Improvements in Hay-making Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 24th July, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 25th Apr., 1892—Accepted, 28th May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hay-making Machines.
I, EDWARD CHRISTOPHER BLACKSTONE, of Stamford, in the County of
Lincoln, Agricultural Implement Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
=
My invention relates to hay-making and similar machines and has for its object
to provide means for lifting the hay or grass over which the wheels of the
hay-making machine pass.
In carrying out my invention I arrange behind the travelling wheels of a
hay-maker, forks designed to be oscillated by means of cranks or eccentrics in a
well-known manner through the medium of suitable gearing, so that as the
implement is being moved the hay which the wheela have passed over and
compressed will be loosened or tossed. These forks are carried by arms projecting
from the axle or crank axle of the ordinary barrels or forks.
In order that the auxiliary forks behind the wheels may remain in their proper
positions relatively to the ground notwithstanding the adjustment of the ordinary
forks or barrels I advantageously form each of the said carrying arms as a
bell-crank lever, the free end of which is connected by a suitable rod or link to a
bracket upon the shafts of the implement, so that when the position of the shafts
relatively to the frame carrying the ordinary forks or barrels is varied the auxiliary
forks will be correspondingly moved.
A series of holes is formed in the link, or other means of adjustment are
combined therewith, for varying the height of the auxiliary forks as may be
desired.
DL ou
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
:
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hay-making Machines.
L, EDWARD CHRISTOPHER BLACKSTONE, of Stamford, in the County of
Lincoln, Agricultural Implement Maker, 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 :—
My invention relates to bay-making and similar machines and has for its object
to provide improved mears for lifting the hay or grass over which the wheels of
the hay-making machine pass.
In carrying out my invention I arrange behind or near the travelling-wheels of
a hay-maker, forks designed to be oscillated by means of cranks or eccentrics
through the medium of suitable gearing, so that as the implement is being moved
the hay which the wheels have passed over and compressed will be loosened or
tossed. These forks are carried by arms projecting from the axle or crank axle
of the ordinary barrels or forks or from the wheel-axle.
In-order that the auxiliary forks behind the wheels may take their proper
positious relatively to the ordinary forks or barrels I advantageously form each of
the said carrying arms as a bell-crank lever, the free end of which is connected by
a suitable rod or link to a bracket upon the shafts of the implement, so that when
the position of the shafts relatively to the frame carrying the ordinary forks or
barrels is varied, the auxiliary forks will be correspondingly moved.
PT.

page_text: A series of holes is formed in the link, or other means of adjustment are
combined therewith, for varying the relative positions of the auxiliary forks to the
ordinary forks as may be desired.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :--
Figure 1 is a side elevation; and,
Figure 2 a sectional plan illustrating the application of my invention to a
single or back action hay-making machine having revolving barrels.
Figures 3 and 4 are a side elevation and plan illustrating the application of my
invention to a double action hay-making machine.
Figure 5 is a side elevation; and,
Figure 6 is a plan of a hay-making machine having oscillating rakes or forks
between travelling-wheels and provided with auxiliary rakes or forks in accordance
with my invention.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
a, a indicate the travelling-wheels of the hay-maker, and 6 the axle or shaft
driven thereby and through which motion is imparted to the ordinary barrels
or forks.
C, C indicate my forks for loosening or tossing the hay over which the travelling-
wheels have passed, d, d the crank-shafts by means of which the said forks are
operated and which, as shewn in the drawings, are driven from sprocket-wheels e
through the medium of a sprocket-chain and a sprocket-wheel 9 upon the
crank-shaft d. h, h are the arms or brackets which at one end are pivotally
connected to some part of the hay-maker and which at the other end are provided
with bearings for carrying the crank-shafts d, the pivotal points of the said brackets
being preferably concentric with the sprocket-wheels e, e so that the adjustment
does not vary the tension of the sprocket-chains.
i, i are the usual links connected to the upper ends of the oscillating forks and to
some fixed part of the machine which latter, as shewn in the drawings, are arms
or brackets, upon the axles of the travelling-wheels.
k, k are the rods or links by means of which the auxiliary forks are retained in
their proper positions relatively with the ordinary forks when the latter are
adjusted, each of which rods or links is connected at one end to an arm k¹ upon the
brackets h, hand at the other end to a bracket / upon the draught shafts m of the
implement, the said arms forming with the brackets h, h the bell-crank levers
referred to in my Provisional Specification.
n, n indicate the ordinary adjusting plates by means of which the height of the
ordinary barrels or forks relatively with the ground is regulated.
It will be understood that when the shaft of the ordinary barrels or forks is
adjusted, say, from the position shewn in full lines in Figure 1 to that indicated by
the dotted lines therein, by altering the position of the shafts m relatively to the
framing of the machine by means of the plates n, n, practically no greater movement
of the axis of the crank-shafts & takes place than of the ordinary spindle on which
the barrels revolve.
In the arrangement of my invention shewn in Figures 1 and 2, the arms or
brackets, are fitted onto the guards or shields o surrounding the clutch-
mechanism upon the driving-shaft : whilst in the arrangement shewn in Figures 3
and 4 the said arms or brackets are hinged at p, p upon the elongated bosses of the
travelling-wheels. In this case also, the sprocket-wheel e, from which motion is
communicated to the crank-shaft d, is secured to the elongated boss so as to rotate
with the said travelling-wheels.
In the modification of my invention shewn in Figures 5 and 6, the brackets h, h
are pivotted to arms 9, 9 forming part of the framing of the machine and the
sprocket-wheels e, through the medium of which motion is communicated to the
crank-axles of the auxiliary forks, are placed upon the main crank-shaft b. In
this modification I have shewn means whereby the relative adjustment of the main
forks and of the auxiliary forks may be effected without the driver moving from

page_text: เ
his seat: for this latter purpose the rods or links k, k instead of being connected
to brackets 1, I upon the shafts m are connected to levers r, secured to a rod s
working in suitable bearings upon the cross-bar of the shafts m and having attached
to it a levert working in conjunction with a notched segment u in such a manner
that by moving the said levert the height of the auxiliary forks relatively with
the main forks can be adjusted.
In order to provide for adjusting the position of the main forks of the machine
with regard to the ground and consequently also of the auxiliary forks, I secure to
the cross-bar of the shafts a bracket to which is pivotted a segment to having
attached to it a lever w'. Upon the foot-plate a I pivot at y a lever y¹, one end
of which is designed to engage with one of a series of notches formed in the
segment whilst the other end is designed to be acted upon by the driver's foot, in
order to disengage the catch from the segment to allow the latter to be moved by
the driver through the medium of the lever to.
z indicates a guide for the said lever y' and 2¹ a spring which normally holds the
catch in engagement with the segment.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. In a hay-making machine the arrangement of oscillating forks or rakes for
loosening or tossing the hay over which the travelling-wheels of the implement have
passed, the said forks or rakes being operated by cranks or eccentrics, the shafts
carrying which are mounted in pivotted brackets, substantially as, and for the
purpose, described.
2. In a hay-making machine having forks or rakes operated from shafts carried
in pivotted brackets in the manner referred to in the preceding claiming clause, of
means substantially such as hereinbefore described, whereby the adjustment of the
main barrels or forks relatively to the ground causes the corresponding adjustment
of the auxiliary forks or rakes, substantially as described.
3. The improvements in hay-making machines hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 25th day of April 1892.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.