What is it?

[formerly ny bill]

I thought I knew, but now I'm not so sure. What say you?

 

[Texasmark]

SWAG....S is for Scientific: My wild ..... guess is that it is a cogged/toothed wheel brake/lock. When using the wheel, attached to a shaft or something that rotates, it's flipped back out of the way. Once the wheel is stopped and the operator doesn't want it to move it is flipped down in a groove and prevents the wheel from turning. The sides are there to ensure that it doesn't shift to the side and fall out of the grove when in the locked position. Whatever it is used on, it's big. A shaft in an old mill comes to mind, or a roller that accumulates rope as it turns to lift something. When the whatever gets where the operator wants it, the brake is applied so that the thing doesn't unravel and drop whatever was twisted or lifted.......Heck I don't know, just killing 15 minutes till bed time!

 

[joeysmith]

SWAG....S is for Scientific: My wild ..... guess is that it is a cogged/toothed wheel brake/lock. When using the wheel, attached to a shaft or something that rotates, it's flipped back out of the way. Once the wheel is stopped and the operator doesn't want it to move it is flipped down in a groove and prevents the wheel from turning. The sides are there to ensure that it doesn't shift to the side and fall out of the grove when in the locked position. Whatever it is used on, it's big. A shaft in an old mill comes to mind, or a roller that accumulates rope as it turns to lift something. When the whatever gets where the operator wants it, the brake is applied so that the thing doesn't unravel and drop whatever was twisted or lifted.......Heck I don't know, just killing 15 minutes till bed time!

Close
Wagon drag
Goes under the wheel when going downhill
Tied off to wagon

 

[formerly ny bill]

Close
Wagon drag
Goes under the wheel when going downhill
Tied off to wagon

that is what i thought, but sometimes I over think..... Thanks.

 

[used red MN]

Close
Wagon drag
Goes under the wheel when going downhill
Tied off to wagon

And to clarify for those here that are to young to conceive this, and me at 64 having no experience in this area, can also only assume this would be for a draft animal situation. This would cause the “hitch” to remain in a state of pull instead of it pushing on the animals. The previous being less controllable or even irritating to them causing an uncontrollable “spook” reaction. Do you agree with these statements or explanation?

 

[joeysmith]

And to clarify for those here that are to young to conceive this, and me at 64 having no experience in this area, can also only assume this would be for a draft animal situation. This would cause the “hitch” to remain in a state of pull instead of it pushing on the animals. The previous being less controllable or even irritating to them causing an uncontrollable “spook” reaction. Do you agree with these statements or explanation?

Ohhh the only reason I knew is cause grandpa had one hanging on the barn wall an I asked one time
But yea probably so

An heck maybe he was even pulling my leg and its from an ancient aliens spacecraft

 

[Gary Mitchell]

Close
Wagon drag
Goes under the wheel when going downhill
Tied off to wagon

Good shot! If it isn't that, it sure should have been! gm

 

[formerly ny bill]

the man that gave it to me asked if I knew what it was? I said wagon brake, and he nodded, so I thought I was in the ballpark. some of the hills around here would probably need one under both back wheels to be able to slow the wagon from pushing the horses too badly.

 

[paul]

That looks difficult to apply when needed type of thing.

Paul

 

[used red MN]

That looks difficult to apply when needed type of thing.

Paul

Come on.. all things back in the day were easy-peezy. Much like our the 1st world problems of today!

 

[Dave in NY]

My grandpa had one being used as a doorstop in his dairy barn. By that time the horses and old style wagon were long gone. When I asked he told me it was for a brake on the wagon when going downhill so as not to push the horses too hard. Looked quite similar to the one shown.

 

[Russ from MN]

None in my neighborhood, the only hill was the riverbank. Although, in 1928 my Dad hauled a lot of timber down the riverbank, across the river to Canada, and loaded it into railcars by hand. But they had specific spots to cross the Rainy River where the bank wasn't too steep. The railcars were at Barwick ON.

 

[Harold Hubbard]

We had one lying on the floor in the “junk room” of the old barn. I remember the horses and the wagon being used, but never the drag. Dad had a tractor by that time, and the wagon wasn’t regularly used.

The alternative was to chain the wheel. My dad recalled trying that without fully understanding how. Just put the chain through the spokes and started down hill. Chain slid to the center of the wheel and broke several spokes. The proper way is to wrap the chain around the rim of the wheel, then anchor it to the wagon body.

 

[TomA in CA]

Roughlock

 

[Ozlander]

We had one lying on the floor in the “junk room” of the old barn. I remember the horses and the wagon being used, but never the drag. Dad had a tractor by that time, and the wagon wasn’t regularly used.

The alternative was to chain the wheel. My dad recalled trying that without fully understanding how. Just put the chain through the spokes and started down hill. Chain slid to the center of the wheel and broke several spokes. The proper way is to wrap the chain around the rim of the wheel, then anchor it to the wagon body.

I can't imagine trying to keep a chain on a steel wheel.

 

[Texasmark]

I can't imagine trying to keep a chain on a steel wheel.

I have lots of farm equipment with chains on steel wheels. Works just fine if it is serviced and up to the task required.....I just finished my last hay baling for the year and my equipment is getting the lube and hygiene it needs to be there for me next year....while it's under shelter from the weather.........