Improvements In Thrashing MacHINES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Hornsby and John Bonnall, both of
the Spittlegate Iron Works, Grantham, in the County of Lincoln,
for the Invention of “Improvements In Thrashing MacHINES.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Hornsby and.
John Bonnall at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 2nd July 1874.
WC, RICHARD HORNSBY and JOHN BONNALL, both of the Spittlegate.
Iron Works, Grantham, in the County of Lincoln, do hereby declare tho
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THRASHING MACHINES,"
to be as follows:-
--
".
This Invention has firstly for its object to shake out and loosen the
sheaves or bundles of corn as they are thrown into the hopper of a
thrashing machine, and to deliver the corn thus shaken out uniformly
and continuously to the thrashing drum. To effect this we employ a
revolving endless band or chains with wooden slats fixed across, and

page_text: each slat having a few blades or teeth standing out from it. Tho endless
band is mounted horizontally, or nearly so, and is enclosed in a casing,
from one end of which an inclined hopper leads downwards to the
thrashing drum, whilst at the top of the opposite end of the drum is a
hopper, into which the sheaves of corn are thrown. The corn descends
on to the endless band just where it passes around one of its supporting
rollers, and also on to blades fixed to the end of the casing, and which
are inclined somewhat downwards; and below them aro fixed other
teeth, which also incline downwards, and which are set to project
between the teeth on the band. The corn carried downwards from the
hopper by the revolving band is carried past theso fixed blades to the
bottom of the casing, and is swept along the bottom to the opposite end
of the casing, where it is delivered to the thrashing drum. The bottom
of the casing may also if desired have inclined blades fixed upon it to
come between the teeth of the endless band. The front edge of tho
teeth or blades of the endless band are inclined, so that as they are
carried upwards in passing around the end roller they shall not carry
round the straw with them. There are also at this point fixed inclined
teeth, which enter between the teeth on the band and detach from them
any straw which may be passing round with them.
In placo also of endless bands carrying teeth a revolving drum with
teeth fixed upon it may be similarly used. The teeth or blados on the
endless band, as they are carried back above the rollers, might if desired
pass between the parallel bars of a fixed lattice. In this case the corn
to be fed into the machine might be thrown on to this lattice instead of
into a hopper..
In order to fence. off the hopper mouth of thrashing machines by
which corn is supplied to the thrashing drum we employ an adjustable
fence, which can be set in various positions, according to the position in
which the man is standing for feeding the machine. For this purpose
the adjustable block which forms the back of the feeding hopper has a
bar hinged to each of its ends; this bar has rods jointed to it, which arc
led across the end of the hopper and passed through eyes on another bar,
which at its bottom is hinged to the frame of the machine just at the
back of the feeding box, in which a man ordinarily stands for feeding
material into the hopper. The hinged arms at the back of the hopper
have boards fixed across from one to the other, and theso serve as a fence
to the back of the hopper.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuanco of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by tho said Richard Hornsby and John Bonnall in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 1st January 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, RICHARD
HORNSBY and JOHN BONNALL, both of the Spittlegate Iron Works,
Grantham, in the County of Lincoln, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-eighth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant

page_text: unto us, the said Richard Hornsby and John Bonnall, Her special license
that we, the said Richard Hornsby and John Bonnall, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Richard
Hornsby and John Bonnall, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and 5
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRASHING MACHINES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Richard Hornsby and John 1
Bonnall, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and scal of one
of us or them, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within:]
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW.YE, that we, tho said Richard Hornsby and John Bonnall,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention,.and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained a
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has firstly for its object to shake out and loosen the
sheaves or bundles of corn as they are thrown into the hopper of a
thrashing machine, and to deliver the corn thus shaken out uniformly
and continuously to the thrashing drum. To effect this we employ a a
revolving endless band or chains, with wooden slats fixed across, and
each slat having a few blades or teeth standing out from it. The endless
band is mounted horizontally, or nearly so, and is enclosed in a casing,
from one end of which an inclined hopper leads downwards to the
thrashing drum, whilst at the top of the opposite end of the drum is a ;
hopper, into which the sheaves of corn are thrown. The corn descends
on to the endless band just where it passes around one of its supporting
rollers, and also on to blades fixed to the end of the casing, and which
are inclined somewhat downwards; and below them, are fixed other teeth,
which also incline downwards, and which are set to project between the
teeth on the band. The corn carried downwards from the hopper by the
revolving band is carried past these fixed blades to the bottom of the
casing, and is swept along the bottom to the opposite end of the casing,

page_text: where it is delivered to the thrashing drum. The bottom of the casing
may also if desired have inclined blades fixed upon it to come between
the teeth of the endless band. The front edge of the teeth or blades of
the endless band are inclined, so that as they are carried upwards in
passing around the end roller they shall not carry round the straw with
them. There are also at this point fixed inclined teeth which enter
between the teeth on the band and detach from them any straw which
may be passing round with them.
Figure 1 of the annexed Drawings is a section of a portion of a
thrashing machine provided with our improved feeding apparatus. a, a,
is a portion of the fixed casing of the machine; bis the thrashing drum;
c is the concave with which the drum works; d is a hopper or trunk by
which the material to be thrashed descends to the thrashing drum ; e, e¹,
are two axes carrying by preference chain wheels, around which endless
chains, pass; 9, 9, are slats fixed to the chains and extending nearly
the full width of the machine; 9', g', are blades or teeth fixed to the
slats. Each may be provided conveniently with about seven arranged
along it at equal distances apart. is a casing enclosing the endless
chains and slats; and i is the feed hopper. The sheaves should be
thrown into it across the endless chains f. The axis c is driven by a
belt, encircling a pulley e* upon it, and also passing around a small
pulley on the axis of the thrashing drum. `k, k, are blades or teeth fixed
within the casing h, so that the blades or teeth pass between them;
I, I, are other similar blades or teeth which may be provided upon the
bottom of this casing; m, m, arc inclined teeth, which clear the teeth g
as they return, and cause all the material brought forward to fall upon
the thrashing drum.
In place of endless bands, carrying teeth a revolving drum with teeth
fixed upon it may be similarly used. Such an arrangement is shewn in
section at Figure 2 and in plan (partly sectional) at Figure 3. a is part
of the casing of the machine; b, the thrashing drum; c, the concave ;
and d, the hopper or trunk by which the material to be thrashed descends
to the thrashing drum, all as in Figure 1; e is the feeding drum with
inclined blades or teeth 9, 9, upon it; is the casing enclosing the
drum e; i is the feed hopper. The axis e is driven from the axis of the
thrashing drum by means of an intermediate axis. The intermediate
axis is connected by spur gear, as is shown with the axis of the feeding
drum, and is itself driven from the axis of the thrashing drum by a belt

page_text: and belt pulleys. The pinion on the intermediate axis can be slidden in
and out of gear. k, k, are toothed blades fixed within the casing / to
aid in opening the sheaves when necessary; k*, k*, aro spring plates
which ease the material off the blades & when the sheaf has been opened
out; m is the comb of cleaning teeth. The blades & and spring plates k*
are so arranged that they can be removed when the machine is to be fed
with sheaves already opened and divided by hand; n is a safety lid for
closing the feed hopper partially whilst at work, and wholly when the
machine is out of use. The part o of the hopper is jointed and can bo
set to different inclinations to facilitate feeding.
The teeth or blades on the endless band as they are carried above the
rollers might if desired pass between the parallel bars of a fixed lattice.
In this case the corn to be fed into the machine might be thrown on to
this lattice instead of into a hopper. Such an arrangement is shewn in
section at Figure 4.
Another part of our Invention relates to fencing thrashing machines,
and is illustrated by Figure 5, which is a section of part of a machine
fenced in accordance with our Invention.
In order to fence off the hopper mouth of thrashing machines by
which corn is supplied to the thrashing drum we employ an adjustable
fence which can be set in various positions, according to the position in
which the man is standing for feeding the machine. For this purpose
the adjustable box a, which forms the back of the feeding hopper b, has
a bar c hinged to each of its ends. This bar has rods d jointed to it,
which are led across the end of the hopper and passed through eyes on!
another bar e, which at its bottom is hinged to the frame of the machine
just at the back of the feeding box, in which at fa man ordinarily stands
for feeding material into the hopper. The hinged arms c at the back of
the hopper have boards c' fixed across from one to the other, and these
serve as a fence to the back of the hopper, and other similar boards o², c³, ¦
are connected with the arms c by joints.
When it is desired to feed the hopper from the back the man standing
at instead of from the feeding box fat the front the arms o carrying
the back fence are turned backwards into the position c* to bring this
back fence into an inclined position so that it may form an incline on
to which the straw may be thrown and slid down into the hopper, the
boards, c³, then taking the position c**, c³×; or instead of the arms o

page_text: 3xx
carrying this back fence being inclined backwards they may be inclined
forwards into the position c**, and the boards c³, c', forming the fence be
turned backwards to bring them into a horizontal position or nearly so,fas
at c³** and c³**, so as to serve as a platform on to which the straw may
be thrown and be drawn forward into the hopper by a man standing in
the ordinary feeding box at f, the boards of which the back fence is
composed being all jointed together to allow of its being turned in this
manner.
Any of the bars & which form the side of the fencing may be unhinged
or slipped off its stud on the hinged bar c and slid back out of the way
when required to facilitate the feeding in of the corn at the sides. A
bar so placed is shewn in the Drawing; the bars d can be thus removed
by taking out small locking pins.
The upper part 9* of the front of the hopper may be hinged to the
lower part, so that it may be turned over to close in the drum, and be
locked up when not at work. is a supporting hook or stay.
We also place a canopy i over the hopper and feeding box. This
canopy, which we make of canvas strained on a frame, not only serves to
protect the men when feeding the machine, but also serves as a guard to
prevent men from falling into the hopper should they slip from off the
stack.
What we claim is, the arrangements for foeding thrashing machines
substantially as described.