CHAP. VIII. 



STRAW-ELEVATORS AND CHAFF-CUTTERS. 



773 



The straw-elevator is very generally used in conjunction with the 

 threshing machine, as well as to lift sheaves, or loose corn or hay, on 

 to stacks; in the latter case horse-gear is required, and couplings are 

 attached in the place of the driving pulley. There are many different 

 methods for raising and folding them, but those on principles such as 

 the one represented in fig. 338 are particularly good, because there 

 is so little to get out of order, and there is less danger of accidents 

 than with those which are raised by means of longer poles. The 

 figure shows the machine folded in readiness for travelling. Without 

 the alteration even of a chain, all that is necessary, to put it into 

 working condition, is to turn the raising-handle, and by means of the 

 worm and worm-cog the pole is raised, and the upper portion is 

 brought over so that the trough is thrown out to its full length. By 



Fig. 340. Maynard's Mammoth Self-Feeding Chaff-Cutter. 



fixing a pin in the middle of the trough, the whole becomes rigid; 

 when it is only necessary to wind again, and the entire trough rises, so 

 as to give a throw 30 ft. in height. The lowering and folding are 

 effected by reversing the operations. 



Another ingenious form of stacking machine, or elevator, is made by 

 Messrs. Burlingham, Innes & Paternoster, of Hitchin, its distinctive 

 feature being that, by gradually raising the hopper at the bottom end 

 of the trough, the top end of the latter is kept continuously above the 

 middle of the stack, as a result of which the delivery takes place 

 throughout over the middle of the stack, and does not tend to approach 

 one side as the stack grows in height. In fig. 339 the hopper is 

 shown raised to the full extent. 



Chaff-cutters are now made with five or six knives of sufficient size 



