USRE8247E - Improvement in fertilizer-sowers - Google Patents

Description

O, P. JOHNSON, Jr.

Fertilizer-Sewer;

No. 8,247. Reissued May 21,1878.

WITHVESSJLS' NIT ED Sz-TAT PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES F. JOHNSON, .13., or owEco, NEW roux.

IMPROVEMENT IN F To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES F. JOHNSON,

" Jr., of Owego, county of Tioga, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fertilizer-Sowers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accom-' panying drawings, making part of this specification, in which 5 Figure 1 represents a plan view, and Fig. 2 a transverse vertical section, of a fertilizer box or hopper with my improvements applied.

Similar letters of reference refer to the same parts in both figures.

In the distribution of fertilizers by machines as ordinarily constructed for that purpose, great difficulty has been experienced in-efl'ecting their even and regular discharge, owing to the sticky or adhesive nature characteristic, to a greater or less extent, of all materials employed in a pulverized condition for fertil- -izin g purposes, this propertyproducing a constant tendency to compact the material in the hopper, and thus cause it to arch over the discharge outlets or openings, thereby stopping the flow or discharge of the material.

The object of my-improvement is to over-. come this difficulty, and to this end my invention consists, first, in the combination, with the curved metallic hopper-bottom, of a vibrating wiper or scraper extending lengthwise of the hopper over the discharge outlets or openings, and the intervening spaces for preventing the arching of the fertilizing material, as hereinafter explained. I

It further consists in providing a Wiper extendinglengthwise ofahopperhaving a curved bottom, as described, with ,a sharp cuttingedge, adapting it to pass through and to re move the fertilizing material adhering to or in contact with the hopper -bottom with diminished resistance or friction, as hereinafter explained.

It further consists in a novel construction and arrangement of the rock-shaft and its attachments, the rock-shaft being provided with malleable arms, to which the thin iron wiper is attached, for a purpose which will be explained and it further consists in arranging the longi ERTlLlZER-SOWERS.

247, dated tudinal wiper with its lower face inclined to the curved bottom of thehopper, for adapting it to force the fertilizing material outward through the discharge-openings in its passage over the same, as hereinafter explained.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the fertilizer box or hopper, having its lower front and rear corners or'angles filled in at B, to give the bottom the curved or concave form in transverse section shownin Fig. 2.

' This curved portion is covered by sheet The bottom distances apart, forming discharge-outlets, and the wooden bottom A is grooved longitudinally on its upper face, to receive a slide, 1),

the holes a in the metal bottom 0, and adapted to slide longitudinally in close contact therewith, for opening, closing, or partly closing, the discharge-openings a, as desired. E is arockshaft, made square or polygonal in form, with one end, I), rounded to form a journal, and'provided near its other end with a round casting bearings, operated from the ground-wheel of the machine by gearing and crank or other suitable device.-

If the length of the shaft E should make bearing to keep it from sagging.

lower endsto receive a thin metal wiper, I,

, extending lengthwise of the hopper and riv kscrapeaway any portion thereof adhering to metal 0, preferably of galvanized iron, bent v into trough shape,conformin g to the shapeof and forming the hopper-bottom.

thus formed is pierced with holes at suitable pierced with holes a corres ondin in size-to 7 P g Y or collar, G, forming a second journal, and-" 2 adapting the shaft to rock or oscillate in its" it necessary, it may be provided with a central On this rock-shaftis mounted a series of malleable -iron arms, H H, adapted at their- I eted to the arms H, with its lower face set ati an angle inclining from the edge in contact or the hopper bottom, with less friction than where a different form of wiper is employed.

By giving the lower face of the wiper the angular position or the-inclined relation to'th'e hopper-bottom shown and described, its movementor vibration tends to press or force the material between it and the hO])PBl-b OhtOll1 outward through the discharge-outlets, and thus to prevent the latter from becoming clogged, while the cutting-edge of the wiper, by moving in close proximity with the curved bottom, serves to cut or scrape off any of the material that would otherwise adhere thereto.

The wiper I is shown made continuous that is to say, extending from end to end of the hopper (a slight space being allowed at each end forclearance) on a line parallel with the rock-shaft E, and sweeping the space or spaces intervening between the discharge openings or outlets a. By this arrangement,

- whereby the wiper is made to. extend over two or more openings, it will be seen that the ferti'lizin g material will be prevented from arching between said openings, and thereby obstructing its discharge,while by extending it the whole length of the box the entire mass of fertilizer will be agitated and cut loose the entire length of the bottom at every vibration, and arching at any point effectually prevented.

By fastening the wiper and arms to the rockshaft and making the former continuous, as described, a truss form is obtained, giving gmat stiffness in a vertical direction, and the rock-shaft is prevented from springing up from.

bent up at these points by pieces of bone or,

foreign substances getting between it and the hopper-bottom. v

Bym akin g the hopper-bottom and the gradu ating-slide of thin metal, as shown and described, the liability of' 'the fertilizer to stick to the side walls of the discharge-outlets, and thus obstruct them, is greatly diminished; and the openings through the wooden bottom underneath the slide being made of increased diameter, as shown, all liability of the fertilizer being caughtandobstructed in its discharge thereby is obviated.

Bymaking the rock-shaft square or polygonal in form, the arms H, provided with sleeves or sockets conforming in shape thereto, are adapted to be readily slipped on or off 'for renewal or repairs, while at the same time the form of the shaft insures their being brought into line with each other and their vibration with the shaft when in place thereon, while by making the arms H malleable the wipers,

riveted to their outer ends, are adapted to be readily removed and replaced, when injured or broken, without liability of injuring or break in g the arms, thereby greatly diminishing the cost of repairs. Further, by making the arms of a malleable casting,they can be made thin,

so as to offer less resistance in passing through the mass of fertilizer, and at the same time be made strong, inthe direction .of the strain,

and they will thereby accomplish the important object of having as much open space as possible between the shaft and the wiper, thus keeping the fertilizer loose and avoiding the liability of packing at either extremity of the;

sweep.

It is obvious that other methods of attachin g the shaft to the wiper may be employed;

but my experiments indicate that the method I have adopted in operation.

The wiper, at each throw or vibration, either i It cuts away a small portion from the bottom of the mass of fertilizing material or forces it through the discharge-outlets, as explained, and the jolting of the machine in its passage over. the ground, assisted by the jar caused by the frequentand sudden change of direction of vibration of the rock-shaft and its attachments, causes the superincumbent mass of fertilizer-to instantly settle down behind the wiper, and thus to fill the place ofthe portion removed, thereby keeping up the supply of material at the discharge-openings always-in it to pass detached or separately, for the v urpose of I spreading it evenly over the'surface of the ground, an inverted V-shaped piece, J, of

zinc or other thin metal, is employed, arranged directly under the discharge-opening, said device serving to divide and spread the fertilizing material, throwing one part of it forward and the other to the rear, causing it to reach the ground in a fine shower.

Parts of the machine not particularly described may be constructed and arranged in any usual or preferred manner.

Having now described, my improvements,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is f 1. In a fertilizer-distributer, the combination, with the curved metallic bottom of the hopper, of avibrating wiper extending lengthwise of the hopper, soas to pass at each vi bration under the bottom of the whole, or

nearly .the whole, of the fertilizing material,

substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a fertilizer-hopper having a curved bottom, of a continuous vizbrating wiper'extending lengthwise of said hopper, and provided witlr the sharp cutting or scraping edge, substantiaily as and for the purposeset fort presents decided advantages 3. In a fertilizh distributer, the rock-shaft its lower face set iaclinuhto said bottom, sub- E,-i n combination with. the iron arms H and stantially as and for the purpose set forth. the thin metal wiper attached to said arms substantially as described. I CHARLES I" JOHNSON 4 4. In a fertilizer-distributer, the combina- \Vitnesses: flan, with a curved and perforated metallic QTHEO. D. GERE, hopper-hottombf a vibrating wiper having J. A.MABEE.

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