AN IMPROVED POTATO DIGGER
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Wilhelm Unterilp, of Dusseldorf, Germany, Merchant, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED POTATO DIGGER."
Sealed the 13th January 1880 and dated the 24th July 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Wilhelm Unterilp at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th July 1879.
WILHELM UNTERILP, of Dusseldorf, Germany, Merchant. "AN IMPROVED POTATO
DIGGER."
The object of this Invention is to provide an apparatus for cutting off the potatoe
bines or haulms, thrusting the same aside, turning up the potatoes, and cleaning
and assorting them at one continuous operation. To this end a pair of rotary
cutters is provided which are mounted horizontally in a box that is pendent from a
transverse shaft which has its bearings in a frame carried by a pair of running
wheels. These rotary cutters are star shaped, and they overlie each other so as to
ensure the spurs of the upper and lower cutters forming a series of shears for severing
the potatoe bines. These rotary cutters are mounted on a fixed axle, and to each
is attached a band pulley for receiving a driving band from pullies fitted to vertical
concentric shafts which project through the top of the box and are each fitted with
a bevil wheel. In gear with these bevil wheels are similar wheels on the transverse
shaft before mentioned, which constitutes the driving shaft of this part of the
mechanism. This arrangement is designed for the purpose of driving the cutters
in opposite directions, and thereby causing them to act as shears. The front part
of the box is open to expose the advanced portion of the cutters and permit of the
potatoe bines being brought within their action. In front of the box radiating
fingers are provided for lifting the bines and guiding them up to the cutters to
ensure that the bines of one row of potatoes only shall be drawn by these fingers
within reach of the cutters at one time. A vertical cutter is provided which will
sever any entangled bines, and thus clear the way for the progress of the apparatus.
This cutter works in a fork carried by the frame, and receives its motion from
the driving shaft. An inclined board set on the top of the box will serve to throw
the cut bines ont of the line of traverse of the apparatus. In rear of this apparatus
and capable of detachment therefrom so as to be used alone if thought desirable is
the potatoe digger proper, the carriage of which is mounted on a pair of running
Price Sd l

page_text: wheels. Fitted adjustably in this frame is an inner frame, which is free to rock on
the axle of the running wheels, and carries at its forward end a shovel, the dip of
which is adjusted by a chain or otherwise. This shovel serves to underrun the
potatoes, and presenting an incline thereto will cause them as the apparatus advances
to rise to the surface. As the potatoes rise they are received onto an inclined bed
composed of rows of interlocking revolving tines mounted upon horizontal transverse
shafts, driven by bevil gear from the axle of the running wheels. The rows of tines
as they recede from the front increase in diameter, and they are differently spaced,
for the purpose to be presently explained. With the potatoes is brought up a
quantity of earth, which when delivered onto the rows of tines will be disengaged
from the potatoes and allowed to fall onto the ground. The potatoes will however
be carried forward by the revolving tines, and these will in turn fall through the
spaces between the interlocking tines and be caught by pendent receptacles. Thus
the potatoes will be assorted according to their size, the largest dropping through
the rearmost spaces. Any weeds and large clods carried rearwards by the tines
will however be discharged from the back of the apparatus on to the ground.
Motion may be imparted to this apparatus either by horse or steam power.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Wilhelm Unterilp in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th January
1880.
WILHELM UNTERILP, of Dusseldorf, Germany, Merchant. “AN IMPROVED POTATO
DIGGER."
The object of this Invention is to provide an apparatus for cutting off the potato
bines or haulms, thrusting the same aside, turning up the potatoes, and cleaning
and assorting them at one continuous operation.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews my improved apparatus in plan
view; and Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same. It may be described as two
distinct implements, connected together by a link attachment, the front or fore-
most implement serving to dispose of the stalks of the potatoes, and the rear imple-
ment to unearth the potatoes, clean the same or free them from earth, and assort
them.
'
A is the framing of the cutting implement mounted upon a pair of carrying
wheels; and B is the framing of the digger proper, also mounted upon a pair of
carrying wheels, from which the motion for driving all the working parts of the
compound implement is derived.
The stalks are cut down by means of two horizontal rotary cutters a and a',
placed one above the other, and turning in contrary directions upon a fixed axle,
while a vertical rotary cutter b separates the bines of the row under treatment from
the bines of the adjacent row.
The rotary cutters a and a¹ receive motion from one of the carrying wheels of
the digger by means of pulleys 61, the bevil wheels c and pulleys d, d¹, and e,
e¹.
The rotary cutter b receives motion by means of the wheels f and f' and the
pulleys g and g'.
The vertical separation of the stalks and bine weeds is performed by the cutter b
passing between the prongs of a fixed fork h.
The cutting implement A is fitted in front with radial fingers as gatherers i,
which are intended to raise the stalks of the potatoes and to bring them within
reach of the rotary cutters. The dotted line / indicates a board set obliquely
for pushing the severed potatoe stalks out of the way onto the cleared land.
I will now describe the digging, cleaning, and assorting implement. 7 is the
shovel, attached to side plates or boards m which form a framing for an inclined
travelling assorting table. This table is supported near its rear end in the following
manner: Attached to the sides of the framing are slotted brackets m', in which
are fitted sliding blocks which embrace the axle of the carrying wheels. Tapped
into the lower ends of the slotted brackets are screws m³, provided with band wheels
for turning and adjusting the same. The ends of these screws enter sockets in the
blocks, and are secured thereto so as to permit of their turning therein. Fitted in
the sides of the framing m are bearings for the axles n, the rearmost of which
receives motion through a pulley q¹ from the spur wheel p, pinion p', the pulley q,
and the belt q².
Between the side plates m and upon the axles n are mounted a number of
star shaped wheels i. These wheels receive a rotary motion in the direction of the
arrows through the longitudinal shaft t, which is driven from the rearmost axle n¹
by bevil gearing.
The axles n of the wheels r are placed at such a distance apart that the wheels
on one axle overlap those of the other, and the wheels are so adjusted laterally that
they will rub against the wheels of the adjacent axles and thus clean themselves.
The foremost axle n situated nearest the shovel / carries the smallest wheels,
while the wheels on the following axles gradually increase in diameter towards the
.

page_text: rear end of the assorting apparatus. By this means the surface speeds of the wheels
will gradually increase towards the rear end of the apparatus.
The inclined travelling table formed by the rims of the wheels r will by its
motion clear the potatoes from the earth with which they may be covered, and this
earth will fall down between the wheels. When the potatoes have reached the
hindermost ranges of wheels, where the interstices are greater between them, the
smallest potatoes and those of a middle size will fall into the box u placed to receive
them. This box has its bottom formed of iron rods, separated from each other so as
to form a grid and permit of any earth which might still be carried up with the
potatoes to fall through the interstices.
The larger potatoes are carried further on and fall through the interstices between.
the two last rows of wheels into a box u¹ placed to receive them, while the weeds
and larger clods of earth that may have been mixed with the potatoes will glide
over the last row of wheels and fall to the ground.
1
It will be understood that the form of the wheels may be varied, and that they.
might be replaced by grooved or corrugated rollers or equivalent travelling surfaces,
as hereafter described, but the principle of action of the cleaning and assorting
table will remain unchanged.
The two portions A and B of the machine are connected with each other by a
link or joint so as to allow of the machine being more easily turned.
A windlass w and chain x are provided for the purpose of raising the travelling
table and the shovel from the ground when the machine is required to be conveyed
from one place to another.
The screw arrangement m² serves to adjust the moveable assorting table by
raising and lowering it to any required height.
As a modification of the cleaning and assorting table above described I propose
in place of the rotating wheels to employ longitudinal bars which will have a to
and fro, and at the same time an up and down, movement, the same being toothed
or indented on their upper faces. I also propose to employ two moveable tables,
placed one above the other, in order to obtain a more efficient cleaning.
This arrangement is shewn in Sheet. II. of the Drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a side
elevation, and Fig. 2 is a plan of the same.
In this arrangement 7 is, the shovel which raises the potatoes and conveys them
to the wheels e, which are rotated in the direction of the arrows and transfer the
potatoes to a set of inclined bars c. These bars have a movement communicated
to them, as is shewn by the arrow, by means of excentrics, crank arms, handles,
levers, or any other suitable mechanism, so that between two bars which move
upward and forward there is always one bar which moves downwards and back-
wards, and vice versa. The agitation thus obtained has the effect of completely
ridding the potatoes of noxious weeds and earth. The earth which has not fallen
between the wheels e will fall between the spaces of the bars c. Towards their
upper parts the thickness of the bars is reduced to a suitable extent in order to
allow the potatoes to fall through the enlarged spaces onto a second elevator D,
while the weeds are pushed further forward and may be easily removed by means
of a directing board placed obliquely, or by any other suitable means.
The elevator or moveable table D, the construction of which is similar to that of
C, also consists of bars d which move alternately forwards, and upwards, and back-
wards, and downwards in order to thoroughly clean the potatoes and conduct thein
into the collecting baskets p.
Instead of two series of wheels e, as shewn on the Drawing, a large number of
wheels may be employed, placed one behind the other. The most suitable form for
the wheels e, as well as of the bars c and d, will be best decided upon from practice.
Instead of the wheels e rotating rollers provided with teeth or pins may be
employed. These may be made of a form suitable for the raising, cleaning, and
classing of the potatoes, and by which the disintegration of the earth may be
obtained. Or the elevator bars c may be used alone for raising the potatoes and
breaking and disposing of the clods of earth.

page_text: In order to avoid the crushing or bruising of the potatoes either fixed or reci-
procating bars of suitable form may be placed between the moving bars so as to
maintain the mass in the raised position when the bars c and d descend.
At Sheet III. of the accompanying Drawings I have shewn a further modification
of the cleaning and assorting apparatus, Fig. 1 being a longitudinal section, and
Fig. 2 a plan view.
In this modification the second elevator D is dispensed with, and the bars b, b¹,
are made of different lengths, a long and a short one being placed alternately, their
lower or forward ends corresponding. In this way the spaces between the bars b
at the upper end of the assorting table will be larger than those at the lower end,
and the potatoes will fall through into the baskets p placed below to receive them,
whilst the haulms and weeds will be carried forward by the long bars b onto the
grid or sieve f, over the end of which they will fall to the ground.
In Figures 1 and 2 all the bars are represented as being supported at the forward
end by one common shaft, the shaking and feeding motion being effected by a crank
shaft at the rear end, but in Fig. 3 I have shewn the bars mounted on and actuated
by cranks at either end, the sets of long and short bars having independent cranks.
In this Figure the rotating discs are dispensed with, and the potatoes are lifted
from the shovel 6 directly by the bars.
The potatoes may be gathered into baskets or boxes placed upon movable
tables. The top o of this table is movable on a pivot n (Fig. 1, Sheet III.); or it
may be replaced by a plate or plank o¹ (Fig. 2). * In the latter case it would be
better for the plate or plank to be mounted on rails or rollers.
When a basket or box p is full the table top should be turned or be pushed on
one side so as to make room for an empty basket to replace it, that is to say, under
the upper part of the elevator mechanism. The tables may be mounted on carrying
wheels, or may form part of the machine.
The full baskets may be removed while the machine is at work, and without
stopping it, and emptied into a cart.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "An Improved Potato
Digger," 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,―
First. The arrangement of mechanism above described whereby the potato rows
are first cleared of the haulms, and the potatoes are then raised from the ground,
cleared of loose earth, and deposited in suitable receptacles.
Secondly. I claim the combination with a fixed shovel of an inclined travelling
agitating surface for receiving the potatoes as they are raised out of the ground by
the advancing shovel and acting upon them, as and for the purpose above set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Wilhelm Unterilp, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Twentieth day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand