Hay-rope Twister
A machine for spinning hay or straw ropes. Formerly rope-spinning was a tedious operation, consisting of a simple hooked crank which an assistant turned in his hands, gradually walking backward as the hay was paid out by the skilful hands of the operator, who sat behind a loose pile of damp hay or straw, and fed it in just such quantity as would produce the thickness of rope required. The machine hay-rope twisters now becoming general for this purpose are of various designs. The following is a full description of a power twister:
It is constructed of the most approved design, of the best material, and the workmanship is first-class. The bearings of the revolving frame turn upon stout iron standards, which rest on heavy wooden skids, two inches by eight inches. The winding pulley is propelled backward and forward by cog-gearing on a right-and-left screw, which reverses by a spring arrangement at each end of same.
An operator feeds hay into the hollow spindle, which directs the rope on its way to the reel. As the rope is twisted by the revolving frame, it is fed on the spool by the operator pressing his foot gently on the treadle, relieving it as soon as the rope is wound, and spinning and feeding together. The rope can be made tighter or looser according to the tension placed on it by the operator, care being taken when the hay or straw is weak in quality. Great skill is acquired by practice, and beginners must not be discouraged by breaking the rope or other mishaps.
The machine should make about two hundred revolutions per minute or faster for small rope, which varies from say one-half inch up to one and one-half inches, depending upon the body of material fed by operator. Each reel will contain about one thousand feet of rope on an average, and from five to ten reels can be spun in a day, according to size of rope, which is a large produce for a smart boy.
This machine must be belted to run from right to left at the feeding end, so as to twist the rope right-handed. In securing the twister to the floor, care must be taken not to bolt it in such a way as to cause the frame to bind in its bearings.
The reels or spools when full should be removed and sent to the foundry, where they are dropped in a frame and unwound directly on the core-barrels. A sufficient length of rope is allowed to remain on the machine to begin another reel with, say, six or eight feet-enough to fasten to the body of the reel. Dimensions.--Extreme length, 6 ft.; extreme height, 2 ft. 10 in.; extreme width, 2 ft. 6 in.; weight, 750 lbs.; shipping weight, 850 lbs. Adaptation.--Motion of reel, right to left; capacity of reel, about 1000 feet of rope; product, 5 to 10 reels per day, according to size of rope and skill of operator; sizes of rope, 1/2 in. to 1 1/2 in.