Vintage Puller Identification

[sgs236]

I picked up this two jaw puller at an estate sale and could use some help identifying it. The only clear number on it is Patent # 2052304 which calls up a 1934 OTC puller that does not look like this one. Just above the patent number, I can clearly make out the number "47". All other markings have either rusted or been worn away, even under a magnifying light. The green paint is original to it and I thought it might be for a John Deere tractor. I spent a lot of time looking at images on google for 2-jaw pullers and couldn't find anything quite like it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[woody 73]

Very interesting assignee is indeed otc, but it said not known to be produced.

http://datamp.org/patents/displayPatent.php?number=2052304&typeCode=0

 

[454ragtop]

Main cross bar looks like Snap On, pics of one I sold here http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=332627

 

[Roberts210]

Perhaps it is a prototype. Anyone in your family work for OTC or anybody connected to them?

 

[four.cycle]

Very interesting assignee is indeed otc, but it said not known to be produced.

Your patent number 2052304 does indeed lead back to Rueben A. Kaplan, the man who invented the original "Grip-O-Matic" puller which remains to this day the industry standard for 2-jaw gear pullers.
Mr. Kaplan was the founder of the Owatonna Tool Company (OTC), and his many patented designs were manufactured by other tool makers over the years.
It's reasonable to assume it's a Kaplan design manufactured by some other company; I don't recognize the yoke design at all.

Main cross bar looks like Snap On

^ This could very well be the case. (I don't know Snap-on.)

 

[crackit]

Which part do you see the writing on? The horizontal piece with the six holes is definitely OTC, but I don't recognize the green "legs" as being OTC. Perhaps it's a "franken-puller"? (I'm no expert on OTC pullers, but recently did a lot of searching for an old Owatonna puller I bought a couple of weeks ago. Twertsy's site has a few Owatonna/OTC catalogs from the 20s, 30s, and 40s.)

 

[sgs236]

Which part do you see the writing on? The horizontal piece with the six holes is definitely OTC, but I don't recognize the green "legs" as being OTC. Perhaps it's a "franken-puller"? (I'm no expert on OTC pullers, but recently did a lot of searching for an old Owatonna puller I bought a couple of weeks ago. Twertsy's site has a few Owatonna/OTC catalogs from the 20s, 30s, and 40s.)

Writing is on the main cross piece. There are no markings on the jaws, but I don't think it is a franken-puller. All four pieces have the same green paint and the paint looks to be original. I wonder if there were any other companies beside John Deere in the 1930-1950's that painted their tools green?