Improvements in Hay-tedders.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Apr., 1891-Accepted, 30th May, 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by EDMUND DUNBAR REYNOLDS and OLIVER
BRADFORD REYNOLDS, both of Brockton, Massachusetts, United States of
America, Merchants.]
Improvements in Hay-tedders.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 :-
This invention has relation to that class of agricultural machines known as hay
tedders and to the specific class employing forks which are operated by means of a
crank shaft, and this invention consists of the constructions, combinations and
arrangements of parts which I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.
To enable others skilled in the art to which this invention appertains to make the
same,
I will now describe its construction and indicate the manner in which the
same is carried out.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1, represents a side elevation of a hay tedder embodying my invention,
showing one of the main supporting wheels, removed and the forks in their different
positions.
Figure 2 is a rear view of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a detail of the two-part shaft or axle showing the clutch rings or
sleeves on the inner ends thereof.
Figure 4 is a detail of one of the tedder arms.
Figure 5 is a detail to be referred to.
A represents a main shaft or axle divided into two parts and having their
adjoining ends provided with clutch rings or sleeves B for a purpose I will herein-
after describe, and C indicates the main supporting or bearing wheels on the outer
ends of said shafts.
The main frame of the machine consists essentially of suitable longitudinal and
cross beams a and b respectively, to the former of which any well known form of
thill or pole D may be secured, while suitable hangers c depend from the beams a
to the main shaft or axle to support and brace the latter.
A crank shaft D¹, is mounted in boxes and has its cranks d set at different
inclinations to give the desired movements to the forks, the two end cranks being
outside of the line of the main supporting or bearing wheels C, as shown in
Figure 2.
Upon the crank portions of the shaft D', the forward ends of the tedder arms E
are journalled, the rear ends of said arms having short shafts or pins e mounted in
them, and adapted to serve as bearings for the forks F, which may be of any well
known form, but herein shown as consisting of a single piece of heavy spring wire,
coiled upon the pins e upon each side of the arms, and thence extending upwardly
to form the short arms which are loosely passed through the rear ends of bars G,
whose forward ends are pivotally held by pins g to the upper end of links H, which
in turn have their lower ends pivotally secured to the tedder arms E at points
between the front and rear ends thereof.
The tedder arms E are of peculiar construction, and are, made "springy" or
yielding to relieve the forks of strain when meeting heavy objects or other
obstructions. .
These arms E may be each made of one piece widened at its front where it is
hung upon the crank shaft, and having a kerf made longitudinally in it as shown
Tina 1 an then mer be formed of two nieces bolted together as shown
0

page_text: in Figure 1, the latter being the preferred construction. When constructed as in
Figure 1 these arms will have the parallel short arms E' bolted to the main arms E
at their forward ends and back of the crank shaft connection, and the rear ends of
the short arms E' will be preferably.tapered or bevelled to form a narrow space h
as shown.
From this description it will be seen that when the fork meets an obstruction took
heavy for it to safely lift it the resistance of said obstruction is transmitted to the
rear end of the tedder arm. The continued strain upon the fork causes the long
arm of the tedder arm to yield, and as the short parallel member E¹ is firmly
secured to the long member by its bolt back of the crank shaft, the yield or spring
of the long arm is immediately communicated to the short member. Now as the
short member is held at its rear end by the link H, it is manifest that as the long
member begins the lift, the short member is also slightly "bowed," thereby making
the tedder arm flexible throughout its length see dotted lines in Figure 4.
As the forks raise with their weight of hay, the strain is again brought upon the
tedder arm to cause the meeting sides of the long and short members of the arm to
close on each other, the tapering space between them providing for this movement,
and the arm being to all practical purposes a single rigid arm.
One of the cross beams of the main frame has secured to it upwardly extending
brackets L, in the upper ends of which is mounted a rod or shaft M, having
bifurcated arms M' fixed thereto with their outer ends hung upon the pin which
unites the upper ends of the links H and bars G, thereby suspending said bars and
link directly from these arms. The shaft M also has secured rigidly to it a hand
lever N which when operated adjusts the positions of the forks with relation to the
ground,
To hold the forks securely to their work, and to prevent unnecessary or undue
rattling and wear of the pivots of the tedder arms and adjunctive parts, we employ
a notched dog P, and pivot the same upon one of the cross beams 6 so that its
notched face may be thrown into engagement with the pin or stud / upon the side
of the hand lever, the said dog having a guide P for the operating hand lever N
see Figure 5.
To the hand lever N, we also pivotally secure a pawl S having a weighted
handle portion m, and a short arm n provided with a projecting cam surface, and
lugs as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 5.
From this arrangement of devices it will be seen that when the forks have been
adjusted to the proper distance above the ground, the pawl S by reason of its
weighted handle portion will cause its projecting cam surface to bring the dog
closely into contact with the pin or stud and hold the parts against movement;
when it is desired to change the position of the forks, the handle portion of the
pawl is raised, which movement brings the lugs against the notched side of the
dog P and forces the same out of its engagement with the pin on the lever.
The new adjustment being obtained, the pawl is let go, when the weight of its
handle portion causes the projecting cam to again lock the parts in the manner
previously stated.
The machine is provided with a support for the operators seat R, and the power
and motion of the main bearing wheels and axle is transmitted to the crank shaft
through the medium of a gear wheel 5 on the main axle, engaging a pinion 6 on a
stub shaft 8 that also carries a gear wheel 9 adapted to mesh with an idle pinion 10;
which meshes with and operates a similar pinion 12 on the crank shaft.
The gear wheel 5 has clutch surfaces 13 on its opposite sides into engagement
with which the clutch rings or sleeves, splined on the inner ends of the two part
main shaft or axle, are adapted to be brought, when said rings or sleeves are
moved by the springs surrounding the shafts between the clutch collars and the
supporting brackets c. The hand levers 14 are pivoted to the frame and engage
grooves in the clutch collars by their lower forked ends. This construction enables
us to disconnect the power from both sections of the main axle to stop the operation
of the machine, while these yielding clutches also permit the machine to turn.

page_text: around without disconnecting the power devices; one of the ratchets, in this latter
instance slipping and the other continuing the power without straining the machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
First. A hay tedder having approximately horizontal arms adapted to yield
throughout their length in vertical planes when a predetermined strain is brought
against the fork.
Second. In a tedder, the tedder arms having long and short members parallel
with each other with a narrow space separating a portion of the one from the other,
links connected with the short members of the arms, and having a fixed connection
at their upper ends, and forks carried by the longer member thereof, substantially
as herein described.
Third. In hay tedders, the fork carrying arms thereof, divided for a portion of
their length to form long and short members, links connected directly to the short
members, having a fixed connection at the other end, pivoted forks carried by the
long members of said arms and connections from the forks to the links, substantially
as herein described.
Fourth. In a hay tedder the combination, with the main bearing wheels, the
tedder arms and adjunctive parts, and the operating crank-shaft, of the main axle
formed of two sections, clutch rings or sleeves upon the adjoining ends of said
sections, a gear wheel between said sleeves having clutch surfaces engaged thereby,
and levers for moving said sleeves into and out of connection with said gear wheel,
substantially as herein described.
Fifth. In a hay tedder, the combination, with the main wheels, the main shaft or
axle, the crank-shaft, and gearing between the same and the main shaft or axle, of
the yielding tedder arms comprising the long and short arms E and E', connected
with the crank-shaft, the forks at the rear of the long arins E the bars connected
with the upper ends of the forks, the links eonnecting the forward ends of said
bars with the short members of the tedder arms, and the operating hand lever and
arm for suspending and adjusting the tedder arms, substantially as herein described.
Sixth. In a hay tedder, the main frame, axle, and bearing wheels the crank-
shaft geared to the main axle, the tedder arms operated by the crank axle, the
forks at the rear of the arms and having upward extensions, the bars G in which
said extensions are mounted, the connecting link at the front ends of the bars, and
connecting with the tedder arms at points near the centre thereof, the rod or shaft
having the arms connected with the links, and a hand lever on said rod or shaft for
adjusting the same, substantially as herein described.
Seventh. In a hay tedder, the main frame, the tedder arms, and adjunctive parts,
and the adjusting hand lever, in combination with a pivotally secured notched dog
adapted to engage a pin or stud on the lever, a weighted pawl pivoted to the lever
having an arm provided with a projecting cam-surface and lug, substantially as
herein described.
Eighth. In a hay tedder, the main frame, the crank-shaft and the oscillating
tedder arms, with their bars G and links H in combination with means for
suspending and adjusting said arms, comprising a shaft having arms connected with
the links, and a hand lever for moving the arms and elevating and depressing the
tedder arms, substantially as herein described.
· 1001
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London. W.C., Agents for the Applicant.