Improvements in Reaping and Harvesting Machines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 14th May, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 11th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 14th Mar., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Reaping and Harvesting Machines.
We, JAMES HORNSBY, JOHN INNOCENT, and JOHN HENRY SMITH, all of
Spittlegate Iron Works, Grantham, in the County of Lincoln, Engineers, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
With the endless bands used in reaping machines for conveying the crop to one
side of the platform on to which it falls as it is cut and for elevating the crop to the
sheaf forming mechanism and for bringing the butt ends of the straws in each sheaf
approximately into one plane difficulty is experienced in always keeping a uniform
tension upon them as the bands expand and contract according as they are dry
or wet.
To remedy this various ways have been devised for pressing one of the rollers
between which the band is distended away from the other by springs and to at the
same time always keep the rollers parallel with one another-all arrangements
heretofore used for the purpose have however some disadvantages.
According to our invention we effect the object by carrying the axes which are at
In each bar
the ends of the movable roller in bearings at the ends of two bars.
near this end is a slot and a rod which lies parallel with the roller is passed through
the slots in the two bars and its ends are made to enter holes in the two sides of the
frame by which the rollers are carried. Where the rod passes through the slot in
each bar it has a pinion upon it and this is made to gear with a toothed rack
formed along one side of the slot -the other side of the slot is without teeth but.
rests against the pinion and keeps the pinion and rack in gear. The bars lie along
the inner sides of the frame and at their ends pass through fixed eyes. Each bar
is surrounded by a coiled spring which bears against a nut or collar upon it and
tends to force the movable roller away from the stationary roller and so keep
uniform tension upon the band and the racks on the two bars gearing with the
pinions on the rod if one bar is moved in either direction the other bar has to move
with it and so the rollers are kept parallel with one another. As the bars lie along
the inner sides of the frame both they and the rod which carries the pinions are
covered by the band and are entirely out of the way and the bars and springs can
be of any length desired.
The crop after being conveyed by the bands to the sheaf forming mechanism is
divided into sheaves and each sheaf as it is formed has a string passed around it the
ends of which have to be knotted together.
The knotter heretofore used for this purpose is usually formed of a stem with a
jaw extending out approximately at right angles from it and with another jaw
jointed to it which can either be turned into a position that its tip end rests against
the tip end of the fixed jaw or turned away from it. The loose jaw has been made
to pass through a slot in the stem and to project out from the opposite side and
carry a roller to be acted on by a cam to open the jaws at the required time and
by a spring to hold them closed when necessary. To tie together the two ends of
a string the two ends are caused to be laid side by side across the jaws, the stem is
caused to make one turn and thereby cause the strings to lap once around the jaws,
the jaws are then made to open and the ends of the string are passed crosswise
between them-the jaws are then again closed and held closed by the spring and
when the sheaf is ejected from the machine the loop of the strings which is around
the jaws is drawn off from the jaws over their ends and the ends of the string which
are between the jaws are so drawn through the loop.
Similar knotters have also in some cases been so formed as not to require a spring
to be used for holding the jaws together.

page_text: Our invention has for its object to improve the construction of this latter form of
knotter we form the knotter with a shoulder at one side of the fixed jaw at some
distance from its end-the loose jaw we make to work at this side of the fixed jaw
instead of being passed through a slot in the stem as heretofore and we make the
end of the loose jaw to fit down on to the surface of the fixed jaw between the
shoulder and the outer extremity as well as overlap it at the side.
In this way
the knotter can be made at less cost and to work more efficiently than heretofore.
Dated this 13th day of May 1890.
JAMES HORNSBY.
JOHN INNOCENT.
JOHN HENRY SMITH.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Reaping and Harvesting Machines.
We, JAMES HORNSBY, JOHN INNOCENT, and JOHN HENRY SMITH, all of
Spittlegate Iron Works, Grantham, in the County of Lincoln, Engineers, 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 :-
With the endless bands used in reaping machines for various purposes viz. :-for
conveying the crop to one side of the platform on to which it falls as it is cut; for
elevating the crop to the sheaf forming mechanism, and for bringing the butt ends
of the straws in each sheaf approximately into one plane; difficulty is experienced
in always keeping a uniform tension upon the bands as they expand and contract
according as they are dry or wet.
To remedy this various ways have been devised for pressing one of the rollers
between which the band is distended away from the other by springs and to at the
same time always keep the rollers parallel with one another-all arrangements
heretofore used for the purpose have however some disadvantages.
According to our invention we effect the object by carrying the axes which are
at the ends of the moveable roller in bearings at the ends of two bars. In each bar
near this end is a slot and a rod which lies parallel with the roller is passed through
the slots in the two bars and its ends are made to enter holes in the two sides of the
frame by which the rollers are carried. Where the rod passes through the slot in
each bar it has a pinion upon it and this is made to gear with a toothed rack
formed along one side of the slot-the other side of the slot is without teeth but
rests against the pinion and keeps the pinion and rack in The bars lie along
gear.
the inner sides of the frame and at their ends pass through fixed eyes. Each bar
is surrounded by a coiled spring which bears against a nut or collar upon it and
tends to force the moveable roller away from the stationary roller and so keep
uniform tension upon the band. The racks on the two bars gearing with the pinions
on the rod so operate that if one bar is moved in either direction the other bar has
to move with it and so the rollers are kept parallel with one another. As the bars
lie along the inner sides of the frame both they and the rod which carries the pinions
are covered by the band and are entirely out of the way and the bars and springs
can be of any length desired.
Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the annexed drawings illustrate this part of our invention
as applied to the mechanism for straining the endless bands which convey the cut
crop from the platform.
Figure 1 is a plan and shows a portion of the platform of the machine with the
straining mechanism upon it.
Figures 2, 3 and 4 show the details of this mechanism to a larger scale.
oo is the framework of the platform. p p are the fingers of the cutting apparatus
fixed along its leading edge. 9 is one of the rollers over which an endless band
passes. The crop as it is cut falls on to this band and is conveyed by it to the side

page_text: of the platform. The axes of the roller are carried in bearings at the
extremity of bars having stems 22. These stems pass through guides s s fixed to.
the frame and they are surrounded by springs t t abutting upon the guides ss and
also upon shoulders on the bars. The springs are compressed and they tend to
force the rollers apart and keep the band around them tightly strained. The bars
are further guided by the pinions u u on the axis u¹. The pinions are received into.
slots in the bars; they fit the slots and they gear with teeth formed along one
of the sides. The ends of the axis are received into holes in the frame. Thus
when one of the bars moves it turns the pinion u with which it gears; the opposite.
pinion is thereby also turned and so a similar movement is imparted to the bearing
at the other end of the roller. The roller consequently always remains parallel
with the other roller carrying the endless band notwithstanding that the distance.
between the rollers may vary.
The crop after being conveyed by the bands to the sheaf forming mechanism is.
divided into sheaves and each sheaf as it is formed has a string passed around it
the ends of which have to be knotted together. This is performed by knotting
apparatus which need not here be described; as its operation is well understood
besides which it is described in some detail in the Specification No. 4461 of the
present year.
Our present invention relates to the knotter or nipper like instrument which lays
hold of the string in forming the knot.
The knotter heretofore used for this purpose is usually formed of a stem with a
jaw extending out approximately at right angles from it and with another jaw
jointed to the stem and which can either be turned into a position such that its tip
end rests against the tip end of the fixed jaw the nipper being then closed or turned
so as to separate the tips of the jaws the nipper then being open. The loose jaw
has been made to pass through a slot in the stem and to project out from the
opposite side and there to carry a roller to be acted on by a cam to open the jaws.
at the required time and also to be acted upon by a spring to hold the jaws closed
when necessary. To tie together the two ends of a string, the two ends are caused
to be laid and held side by side across the jaws; the stem is caused to make one
turn and thereby cause the strings to lap once around the jaws; the jaws are then
made to open and the ends of the string are passed crosswise between them; the
jaws are then again closed and held closed by the spring and when the sheaf is
ejected from the machine the loop of the strings which is around the jaws is drawn
off from the jaws over their ends and the ends of the string which are between the
jaws are so drawn through the loop.
Similar knotters have also in some cases been so formed as not to require a spring
to be used for holding the jaws together.
Our invention has for its object to improve the construction of this latter form of
knotter we form the knotter with a shoulder at one side of the fixed jaw at some
distance from its end-the loose jaw we make to work at this side of the fixed jaw
instead of being passed through a slot in the stem as heretofore and we make the
end of the loose jaw to fit down on to the surface of the fixed jaw between the
shoulder and the outer extremity as well as overlap it at the side.
In this way
the knotter can be made at less cost and to work more efficiently than heretofore.
Figure 5 is a side view of the improved knotting hook.
Figure 6 shows the same with the jaws open.
Figure 7 is an underside view.
-When the
This knotting hook takes hold of the string in a peculiar manner :-
moveable jaw closes and passes down along side of the fixed jaw it takes the strings
which are between the jaws down with it and these become jammed in the space
between the two jaws. The strings are also further held by the flange on the
moveable jaw marked a which presses them firmly against the upper surface of the
fixed jaw. The tendency when the sheaf is delivered is to draw the strings away
from the jaws endwise or (looking at Figure 5) horizontally from left to right. The
loop formed around the jaws then passes off from them but the ends of the strings

page_text: cannot pull out from the ends of the jaws for this is prevented by the projection y
and the corresponding recess. Nevertheless the weight of the bundle when it is
discharged is sufficient to draw the strings out from between the jaws for they are
not nipped so tightly as to prevent them running out through the nip over the upper
edge of the lower jaw until the ends escape from between the jaws and in the
delivery the knot is pulled up tight.
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 mechanism substantially as described for straining the endless carrying
bands and keeping the rollers they pass around parallel the one to the other, such
mechanism consisting of a pair of bars carrying the bearings in which one of the
rollers is held and pressed forward by springs and caused to move in unison by a
rod or axis with pinions gearing with teeth formed on the bars.
2. The knotter substantially as described in which the moveable jaw works in a
plane parallel to the face of the fixed jaw and in which the strings being stopped
from drawing out endwise from the jaws are drawn through the nip of the jaws
until the ends escape from between them.
Dated this 24th day of December 1890
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicants.