IMPROVEMENTS IN TURNIP-THINNING MACHINES
Year: 1885

page_text: I, THOMAS WARDLAW, of Tough Mill, Dunfermline, Fifeshire, Miller and
Farmer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN TURNIP-THINNING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to an improved general construction, or arrange-
ment and combination of the parts, of a machine for thinning out the young
turnips transversely from the tops of the drills into the furrows automatically
as it traverses in the furrows over the drills of turnips, all in a better and more
satisfactory manner than such machines have done heretofore.
The nature and novelty of the invention or improvements consist as follows:-
The frame of the machine, which carries the whole working mechanism, is
composed of a pair of horse drawing shafts bound together behind the horse in a
strong square or rectangular form, and carried on a single central cross driving
shaft, which runs in bearings formed in the lower ends of two bearing brackets
projecting down from the sides of the rectangular frame, the shaft having a driving
wheel on each outer end capable of being set to run in the two outer of three
furrows, while the horse travels in the centre one, the machine thus travelling over
two drills of the young turnips to thin them out. These side carrying running
wheels would have the usual strips on their periphery for catching the ground, and
might be so connected to their shaft by a ratchet boss and spring pawl, that when
these were in action the wheels would drive their shaft and all the actuating
gearing through it as hereinafter described, or when out of action they would turn
loose on the shaft, as for reversing at the end of the drills or when the machine
was required to be transported from place to place.
The turnip plants would be thinned out of the tops of the two drills by a hoe or
blade fixed to the lower end of a short arın secured in an adjustable manner over
each drill to a single long transverse reciprocating bar, carried by a long vertical
hanging link jointed to it below near each end, and above near each side frame to
the lower end of a short bar or slide reciprocated vertically in a guide bracket
secured above the side frame, all carried and regulated to the proper height by a
lever arrangement and rollers on each drill for the hoes to cut or thin out the
young plants while being reciprocated to-and-fro over them, as will hereinafter be
described, close behind the driving wheels under the back part of the frame. The
outer ends of the reciprocating bar pass through steadying guides at the lower ends

page_text: of rigid bars, projecting down from the back of the two side frames, and which are
stayed or tied together and to the bearing brackets of the shaft below, and may
have vertical antifriction rollers on one or both sides of the bar, to allow it to
reciprocate freely, on these as guides, at whatever height it is carried; or radial
guide steps might be used jointed to each end of the bar, and led back and jointed
to oscillate on the main shaft or to a pin on the brackets carrying this. This
transverse bar carrying the hoes is reciprocated by a lateral pin in front near one
end, jointed to one end of a long connecting rod having its other end connected to
an eccentric or crank pin in the back face of a disc or crank on the rear end of a
short revolving longitudinal shaft, carried in bearings on a bracket supported from
the back end of the frame and by an eye on the driving shaft turning loose in it,
all as close up to the other side of the frame as they can be arranged to give a long
actuating connecting rod. The short revolving shaft is actuated at any required
speed by a pinion on its front end gearing into a large bevel wheel on the main
driving shaft, preferably fitted with a clutch box and shifting hand lever for
throwing it out of gear when it is not desired to work the hoes and their bar as
described. The depth to which the hoes will cut into the tops of the drills to
thin out the plants, in their to-and-fro action, into the centre and side furrows
respectively behind the wheels and machine, is regulated by a pair of small
smooth curved or angled rollers or wheels mounted at a little distance apart on the
ends of a short spindle carried over each drill on a central bearing in an oscillating
frame lever fulcrumed on the main shaft and so adjustable on it as to suit the
width of the drills, and so that each pair of rollers will run on the curved sides of
the drill leaving the plants untouched in the centre as they pass them. These
rollers might be cast in one when preferred with a deep V groove in them to pass
the plants. These rollers thus rise or fall with the undulations of the drills, and
raise the rear end of their carrying frame lever, which is connected to the lower
end of a rod jointed above to the front end of a hand lever carried back over the
rear end of each side frame, and fulcrumed to a bracket projecting up therefrom.
Each of these levers is by an intermediate lateral pin and short link rod or chain
jointed below to the vertical carrying rods at each end of the reciprocating bar of
the hoes, so as to carry this and regulate the depth of the hoes below the tops of
the drills, by the rollers running on these close to them, and connected to the
actuating end of their respective levers. The lengths of the several rods would be
adjustable, as also the centres in the levers for setting them to the desired working
depth of the hoes on each side, to suit the plants and height of drill; and each
hand lever would also be fitted at its rear end with a notched regulating sector or
segment and spring catch, to lift it quite up out of action above the plants when
desired,
The attendant could walk, with the horse reins in his hand, in the centre drill
behind the frame between the levers, and only require to lift these and the hoes out
of action at the end of the drills when turning for the return journey.
Different widths of hoes could be fitted on or by their stems to their recipro-
cating bar to suit the speed at which the hoes are driven, and the kind of plants
and their distances apart, to be thinned out, and the bar in this machine, which
cuts out the plants in both directions would only require to go at half the speed of
those hoe thinning machines which only act when traversed in one direction.

page_text: Improvements in Turnip Thinning Machines.
I, THOMAS WARDLAW, of Tough Mill, Dunfermline, Fifeshire, Farmer, do hereby
declare 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 in writing reference being had to the accompanying sheet of drawings
and to the reference letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :—
My invention has reference to an improved general construction or arrangement
and combination of the parts, of a machine for thinning out the young turnips or
plants, transversely from the tops of the drills into the furrows automatically as it
traverses on its wheels in the furrows over the drills of turnips, all in a better and
more satisfactory manner than such machines have done heretofore.
Figure 1 is a side elevation with the front wheel removed to show the working
parts more clearly of a turnip thinning machine constructed in accordance with and
illustrative of the improvements of my said Invention. Figure 2, is a back end
elevation of the same machine corresponding to Figure 1; and Figure 3, is a plan
also corresponding to Figure 1; the same reference letters indicating the same
parts in all the Figures.
Referring to figures 1 to 3, the nature and novelty of my invention or improve-
ments consist as follows:-The horizontal wood frame A, A1, of the machine, which
carries the whole working mechanism, is composed of a pair of horse drawing
shafts, bound together behind the horse in a strong square or rectangular form, and
is carried on a single central cross driving shaft B, which runs in bearings formed
or secured in the lower ends of two iron bearing brackets or side frames A²,
secured to and projecting down from the sides A1, of the rectangular frame A, A¹,
secured by the diagonal stays A". The shaft B has a driving wheel B¹ secured on
each end outside the frames A', by ordinary groove and feather connections 6 b¹
and a pinching screw 611 in each boss 6 of the wheels. The wheels are thus
capable of being set at different widths apart to suit the width of the furrows z, in
the two outer of which they would run, while the horse would travel in the centre
one ¹, the machine thus passing over two drills Z, Z, of young turnips to thin them
out. These side carrying wheels B¹ have the usual strips 63 on their periphery for
catching the ground, and are so secured to their shaft B as to drive this and all the
actuating gearing through it by a coupling g³ g as hereinafter described. When
this coupling is out of action the shaft would turn loose in the bearing of the
frames A, as for reversing at the ends of the drills or when the machine required
to be transported from place to place. In some cases instead of securing the
wheels B¹ to their shaft by grooves and feathers b b¹ and a pinching screw 61, they
might revolve loose on their shaft between set screw collars and drive the shaft by
a ratchet boss and spring pawl or other equivalent, when in action; but when these

page_text: were out of action the wheels would run loose. As so far described this machine
may be much the same as other turnip thinning machines. But by these improve-
ments the turnip plants would be thinned out of the tops of the two drills Z,
simultaneously by a hoe or blade c, fixed to the lower end of a short arm c¹, secured
in an adjustable manner to a single long transverse reciprocating bar C, towards
the ends over their respective drills Z. This bar C is carried at each end by a long
vertical hanging oscillating link C³, jointed thereto by its lower end, and by the
upper end, near the back of each side frame A¹, to the lower end of a short bar or
slide C², reciprocated vertically in a guide bracket C, secured above the frame A¹;
and all carried and regulated to the proper height by the lever arrangement D
D1, D2, and double rollers E resting and running on the sides of each drill Z, clear
of the plants, for the hose c to cut or thin out the young plants while being recipro-
cated to-and-fro over them, (as will hereinafter be described), close behind the
driving wheels B¹, under the back part of the frame A¹, A. The lower ends of
these hanging links C¹, of the reciprocating bar O pass through steadying slotted
guides F, at the outer ends of the fixed cross bar F, secured at the lower ends of
the bars F, projecting down from the back of the two side frames A¹, and which
are stayed forward by the tie rods F1, to the bearing frame A³, below the shaft
frame A¹. Or otherwise instead of those slotted guides F, F, vertical anti-friction
rollers might be mounted on one or both sides of the bar C, to allow it to recipro-
cate freely on these as guides, at whatever height it is carried; or radial guide rods
might be used jointed to each end of the bar C, and led forward and jointed to
oscillate on a pin secured to the side frames A³, or other fixed part carried by this.
This tranverse bar C carrying the hoes c is reciprocated by a lateral pin g¹, in front
near one end, jointed to one end of a long connecting rod g, having its other end
connected to an eccentric or crank pin g", in the back face of the crank disc g², on
the rear end of the short revolving longitudinal shaft G carried in bearings on the
bracket G¹, supported by the V shaped stay G", from the back end of the frame A¹,
and at the front end by a broad eye at G, on the driving shaft B, turning loose in
it, all fitted as close up to the other side of the frame A¹, and the drill rollers E,
and their lever frame E¹, E", will allow, to give a long actuating connecting rod g.
The short revolving shaft G is actuated at any required speed by a pinion G³, on
its front end gearing into a large bevel wheel G4, preferably mounted loose on the
main driving shaft B, and fitted with a clutch g³, on its boss and a shifting
clutch box g, with a hand lever g, fulcrumed on the stay Gu, for throwing
the clutch into or out of gear as it is required to work the bar C, and its
hoes c or not. The depth to which the hoes c, will cut into the tops of the
drills Z, to thin out the plants in their to-and-fro motion respectively, into the
centre and side furrows z, z, behind the wheels and machine, is regulated by a
pair of small smooth curved or angled rollers or wheels E mounted at a little
distance apart adjustable on the stem e of a short spindle el carried over each
drill Z, on a central bearing from the back end of an oscillating frame lever E',
fulcrumed on the main shaft B, and so adjustable on it by the collar and
pinching screw E, as to be set to suit the width of the drills; and so that each
pair of rollers E. will run on the curved sides of the drill leaving the plants
untouched in the centre as they pass them. Instead of making the rollers E, in
two parts as described, they could be cast in one when preferred, with a central
deep U-shaped groove in them to pass the plants. These rollers E, thus rise or fall
with the height or undulations of their respective drills Z, and so raise the rear end
of their carrying frame lever E¹, on each side, which is connected to the lower end
of a rod d, jointed above to the front end D of the hand lever D, D¹, carried back
over the rear end A¹¹¹ of and near each side frame A¹, where the lever is fulcrumed
at D to a bracket D", secured to and projecting up from the frame A¹. Each of
these levers is by an intermediate lateral pin d', and short link or rod d², jointed
below at d³, to the vertical slide bars C³, of the oscillating carrying rods C¹, at eacli

page_text: end of the reciprocating bar O, of the hoes c, so as to carry these and regulate the
depth of the hoes c, below the tops of the drills Z on either side, by the rollers E
running on the drills, close to the cutting out hoes c, and connected to the
actuating end D of their respective adjusting levers D, D¹. The lengths of the
several rods would be adjustable as also the centres in the levers for settling them
to the desired working depth of the hoes on each side to suit the plants and
height of drill; and each hand lever D, D', would also be fitted at its rear end
with a spring catch D³, to take into an adjusted fixed notched segment D*, secured
to the back frame A", when the back arm D' of the lever is pressed down to lift the
hoes c quite up out of action above the plants when desired.
The attendant could walk, with the horse reins in his hand, in the centre
furrow z, behind the frame A¹, A¹, and between the levers D, D', and only require
to press down their back arms D', to lift their front arms D and the hoes c out of
action at the end of the drills, when turning the machine for the return journey.
The hoes c shown in the drawing is made of double the depth required, for the
purpose of making it reversible and having one side broader than the other as
shown, to cut out a greater or less length of the top of the drill and plants as
desired. But other different widths of hoes o could be fitted on to their stems c¹,
or to their reciprocating bar C, to suit the width of gap and plants to be cut out of
the top of the drills at each stroke, or to suit the speed at which the hoes c, are
driven in relation to the forward motion of the machine, or the kind of plants and
their distances apart, and desired to be thinned out. The bar C, in this machine,
which cuts out the plants in both directions would only require to be reciprocated
at half the speed of other hoe turnip thinning machines which only act when
traversed in one direction. .
The lever frame E¹ carrying the rollers E, has an angled or curved blade H,
mounted on it by an angled bar H¹ projecting down and back, on an oscillating
centre h, with a segmental slot and fixing screw at h', for setting these blades H,
to cut or shape off the upper sides of the drills Z, just in front of the rollers E, so
that these may have an approximately even surface of drill to run on; and so cut
out the plants to a more regular depth than would be possible without this
dressing, especially where the drills have been neglected and left rough or with
weeds. Although the hoes c are shown as flat plates in the Drawings, Figures 1
to 3, they might however be made of double plates secured together and have
cutting edges c bent forward to cut the earth at the under edge as shown in
elevation to a large scale detached in Figure 2 C.
The front rail A* of the frame A, A³, is preferably made in the form of an iron
tool box with wooden lid, so that it can be loaded or shifted out or in on and
secured by screws a, to the sides or shafts A. of the frame in front of the wheels B¹,
to counter balance the weight of the working mechanism on the back of the
machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First. The general arrangement and combination of the parts of a turnip
thinning machine all substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in
the accompanying Drawings.
Second. In turnip thinning machines the combination of oscillating or recipro-
cating hoes, automatically raised and lowered to suit the height of the drills, from
rollers running on their sides, either with or without the scrapers H, substantially
as herein described and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Third. In turnip thinning machines the adaptation of a duplex or double roller
running on the upper sides of the drills just clear of the plants for regulating the
height of the thinning or cutting out hoes either with or without the scrapers H,
substantially as herein described and shown in the accompanying Drawings.

page_text: Fourth. In turnip thinning machines the combination of two hoes on a raising
and lowering frame made to oscillate or reciprocate to-and-fro and cutting out the
plants in both directions, substantially as herein described and shown in the
accompanying Drawings.