IMPROVED MA- CHINERY FOR RAISING AND STACKING STRAW, HAY, CORN, AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Hayes, of Elton, in the County of
Huntingdon, Iron Founder, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MA-
CHINERY FOR RAISING AND STACKING STRAW, HAY, CORN, AND OTHER
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE."
Sealed the 2nd December 1853, and dated the 3rd June 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Hayes at the
Office of the Cominissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd June 1853.
I, JAMES HAYES, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR RAISING AND STACKING STRAW, HAY, CORN,
AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE" to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is, by the employment or application of
mechanical contrivances to diminish, to a very considerable extent, the
manual labor heretofore required for stacking agricultural produce.
Hitherto, in order to stack straw, hay, corn, and other agricultural
produce, several men were required to lift the produce by means
of forks from the waggon or cart on to the stack, and afterwards
to arrange it thereon; and when it was required to remove straw
from a thrashing machine and stack it, it was first necessary to

page_text: place it on a cart, and then transfer it from thence to the stack
by manual labor. By means of my improved machinery this labor
is much reduced, and the operation is performed in much less time.
The machinery consists principally of an endless chain or band of
any convenient length, and to which are affixed, at suitable distances,
prongs, teeth, or tines on which the straw or other agricultural produce
is laid by the attendants. This endless band or chain is adapted to
a moveable frame, which is mounted on a centre or fulcrum below, and
is supported from behind by a toothed rack, so that by means of a
pinion or other suitable gearing the moveable frame and endless band
may be raised to any required altitude by altering the angle. Rotary
motion is communicated to the endless band by means of suitable
gearing, which may be actuated either by hand labor or steam power.
The whole apparatus is mounted on wheels for the convenience of
removal from place to place.
Now supposing the straw from a thrashing machine is required to
be stacked, the stacking apparatus is to be brought near to and placed
at a convenient distance from the thrashing machine, so that as the
straw is delivered therefrom it may be placed on the travelling endless
band, and as motion will be communicated to this latter, the prongs,
teeth, or tines will carry the straw up or forward to the places and alti-
tude required. The straw when delivered must, of course, be suitably
arranged by hand labor, as usual.
It will be understood, that as the stack increases in height the
moveable frame and travelling endless band must be raised up by
means of the rack work behind, so as to deliver the straw on to the top
of the stack.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Hayes in the Great Seal Patent Office, on 3
the 3rd December 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JAMES HAYES, of Elton, in the County of Huntingdon, Iron Founder,
send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of Junc, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the sixteenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said James Hayes, Her special license that I, the
said James Hayes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said James Hayes, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to tinie
and at all times thereafter during the terin therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY APPLICABLE FOR RAISING
AND STACKING STRAW, HAY, CORN, AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Hayes, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 I, the said James Hayes, do hereby de-
clare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say):
The object of this Invention is, by the employment or application of
mechanical contrivances to diminish, to a very considerable extent,
the manual labour heretofore required for stacking agricultural produce.
Hitherto, in order to stack straw, hay, corn, and other agricultural
produce, several men were required to lift the produce by means of forks
or other means from the waggon or cart on to the stack, and after-
wards to arrange it thereon, and when it was required to remove straw
from a thrashing machine and stack it, it was necessary, first, to place
the straw on a cart, and then transfer it from thence to the stack
by manual labour. By means of my improved machinery this labour is

page_text: much reduced, and the operation is performed in much less time. The
machinery consists principally of an endless chain or band, and of any
convenient length, and to which are affixed, at suitable distances,
prongs, teeth, or tines, on which the straw or other agricultural produce
is laid by the attendants.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1, is a side elevation, and
Fig. 2, a front elevation of the machine complete. a, a, is the endless
band or chain, which is provided with the prongs or teeth b, b, and is
adapted to a movable frame c, c, which is mounted on a centre or
fulcrum d, below, and is supported from behind by a toothed rack e, so
that by means of the pinion f, or other suitable gearing, the moveable
frame and endless band may be raised to any required altitude by
merely causing the pinion f, to rotate by means of a winch handle on
its spindle, thereby altering the angle of the frame c, c. Rotary
motion is communicated to the endless band a, by means of suitable
gearing, which may be actuated either by hand labour or steam power.
In the Drawing this object is effected by means of a band wheel
or pulley g, on the upper end of the vertical shaft h.
A bevil pinion i,
on the lower end of this shaft gears into and drives a
the shaft d, of the frame c. The whole apparatus may be made por-
table by being mounted on running wheels k, k, for the convenience of
removal from place to place, or it may be attached to a stationary
platform, or connected to the framing of a thrashing machine, and
worked in conjunction therewith.
bevil wheel j, on
Now supposing the straw from a thrashing machine is required to
be stacked, the stacking apparatus is to be brought near to and placed
at a convenient distance from the thrashing machine, so that as the
straw is delivered therefrom it may either be placed on or made to fall
upon the teeth or prongs of the travelling endless band, and as motion
will be communicated to this latter in the direction of the arrow, the
prongs, teeths, or tines will carry the straw up or forward to the place
and altitude required. The straw when delivered must, of course, be
suitably arranged by hand labour, as usual.
It will be understood, that as the stack increases in height the
movable frame and travelling endless chain or band must be raised by

page_text: means of the rack work e, and f, behind, so as to deliver the straw on
to the top of the stack.
Having now described my Invention, and the best means with which
I am at present acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I would
observe, in conclusion, that I do not mean to confine myself rigidly to
the precise arrangement or construction of parts herein shewn and
described, nor to the particular method herein shewn of actuating the
same, as they may, doubtless, be varied without departing from the
nature and object of my Invention; but that which I consider to be
new in the above-described improvements, and therefore wish to claim
as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, is, the
use and application, for the purpose of raising and stacking straw, hay,
or other agricultural produce, of a revolving or travelling endless band
or chain provided with prongs or teeth, and so combined and arranged
that one end thereof is capable of being raised to any angle according
as circumstances may require. I claim the above arrangement of
apparatus for the purposes herein set forth, whether the apparatus be
attached to a thrashing machine, or mounted on a fixed platform, or
upon wheels for the purpose of being removed from place to place
when required.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hayes, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Third day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
5
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
JAMES HAYES. (L.S.)