IMPROVEMENTS IN IMPLEMENTS OR MACHINES FOR RAISING OR DIGGING POTATOES
Year: 1877

page_text: ·LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Corbett, of Wellington, in the County of Salop,
Agricultural Implement Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
IMPLEMENTS OR MACHINES FOR RAISING OR DIGGING POTATOES."
aled the 21st December 1877, and dated the 7th July 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Corbett at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th July 1877.
SAMUEL CORBETT, of Wellington, in the County of Salop, Agricultural Implement
Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN IMPLEMENTS OR MACHINES FOR RAISING OR
DIGGING POTATOES."
My Invention consists of the improvements, herein-after described, in implements
or machines for digging or removing growing potatoes from the earth, the object
of my said improvements being the more rapid and economical removal of the
potatoes.
In constructing the said implements or machines according to iny Invention, I
mount or support an iron frame on two travelling or driving wheels and one guide
wheel. The two driving wheels are arranged to run on each side of the ridge to be
lifted, and the guide wheel to run behind in the same track as the near driving
wheel.
The motion to be given to the rotating fork, herein-after described, is transmitted
from the two driving wheels to the said fork by chain, spur, or, bevil gear. The
said rotating fork or separator is composed of a number of sets of forks or tines
arranged on a spindle or drum.
The tines of the several sets are arranged as radii to the axis carrying them, but
the tines of one set are arranged so as to be a little in advance of those of the next
set, or to make a small angle therewith. This setting of the tines in a screw-like
figure, causes them to act on the ridge of potatoes gradually or in succession, and to
cause the potatoes to be effectually separated from the soil and tops.
The implement can be made to deliver the potatoes and tops either on the side of
the machine or at the rear end of the same.
When the implement is required to separate the potatoes from the earth and to

page_text: carry the tops back and leave the potatoes and tops on the surface of the soil and
in the rear of the machine I fix a spindle across the frame parallel to the spindle of
the travelling wheels. The said spindle carries a series of forks or tines arranged as
herein-before described.
The spindle carrying the tines rotates at a much quicker speed than the travelling
wheels. This is effected by spur or chain gear.
When the implement is required to throw the potatoes and tops on the side of
the machine instead of at its rear, I fix a bevil wheel on the spindle of the travelling
or driving wheels for the purpose of driving a bevil pinion on a longitudinal shaft
carrying the arrangement of forks or tines herein-before described. The said forks
or tines work transversely on the ridge of the potatoes, and deliver the tops and
potatoes on the side of the machine.
I fix at the bottom of the frame a grating composed of cylindrical bars for the
purpose of riddling the soil from among the potatoes and tops, and I also fix a steel
share at the front of the said grating for the purpose of loosening up the soil and
potatoes and by the rotating forks or tines working over the grating, the soil is
completely riddled out from among the potatoes; I also fix at the front of the
implement two arms, for the purpose of gathering up the tops into the middle of the
ridge, and I fix a roller which runs along the top of the ridge to press down the
tops as the machine proceeds.
For raising or lowering the machine into and out of work, I fix a lever to the
guide wheel and frame, by the action of which the raising and lowering can be
effected; and for moving the machine along the roads or turning at the ends, I fit
the driving wheels and spindle with throw-in-and-out gear and self-acting ratchet
boxes for turning at 'the end.

page_text: 4
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Samuel Corbett in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd January
1878.
SAMUEL CORBETT, of Wellington, in the County of Salop, Agricultural Implement
Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN IMPLEMENTS OR MACHINES FOR RAISING OR
DIGGING POTATOES."
My Invention consists of the improvements, herein-after described, in implements
or machines for digging or removing growing potatoes from the earth; the object of
my said improvements being so to construct the machines that the removal of the
potatoes is effected more rapidly and economically than by the ordinary machines.
In constructing the said implements or machines according to my Invention, I
mount or support an iron frame on two travelling or driving wheels, and one or two
guide wheels. The two driving wheels are arranged to run on each side of the
ridge to be lifted, and the guide wheels to run in front of the driving. wheels.
The motion to be given to the rotating fork, herein-after described, is transmitted
from the two driving wheels to the said fork by chain, spur, or bevel gear. The
said rotating fork or separator is composed of a number of sets of forks or tines
arranged on a spindle or druni.
The tines of the several sets are arranged as radii to the axis carrying them, but
the tines of one set are arranged so as to be a little in advance of those of the next
set, or make a small angle therewith. This setting of the tines in a screw-like figure
causes them to act on the ridge of potatoes gradually or in succession, and to cause
the potatoes to be effectually separated from the soil and tops.
The implement or machine delivers the potatoes and tops at the rear end of the
machine, the rotating fork being fixed on a spindle across the frame parallel to the
spindle of the travelling wheels.
The spindle carrying the tines rotates at a much quicker speed than the travelling
wheels. This is effected by spur or chain gear.
I fix at the bottom of the frame a grating composed of cylindrical bars for the
purpose of riddling the soil from among the potatoes and tops, and I also fix a steel
share at the front of the said grating for the purpose of loosening up the soil and
potatoes; and by the rotating forks or tines working over the grating, the soil is
completely riddled out from among the potatoes; I also fix at the front of the
implement two arms or coulters, for the purpose of gathering up the tops into the
middle of the ridge, and I fix a roller which runs along the top of the ridge to press
down the tops as the machine proceeds..
For raising and lowering the machine into and out of work, I fix a lever to the
guide wheel and frame, by the action of which the raising and lowering can be
effected; and for moving the machine along the roads or turning at the ends, I fit
the driving wheels and spindle with throw-in-and-out gear and self-acting ratchet
boxes for turning at the ends.
I will now proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawings,. the
manner in which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in longitudinal section, Figure 2 in side elevation, and
Figure 3 in plan, an implement or machine constructed according to my Invention
for raising or digging potatoes..
a, a, is the iron frame of the machine supported on the two travelling or driving
wheels b, b; the said travelling wheels running on each side of the ridge of potatoes
to be lifted. At the front of the machine are the two guiding wheels'c, c; d, d, is
the rotating fork.by which the potatoes are separated from the soil and the potato
tops deposited at the back of the machine. The said rotating fork consists of a
number of sets of radial forked tines, so arranged on the spindle c that one set of
tines is situated a little in advance of the next set. By thus setting the tines, they
nre arranged helically or screw-like on the axis or spindle e, as will be understood
by an examination of the side elevation, Figure 2, and the plan, Figure 3, and the

page_text: forked tines are thereby made to act gradually or in succession upon the potatoes,
and effectually separate them from the soil and tops.
I arrange the sets of forked tines of the rotating fork & upon bosses or collars
which are fixed at the required angles upon the square spindle c of the rotating
fork, packing pieces or blocks being placed between the said bosses or collars,
as seen in Figure 3. The bosses or collars carrying the radial forked tines thus
strung or arranged on the square axis or spindle e are bound together by cotters or
screws.
The rotating fork d is driven from the driving wheels b, b, by internal toothed
wheels ff, on the said driving wheels, gearing with the pinions g, g, on the ends of
the shaft or axis e of the rotating fork. By means of the spur gearing represented,
the rotating fork is driven at a quicker speed than the travelling wheels b, b; but
chain or bevil gear may be employed for transmitting the motion of the travelling
wheels to the rotating fork.
Underneath the frame a and in front of the rotating fork d is a concave grating
or system of bars h, the said grating or system of bars h being supported by the
under framing i. This grating h is for the purpose of riddling the soil from among
the potatoes and tops. At the front of the said grating is a share & for loosening
up the ridge and potatoes.
At the front of the machine are two coulters m, m, by means of which the soil is
cut at each side of the ridge, and the potato tops gathered into the middle of the
ridge to be pressed down by the roller behind the said coulters. These coulters m, m,
may be fixed at the required distance apart on the bar n by sliding the boxes
carrying the said coulters on the said bar n, and fixing them by wedges.
The machine is raised into and out of work by the lever p connected to the axis q,
on which the arms r,, of the guiding 'wheels c, c, are fixed. This lever P
furnished with the usual second or locking lever for engaging with the rack bar s
for fixing the lever p in its adjusted position.
In using the machine, the horse is attached to the barn in the usual way, and
the machine is drawn along the ridge of potatoes. As the machine proceeds, the
ridge is cut on each side by the coulters m, m, and the potato tops are gathered
by the said coulters to the middle of the ridge, which potato tops are pressed down
by the passage over them of the roller . The soil of the ridge is next loosened by
the share k, and under the said loosened soil and the potatoes the grating is drawn,
which soil and potatoes are operated upon by the rotating fork d. By the action
of the rotating fork d, in combination with the grating h, the soil is completely
separated or riddled out from among the potatoes, and the potato tops are separated
from the soil and deposited, by the rotation of the fork d, behind the travelling
machine.
For the purpose of cleaning the land after the potatoes have been lifted and
removed, I detach the pressing roller and the grating and share h, k, from the
machine, and in place thereof I combine with the machine two or more coulters
behind the front coulters m, m. The machine thus modified is represented in side
elevation in Figure 4, the additional coulters being marked t. These coulters t are
arranged and fixed on the bar u (Figure 3) of the machine in the same way as the
front coulters m, m, are arranged and fixed on the bar n.
1. Figure 5 represents, in side elevation, and Figure 6, in plan, a modification of the
potatoe raising machine, already described. In this arrangement, the axis or shaft e,
driven, as herein-before described, from the travelling wheels b, b, has at each end
a rotating fork v, v, the tines of which have the form represented. Along the
middle of the machine is a share w, and bebind the said share is a grating or system
of bars, the bars of the said grating being inclined on either side the middle of
the machine, in the manner shown in Figure 6. The share and grating w, x, are
fixed to the frame of the machine by screws and nuts at y, y, the said screws passing
through the frame and share body. The share body is provided with three or other
number of rows of holes situated at different heights, so that the share body w and
the-grating a can be raised or lowered vertically...

page_text: The
At the front of the machine are the two coulters u, u, for cutting the sides of the
potato ridge. As the machine is drawn along the ridge, the soil is cut and loosened
by the coulters u, u, and share w, and the potatoes are forked out of or separated
from the loose soil by the operation of the rotating forks v, v, and grating
inclination of the said grating on each side the middle of the machine directs the soil
through which it passes towards the rotating forks v, v, and thereby brings the soil
and potatoes contained in it more effectually under the operation of the said forks.
Instead of mounting the rotating forks v, v, upon the same shaft e, the said forks
may be mounted upon short independent shafts driven from the travelling wheels b, b,.
by bevil gearing; the said shafts making with each other an obtuse angle, so as to
cause the vertical planes in which the forks v, v, revolve to be inclined to one another,
the said planes approaching each other at the rear of the machine. By this arrange-
ment, the prongs of the revolving forks are wider apart at the front or share end
of the machine than at the rear end; and the soil and potatoes under the action of
the machine are gradually brought closer as the implement or machine acts upon
them.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my
Invention,
First. The improvements in implements or machines for raising or digging potatoes
herein-before described, and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say, the construction and combination of the rotating fork d
(with screw-like arrangement of its forked tines) with the grating h, share k, pressing
roller l, and coulters m, m; the said rotating fork being driven from the travelling
wheels, and the other parts of the machine being arranged and operating sub-
stantially as described and illustrated. Also the adaptation of part of the said
machine with the addition thereto, represented in Figure 4, for cleaning land.
Secondly. The improvements in implements or machines for raising or digging
potatoes, heren-before described, and illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 of the accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say, combining with rotating forks vertical gratings,
so that the soil operated upon is carried by the rotating forks against the vertical
gratings, whether the said rotating forks rotate in parallel planes or in planes
inclined to one another, substantially as described and illustrated:
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Corbett, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven:
Witness,
GEORGE WYCHERLEY CORBETT,
Wellington,
Salop.
SAMUEL CORBETT. (L.S.)