IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DIGGING AND SHAPING PEAT, TURF, OR MOULD
Year: 1879

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henry Simon at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 5th November 1879. A communication
from abroad by Carl Schlickeysen, of Berlin, in the German Empire.
HENRY SIMON, of No. 7, St. Peter's Square, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DIGGING AND SHAPING PEAT,
TURF, OR MOULD." [A communication from abroad by Carl Schlickeysen, of Berlin,
in the German Empire.]
This Invention relates to apparatus arranged to move along the ground while its
working parts are driven from a distance in the manner of a steam plough, these
working parts cutting a furrow in the ground and laying the excavated material
along the side of the furrow; and in the case of peat, shaping it into the form of a
more or less compressed column, which can afterwards be cut into separate blocks.
The apparatus for this purpose may either be single acting so as to cut the furrow
in one direction only, or it may be double acting, being provided with a set of the
cutting and shaping apparatus at each end of a sway beam, which can be canted so
as to bring the one set or the other set into action, so as to cut in either direction.
In either form of machine there is a road or travelling wheel slowly driven by
gearing worked by a wire rope from an engine at a distance, this wheel either
being made broad so as to bear on a large surface, or when it is narrow being made
to travel along planks or rails laid on the ground, and having suitable ribs to
prevent slipping. From this wheel is driven by an internal toothed ring and by
bevil gearing, a spindle parallel to it and mounted on a framing or arm turning on
a pivot so that its outer end can be raised or lowered, the framing of the spindle
being supported by adjustable arms linked or attached to a sledge which moves
along the excavated furrow. At the lower end of the spindle there is a universal
joint and gearing, whereby there is driven within a cylindrical casing open in front
a set of revolving knives or cutters which operate like a drill upon the peat or
mould in front, and blades of helical form which pug the excavated material and
propel it backwards out of the casing. The cylindrical casing at its back end bends
away towards the side with an oblique curvature, so that the excavated material as
it is extruded from it is laid parallel to the furrow. By adding to this bend a
suitable mouth piece the material can be squeezed out as a continuous column of
rectangular section.
The cutting apparatus may be made to operate either by advancing the entire
machine along the ground, or by merely causing the framing or arm carrying the

page_text: cutters and their shafts to turn on its pivot while the machine is standing, so that
the cutting apparatus excavates the material in a series of curves. For this purpose
the machine is provided with small running wheels on each side of the before-
mentioned main wheel, and the bearings of these wheels are provided with lifting
screws by means of which the framing and main wheel can be raised so as to lift
the latter off the ground. The framing carries a platform extending backwards
from the working face and supported by a broad wheel or roller, which serves
together with the before described sledge to steady the machine.
As before stated the pivotted frame or sway-beam may be provided with the
cutting apparatus at each end, so that when operating in one direction the one end
of the beam with its cutting apparatus is lowered to the ground, the other being
raised, the position being reversed when the direction of motion of the machine is
reversed. The cutting apparatus is supported by means of chains from the top of
the framing. The shaft of each cutting apparatus is driven by the gearing through
a clutch that is thrown out of gear when the cutting apparatus which it drives is
raised off the ground.
When the pivotted frame has the cutting apparatus only at one end, this is
detached when the machine arrives at the end of its travel in one direction and the
frame having been turned over into the opposite position, the cutting apparatus is
again attached to it in such a position as to operate when the machine is moved in
the contrary direction.
In
The travel of the machine and the motion of the cutting apparatus may either be
effected by one and the same traction rope, or by two separate driving ropes.
the first case the traction rope is made to rotate a pulley which drives the road
wheel by gearing, and the latter imparts motion to the cutting apparatus through
gearing as before described. In the second case the one traction rope merely hauls
the machine along, this being temporarily connected thereto by a gripping apparatus,
while the other rope drives a pulley which imparts motion to the cutting apparatus.
Or if this apparatus is merely required to operate when the machine is stationary, as
before described, the first nained traction rope may be so arranged as to first haul
the machine into position, and then being disconnected from the gripper to drive a
pulley imparting motion to the cutters.
According to another modification, a rope or chain may be laid along or above
the ground, being fixed at the ends and passed over a hauling pulley on the machine,
so that by imparting motion to such hauling pulley from the gear driving the
cutter apparatus, the machine may be made to haul itself along by means of the
fixed rope or chain.
When the ground is too soft to bear the weight of the machine this may be placed
on a broad flat sledge or boat so as to distribute the weight over a considerable area.
Or when the ground is covered with water the machine may be floated by means
of this boat.
If the machine is only to be used for excavating and not for forming the material
into a definite shape, the before described cylinder with cutting blades and moulds
may be dispensed with, and merely a disc or drum on which are projecting knives
employed, the rotation of which causes the material to be detached from the ground
and deposited loosely thereon.
For removal of stumps of trees a saw may be substituted for the excavating
apparatus, or the knives of the latter may be made with saw teeth for this purpose.