Tool picture, anybody know what it is?

sdunston · November 14, 2009, 12:35:57 PM

I was at an auction a few weeks ago and this tool was in with some flat belts and pulley's the auctioner said it had come from an old sawmill. I can not figure out what this is or even if it is related to logging or sawing(maybe some sort of big log roller). It has 2 arms that have a notch that looks like a chain could go into and make a loop and a spot that looks like a wooden handle could go into.
HELP ???
Sam

zopi · November 14, 2009, 01:00:21 PM

My guess is a chain wrench..either for putting chain under tension or for rolling big logs that a cant hook won't span...

Bodger · November 14, 2009, 01:47:58 PM

It's a load binder used on the railroad.

D._Frederick · November 14, 2009, 02:54:21 PM

I have one that my grand father used to clear land with at the turn of the past century. It is used with a log chain and a long pole and has good mechanical advantage, requires 2 persons to operate effectively.

Dave Shepard · November 14, 2009, 03:50:26 PM

It is a form of chain come-along. I have one on my garage wall, also without a handle.

sdunston · November 14, 2009, 05:39:28 PM

Also I would say by the casting and the fordge welded ring it dates to the 1800's.

pineywoods · November 14, 2009, 06:56:12 PM

Chain winch or chain come-along. I have one. with the right size chain, it works just as well as the so-called come-alongs

sdunston · November 14, 2009, 07:46:21 PM

Quote from: pineywoods on November 14, 2009, 06:56:12 PM
Chain winch or chain come-along. I have one. with the right size chain, it works just as well as the so-called come-alongs

OK how do you use it? And how long is the handle supose to be?
Sam

woodbowl · November 14, 2009, 08:22:09 PM

It's not a come-a-long or a RR binder. It is a barbed wire stretcher. At least that's what the old timers tell me. I've got one also. Mine doesn't have a handle and all the ones I've seen, they don't have a handle either. It makes me wonder if it even had a handle when it was new, leaving it up to the farmer to make his own.

pineywoods · November 14, 2009, 09:11:47 PM

Mostly they were used just like woodbowl says, to stretch fence wire, But I have seen them used to pull other things, like stuck vehicles. Handles were usually about 6 feet long, made out of whatever the farmer had handy, it fit in the round socket. Tie the fence wire to the round ring, run a chain to some fixed object (fence post, tree, etc) Hook one of the hooks over a chain link, pull the handle to advance the other hook past to the next chain link. Repeat many times. Slow, but it worked. The one I have was obviously made by some backwoods blacksmith.

jimparamedic · November 14, 2009, 09:55:47 PM

It is a come along as posted uses the same type of handle that a rail rad jack uses kind of looks like the handle of a cant hook works very well for pulling any thing you want as long as the muscle is there to do the work I use mine all the time work great as I said before

Bodger · November 14, 2009, 10:04:29 PM

I wanna change my vote, I think woodbowl's right

pigman · November 14, 2009, 11:43:40 PM

When I was a few years younger, my dad had one that we used to stretch woven wire fence. I am sure it could be used as a heavy come- along for any project. We had an eight foot wooden handle in ours.

Dave Shepard · November 15, 2009, 08:29:16 AM

I'm sure it was used as a fence stretcher, but it is properly a chain come-along. I've seen modern cable come-alongs used to stretch fence too. ;)

Bodger · November 15, 2009, 10:08:20 AM

Seems like it would be not very practical as a come-a-long...would require a LOT of chucking and re grabbing of the item being moved.

pineywoods · November 15, 2009, 10:15:25 AM

Quote from: Bodger on November 15, 2009, 10:08:20 AM
Seems like it would be not very practical as a come-a-long...would require a LOT of chucking and re grabbing of the item being moved.

Not true, use a long chain. You can walk this thing up a 50 ft chain just as fast as using a come-along. It advances on both forward and backward strokes of the handle.

Bro. Noble · November 15, 2009, 10:34:42 AM

I agree with Pineywoods on the use of a chain comealong, but this one in question doesn't look just right to me. We have one buried under some junk in a shed somewhere and it looks the same as this except for the arms that grab the chain. The one in the picture has one that looks to be modified and turned the wrong direction. Maybe I'm just remembering wrong. You guys that have one and can find it might take a look at them and see how they are made. This one might have been modified just for the purpose of stretching fence?

sdunston · November 15, 2009, 11:46:21 AM

Thanks guys, I went out and tried it as a comealong and it is slow but that thing with a 6 foot handle would pull anything. I think it was one of those tools that had many uses around the farm, And it still looks great hanging on the wall ;D Bro.Noble, the arms can be turned eather direction, the nuts and bolts on this one are still free. I bet you could get wire fence tight enough it would play music 8)
Thanks Sam

beenthere · November 15, 2009, 03:15:15 PM

I'd sure like to see a pic of it (or a similar one) in "operation mode". Doesn't look quite right for the purpose attributed to it. IMO.

For me, close but no cigar.

D._Frederick · November 15, 2009, 06:29:08 PM

The picture of the one shown is correct, the two chain grabbers face each other, in use one is hooked into the chain and then handle is moved in the direction to pull on the chain, When it is moved far enough the other grabber is hooked into the chain and the first on released. The handle could be any length that was manageable, the mechanical advantage could be greater than 100 to 1. There is nothing on the market that is carriable that has this kind of power.

park ranger · November 15, 2009, 09:39:58 PM

So if I understand right the chain would be pulled then slack then pulled from the other side. So it would kind of work from the center of the chain and bring the two ends together? If I get this thing figured out I'd be making one right off. This kind of old simple stuff is really neat.

shinnlinger · November 15, 2009, 10:07:54 PM

I have one of these things but had no idea what it was until now. Intrigued, I just walked out to one of my junk piles in the woods to try to fetch it, but it is dark and as I poked around with a flashlight, a coyote about 50 feet away let loose with a wail that made me reconsider finding it tonight. There is some rumpus going on in the woods off in the distance right now, but I guess this one wasn't invited and wanted to keep me company. No thanks...I like you folks better....

Did find a good peavy head that I didn't know I had till I thru it at the coyote..... The sheep don't seem to phased by it though....

Chico · November 15, 2009, 10:16:14 PM

We used to use them to pull chains offset log chains across booms or in troughs close enough to get links in it It has several uses It can be used to put press on a log being pulled up a ramp you can use it as a comealong It 's old I'd guess 1880 or so

D._Frederick · November 16, 2009, 02:12:03 PM

Park Ranger,
The chain never goes slack when pulling, you pull with one chain grabber as far as it will go, then hook the other grabber in and release the first one. You just kind-of walk down the chain.

Ianab · November 16, 2009, 02:59:24 PM

You can actually still buy that sort of thing new, very usefull fencing tool.

http://www.agritech.org.nz/hayes.shtml#Wire%20Strainer%20-%20Smooth%20Grip%20Chain%20Grab

That page also has pictures of the complete system, with the chain and either hooks or clamps to connect it to the wire and anchor point.

Ian