What Is This? USFS Equipment?

[Phorester]

This was found in the local USFS warehouse while cleaning it out.  Evidently they only clean once ever 50 years or so.  ;D Does anybody know what this is?  Might not be specifically USFS related. There is no manufacturing label or other marks, numbers, etc. on it.  Stand about 3 feet tall.  The spool rests in slots on top of the frame legs.  It can be easily lifted out.  Turns with the handle.

[loggah]

It looks like a old wire roller for winging up electrical cable, maybe used for blasting wire leads.

[mad murdock]

It looks like a small hose winder, or cord/rope winder.

[redprospector]

Hmm. It looks like 2 little white x's in black boxes, inside white boxes to me. 

[Phorester]

But when you lift the spool out, the handle comes with it since it is attached permanently to the spool.  So anything rolled up on it can only be removed by unrolling it.  I don't see why you would want to do that.

[Banjo picker]

Hmm. It looks like 2 little white x's in black boxes, inside white boxes to me. 

what he said

[beenthere]

This was found in the local USFS warehouse while cleaning it out.  Evidently they only clean once ever 50 years or so.  ;D Does anybody know what this is?  Might not be specifically USFS related. There is no manufacturing label or other marks, numbers, etc. on it.  Stand about 3 feet tall.  The spool rests in slots on top of the frame legs.  It can be easily lifted out.  Turns with the handle.

Looks like the one end opposite the handle moves off out on that rod to the stop at the end, thus collapsing the inner part, releasing whatever is rolled up. Rope, telegraph wire, barbed wire, cable, etc.

[Phorester]

Hmmmm..... I reckon that I somehow accidentally deleted the photos of this contraption.  Trying again;

[Holmes]

Barb wire roller upper ?

[Phorester]

Well........ this was used by the USFS in an eastern national forest that is completely forested, no open range land as out west.  So I don't think they would have used it for barbed wire since they don't use barbed wire. Why would you want to roll up barbed wire anyway?

Not arguing, just discussing.

[beenthere]

When done using barb wire, one doesn't want to just leave it lay to get caught up in everything.

So the only other choice is to "roll it up".  When barb wire gets old and rusty, again, don't want to leave it lay. So again, have to roll it up.

But back in the day, the FS would run lines out through the woods for telegraph and phone connections. I believe even for some outlying fire fighting posts. Communication was by wire, not by CB radios, etc.

I see several needs for rolling up things that were once strung out.

Will that reel collapse if the right side opposite the handle slide out on the center rod?

[tmarch]

Wire roller, the spools are left on the rolls to be redeployed.  It came with spare spools and was used for telecom wire mostly as it is real stiff and will spring into a giant slinky without the U shaped containers.

[mikeb1079]

But back in the day, the FS would run lines out through the woods for telegraph and phone connections. I believe even for some outlying fire fighting posts. Communication was by wire, not by CB radios, etc.

yep.  we used to have one at work (elec shop) just like it.  make the diameter larger and wind up your wire then it collapses to take it out.   

[Phorester]

BEENTHERE; "Will that reel collapse if the right side opposite the handle slide out on the center rod?"

Don't know.... I'll  check this next time I'm down that way, which could be a few weeks.

Many thanks MIKE and TMARCH. 

[SliverPicker]

None of the above.  It's an antique back scratcher.......

[HiTech]

Could have been used with telegraph wire.

[LeeB]

a boot puller?