IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CRUSHING OR PRESSING LAND, AND FOR SHAKING STRAW; ALSO IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLYING STEAM POWER TO AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WESTON
TUXFORD, of Boston, in the County of Lincoln, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fourth day of July
(One thousand eight hundred and fifty), in the fourteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Weston Tuxford, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial license, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Weston Tuxford, my exors,
admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Weston Tuxford, my exors,
adinors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CRUSHING OR PRESSING LAND, AND FOR SHAKING STRAW;
ALSO IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLYING STEAM POWER TO AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Weston.
Tuxford, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
;

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Weston Tuxford, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say :-
My Invention consists,-First, of improvements in machinery for crushing
or pressing land :
Secondly, my Invention consists of improvements in machiuery for shaking
straw:
And thirdly, my Invention consists of improvements in applying steam
power to agricultural machinery.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the
Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING SHEET No. 1,
Which represents my improvements in machinery for crushing or pressing
land. Figure 1 is a plan; Figure 2, longitudinal elevation with a part in
section; Figure 3, transverse elevation; Figure 4, transverse elevation across
the guides. a, a, a, a, a, a, a frame and shafts; b, b, two end framings bolted
to the frame a, having axles cast on them extending beyond the roll for
receiving the travelling wheels when it has to be removed from place to place,
and prepared, one with a parabolic pin, and the other with a conical socket,
forming a part of the flexible axis; c, c, c, rings in section showing the
method of forming the flexible axis, each being provided with a parabolic pin
and conical socket; d, d, intermediate guides bolted to the framing a, a, for
receiving the fork e, e; e, e, forks which slide up and down the guides d, d,
allowing the free rise and fall of the flexible axis, and checking its lateral
notion. The forks also carry the weight of the roll, when being moved from
place to place, by means of keys in the inortices f,f; and the forks, by means
of the rods g, g, and levers h, h, h, h, with their balance weights i, i, i, i, dis-
tribute the weight of the frame along the roller; j, j, links for coupling the
levers h, h, h, h, together, and causing them to act in concert ; k, k, k, k, buckles
having liberty to slide on the forks, but preventing the levers from having side
play,, stay bolts for binding the frames b, b, together; m, m, forked
pickers fixed upon the hind stay bolt 1, and partly embracing the collar of the
rings at the centre; n, n, hooks for drawing by; o, o, travelling wheels for
moving the roller from place to place.
.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING SHEET No. 2,
Which represents a suitable arrangement of machinery for carrying out
this part of my improvements. And I would remark, in respect to this part
of my Invention, that I have discovered that straw may be shaken so as to
separate the grain and other matters therefrom as it comes from a thrashing
machine, and the same be induced to move continuously away from the
thrashing machinery, by causing the surface or surfaces on which the matters
are received to have such a quick motion given thereto that the straw and
matters separated therefrom may be moved off the carrying surface or sur-
faces, and be unsupported for a time, and then again supported for a time,
and in such manner that, by the quickness of the speed of the carrying sur-
faces, they may move faster than gravity causes the straw and matters
separated therefrom to fall on to the carrying surface or surfaces, whereby
each piece of straw, and also of grain or other matter, will have cominuni-
cated to it a progressive step by step movement, for it will be found that each
piece will, in the first instance, be received on a carrying surface at a point
near the thrashing machine, and by the first motion it receives it will, for a
time, be off the carrying surface, and the carrying surface, by its compara-
tively high velocity, will move back, and the piece (of straw or grain or other
matter) will fall on to a point farther from the thrashing machinery; and this
being repeated over and over again, the pieces of straw and grain and inatters
separated therefrom will be delivered at the other end of the carrying surfaces,
and the straw will be delivered off one surface, the ears and short pieces of
straw will be delivered off another surface, and the grain off another carrying
surface. I would state that, although the necessary quick motion may be
obtained to the carrying surfaces, according to my Invention in various ways,
so as to admit of the carrying surfaces getting away faster than the gravity of
the matters will bring them again on to the carrying surfaces, I prefer to
employ a quick up-and-down motion communicated to carrying surfaces truly
horizontal, and produced by cranks, yet I do not confine myself thereto, as I
have found that, by simply supporting or suspending inclined carrying surfaces
so as to have communicated to them a quick to-and-fro horizontal motion, a
like effect is produced, that is, the matters are off the surfaces for a time, and
whilst they are dropping, the surfaces get away, and the straw and matters
drop at a distance from their previous resting places.
Figure 1 is a plan; Figure 2, a longitudinal section; Figure 3, a transverse
section through the red line A, B ; Figure 4, a transverse section through the
red line C, D; Figure 5 a transverse section through the red line E, F. a, a,
a frame for carrying the machinery; b, an ordinary drum with beaters. c, c, c,

page_text: the feeding roller and carriages; d, the feeding table; e, the concave screen;
f, double pulley for driving feeding roller and shaker-off'; g, intermediate pulley
for driving friction drum of feeding roller; h, friction drum of feeding roller
i, first motion driving pulley; j, j, table or riddle of the shaker-off; k, a
coarse perforated plate or web. I prefer woven wire mesh of about one inch
across. 1, a frame upon which a finer perforated plate or web, with holes or
meshes of about a quarter of an inch wide and five eighths of an inch long, is
placed, made to draw in and out for being cleared from straw or other sub-
stances; m, a close bottom; n, n, n, n, carriages attached to the shaker frame
j, j, and which rest on crank pins; o, o, side boards to shaker frame; P: P
crank shafts with counterbalance weights; 7, 9, 7, 9, the counterbalance
weights; r, r, r, r, crank pins fixed in counterbalance weights for communi-
cating motion to the table or riddle; s, s, s, s, carriages for carrying the crank
shafts with counterbalance weights; t, crank shaft for driving the shaker;
.u, u, carriages for carrying driving crank shaft; v, connecting rod for coupling the
crank shafts together, motion being communicated from the centre one to the
two end ones; 10, driving pulley receiving motion from pulley f; x, pulley for
driving the fan; y, the shaft for carrying the fan in blower; z, z, z, z, the fun;
ab, blower case; ac, slide board for regulating the blast; ad, rack and pinion
for moving the same; ae, inclined board for conducting the contents of the
bottom of the shaker into the face of the blast; af, inclined plane for grain
to pass down; ag, pulley for driving the fan.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING SHEETS Nos. 3 AND 4.
f
Sheet No. 3, Figure 1, is a plan, part in section, the boiler being shown
through the red line G. H. Figure 4; Figure 2 is a longitudinal section
through the red line A, B, Figure 1; Figure 3, a transverse section through
the engine house C, D, Figure 1, showing engine in elevation; Figure 4 is a
transverse section of boiler; Figure 5 is a front elevation of boiler, half in
section. a, the boiler, the form and construction of which may be varied,
and forms no part of my Invention; b, the ashpan; c, the chimney; d, the
cylinder and steam chest ; e, the sole plate, in which are the steamways;
the piston and its rod; g, the cross head; h, h, h, h, h, h, the side rods and
their guides; i, i, the connecting rods; j, the crank shaft upon which the fly
wheel and driving pulley are keyed; k, the fly wheel; 1, the driving pulley;
the governor driven by wheel from worm on fly-wheel shaft; n, the wheel;
o, the worm; p, a bracket carrying the hollow spindle of the governor through
which a rod passes to the lever of the throttle valve; 9, a ball joint to admit
of the upper portion of the rod revolving with the governor; r, throttle valve
ገጾ፡

page_text: with lever; s, steam pipe; t, exhaust pipe; u, excentric and rod working the
force
pump, and also the slide valve; v, weigh shaft and levers for working
slide valve; w, slide valve rod and links; a, force pump; y, y, carriages for
crank shaft to run in ; z, z, z, z, wheels for engine to travel on; ab, safety
valve.
Sheet No. 4, Figure 1 is a plan; Figure 2 is a longitudinal elevation show-
ing the boiler and engine house in section; Figure 3 is a transverse section of
house showing the engine in elevation; Figure 4 is a transverse section of
boiler through the fire box; Figures 5 and 6, the cylinder valve and trunnion
carriage upon an enlarged scale. a, the boiler; b, the ash-pan; c, the
chimney; d, d, the cylinder and steam chest; e, e, the carriages in which
the cylinder trunnions work, and through which the steam is admitted to and
exhausts from the cylinder; f, the piston rod; g, the excentric working the
slide valve; h, the connecting link from excentric rod to valve i, the stud
connecting the top of steam chest with cylinder, and bushed as a guide for the
valve rod to slide through; j, the crank shaft upon which the fly wheel is
keyed; k, the fly wheel; l, the end for driving pulley to be fixed on; m, the
governor driven by wheel from worm on fly-wheel shaft ; n, the wheel; o, the
worm; p, a bracket carrying the hollow spindle of the governor, through
which a rod passes to the lever of the throttle valve; 9, a ball joint to admit
of the upper portion of the rod revolving with the governor; r, throttle valve
with lever; s, s, s, steam pipe; t, exhaust pipe; u, eccentric and rod working
force puinp; v, stop valve; w, sole plate in which are the steamways; x, force
pump; y, y, carriages for the crank shaft to run in ; z, z, z, z, wheels for engine
to travel on; ab, safety valve; A, Figures 5 and 6, the cylinder; B, the slide
valve; C, the steam chest ; D, the connection at the top of steam chest with
cylinder, and bushed as a guide for the valve rod to slide through; E, a brass
bush for the steam to pass through, fitted into bottom of trunnion carriage,
and bedded upon an elastic packing for pressing it to the trunnion;
trunnion carriage; G, trunnion; H, nozzle for steam pipe to connect to. I
would remark, in respect to this part of my Invention, that various means have
before been resorted to for arranging and combining parts of steam engines,
so as to render the same more or less suitable as portable engines for giving
motion to agricultural machinery. The great object I have in view is to
arrange steam machinery that the engine of a portable steam engine may be
enclosed within an engine house, so that it may be shut up and kept as free
as may be from grit or dust and from the weather, and from being touched
by persons who do not understand the same; and it will be obvious that the
arrangement of the steam engine employed, and the form of the house or

page_text: closed compartment within which the engine is placed may be varied without
departing from this part of my Invention.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself
to the details as herein shewn and described, nor do I confine myself thereto.
But what I claim is,-
First, the mode of constructing rollers for crushing or pressing land;
Secondly, I claim the mode of working machinery for shaking straw; and,
Thirdly, I claim the arranging the engines of portable steam engines in
houses or closed compartments, so as to apply the power thereof to agricultural
machinery under more favourable circumstances.
In witness whereof, I, the said Weston Tuxford, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of January, One thousand eight hun-