IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR TOPPING, TAILING, AND LIFTING TURNIPS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas McKenzie, of the Town and County of Aberdeen,
North Britain, Agricultural Implement Maker and Blacksmith, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR TOPPING, TAILING, AND
LIFTING TURNIPS."
Sealed the 11th July 1879, and dated the 2nd May 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas McKenzie at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd May 1879.
"
THOMAS MOKENZIE, of the Town and County of Aberdeen, North Britain,
Agricultural Implement Maker and Blacksmith. IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES
FOR TOPPING, TAILING, AND LIFTING TURNIPS."
This Invention has reference to the general construction or combination of the
parts of a light draught single drill turnip topping, tailing, and lifting or delivering
machine, with certain novel improvements or arrangements of the parts of and
connected with the mechanism and driving gear for cutting the tops of the turnips,
and which is capable of being fitted to other general constructions of such like
machines, and will make all such machines to which these improvements are
applied, much more perfect in their action, and self adjusting to the various sizes,
heights, and positions of the turnips in the drill being cut. And the nature and
novelty of the Invention and improved construction of the machine consists all as
follows: The frame of the machine consists of two strong edge bars or beams of
malleable iron, joined into one in front, but conducted back as two, in the form of
an open horizontal frame to the rear end, where they are secured to the usual form
of curved up bow, hand arms, or steering shafts, much similar to that of a plough
and other agricultural machines. This frame is mounted by journal bearings on
the axle of the two main carrying and driving wheels, close up to the one side or
wheel so that the man steering by the shafts can walk in the furrow of that wheel,
while the other wheel runs in the furrow on the other side of the drill of turnips
being cut, and over which the frame is mounted, carrying all the driving gear and
cutting mechanism. The front end of the machine is carried on a small guiding
wheel, mounted in the lower forked arm of a swivelling vertical spindle swivelling
in an eye in the said side beam of the frame in the line close up to the side wheel
running in the furrow in which the man walks while steering, and so that the said
guiding or steering wheel runs in the same furrow, the machine being drawn by a
usual form of lateral short arm linked to the front end of the frame, and having
numerous holes in it for attaching the drawing shackle of the drawing swingle
I Davine SJ1

page_text: trees, or chains of the horses, which walk in the furrows at the sides of the drill of
turnips being cut for the time being. The frame of the new mechanism for
gathering or guiding in and cutting off the tops or leaves of the turnips is made
in the form of a light strong open or oval hoop shape horizon, but bent down a
few inches lower in front at the part where the expanding side horns project
forwards to guide in the necks of the top leaves to the back contracted part (where
the cutting knife is reciprocated) of these low feelers or guides, which rest or glide
on the top part of the turnips in front. The back part of this frame which is
made highest to clear the cut, or large turnips, is mounted on the lower end of a
light strong duplex vertical raising and lowering frame, which is carried on a
kneed or crank centre at the top so as to swing freely laterally on an eye or fixed
centre in a bracket projecting up from the main frame, considerably in front of the
main carrying wheels; and the franie can be set higher or lower by a screw and
screw spindle or other equivalent, while the weight of the front end is carried and
counter balanced by a long hand lever fulcrumed near the front end on a fixed
bracket projecting up from the main frame, the front end of the short arm being
connected by a pendent rod and link to the fore part of the cutter frame below,
the long arm of the lever reaching back to where the man walks to guide the
machine. The front end of this frame carries the reciprocating bar in guides
between the back end of the guiding horns, with a single, or it might be double
cutting knife or plate on it, of the double angled cutting edged triangular form
used in ordinary mowing and reaping machines; with backwardly curved horns
above the knife for conducting and delivering the cut tops or leaves into the
furrow at the opposite side of the drill to that in which the attendant walks to
guide the machine and control its action. This reciprocating cutter is actuated by
a short connecting-rod attached at its near end to that of the guide bar of the
cutter on the one side, the other or outer end being connected to the crank pin of a
crank disc secured on the lower end of a vertical square spindle carried in collar
and bush journal bearings close over the crank disc in a bracket secured to the
raising and falling cutter frame, so that this driving square shaft rises and fulls
with it, the upper end of the shaft passing or sliding through the eye of its driving
bevel pinion above, carried by a deep collar journal on its boss above, working into
a bearing bush secured on the overhanging end of a central rod, or spindle, or
other equivalent working within the hollow or tube spindle of the large bevel
wheel gearing into and driving the pinion. This arrangement allowing of the
whole cutter frame and its driving square shaft rising and falling, and also
oscillating freely from side to side below to suit the position and size of the
turnips, and also engage or disengage the pinion from its delivery wheel, and set
on or stop the action of the cutter at any moment by the shifting of the internal
spindle within the tube driving spindle of the large wheel, and which projects
beyond and is fitted with a working hand lever at the extreme driving end of this
hollow tube shaft carried longitudinally in bearings on the upper or lower side of
the main frame and its driving pinion, working into a large driving bevel wheel
keyed on the revolving axle of the two carrying and driving wheels, which
actuate it by ratchet or other couplings or other equivalent means usual in other
agricultural machines. The tailing cutting blade is angled back from and carried
at the lower end of its strong vertical stem, secured above by a long slot and hand
lever screw nut to one bar of the main frame, so as to be raised or lowered to the
proper average height to suit to cut off the tails of the turnips behind the wheels,
this stem being stayed by a long angled jointed adjustable stay-rod secured some
distance down, and led up and secured to a forward part of the main frame;
which also carries an open curved bar turnip lifter projecting down, and backwards
(behind the tailing knife) so as to raise and deliver the turnips, as they are so
topped and tailed as described, out of the drill into the outer furrow behind the
machine.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas McKenzie in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd October 1879.
THOMAS MOKENZIE, of the Town and County of Aberdeen, North Britain,
Agricultural Implement Maker and Blacksmith. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES
FOR TOPPING, Tailing, and Lifting TURNIPS."
My said Invention relates to machines for topping, tailing, and lifting or
delivering turnips, and has for its object to arrange and construct the operating
mechanism and other parts of such machines in a novel, improved, and simple
manner, and so as to secure more perfect action, and complete control or ready self
adjustment of the cutting, guiding, and lifting appliances to suit the various sizes
and positions of turnips in the drill being acted on than has been found practicable
by machines heretofore in use, whilst the mechanism actuating the cutters can be
easily thrown out of gear, and the operating cutters and guides lifted up out of the
way when desired.
My improved machine, which is designed for acting on single drills of turnips,
comprises a horizontal open framing formed of two iron edge bars mounted on the
usual carrying wheels, and this frame is carried forward and narrowed until the
two sides meet and form one bar at the front end, which is supported by a single
small guiding wheel running in one of the furrows, and held in bearings on a
vertical swivelling spindle or bracket, the rear end of the frame being made to
terminate in the form of steering or guiding shafts usual in ploughs and other
similar agricultural implements, and being placed either in the centre or a little to
one side, between the carrying wheels, so that the attendant may conveniently
walk with the drill between his feet, or in one of the furrows behind one of the
wheels. The topping operation is effected near the forward end, where the improved
machine is provided with a lower fork or hook-like frame carrying knife-blades,
saws, or other cutters actuated by suitable gearing or other mechanical means from
the driving wheel axle or shaft, a novel form of horn-like spring guides or feelers
being also provided for setting up the turnips, and gathering, directing, and guiding
the leaves or tops towards these knives. The cutter framing is suspended from the
main frame of the machine by a chain and two or more vertical rods passing
upwards, one to an eye in the framing and another passing freely through and
serving for the spindle of a pinion forming part of the gearing that reciprocates the
knives, and the weight of the lower framing is counterbalanced by a long lever
centred on the frame of the machine to which the lower cutter frame is linked, and
reaching to its rear for convenient handling by the attendant, this arrangement
admitting of the cutting appliances rising, or falling, or adjusting themselves to the
various sizes or growth of the turnips acted on.
The tailing or cutting of the turnip roots and the lifting operations take place at
the rear end behind the driving wheels of the machine, and the cutting is effected
by one or more oblique curved blades hung by a strong vertical stem or stems fixed
to a hand lever or bar centred on the upper framework of the machine, and these
blades lie one behind the other diagonally across the direction of their motion along
the turnip drill, and may be raised or lowered by the hand lever, or fixed so that
the position of the cutting blades may be made to correspond with the average
depth of the turnips, and effectually cut off the roots. The cutting blades will
generally be found sufficient to lift the turnips out of the drills, but when preferred
an open curved bar is suspended from the machine frame immediately behind the
tailing cutters, and this bar is suitably angled and fixed in position to throw up or
lift and deliver the turnips, after being cut, from the drill over into the adjoining
furrow out of the way of the attendant following and directing the machine.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing the same
may be properly understood I have hereunto appended a Sheet of explanatory

page_text: Drawings to be hereinafter referred to, and representing a turnip topping, tailing,
and lifting or delivering machine embodying my improvements.
In these Drawings the same reference letters are used to mark the same or like
parts wherever they are repeated.
Figure 1 is a sido elevation, and Figure 2 is a plan of my improved machine, the
framework of which consists of two strong side bars or beams A, A', bolted together
in front but conducted back in the form of an irregular open horizontal plane to the
rear where low curved up arms or steering shafts Ã³, somewhat like plough shafts,
are attached. The frame A, A', carrying all the mechanism and driving gear is
mounted by journal bearings a on the axle b of a pair of carrying and driving
wheels B, B', the frame A, A¹, being placed close up to one side nearer to one
wheel B than to the other B', so as to have the topping and tailing mechanism
ranged in a line over the centre of the drill of turnips being cut. The front end of
the machine is carried on a small guiding wheel C mounted on a stud or pin c in
the lower forked arm c¹ of a vertical spindle c' swivelling in an eyo a¹ of the side
bars or beams of the frame A, A', and this guiding wheel C runs in front in the
same furrow as the driving wheel B. The machine is drawn by the usual form of
"hake" or short lateral arm D attached by a link d and chain d' to the front end
of the frame A, A¹, and having a number of holes in it for attaching the drawing
shackles of the swingle trees or chains of the horses which walk in the furrows at
the sides of the drill of turnips being cut for the time being. The appliances for
gathering in and cutting the turnip tops are carried on a light but strong lower
horizontal frame E of open fork shape directly over the turnip drill, and suspended
near its back part by a light duplex parallel vertical raising and lowering frame c
so as to swing freely laterally on a fixed centre e' in a bracket a² projecting up
from the side A¹ of the main frame A, A¹. The fore part of this lower frame E is
hung by pendent jointed rods e² and links e³ from an eye in the end of a long lever F
centred on a bracket f fixed to the upper main frame A, A', the long arm of the lever
Freaching back to where the man walks to guide the machine. On the front part of
the lower frame E there is formed or fixed a set of curved spring rods or feelers et, et, e",
two e, c, on one side or fork, and one e on the other, expanded outwards in advance
to guide in the necks of the top leaves of the turnips towards their back contracted
part, immediately under which the cutting knife or knives are reciprocated, and the
feelers or guides et, e, are shaped so that the leaves after being cut will be thrown
over from the drill into the adjoining furrow by the upper part of the spring rod c¹
which is curved backwards obliquely across the drill, the leaves passing over a plate c
fixed on the other forked end of the frame E, and to this plate e' the spring guide e
is attached. The frame E being counterbalanced by the weight of the long rod Fit
rises and falls to accommodate itself to the different sizes of turnips over which the
lower part E¹ glides, and its forked ends carrying the spring guides e, e, e, being
only lightly held from opening outwards by a spring es open or close a little to allow
of the passage of the turnips. The turnip leaves are further gathered or collected
and guided in towards and through the spring guides e, e, e, by a pair of expanding
horns or projecting curved spring rods g, g', rivetted or otherwise fixed to vertical
or slanted bars h, h', held adjustably by bolts to the side of the main frame A, A',
and having coulters h2, h3, formed on their lower ends to remove stones and other
obstructions out of the way of the lower frame E behind. The front part of the
frame E also carries the cutting knife or saw I which is reciprocated across the line
of the turnip drill and is guided in its motion by pins or bolts i in the frame E
working in a long slot in the middle of the cutting blade. The knife or cutting
blade may be made sufficiently long, and an eye may be formed in one end of it by
which it may be connected to a crank or disc pin j, or as shown in Figure 2. The
reciprocation of this cutter is effected by means of a short connecting rod attached
to it and to a crank or disc pin j at the lower end of a vertical square spindle J
carried in collar and bush journal bearings j' close over the crank disc j and held by
a bracket or rods secured to the rising and falling cutter frame E, so that the
square driving shaft J rises and falls with it, the upper end of the shaft passing or

page_text: sliding through the eye of a driving bevel pinion K above. This pinion K is
carried by a deep collar journal on its boss k, above which works into a bearing
bush secured on the overhanging end of a central rod or spindle which is
placed within a hollow tubular spindle supported in bearings formed on saddle
bars 1, ', across the frame A, A¹, and on which spindle k³ a large bevel wheel K¹ is
keyed to gear with the pinion K. A small pinion K on the other end of the tubular
spindle transmits motion to these wheels K, K', and the reciprocating cutting
blade I from a bevel pinion K³ on the axle b of the machine, which last is rotated
by the machine carrying wheels B, B', by a well known ratchet and pawl or other
equivalent arrangement of coupling within the hubs or naves of the wheels.
This arrangement of gearing admits of the cutter frame E and its driving square
shaft rising and falling and oscillating freely from side to side below to suit the
position and size of the turnips; and the whole cutter frame E can also be lifted by
the hand lever F and fixed at any height by notches formed inside a guide
bracket f, shown dotted in Figure 1, through which the lever F passes; and it
may also be lifted to any position before cominencing work by a chain m attached
to its back end and hung by a hook m¹ from a bracket a² on the side A¹ of the
machine frame by any link being raised to and placed over the hook m¹. The
central spindle is movable longitudinally inside the tubular spindle ³, and is
held by a spring k bearing on bracket ko, so that the bevel pinion K, which is kept
in position by the bush on the end of the spindle, may be kept out of gear
with the wheel K' when the machine is not at work; but the bevel wheels K, K¹,
may be made to engage at any time to cause the reciprocation of the cutter I by
turning a cam lever fixed on the end of the spindle k² and bearing on the
bracket ka.
The appliances for effecting the tailing and lifting operations are fitted to the
rear of the machine, and consist of a pair of backwardly curved cutting blades N, N¹,
placed obliquely across the drill, the one N' partly to one side and behind the
other N. These blades N, N¹, are jointed to and held by a small frame n on the
lower end of a vertical stem n¹, the upper end of which is fixed by a pin to a
weighted hand lever O centred on a saddle bracket o fixed across the frame A, A',
of the machine.
The turnips having their leaves or top cut off are set up in position in the drill
and guided in towards the cutting blades N, N', by light spring guide bars p, p¹
rivetted or bolted, one slightly behind the other, to strong stay rods P, P¹, which
are hooked or suspended to rings fixed in the cross bars i', and which rods P, P¹,
also keep the cutting blades N, N', in their places and bear the strain or drag
sustained in passing through the turnip drill. The stay rods P, P¹, are formed
with curved hoops or bows p², ps, underneath which rest on either side of the drill
to keep the blades N, N', at the requisite depth in the ground as the machine
proceeds, the bow rods P, P1, being held down on the surface of the ground by
means of a weight Q on the lever O above.
The blades N, N₁, cut the roots of the turnips and also lift them out of the drill,
so that additional lifting and delivering bars may be dispensed with; but a suitably
curved arm may be suspended from the machine frame A, A, to throw the turnips
out into the adjoining furrow behind the cutters.
Instead of employing the saw-like blade or knife I for cutting off the tops or
leaves of the turnips they may be cut by knives or cutters I fixed on angled or
skew blades I cutting the leaves against a plate Is somewhat after the manner of
a grass mower, but having their revolving spindle J' placed sufficiently high to be
quite clear of the turnip leaves, as shewn in Figure 3; or rotating cutting blades
of the form shown in Figure 4 may be used in which cutting knives I" are fixed
to segmental blades I¹ on a vertical spindle J", and either kind may be driven by
the arrangement of gearing shown in Figures 1 and 2; but the gearing may be
entirely dispensed with and the machine much simplified by using cutting
knives I of the kind shown in Figure 5, which are rivetted or otherwise fixed,

page_text: one partly behind the other at E', on the spring guides es, ee, of the suspended
lower frame E of the machine.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to the precise details
believe to be novel and
herein before described or delineated; but that what
original, and claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein before in part
recited Letters Patent is,---
1. The arrangement and combination of parts forming the cutter frame of a
turnip topping, tailing, and lifting machine, constructed and counterbalanced to
allow of both vertical and lateral self-adjustment of the position of the cutting
appliances, either with or without means of adjustment by hand, substantially as
and for the purpose herein-before described.
2. The arrangement and construction of cutting knives, saws, or blades, either
reciprocated or rotated by means of gearing from the carrying wheels of turnip
topping and tailing machines, or fixed directly to a self adjusting frame on such
machines, substantially as herein before dèseribed in reference to and shown in the
accompanying Drawings.
3. The arrangement, construction, and combination of feelers, horns, or spring
guides fitted on adjustable prongs of a self adjusting cutter frame of turnip topping
and tailing machines for the purpose of collecting or gathering and guiding the
leaves or tops of turnips in towards the cutting or topping knives of such machines
with or without additional coulters, and collecting horns fitted in front for removing
obstructions before them, substantially in the manner herein before described in
reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
4. The construction and arrangement of the hollow spindle (³) and central
rod (2) for driving the vertical revolving or crank spindle of the topping cutters of
turnip topping and tailing machines, and the use of a cam lever and spring or other
equivalent device for throwing the driving mechanism in and out of gear, substan-
tially as herein before described in reference to and shown in the accompanying
Drawings.
5. The arrangement and construction of oblique curved cutting tailing blades (N,
N',) fitted adjustably to the framework of turnip topping and tailing machines, and
held by hooped or bow shaped stay rods at a regulated depth in the ground with
spring guides or feelers for setting up the turnips in position to be acted on by such
tailing blades, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein-before
described in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
6. The arrangement and use of suitably curved and angled lifting bars or lifters
for the purpose of lifting and delivering turnips from the drills, and fitted adjustably
to the frame work of turnip topping, tailing, and lifting machines, substantially as
herein before described.
7. The construction and arrangement or combination of parts of turnip topping,
tailing, and lifting or delivery machines with vertical and lateral self-adjusting
cutting mechanism, all substantially as herein before described in reference to and
shown in the accompanying Drawings, or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas McKenzie, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twentieth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.