US636932A - Cattle-dehorner. - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

H. TDRGERSDN, CATTLE DEHOBNER.

(Application filed Jan. 18, 1899.)

.m: Nonms PETERS cc. wormurnou WASHINGTON. u. c.

Patented Nov, l4, I899.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFIC'E.

HANS TORGERSON, OF I-IEGBERT, MINNESOTA.

CATTL'E-DEHORN'ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 636,932, dated November 14, 1899. Application filed January 18, 1899. Serial No- 702,548. (No model.)

To all whom, it mag/concern.-

Be it known that I, HANS TORGERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at the town of Hegbert, in the'count-y of Swift and State of Minnesota, have invented'a new and useful Oattle-Dehorner, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention relates to cattle-dehorners, and has for its object to provide an apparatus of such a construction as to facilitate its application to the horns of an animal and its antomatic adjustment to the shape and position of the horns, whereby they may be severed close to the head.

' Afurther object of the invention is to provide a double dehorner or one wherein both horns are severed simultaneously, the engagement of the members with the horns being such as to prevent accidental displacement even should the animalbe loose or untethered and to provide for the operation of the device while the animal is in movement without affecting the accuracy of the cuts.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following description,and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a dehorning apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2isa face view of one of the dehorning members. Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the levers.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the draw- 1ngs.

The apparatus embodying my invention consists, essentially, of duplicate laterally spaced or separated knife-carrying members 1 and 2,each of which is provided at the front end of its body portion with a spaced hook-shaped jaw 3, forminga throat for the reception of a horn, said hook-preferably extending downward to provide for the engagement thereof over the horn, whereby the latter is seated in the upper end of the throat. This jaw 3 is grooved or channeled longitudinally at 4, and mounted in parallel guides 5, carried by the body portion of the member, is a reciprocatory knife 6, provided at its rear end with-a transverse slot '7, formed by a keeper, which may be attached to or formed'integral with the knife. In the construction illustrated the body portion and jaw 3 of the knife-carrying member consist of a casting, to which is attached a guide-plate having its side edges up turned to form the'above-described parallel undercut guides 5, in which are seated the side edges of the knife 6, and when the knife is advanced toward the jaw 3 itscutting edge is received in the channel or groove 4..-

The body portions of. the knife-carrying members are bifurcated at their rear ends to form rearwardly-divergent upper and lower arms 8 and 9,terminating in bearing- eyes 8 and 9, and mounted in the transversely opposite or alined bearing-eyes 5) and 9, re-

spectively, are the operating- levers 10 and 11, the trunnions, which are indicated at 10 and 11 respectively, being elongated and threaded to receive adjustable stops 12 and 13, which in the construction illustrated consist of nuts. To adapt the apparatus to be applied with facility to animals having different widths of heads or having the bases of their horns spaced at difierent intervals, I preferably mount the knife-carrying members for lateral movement toward and from each other by extending said trunnions 10 and 11 to allow movement of the bearingeyes 8 and 9 thereon, outward displacement of said members being prevented by the stops 12 and 13, and to yieldingly hold said knifecarrying members at the limits of their inward movement, and hence adapt them for antomatic adjustment to bear against the opposite sides of the head of the animal, whereby the knives will sever the horns at their bases, I employ a contractile spring 14, terminally connected to said knife-carrying members by anysuitable means, such as yokes 15, embracing the knife carrying members and provided at the centers of the inner sides of the latter with eyes 16, with which the spring is terminally engaged. The knife carrying members must, however, beseparated in applying them to the horns of an animal, and

as it is inconvenient in practice to manually separate the members I preferably employ in connection therewith a spacer 17, consisting of a bar having shoulders 18 forcontact with the inner surfaces of the knife-carrying members. The length of the bar between the shoulders 18 is such as to hold the members at the desired separation or, if preferred, at

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the maximum separation, and this bar should be adjusted preparatory to applying the dehorner to the horns of an animal. Disposing the spacer as indicated in Fig. 1 it is necessary simply to stand in front of the animal and drop the jaws 3 over the horns, whereupon as the apparatus drops to its place the contact of the crown of the animals head with the under side of the spacing-bar will displace the latter and allow the spring 14. to adjust the members inward until stopped by the size of the head.

The operating-levers are provided beyond their fulcrum pins 10" and 11 with operating-pins 19, which engage the transverse slots 7 of the knives, said pins being of sufficient length to allow the above-described lateral adjustment of the knife-carrying members without disengagement or disarrangement. Thus after the positioning of the apparatus upon the horns of the animal it is only necessary to draw the extremities of the operating-levers toward each other to advance the knives and sever the horns close to the roots. The means which I prefer to employ for thus simultaneously drawing the extremities of the levers toward each other consists of a running connection 20 of a looped rope or cable terminally attached, respectively, to the ends of the arms and having its sides traversing guides 21, each member or side of the connection being extended from its point of attachment to one lever across the interval between the levers and through the guide of the other lever, as clearly indicated in Fig. 1. In the construction illustrated said guides consist of antifriction-rollers, and after the adjustment of the apparatus it is simply necessary to draw upon the loop of the connection to accomplish the desired movement of the levers and the severing of the engaged horns.

To provide against accidental disengagement of the jaws 3 from the horns of an animal in case the latter should throw its head or otherwise make an effort to displace the implement, I employ stops 22 for closing the throats of the knife-carrying members. These stops in the construction illustrated consist of rods each fitted in one of the guides 5 in position to extend across the open end of the throat and terminally engage the end of the channel or groove 4 in the adjacent jaw, said bar having an angularly-disposed tip 23 for such engagement and also being provided at the opposite end with a finger-hold 24 to enable an operator to properly position it after engaging the jaws with the horns. These stops, however, perform the further function of guiding those edges of the knives which are adjacent to the mouths or open ends of the throats, the stops being arranged in contact with the inner surfaces of the knives adjacent to their free side edges, and hence preventing the inward deflection of the knives at these points as they are advanced in the act of severing the .horns. At the opposite side edges of the knives the guides are extended, as shown at 25 in Fig. 2; but owing to the inclination or curvature of the horns I have found in practice that there is a tendency to deflect the front or operative edges of the knives inward as they are advanced, and hence I prefer to employ the above-mentioned combined stop and guide 22.

It will be understood that in practice various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having described my invention, What I claim is 1. In a cattle-dehorner, the combination of spaced knife-carrying members mounted for movement to vary the distance therebetween, yielding means for moving said members toward each other, knives, and operating devices for the knives,substan tially as specified.

2. In a cattle-dehorner, the combination of spaced knife-carrying members mounted for movement to vary the distance therebetween, and having knives and knife-operating devices mounted thereon, yielding means for moving said members toward each other, and a removable spacer interposed between the members for holding them in opposition to said yielding means, substantially as specified.

3. In a cattle-dehorner, the combination of spaced knife-carrying members mounted for movement to vary the distance therebetween, and having knives and knife-operating devices mounted thereon, yielding means for moving said members toward each other, and

a shouldered bar removably engaged with said members for holding them separated in opposition to the tension of said yielding means, substantially as specified.

4. In a cattle-dehorner, the combination of spaced knife-carrying members adapted for movement to vary the distance therebetween, knives and operating devices mounted upon said members, and a contractile-spring connection between said members for automatically drawing them toward each other, substantially as specified.

5. In a cattle-dehorner, the combination of spaced knife-carrying members adapted for movement to vary the distance therebetween, knives and operating devices mounted upon said members, yokes engaged with said members, and a contractile spring terminally attached to said yokes for drawing the members toward each other, substantially as specified.

6. In a cattle-dehorner, the combination of spaced knife-carrying members, and reciprocatory knives mounted thereon, operatinglevers fulcrumed upon said knife-carrying members and operatively connected with the knives, and yielding means for moving the knife-carrying members toward each other, substantially as specified.

7. In a cattle-dehorner, the combination of IIO transversely-spaced knife-carrying members and reciprocatory slotted knives mounted thereon and adapted to operatively move in diverging planes and twin operating-levers fulcrumed upon the knife-carrying members and each provided with operating-pins engaging the slots of their respective knives and adapted to play in the slots and move the knives when said levers are moved.

8. In a cattle-dehorner, the combination with knife-carrying members and reciprocatory knives mounted thereon, said members being provided with spaced bearing-eyes, operating-levers, having intermediate fulcrumpins mounted in said bearing-eyes, and also having operating-pins engaged with elongated openings in the knives, and contractile means for drawing the members toward each other, substantially as specified.

9. In a cattle-dehorner, the combination'of laterally-spaced knife-carrying members, and reciprocatory knives mounted thereon and provided at their rear ends with transverse slots, said knife-carrying members being provided with spaced bearing-eyes, operatinglevers having intermediate fulcrum -pins mounted in said bearing-eyes and also pro-' vided with operating-pins engaged with said slots of the knives, stops for limiting the outward movement of the knife-carrying members upon the fulcrum-pins of the levers, and contractile means for drawing the knife-carrying members toward each other, substantially as specified.

10. Ina cattle-dehorner, the combination of laterally-spaced knife-carryin g members, and reciprocatory knives mounted thereon and provided at their rear ends with transverse slots, said knife-carrying members being provided with spaced bearing-eyes, operatinglevers having intermediate fulcrum pins mounted in said bearing-eyes and also provided with operating-pins engaged with said slots of the knives, adjustable stops for limiting the outward movement of the knife-oarrying members upon the fulcrum-pins of the levers, and contractile means fordrawing the knife-carrying members toward each other, substantially as specified.

11. In a cattle-dehorner, the combination with spaced knife-carrying members, adapted for movement in converging planes to mutu ally approach and recede, and reciprocatory knives mounted thereon,adapted for effective operation simultaneously with the movement of said members,operating-leversfulcrumedat intermediate points upon said knife-carrying members for simultaneously-swinging movement in opposite directions and engaged with the knives for communicating motion thereto, and a looped flexible connection between said levers, having its extremities attached respectively to the levers, and having its sides extended transversely across the interval between the same and through running-guides thereon, substantially as specified.

12. In a oattle-dehorner, the combination with spaced knife-carrying members and reciprocatory knives carried by and movable with respect to the carrying members in diverging planes, said knives being adapted for effective operation simultaneously with the movement of said members, of operating-1e vers fulcrumed at intermediate points upon said knife-carrying members for simultaneously swinging in opposite directions, and engaged with the knives forcommunioating motion thereto, and a looped flexible connec tion between said levers having its extremities attached respectively to the levers, and having its sides extended transversely across the interval between the same and through running-guides thereof.

13. A cattle-dehorner having a knife-carry ing member provided with ahook-shaped jaw spaced from the body portion of the member, a reciprocatory knife mounted to traverse the interval between the body portion and jaw of the knife-carrying member, means for oper atin g the knife, and a longitudinally-movable stop-bar 22 mounted upon the body portion of the knife-carrying member, for extension across, to close, the mouth of the space between said jaw and the body portion of the knife-carrying member, and provided with means for terminal engagement with said jaw, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

' HANS TORGERSON.

Witnesses:

P. L. RING, A. N. VIEG.

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