An Improved Grain Evener for Seif Binding Harvesters.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd May, 1894
Complete Specification Left. 4th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 3rd May, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Grain Evener for Seif Binding Harvesters.
We, FRANK CELESTIN ALMONT, Mechanic, and WALTER BANCROFT
STEVENS, Pharmacist, both of Sibley, County of Osceola, Iowa, U.S.A., do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention is designed to secure the regular travel free from entanglement of
the grain after being cut by the sickle of harvesters and in its passage on the apron
to the elevator and incidentally also to clear the cutter bar and apron of accumulated
grass or rubbish.
It consists of an evener bar of a serrated form arranged parallel to and
immediately behind the sickle to which evener bar is imparted a vibratory motion
by means of a roller attached by an arm to the sickle and playing in a slot in said
bar so that its teeth act upon the butt ends of the grain straws to feed them
towards the elevator. The movement of the evener bar is controlled by inclined
slots in the same moving over flanged rollers secured to the frame of the horizontal
apron which is mounted upon rollers carried in said frame.
When it is not desired to use the evener bar it may be disconnected and dropped
down out of sight.
Deted this 3rd day of May 1894.
THOMAS R. SHILLITO,
89, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.
We FRANK CELESTIN ALMONT, and WALTER BANCROFT STEVENS, of
Sibley, County of Osceola, Iowa, U.S. America, Inventors, 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 :-
In self-binding harvesters the grain and straw as it is cut by the sickle falls upon
a horizontal endless apron in the rear of the sickle and is carried laterally or in
a direction at right angles to its length to an elevator apron which raises it to the
binding device. This grain does not always fall across the horizontal apron in true
right angular position, and by reason of the greater weight of the heads of grain
this end is liable to get in advance of the butts as the grain is carried by the apron
to the elevator, leaving the butts or ends near the sickle to drag behind which
involves an entanglement of the straw and more or less embarrassment in elevating
and binding the grain as well as loss of grain due to the falling out of these
misplaced straws.
Our invention is designed to overcome this difficulty, and incidentally also to clear
the cutter bar and apron of accumulated grass or rubbish, and to these ends it
consists in the peculiar construction of an evener bar arranged parallel to and
immediately behind the sickle, to which evener bar is imparted a vibratory motion
that causes it to advance the butt ends of the straws so as to straighten the same,
B

page_text: and enable the horizontal apron to feed them evenly with the straw lying parallel to
each other, and at right angles to the direction of movement of the apron, as will
be hereinafter more fully described.
Fig. 1 is a plan view of the horizontal apron, the sickle bar, and our evening
devices arranged parallel with and between the same with parts broken away.
Fig. 2 is a front edge view of the cutter bar and platform partly in vertical
section through line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow.
Fig. 3 is a cross section through the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and
Fig. 4 a detail of modification.
In the drawings A represents the sickle of any harvester. B is the endless
horizontal carrier apron which is arranged to travel in a direction parallel to
the sickle and lies immediately behind the same so that the grain and straw as
it is cut by the sickle, falls to the rear directly across the apron and is transported
thereby laterally to the elevator apron which occupies a position at the end of the
horizontal apron.
This elevator is of the usual kind and need not be shown and
described, it being sufficient to say that it is another endless apron arranged in an
inclined position to carry the grain up to the binding devices.
出
The horizontal apron B is provided with slots & crosswise its length to give it
hold upon the grain, and the apron is distended between rollers C C, of which C
is provided with a sprocket wheel c by which motion is imparted to the same
through a chain belt from some of the driving gears of the machine to cause the
apron to travel behind the sickle in a direction parallel thereto, with its top part
moving toward the elevator.
The journals of the rollers are held in horizontal open slots d in the frame
bars D D and are held therein against coming out, by the tension of the apron
whose ends are united by a series of straps c', which may be taken up or let out to
regulate the tension.
E is our evener bar. This is made of sheet metal, but may be made of wood,
and is constructed on its upper surface with a series of ratchet teeth e, which point
toward the elevator. This evener bar lies iminediately in front of the horizontal
apron B and behind the sickle, and its office is to advance, by vibratory motion,
the butt ends of the straw which lie next to the sickle. To impart the proper
vibratory movement to this evener bar, it has formed upon its lower edge a vertical
slot e in which plays a roller r attached to an arm which is fastened to the sickle
so that the reciprocating motion of the sickle is imparted to the evener bar, causing
its teeth to act upon the butt ends of the straw to feed the latter toward the
elevator.
As the evener bar moves backward, it is made to descend slightly to carry the
teeth under the straw, and as it moves forward again it rises to cause the teeth to
more positively engage the straw. This movement is controlled in direction by
inclined slots e 3 in the evener bar, which move over flanged rollers ³ ³ that are
secured to the front side of frame bar D by means of axial bolts which flanged
rollers serve to guide the evener bar as aforesaid. At the forward ends of these
slots there are other vertical slots €³ €³.
When it is not desired to use the evener, it is disconnected from the roller and
arm c³ and pushed slightly to the rear until slots e³ come over the flanged rollers c³,
in which position the slots e³ allow the evener bar to drop down out of sight,
remaining there stationary and out of use.
To secure the arm c² to the sickle, its lower horizontal end is made widest at the
bottom, like a dovetail, and is slipped into a keeper e having a corresponding cut
under recess, and is there secured by a screw or bolt. This keeper is detachably
connected to the sickle.
Instead of having the lower edge of the evener bar slotted at e¹ to receive the
connecting arm, with roller, a strap keeper or staples may be fastened to the evener
bar, as seen in Fig. 4 to receive and connect with said arm.
This point of connection between the sickle and evener bar may be either about

page_text: the middle of the same or at one end, or the evener bar may be connected to the
pitman which operates the sickle.
This attachment may be placed upon the platform of any self-binder at a
very small cost, and will bring straws of grain evenly to the entrance of the
elevator.
It also acts as a picker or cleaner at all times for dislodging the fine grasses and
rubbish that are liable to accumulate at the rear edge of the sickle.
In making use of our invention, we would have it understood that we do not
confine ourselves to the precise construction and arrangement of parts, as they may
be varied somewhat without departing from the spirit of our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The combination with the sickle and horizontal traveling apron in a self-
binding harvester; of a separate vibrating evener bar for the grain straws,
arranged in horizontal position but in a vertical plane parallel with and between
the sickle and apron, guides for controlling its motion attached to front frame bar,
and a loose drag connection with the sickle, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
2. The combination with the sickle and horizontal traveling apron in a self-
binding harvester; of a separate vibrating evener bar for the grain straws
arranged between the sickle and apron and having teeth upon its upper edge, and
inclined slots eat its ends; means for imparting a longitudinally vibrating motion,
and flanged rollers c³ attached to the front of the frame bar and arranged in the
inclined slots for causing the bar to descend on the backward movement and rise of
the forward movement, substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. The combination with the sickle and horizontal traveling apron in a self-
binding harvester; of a toothed evener bar arranged between the same and means
for vibrating it, the said evener bar having guide slots e with vertical extensions e
to permit the evener bar to descend to an inoperative position, substantially as and
for the purpose described.
4. The combination with the sickle and horizontal traveling apron in a self-
binding harvester; of a toothed evener bar arranged between the same, and having
both a longitudinally reciprocating and an up and down motion and a loose drag
connection between the sickle and evener bar arranged as described to both impart
the reciprocating motion and permit the up and down motion substantially as and
for the purpose described.
5. The combination with the sickle and horizontal apron with distending and
actuating rollers in a self-binding harvester; of a toothed evener bar arranged in a
vertical plane between the sickle and apron and having inclined slots embracing
guide rollers and provided with a vertical slot e¹ on its under side, and an arm
connected to the sickle and having an anti-friction roller arranged in the vertical
slot of the evener bar substantially as and for the purpose described.
6. The combination with the sickle and horizontal apron in a self-binding
harvester; of the toothed evener bar E having inclined slots e³, with vertical
extensions e, and having also slot el in its lower edge, the detachable arm c with
dovetail seat and anti-friction rollers, and the undercut or dovetail keeper ct fixed
to the sickle substantially as and for the purpose described.
Dated this 4th day of February 1895.
HUGHES, SON & Co.,
38, Chancery Lane, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.