Improvements in Trip Mechanism for Grain Binders.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Dec., 1896-Accepted, 13th Feb., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Trip Mechanism for Grain Binders.
I, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN STEWART, of No. 4204 Lake Avenue, Chicago,
County of Cook and State of Illinois, United States of America, Mechanical
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 invention relates to that class of harvesting machines in which an automatic
binding mechanism is employed the action of which is controlled by a trip arm
which yieldingly receives the pressure of the forming gavel and by the move-
ment of which under such pressure the disengaging arm of a spring actuated
clutch is released to throw the binding mechanism into engagement with the drive
shaft.
The invention consists in certain hereinafter described improvements in the trip
arın for engaging the clutch.
I have illustrated in the drawings only such parts of the machine as I deem
necessary to show the connection and action of the parts improved upon.
Fig. I is a plan view of that portion of the binder mechanism which is below the
deck, some portions being broken away;
Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a plan section, on the line 4-4, of Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 is a detail elevation partly in section, as seen from the line 2-2 of Fig. 1,
with some of the parts removed;
Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the trip stop; and Fig. 7 is a plan view of the same.
In the drawings 1 show the packer shaft at A, the deck at B, the packers at C,
the trip arm for receiving the pressure of the forming gavel at D, and the rock
shaft for carrying the trip arm at d, the trip arm being pivotally attached to a
crank arm, d, fixed upon the shaft d. The cam wheel for controlling the movement
of the trip arm D is indicated at E, the cam flange, e, of this wheel being adapted
to carry the crank arm F mounted upon the shaft d and provided with an anti-
frictional roller, i, for bearing upon the flange e. The wheel E has an internal
gear which meshes with a pinion, a', carried by a sleeve, a', mounted upon the
end a of the packer shaft A. At U is shown the U-frame which carries the binder
mechanian, and at u a bracket of such frame which rurries the journal block within
which the shaft end a and sleeve a'are mounted. The bar is a part of the frame
of the machine and supports the deck B.
All of the parts above referred to are of known construction, and I have not
therefore deened it necessary to enter into a detailed description of them in this
application.
The sleeve a carries at the end removed from the pinion a' n plate, L. A clutch
block, M, is mounted upon the shaft A in proximity to the plate L, and a spring
controlled pawl,, is pivotally attached to the plate L and carries a lateral
stud, upon which is mounted an anti-frictional roller for engaging the clutch
block M. The pawl is thrown into engagement with the clutch block M by the
action of a spiral spring, o', mounted upon a thrust bar, o, sliding in an aperture in
a lug, O, projecting from the face of the plate L and bearing against an arm, j',

page_text: projecting backwardly from the pawl, the spring o' reacting between a shoulder
upon the bar o and the lug O.
The clutch block M is in disk form and is provided with two oppositely disposed
concaved shoulders for receiving the roller upon the stud 7, the rearward sides of
such shoulders being inclined or rounded so that the reverse movement of the clutch
block is not impeded by the pawl, which freely rides over the rounded portion of
the shoulders. An arm, J, projects Interally from the base of the pawl
carries on its outer end a lateral stud, j.
and
The shafts A, d, are parallel, and upon the latter is mounted a trip stop, H.
comprising an arm with a lateral stud, h, at its outer and, the normal position of
which, while the gavel is being formed, is directly in the path of the stud j, so
that, as the latter revolves about the shaft A, it is intercepted by the stud h and
retarded in its movement, thereby compressing the spring o' and throwing the
pawl out of engagement with the clutch block M. As the gavel grows in
size, it forces back the trip arm D and thereby elevates the trip stop H and
disengages its stud from the stud j, allowing the pawl to be again thrown into
engagement with the clutch block M by the action of the spring o'. The stud j
is caught by the inner face of the stud which is oblique to the longitudinal
direction of the trip stop H so as to lie substantially radially across the orbit of
the stud j. In order to the certain and easy disengagement of these parts under
the action of the trip arm D, it is necessary that their adjustment be very delicate,
Fo that a slight movement of the arm H frees the pawl. When the relative a-ljust-
ment of the studs h, j, is dependent, as it has been in the past, upon the construction
of so many parts of the machine, it will be seen that the slightest inaccuracies in the
location of the journals of the shafts A, d, as well as any slight inaccuracies in the
casting of the arm II and the pawl and its accessories, will prevent the delicacy of
engagement of the parts h, j, which is essential to the proper action of the mechanism.
Another source of difficulty arises from the wear of the contact faces of the studs h, j,
whose initial contact is very forcible.
These machines are necessarily subjected to very hard usage. The season of their
usefulness is limited to but a few days, and it is necessary that they be put into the
harvest field and driven to their utmost capacity throughout the entire season.
Any accident to the machine results in great loss to the user, by reason of the loss
of time in making repairs, unless the mechanisin is so constructed that repairs can
be instantly made.
To overcome the difficulties of the initial adjustment of the parts in question as
h. rein before set forth, due to the inaccuracies of construction, and to admit of the
quick readjustment of the parts should the wearing of the contact faces of the
studs h, j, render them inoperative, I make the trip arm H both longitudinally and
laterally adjustable. This 1 accomplish by securing it to the shaft d by means of
a hub, P, fixed to the shaft by any suitable means, as by a rivet, p. The hub P
is provided with two lugs, Q, Q', standing in perpendicular relation each to the
other. The trip arm H is formed with a longitudinal slot, 9, adapted to receive
the lug and also a bolt, R, which passes through a suitable aperture in the
lug Q The lug (2) is apertured to receive a bolt, S, which passes through a
second longitudinal slot, g, in the arm H, the bolt S carrying a nut, s, by which
the trip arm may be locked in the desired position. An adjusting screw, T, is set
in the rearward end of the trip arm H, extending through to the slot q, so that it
may bear against the lug Q. A jain nut, (, mounted upon the bolt T serves to
effectually lock this bolt against rotation. A nut, r, carried upon the end of
the bolt R binds the trip arm 1 against the lug Q and thereby prevents its
lateral displacement. The lateral adjustment of the arm H is accomplished by the
use of washers, r, a supply of which may be carried upon the outer end of the bolt R,
under the nut, and a suitable number of which may be interposed between the
lug Qand the trip arm H.
By this means it will be seen that, should the clutch tripping mechanism
become inoperative by reason of the wear of the contact faces of the studs h, j,

page_text: this wear can be compensated for in a few minutes' time by the readjustment of
the trip arm H.
I mount a roller, upon the stud 3, to contact with the clutch block M.
This construction is of advantage when, in repairing or adjusting the machine,
it becomes necessary to reverse the motion of the packer shaft A, but its principal
advantage is found in the fact that it distributes the wear incident to the somewhat
violent concussion between the pawl and the clutch block when the two parts come
into engagement, the roller being rotated slightly incidentally to the impact, so that
its entire surface receives the wear.
The pawl is ordinarily made of comparatively soft metal. The roller j³, nounted
upon its stud, is of steel.
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:-
1. In a grain binder the combination with the binder mechanism, of a drive shaft,
a spring clutch for engaging the drive shaft with the binder mechanism, a yielding
trip arm for receiving the pressure of the forming gavel, a rock shaft for carrying
the trip arm, and a longitudinally and laterally adjustable trip stop fixed to the rock
shaft and being so disposed as to disengage the clutch while the gavel is accumu-
lating, and to be thrown out of connection therewith as the trip arm yields to the
pressure of the gavel.
2. In a grain binder the combination with the binder mechanism, a drive shaft,
a spring clutch for connecting the binder mechanism with the drive shaft, and a
trip for automatically disengaging the clutch and comprising a rock shaft, an arm
carried by the rock shaft for receiving the pressure of the forming gavel and a
spring to resist such pressure, of an arm for controlling the clutch and having a
lateral stud at its end, and a longitudinally and laterally adjustable trip arm fixed
to the rock shaft and having a lateral stud at its end, said trip arm being so held by
the shaft while the gavel is forming that its lateral stud intercepts the lateral stud
of the clutch controlling arm to disengage the clutch.
3. In a grain hinder the combination with a drive shaft, binder mechanism, a
clutch block mounted upon the drive shaft, and a spring pawl connected with the
binder mechanism for engaging the clutch block and having a trip arm extending
radially from the center of its rotation, of a trip arm for receiving the pressure of
the forming gavel, a rock shaft for carrying such arn, a hub fixed upon such shaft
and having lugs, a trip stop comprising an arm having a longitudinal slot to receive
one of such lugs and being in lateral adjustable engagement with another of such
lugs, and an adjusting screw set in the end of the trip stop and bearing against the
lug within its longitudinal slot.
4. In a grain binder the combination with the binder mechanism, of a drive
shaft, a clutch for engaging the binder mechanism with the drive shaft and
being normally in engagement, a longitudinally and laterally adjustable trip stop
so disposed as to normally disengage the clutch, mechanisin for yieldingly receiving
the pressure of the forming gavel, such gavel-receiving mechanism and the trip
stop being so connected that the yielding of the former disconnects the latter from
the clutch.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN STEWART.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant..