Ax IMPROVED MACHINE FOR HOEING AND SIMILAR OPERATIONS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of "Ax
IMPROVED MACHINE FOR HOEING AND SIMILAR OPERATIONS." A communica-
tion from abroad by Paul Olivier-Lecq, of the Departement du Nord, France.
Sealed the 9th December 1879, and dated the 20th June 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th June 1879.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR HOEING AND
SIMILAR OPERATIONS.' [A communication from abroad by Paul Olivier-Lecq, of
the Departement du Nord, France.]
This Invention relates to an improved machine chiefly designed for clearing or
removing portions of lines or rows of plants which have been sown or planted, and
is more especially applicable to the culture of beet root, to remove at a certain
time and at intervals some of the plants, thereby leaving at regular and determined
distances groups of such beet roots, amongst which are left the larger roots. This
clearing or removal of a portion of such plants has been heretofore effected by
hand; it then occupies much time and is frequently performed in a very irregular
manner.
The said machine has a frame which is supported at the front upon front carriage,
and rests at the rear upon a cross beam, to the extremities of which are coupled
connecting rods pivoted upon the axles or trunnions of the rear wheels. By means
of a lever which is attached to the said rear cross beam the frame of the machine
may be raised or lowered as desired, the said lever being held in any desired
position by means of a pin passing through holes in a sector which is attached to
another cross beam.
Shafts upon which discs carrying clearing cutters or blades are fixed are
supported by the cross beam to which the sector is attached and by another cross
beam at the front of the machine; each shaft carries a bevel pinion engaging with
a bevel wheel upon a shaft which is supported in the frame of the machine, and is
Prion 621

page_text: provided at one end with a pinion engaging with a toothed wheel connected with
one of the rear supporting wheels of the machine.
The aforesaid bevil wheels and the discs carrying the clearing blades are so
arranged as to be readily removed.
The aforesaid front carriage is provided with two wheels and with means for the
attachment of the horses. A lever is fixed upon the vertical spindle of the afore-
said front carriage, and permits the operator or conductor to turn the said front
carriage to the right or to the left, according to the direction he desires to give to
the machine. The said vertical spindle is provided with a shoulder upon which the
forward end of frame of the machine rests, and this end of the said frame is held
in position by means of a ring or collar which is fixed upon the aforesaid spindle
by means of a set screw.
I will now proceed to describe the working parts of the said machine, that is to
say, the knives or blades which act upon the lines or rows of plants to clear the
same.
The said machine carries several discs provided with cutters to act upon several
rows of plants at the same time, and the position of the said cutters and the
distance between the same may be varied according to the space between the rows.
The clearing blades or knives are arranged upon the aforesaid discs, and the rods
or bars of the same are guided in two concentric circular portions of the said discs
and are held in position by a set screw. The said clearing blades are triangular in
shape or may be of any other suitable form, such as rectangular, square, lozenge-
shaped, or otherwise; they are arranged at an angle of three or four degrees more
or less, and any desired number of the same may be used to suit the plants to be
cleared and their size.
The rod or bar of each clearing blade has six sides in order to permit the position
of the said blade or knife to be varied.
The machine being started the wheels in advancing turn the cutters which
remove the plants at regular intervals; the plants that remain are those over which
the cutters pass between the contact with the ground of two successive cutters.
The said machine may be provided at its front with a series of hoes or with
shares or scrapers of various forms to scrape the surface of the ground and clear
the space between the lines.
In some instances the aforesaid shares may be replaced by small pointed rods or
bars, as is the case when it is desired to indicate the position of the article to be
planted; in this case I place at the side of the bar supporting the discs an upright
rod or bar which will trace a line. The machine may also be used to divide the
rows into equal lengths.
The gearing for driving the clearing blades may consist of a Vaucanson chain
and suitable wheels.
The wheels are provided with a boss which can slide upon a second boss keyed
to the axle.

page_text: BAD CA party in section of a machine constructed according
to this Invention.
Figure 2 is a rear elevation; and
Figure 3 is a plan or top view of the same.
The said machine has a frame X which is supported at the front upon a fore
carriage Y and rests at the rear upon a cross beam Z, to the extremities of which
are coupled connecting rods A pivotted upon the axles or trunnions O of the rear
wheels R.
By means of a lever L which is attached to the said cross beam Z the frame X
may be raised or lowered as desired; the said lever may be held in any desired
position by means of a pin passing through holes in a sector B which is attached
to the cross beam C.
The said machine has shafts M upon which are fixed instruments consisting of
discs D carrying the clearing cutters or blades. These shafts are supported by tho
cross beams C and E; each shaft carries a bevel pinion P engaging with a bevel
wheel Q upon a shaft F; the latter carries a pinion H engaging with a toothed
wheel G connected with one of the rear supporting wheels of the machine. The
wheels Qand the discs carrying the clearing blades are readily removable. When
the machine is in operation the pinion H gears with the toothed wheel G.
The aforesaid fore carriage is provided with two wheels and with means for
the attachment of the horses. A lever G' fixed upon the vertical spindle Y of the
fore front carriage permits the operator or attendant to turn the said fore carriage
to the right or to the left, according to the direction he desires to give to the
machine.
The vertical spindle Y is provided with a shoulder a upon which the end of the
frame or beam rests; the latter is held in position by means of a ring or collar cl
secured by a pinching screw.
I will now proceed to describe the working parts of the said machine, that is to
say, the knives or blades which act upon the lines or rows of plants to clear tho
same.
The said machine may have any number of the aforesaid instruments, that is to
say, the discs provided with cutters K (two discs are shown in the Drawing), to act
simultaneously upon several rows of plants; the position of the said cutters and
the distance between the same may be varied according to the space between the
rows,
The clearing blades or knives K are arranged upon the aforesaid discs D, as
shewn in the Drawing; the rods or bars of the said blades are guided in two
concentric circular portions of the said discs, and are hold in position by a set

page_text: screw. The said blades or knives are shown triangular in shape, but they may be
rectangular, square, lozenge-shaped, or otherwise suitably formed; they are arranged
at an angle of three or four degrees more or less, and any desired number of the
same may be used to suit the character and size of the plants to be cleared or
removed.
The rod or bar of each clearing blade is preferably formed with six sides to
permit the position of the said blade or knife to be varied.
The machine being started the wheels in advancing cause the rotation of the
series of blades which remove the plants at regular intervals; the plants that
remain are those passed over between the acts of contact with the ground of two
successivo blades K.
The said machine may be provided at its front with a series of holes S or with
shares or scrapers S' of various forms to scrape the surface of the ground and clear
the space between the lines or rows of plants.
In some instances the aforesaid scrapers may be replaced by small pointed rods
or bars; these are advantageous when it is desired to indicate the position of any
articles to be planted; in this case I place at the side of the bar supporting tho
aforesaid discs a rod or bar which will trace the lines or rows, thus the said machine
may be used to divide the rows into equal lengths.
I may modify the gearing by using a Vaucanson chain placed on a pinion on one
of the wheels R, and imparting movement to the shaft C through the medium of a
gear-wheel placed on its extremity.
The wheels R are provided with movable bosses fitted to work upon bosses
secured on the axle.
It will be understood that the form, materials, and dimensions of the parts of my
improved machine may be varied as required.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim in the above described machine, and as constituting the peculiar
features thereof,-
First. The combination of rotating instruments which clear the lines or rows of
plants, while leaving those which are travelled over in the intervals between the
acts of contact of two successive blades.
Second. The controlling of those rotating blades.
Third. The frame of the machine provided with elevating devices for adjusting
the said blades out of action.
Fourth. The divers modifications of the arrangement of the details of the said
apparatus.
Fifth. The application of the said machine to divide into equal lengths the lines
or rows in or along which the planting or sowing is to take place.
All substantially as and for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
Wª. ROB³. LAKE (La)