IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CLOD CRUSHERS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Lancaster, of Vine House, Canning Town East,
London, for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
CLOD CRUSHERS."
Sealed the 28th October 1879, and dated the 5th May 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Lancaster at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th May 1879.
JOHN LANCASTER, of Vine House, Canning Town East, London.
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CLOD CRUSHERS."
"IMPROVE-
In the use of clod crushers as hitherto constructed great difficulty has been
experienced in maintaining their efficiency by reason of their clogging when
operating upon damp ground. Moreover it has been found necessary in order to
transport a clod crusher from place to place to provide detachable travelling
wheels.
I now propose to avoid the necessity for such wheels, and to provide an efficient
means for clearing the implement of adhering soil. To this end, supposing a narrow
clod crusher to be required, I provide a hollow cylinder with trunnions, and fit the
same in bearings attached to a draft frame. In the periphery of this cylinder I
pierce rings of elongated holes or slots, the holes being equidistant from each other,
and so formed as to allow of pointed wedge shaped teeth with flat sides passing
freely through them. Within this cylinder I place a series of toothed wheels, which
are held together by a central rod, and I thus form virtually a toothed roller. The
extreme diameter of this toothed roller will be such as to permit of its ready
insertion into the cylinder, and the rings of holes in this cylinder will correspond
with the rings of teeth on the roller, thus allowing the teeth to project through the
holes in the cylinder as the toothed rollers move over the inner periphery of the
cylinder while the implement is being drawn over the ground. The projecting
teeth coming in contact with the ground will break up the clods, and in the act of
withdrawing will clear themselves of any adhering soil.

page_text: In order to detach any soil that may adhere to the cylinder I provide a fixed
scraper in rear of the cylinder, which, as any adhering soil is brought up, will be
freed from the same by its coming into contact with the edge of the scraper.
To present a smooth bearing surface to the ground when the implement is
travelling from one place to another, and also to allow of its being used as a plain
crushing roller, I provide for the suspending of the toothed roller concentrically
within the cylinder. This may be done by clamping or supporting screws pro-
jecting from the arms of the cylinder, and catching under flanges at the opposite
ends of the toothed roller.
When making clod crushers of full width it may be desirable to provide special
facilities for turning them. For this purpose I may divide the working parts into
two lengths after the manner common to this class of implement, so as to allow of
their having independent motion.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Lancaster in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th November
1879.
JOHN LANCASTER, of Vine House, Canning Town East, London.
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CLOD CRUSHERS."
"IMPROVE-
In the use of clod crushers as hitherto constructed great difficulty has been
experienced in maintaining their efficiency by reason of their clogging when
operating upon moist ground. Moreover it has been found necessary in order to
transport a clod crusher from place to place to provide the implement with detachable
travelling wheels.
I now propose to avoid the necessity for such wheels, and to provide an officient
means for clearing the implement of adhering soil.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a plan view of my improved clod crusher;
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is an end elevation; and Fig. 4 is a
cross section of the roller taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1.
In these Figures A is a hollow cylinder of cast iron fitted with trunnions, which
turn in bracket castings bolted to the underside of a rectangular frame B, which
frame is fitted with shafts C, C.
The cylinder A is cast with rings of elongated holes or slots a in its periphery,
the holes being equidistant from each other, and so formed as to allow of rings of
pointed wedge shaped teeth b, with flat sides passing freely through them. These
rings of teeth constitute star wheels, a number of which, equal to the number of
rings of holes in the cylinder, are strung upon a common axle c (by preference
square in cross section), and constitute with spacing pieces da toothed roller D.
The extreme diameter of this toothed roller will be such as to permit of its ready
insertion into the cylinder, and the rings of holes in this cylinder will correspond
with the rings of teeth on the roller, thus allowing the teeth to project by reason
of the weight of the roller through the holes in the cylinder, as shown in Figures 2
and 4. As the implement is drawn over the ground the toothed roller D will
roll over the inner periphery of the cylinder, its teeth b passing through the openings
therein.
In this way the projecting teeth b will come in contact with the ground, and
break up the clods, assisted by the crushing weight of the advancing cylinder. On
withdrawing into the cylinder these teeth will clear themselves of any adhering
soil. In order to detach from the cylinder any soil which it may take up a scraper E
is provided in rear of the cylinder; this scraper is fitted to a transverse bar having
trunnions which rock in bearings attached to the underside of the frame B, and as
any adhering soil is brought up the scraper will free the cylinder from the same, its
edge being held in contact with the cylinder by the weight of a hand bar attached
thereto.
In order that the implement may present a smooth bearing surface to the ground
when it is travelling from one place to another, and also to allow of its being used
as a plain crushing roller, I provide for the suspending of the toothed roller D con-
centrically within the cylinder A. This may be done in many ways, but a simple
arrangement which I prefer to employ is that shewn in Fig. 5.
In this Figure F, F, F, are sets of supporting screws projecting inwards from the
arms of the cylinder, and catching under or within annular rings or flanges carried
by discs g fitted to the opposite ends of the toothed roller D.
In order to raise the roller to its central position it is only necessary to screw in
the lowermost of the supporting screws until they overlie the lower part of the flange
of the adjacent disc g; then by advancing the implement these supporting screws
will be brought upwards, and caused to lift the roller clear of the cylinder. The
remaining supporting screws may then be moved inwards in like manner, and

page_text: the further advance of the implement will cause the screws as they revolve to act
in succession as supports for the toothed roller.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in the
Construction of Clod Crushers," and explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters &
Patent I claim, constructing clod crushers as above described, whereby the clogging
of their teeth is prevented and the necessity for travelling wheels is avoided.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Lancaster, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Fourth day of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy nine.
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