What is this tool used for? (pics)

[Brad Buchanan]

Hey, Everyone.

I was cleaning out an old roll cab prior to repainting it and found this wrench.

I cleaned it off with a wire wheel and lightly sanded the head to reveal markings.

It is stamped on the upper jaw 'COBS WRENCH CO. WORCHESTER MASS USA' on one side and 'MFG UNDER LCOBS PATS. STEEL'. The stampings are irregular.

The tool is very well made and balanced.

The two jaws forming the head show that it has been used as a hammer at some time in the past.

I believe that the wrench belonged to my Grandfather and was probably made around the turn of the century

Any help would be appreciated.

Brad




 

[Zachary Hoyt]

Around here that would be called a "monkey wrench". Kind of the precursor of the "crescent wrench" of today. Just an adjustable wrench.
Zach
 

[Mike Groom]

We always called it a Ford wrench,I think the proper name is a adjustable spanner wrench,it could have been a predecessor to the crescent wrench,very common to find at farm sales.
 

[big fred]

It's meant to be thrown into the works.
 

[SweetFeet]

Brad B.,

It is really a neat wrench. Looks like a wall hanger to me. I like the wood on the handle.

I helped my husband remove some small bolts from an F20 at the junkyard...some wood on the crescent wrench handle would have been nice. A little less "ouch".
 

[OldFarmTractor]

Monkey wrench is what we call it. Great for square headed bolts and nuts. As you can see, it doubled as a hammer when closed. You would have one in your steel wheeled tractor to tighten most of the adjustment bolts on plow or disc.
Monkey Wrench

 

[tractor300]

Around my part of the country it was called a monkey wrench. Dad had a 14"-16" inch that he used a lot. Nuts were mostly square when this wrench was around. I can remember Dad using it on iron and wood wheel wagons to loosen the large nut's that held the wheels on, when he would grease the wheels. Was probably one of his most used wrenches back in the day.
 

[PJH]

Brad - if you examine that wrench very closely, I think you'll discover, based on the wear patterns evident in your photos, that you not only have in your possession a monkey wrench, but quite possibly a left handed monkey wrench. A rare find, indeed. Congratulations on your find.

Just kidding, of course - I have two of those, a big one and a little one, and now you've forced me to go out and shine them up to see if they're also made by the Cobs Wrench Company.

Paul
 

[Archie McArdle]

I have 2 of them ,the name is "Coes" There's alot of info on them at the "Alloy Artifacts " website ........
 

[Brad Buchanan]

Ok, you got me.

Upon further inspection the name is indeed Coes.

Anyhoo thanks to you and all the others who replied!

Brad
 

[guido]

Hello Brad Bucknan,

I got the brother of your wrench AND his cousin.
Same markings on mine.
Guido.

 

[Stick welding]

Be careful, that could be the murder weapon Col. Mustard used in the library. LoL
 

[NEKS]

As a small kid I remember dad taking the nut off of the end of the axle on the high wooden wheel box wagon to grease them. He had a wrench like that he called a monkey wrench. Had a little bucket of axle grease that was really black and was very shiny. He smeared the grease on with a wooden shingle. The bucket was black and white checkered and had the name Black Sambo Grease on the side.
 

[dpendzic]

that"s a monkey wrench--i have a two footer and use it for square head nuts and also to adjust the tracks on my D2
 

[Leedog]

I have three that were my grandfather's. He replaced the wooden handles with leather after the wood went away. He very well may have gotten them from the landfill in Des Moines, Iowa. I know that he was afrontrunner in recycling. For years he carried an empty gunny sack and always came back with one man's junk that he turned into shorter hoes, rakes & shovels. I will try to take pics & post.