed.
By this method of arrangement the arms carrying the digging forks or tines can
be adjusted in the vertical position most suitable for effective digging action, or they
can be drawn back so that the forks enter more or less deeply, or work entirely
clear of the ground.
The action of the apparatus constructed and arranged as described is as follows:-
As the wheels of the carriage revolve when the latter is drawn forward, the
several toothed wheels and pinions are also made to revolve, and cause the cranks
to revolve at the proper speed, and in their revolution to drive at regular intervals
the digging forks or tines, forcing the latter more or less vertically into the ground
and turning the earth up and over as they rise, the proper action being insured by
the links to which the upper ends of the bars are jointed. The cranks are arranged
upon the shaft so that each fork in succession comes into operation, and instead of
cranks excentrics or cams may be used.
By raising or lowering in the guides the bar which adjusts the position of the
links, the angle of the forks may be varied as desired or they may be prevented
from entering the ground.
Or, the bearings in which the cranked shaft revolves may themselves be formed
at the outer ends of bars or of a frame the inner ends of which are pivotted upon
the shaft upon which the second toothed wheel revolves as above described, a lever
and handle or screw being provided by which the bearings together with the
cranked shaft can be raised or lowered as desired round the toothed wheel which
drives it, so that it digs more or less deeply or can be raised entirely clear from the
ground as desired.
In this mode of arrangement the inner ends of the upper links may be fixed
instead of moveable.
The apparatus as described may be male sufficiently narrow to be drawn and
operated in narrow paths or between adjacent rows of plants when necessary, and the
size and number of teeth of the different wheels are so proportioned that the forks
or digging appliances operate at the proper speed upon the ground as the machine
is drawn forward; and instead of the arrangement described suitably arranged and
proportioned bevilled toothed wheels may be used.
Sometimes I arrange two or more forks or digging implements one behind the
other instead of side by side, each fork being operated in the way already described
by a separate crank or excentric driven by toothed wheels at the proper speed,
and arranged so that each fork in succession enters as the one behind it leaves the
ground.