Identify implement

[dairyman]

Can anyone identify this implement? All I know about it is the picture was taken at my great great grandparents sawmill in northern Michigan. They did farm too but I don’t know if this was for farming. It reminds me of a spike tooth drag but much heavier.

 

[roy prins]

we called a swedesh drag' dont know why !

 

[scootergmc]

That's a spiketooth harrow. They come in all shapes and sizes.

 

[dairyman]

That's a spiketooth harrow. They come in all shapes and sizes.

Thanks. Wasn’t sure since it’s different than what I’m used to.

 

[scootergmc]

Thanks. Wasn’t sure since it’s different than what I’m used to.

Do you have an approximate date on the photo? I haven't seen anything like it online. It looks fairly early but it also looks to be fairly well constructed and engineered. A lot of those smaller basic implements were produced in local community foundries/metalwork shops.

 

[used red MN]

Let’s give the gauntlet a couple more tosses deeper into this photo. Looking at what would be the background at the upper right does anyone have any ideas about the items with the round discs maybe 5 or so foot in diameter on each end of a pipe that look about 15 feet long? Are those stacked up half-sawn logs back on either side of the “gate” feature with 2 panels? Was half sawing a practice to promote drying? You can definitely see a stack of large un-sawn logs at the lower right side of the photo. It looks to me like that implement is setting on a built up flat floor. Does anyone agree with that? Maybe the low structure off to the right of the flat area is a loading dock. Then this just tricks my mind into perceiving the raised flat floor structure.
I do agree that it is a spike tooth type of harrow implement.

 

[Bob Bancroft]

Looks to be more substantial than what I remember. Amongst what was left of them around here were some spikes which had a curved end. It was explained to me that the way you transported from field to field was to flop the whole rig over, and it skated along on those few spikes with the rounded end!

 

[dairyman]

Do you have an approximate date on the photo? I haven't seen anything like it online. It looks fairly early but it also looks to be fairly well constructed and engineered. A lot of those smaller basic implements were produced in local community foundries/metalwork shops.

Late 1800’s they moved to Ohio sometime before 1910 but we don’t know exactly when.

 

[Bob Bancroft]

Looks to be more substantial than what I remember. Amongst what was left of them around here were some spikes which had a curved end. It was explained to me that the way you transported from field to field was to flop the whole rig over, and it skated along on those few spikes with the rounded end!

Now I'm remembering a different spike tooth harrow. I'm sure it had a lever where you could adjust the angle of the spikes. And I think you could lay them right out flat so that it would slide along on those rounded-end-spikes I mentioned without digging in- for transport.

 

[Steve in VA]

Let’s give the gauntlet a couple more tosses deeper into this photo. Looking at what would be the background at the upper right does anyone have any ideas about the items with the round discs maybe 5 or so foot in diameter on each end of a pipe that look about 15 feet long? Are those stacked up half-sawn logs back on either side of the “gate” feature with 2 panels? Was half sawing a practice to promote drying? You can definitely see a stack of large un-sawn logs at the lower right side of the photo. It looks to me like that implement is setting on a built up flat floor. Does anyone agree with that? Maybe the low structure off to the right of the flat area is a loading dock. Then this just tricks my mind into perceiving the raised flat floor structure.
I do agree that it is a spike tooth type of harrow implement.

Like a rorschach test: I see a giant pair of eye glasses.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

I have heard others call spike tooth harrows, "harrow gators." Seems to be a regional thing. Not sure where that came from because the last thing I think of when I see one is an alligator. Maybe it's because of the sharp pointy teeth?

 

[jon f mn]

Those axles with plates on them may have been for hauling logs for the paper mills. They would cut them to length and stack them around the shaft and chain them in a bundle so the whole bundle would roll. It was used in wet areas where wagons would sink.

 

[sms]

Those axles with plates on them may have been for hauling logs for the paper mills. They would cut them to length and stack them around the shaft and chain them in a bundle so the whole bundle would roll. It was used in wet areas where wagons would sink.

I was wondering if there had been a fire and those were the remains of some kind of equipment. Wooden rollers(snow or field). Something like that.

 

[used red MN]

Like a rorschach test: I see a giant pair of eye glasses.View attachment 103119

Now I can’t unsee the glasses, lol!

 

[scootergmc]

Those axles with plates on them may have been for hauling logs for the paper mills. They would cut them to length and stack them around the shaft and chain them in a bundle so the whole bundle would roll. It was used in wet areas where wagons would sink.

I was thinking the plates on the wheels were to combat the buildup of mud in the spokes.

 

[scootergmc]

Late 1800’s they moved to Ohio sometime before 1910 but we don’t know exactly when.

Yeah, since it's that early I'm really thinking it was locally made. Where was this mill exactly, if you know?

 

[dairyman]

Let’s give the gauntlet a couple more tosses deeper into this photo. Looking at what would be the background at the upper right does anyone have any ideas about the items with the round discs maybe 5 or so foot in diameter on each end of a pipe that look about 15 feet long? Are those stacked up half-sawn logs back on either side of the “gate” feature with 2 panels? Was half sawing a practice to promote drying? You can definitely see a stack of large un-sawn logs at the lower right side of the photo. It looks to me like that implement is setting on a built up flat floor. Does anyone agree with that? Maybe the low structure off to the right of the flat area is a loading dock. Then this just tricks my mind into perceiving the raised flat floor structure.
I do agree that it is a spike tooth type of harrow implement.

Yeah, since it's that early I'm really thinking it was locally made. Where was this mill exactly, if you know?

Mom thinks it was in Petersburg but they moved around a bit we know they were in yispilani too but my great uncle thought there was a place up further north but we can’t prove it.

 

[Loosehandle]

Like a rorschach test: I see a giant pair of eye glasses.View attachment 103119

Paul Bunyan?

 

[used red MN]

Now I can’t unsee the glasses, lol!

Not to foo foo the fun but I would like to see some productive answers from this. If you look closer at what looks like the right arm of the glasses(on left in photo) is just another repeat of the circular shapes that makes up the “lens frames”.

 

[Leroy]

That's a spiketooth harrow. They come in all shapes and sizes.

Just what was called a chain harrow up thru the 50\s or later Just a heavy version of a spike tooth hearow. not popular but found in farm catalogs.