Champion wrench?

[Leviton]

Any idea of the manufacturer of this double open end? Is this from Champion Mower & Reaper, or Champion De Arment Tool Co., or some other "Champion" company?

It looks to be carbon steel so maybe it could be an older Farm wrench made by/for Champion Mower & Reaper? However, something about it just does not look that old.
Champion De Arment did make some DOEs (see 1928 Champion De Arment catalog excerpt below found at Alloy Artifacts)

It's 9 inches long and 7/16" thick.

Edited to add: Openings are 1-1/8" and 1".

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Champion sparkplug?

 

[d42jeep]

I’ve run my Champion marked wrenches past quite a few experts and have never received a definitive answer. It was generally agreed that there was no relation to Champion DeArment.
-Don

 

[Leviton]

I’ve run my Champion marked wrenches past quite a few experts and have never received a definitive answer.
-Don

Your 501 looks just like the one in the Champion De Arment catalog.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Your 501 looks just like the one in the Champion De Arment catalog.

It sure does. Oddly, the only company I have seen with 500/5xx series model number "S" wrenches before now is Southington, and Enderes, and the Enderes wrenches were Southington grind-offs. And they are 500 through 504. Linked here.

 

[leg17]

Thanks Levi for the catalog page.
Helps a lot.
With absolutely nothing to base my opinion upon, it seems to me that the two Champions we see here are not from the same company.

 

[d42jeep]

I recently received the 501 wrench. The other mystery wrench is the one I’ve had for a while. The 501 is the one with the backwards N.
-Don

 

[Leviton]

Another possibility - Syracuse Wrench Company?
Alloy Artifacts says Syracuse Wrench offered early socket sets under the Champion brand.

Here is a 1918 Syracuse Wrench tool kit that has wrenches in it.

.

 

[four.cycle]

deleted 05/10/22

 

[Leviton]

Thanks Levi for the catalog page.
Helps a lot.
With absolutely nothing to base my opinion upon, it seems to me that the two Champions we see here are not from the same company.

Well, here is an interesting twist. I've now found a straight wrench like mine (online) that has a backwards "N" like d42jeep's S-wrench.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

That's alot of champion fourcycle!

 

[four.cycle]

deleted 05/10/22 BK

 

[four.cycle]

deleted 05/10/22 BK

 

[four.cycle]

deleted 05/10/22 BK

 

[humber2]

Isn’t the backwards N in fact upside down?

 

[leg17]

Isn’t the backwards N in fact upside down?

Or, possibly, inside-out.

 

[four.cycle]

deleted 05/10/22 BK

 

[leg17]

I recently received the 501 wrench. The other mystery wrench is the one I’ve had for a while. The 501 is the one with the backwards N.
-Don

I also have a 501 with the backward N.

Now I wonder if ALL of the 501's have that miscue.

 

[wrenchguy]

That Champion adjustable may be a implement wrench put out by Champion harvester co. before it connected with others to form IHC in 1903.

 

[RTM]

I also have a 501 with the backward N.

Now I wonder if ALL of the 501's have that miscue.

Dang, you guys are great at having threads that answer so many questions, but leave so many more.

Here is one Answer I can help with: No

And the still possibly unanswered, who made it? The catalog cut in post #1 is a Champion S wrench #501, and has the anvil logo that Champion de Arment used in the 1920s. Are we satisfied with that answer?

But anyway 1/2" & 9/16", but both sloppy / spread a bit

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I was a little disappointed that the "501" I found this morning at the flea did NOT have a backwards "N". I'm feeling a little boring and plain.

But if we're running out of questions about these, I'll pose one: where the heck are all the other 50x's? All I see on this thread are 501's.

 

[four.cycle]

^ They are on another tool website:

Champion "S" service wrenches and Champion DOE wrenches (photo: Bus1, papawswrench.com)

These models (on the LEFT), as near as we've been able to ascertain, were manufactured by the Champion Tool Company.

Champion / Champion Tool Co., Meadville, PA / est. 1886 / patent 908969 Jan 5 1909 George B. DeArment / "Champion" hoof nippers, "Giant" hoof parer / renamed to Champion DeArment Co. 1924 /

The units on the RIGHT side of the photograph have yet to be definitively assigned to a manufacturer (to my knowledge) unless AA has updated his "Champion" entries from the material I sent to him.

Thanks for the reminder.
BK

 

[four.cycle]

Champion, Champion, or Champion? (please select any of the above)

Rather than further add to the confusion about "Champion" by starting yet another thread, I'm going to take a stab here at sorting through the various "Champion" brands and products that have existed over the years and try to help you to make sense of it.

We'll start with a list of the various "Champion" brands and makers, which is kinda-sorta in alphabetical order:

Champion / Champion adjustable wrench see Girard / "Champion" forged into handle /

Champion / Champion adjustable wrench see Losee Wrench Works / patent 864659 Aug 27 1907 Jesse A. Losee /

Champion / Champion adjustable wrench see Whitman & Barnes / erroneously marked "PAT. FEBY. 23.83 CHAMPION" / actual patent date is Feb 27 1883 patent 273170 Frederick H. Seymour /

Champion / Champion-Arrowhead, 5147 Alhambra Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90032 / sprinkler and irrigation wrenches /

Champion / Champion Blower & Forge Co., Lancaster, PA / taps, dies, screw plates / "Electric" screw plates /

Champion / Champion Brass see Champion Arrowhead /

Champion / Champion carriage wrench see Goodell Co. (Goodell Bros., Goodell-Pratt) /

Champion / Champion chain wrench see Greene Tweed & Co. / see patent 442569 Dec 9 1890 George W. Buffard /

Champion / Champion chain pipe wrench see Ithaca Drop Forge Co. / Bufford Chain Wrench patent 442569 Dec 9 1890 George W. Buffard /

Champion / Champion DeArment / Champion DeArment Co., Meadville, PA / est. 1886 (renamed to Champion DeArment 1924) / see also Channellock / patent 1371952 Mar 15 1921 Paul John Tumulla & 1950362 Mar 6 1934 Howard H. Manning / http://alloy-artifacts.org/champion-dearment-tool.html / http://alloy-artifacts.org/champion-dearment-tool.html#history / http://toolarchives.com/index.php/node/96 /

Champion / Champion IHC implement wrench see B.F. Avery & Sons /

Champion / Champion IHC implement wrench see E & D Co. /

Champion / Champion jar wrench see C.S.L. Co., Geneva, OH /

Champion / see Keystone Forge /

Champion / Champion "Lightning" wrench see Champion Machine & Tooling Co. / "Lightning" wrench / patent ? /

Champion / Champion Machine & Tooling Co.,

Champion / Champion Mower & Reaper, Springfield, IL / implement wrench / some specimens marked 2153, 2155, 2156 with stylized Maltese Cross /

Champion / Champion Potato Co., Hammond, IN / "OK Champion" / see OK Champion /

Champion / Champion ratchet wrench see Syracuse Wrench Co. /

Champion / Champion screwdriver see Union Hardware Co., Torrington, CT /

Champion / Champion Silo Co., Des Moines, IA / (see also Western Silo Co.) /

Champion / Champion silo wrench see Western Silo Co. /

Champion / Champion Spark Plug Co., Toledo, OH / "Plug Master" ratchet manufactured by New Britain Machine /

Champion / Champion Tool Co., Meadville, PA / est. 1886 / patent 908969 Jan 5 1909 George B. DeArment / "Champion" hoof nippers, "Giant" hoof parer / renamed to Champion DeArment Co. 1924 /

Champion / Champion Wrench Mfg. Co., 928 W. Huron, Chicago, IL / patent 1371952 Mar 15 1921 Paul John Tumulla / renamed to Champion DeArment /

* Because of the limitations on number of photos per post, I have to break this down in separate posts and go over each of the above, one at a time.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Wow, great research!

 

[four.cycle]

Our first entry is the Champion / Champion adjustable wrench with "Champion" forged into handle /

Girard / Girard Wrench Mfg. Co., Girard, PA / adjustable wrench / (see also Walton) / http://alloy-artifacts.org/other-makers-p2.html#girard / * not the maker of similar wrench marked "Champion" on handle * / https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/champion-wrench.491400/#post-9704188 /


"Champion" branded 10-inch adjustable wrench (photo ebay) and "Girard" 10-inch adjustable wrench (photo Alloy-Artifacts.org)

This rather enigmatic 10-inch adjustable wrench (top), proudly sporting the "CHAMPION" name forged into both sides of the handle, does somewhat resemble a similar model manufactured by the Girard Wrench Company (bottom.) It has been the source of some confusion, as is clearly evident from Stan's response to my inquiry:

The best guess we can come up with is there was this 19th Century farm equipment magnate named Whitely who made & sold CHAMPION mowers, reapers, etc. He owned / controlled / was a major figure in several interlocking companies at Springfield, Ohio & later at Muncie, Indiana. The identical wrench is found with WHITELY instead of CHAMPION; and one of the companies was a malleable iron works that produced parts for some of the other companies. The farm implement companies were part of the group that merged in 1902 to form International Harvester Co. Regards, Stan S.

 

[four.cycle]

Next is the "Champion" adjustable wrench manufactured by Losee:

Champion / Champion adjustable wrench see Losee Wrench Works / patent 864659 Aug 27 1907 Jesse A. Losee /

Losee / Losee Wrench Works, Corry, PA / Jesse A. Losee / "Champion" adjustable wrench / patent 864659 Aug 27 1907 Jesse A. Losee / https://papawswrench.com/vboard/index.php?topic=1225.0 /


Losee Wrench Works "Champion" adjustable wrench (Patent 864659) (photo: WrenchingNews 2017)


Losee Wrench Works "Champion" adjustable wrench (patent 864659) (photo: wrenchmensch)

 

[four.cycle]

Next is the "Champion" brand wrench manufactured by Whitman & Barnes:

Champion / Champion adjustable wrench see Whitman & Barnes / erroneously marked "PAT. FEBY. 23.83 CHAMPION" / actual patent date is Feb 27 1883 patent 273170 Frederick H. Seymour /

Whitman & Barnes / Whitman & Barnes Mfg. Co., Akron, OH / patent 273170 Feb 27 1883 Frederick H. Seymour / http://alloy-artifacts.org/other-makers-p3.html#whitman / http://toolarchives.com/index.php/node/330 /

In 1893, Whitman & Barnes bought Capitol Mfg. Co. of Chicago, and began manufacturing Capitol's "ACME" and "HERCULES" wrench (patent 273170) as their own "CHAMPION" wrench:


Whitman & Barnes Champion wrench (patent 273170)(photo: ebay 384838167909 01)

Whitman & Barnes Champion wrench (patent 273170)(photo: ebay 384838167909 02)

Perhaps it was part of an insidious plot intended to confuse and confound future tool collectors that prompted them to stamp them with the wrong patent date, marking them "PAT. FEBY. 23.83 CHAMPION" when the actual patent date is February 27, 1883.

Because.... you know: simply having a couple dozen "Champions" to sort through isn't confusing enough.

 

[four.cycle]

Number 4 on our list is the Champion-Arrowhead Company. For expediency, we'll also include Number 6, Champion Brass:

Champion / Champion-Arrowhead, 5147 Alhambra Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90032 / sprinkler and irrigation wrenches /

Champion / Champion Brass see Champion Arrowhead /

Originally known as "Champion Brass", later renamed "Champion Arrowhead" this once tiny operation that started in a garage is a world leader in irrigation and sprinkler systems. They've made a variety of specialty sprinkler/irrigation wrenches over the years.

Some are marked "Champion Brass":


Champion Brass sprinkler wrench (photo: ebay 385036066465 01)

some are marked only with "Champion":

Champion Arrowhead sprinkler wrench (photo: ebay 185506725970 01)

 

[four.cycle]

Fifth on our list is Champion Blower and Forge Company of Lancaster, Pennsylvania:

Champion / Champion Blower & Forge Co., Lancaster, PA / taps, dies, screw plates / "Electric" screw plates /

The Champion Blower & Forge Company made the "Electric" brand screw plate sets:


1893 Iron Age Champion Blower & Forge Co. ad pp 42

1899 hardware catalog Champion Blower & Forge Co. ad pp 329

 

[four.cycle]

Next on the list is the CHAMPION brand "carriage wrench" that was manufactured by Goodell Brothers (later known as Goodell-Pratt.)

Goodell / (Goodell Bros. see Goodell-Pratt) /

Goodell-Pratt / Greenfield, MA (acquired by Millers Falls 1931) / "Champion" carriage wrench / http://alloy-artifacts.org/other-makers-p2.html#goodell-pratt / https://toolarchives.com/index.php/node/151 / http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgIndex/detail.aspx?id=386 / https://wrenchwiki.com/goodell-pratt/ /

The "Champion" carriage wrench was heavily promoted by Goodell in late 19th century trade magazines:


1891 Iron Age magazine Goodell Company "Champion" carriage wrench ad pp 83

1891 Iron Age magazine Goodell Company "Champion" carriage wrench ad pp 128

 

[four.cycle]

Next is the "CHAMPION" chain wrench manufactured by Greene, Tweed & Co. of New York:

Greene / Greene, Tweed & Co., 109 Duane St., New York, NY / patent 84605 Dec 1 1868 William Baxter & 442569 Dec 9 1890 George W. Bufford / (see also Baxter; Stearns; Tower & Lyon) / http://alloy-artifacts.org/other-makers-p2.html#greene-tweed / http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgIndex/detail.aspx?id=11098 /

Greene, Tweed & Co. was manufacturing a "Champion" brand chain wrench in the late 19th century. This same design wrench (using the same patent) was also manufactured by other companies:


1892 Iron Age magazine Greene Tweed & Co. "Champion" chain wrench (patent 442569)

1910 Engineering Review Greene Tweed & Co. "Champion" chain wrench (patent 442569) ad pp 61

 

[four.cycle]

Next on our list is another maker of the same "Champion" chain wrench as above, the Ithaca Drop Forge Company:

Ithaca / Ithaca Drop Forge Co., Ithaca, NY / "Champion" chain pipe wrench / patent 442569 Dec 9 1890 George W. Buffard / "Champion" chain pipe wrench /

This 1902 Witte Hardware Co. catalog shows Ithaca's "Champion" brand chain wrench:

1902 Witte Hardware Co. catalog Trimo Ithaca Champion Ashcroft Brown Stanwood ad pp 158

 

[four.cycle]

Number 10 on our list (as well as #24 and #25) is the Champion DeArment Company, originally known as the Champion Tool Company, and later renamed to "Channellock". Somewhere in the middle there was also a "Champion Wrench Mfg. Co." of Chicago which was also later renamed Champion DeArment (see next post for Champion Wrench Mfg. Co.):

Champion / Champion DeArment / Champion DeArment Co., Meadville, PA / est. 1886 (renamed to Champion DeArment 1924) / see also Channellock / patent 1371952 Mar 15 1921 Paul John Tumulla & 1950362 Mar 6 1934 Howard H. Manning / http://alloy-artifacts.org/champion-dearment-tool.html / http://alloy-artifacts.org/champion-dearment-tool.html#history / http://toolarchives.com/index.php/node/96 /

Champion / Champion Tool Co., Meadville, PA / est. 1886 / patent 908969 Jan 5 1909 George B. DeArment / "Champion" hoof nippers, "Giant" hoof parer / renamed to Champion DeArment Co. 1924 /

Champion / Champion Wrench Mfg. Co., 928 W. Huron, Chicago, IL / patent 1371952 Mar 15 1921 Paul John Tumulla / renamed to Champion DeArment /

This 1928 Champion DeArment catalog snip should be evidence enough to support the argument that the "S"-shaped service wrenches with "CHAMPION" forged into the shank were made by Champion DeArment (or alternatively Champion Tool Co. or Champion Wrench Mfg. Co., both of which became Champion DeArment.)


1928 Champion DeArment Catalog No. 67 S service wrench pp 20

These are the same wrenches I posted above in post #22:

Champion "S" service wrenches (LEFT) and Champion textile wrenches (RIGHT) (photo: Bus1)

Again: to reiterate my statement above: The "S" shaped service wrenches on the LEFT were made by Champion Tool Co. (or Champion Wrench Mfg. Co. or Champion DeArment - take your pick.)
It has not yet been definitively ascertained who made the 22½° offset double-open-end "textile" style wrenches on the RIGHT.
As of this posting, they remain a mystery (along with the odd "Champion" adjustable in post # 25

This same company also manufactured a variety of nippers branded "Champion".

We can continue to bang our heads, read tea leaves, astrological forecasts, or try to read "signs" from animal bones tossed on the ground, but I doubt any further effort is going to answer any questions about "backwards N" or "Chevron" forgings on these wrenches.
Notwithstanding all speculation and conjecture, Occam's Razor says these wrenches were made by Champion Tool Company or Champion Wrench Manufacturing Company or Champion DeArment at some point between the last decade of the 19th and third decade of the 20th century.

You are free to speculate further. You are welcome to chase the "Syracuse Wrench Co." fable down as many rabbit holes as you wish, but I honestly don't think you're going to get any closer to a definitive answer.

Champion 6-in carpenters nippers (photo: ebay 114672470250 01)

1920 Kelley-How Thomson Co. catalog "Champion" hoof shear (patent 908969 Jan 5 1909 George B. DeArment)


Champion Tool Co. (Meadville PA) hoof shear (patent 908969)(photo: ebay 334282654505 01)

Champion 500 "S" service wrench with backward "N" character (photo: ebay 265629306593 01)

Champion S wrenches with mention of Syracuse Wrench Co. (twertsy 01)

 

[four.cycle]

We're skipping to the 25th and last entry in the list, because it's another "Champion" that became part of the Champion DeArment/Channellock company - The Champion Wrench Manufacturing Company of Chicago:

Champion / Champion Wrench Mfg. Co., 928 W. Huron, Chicago, IL / patent 1371952 Mar 15 1921 Paul John Tumulla / renamed to Champion DeArment /

This particular "Champion" wrench is nothing at all like any of the other "Champion" wrenches:


1922 Engineering Directory Champion Wrench Mfg. Co. ad pp


patent 1371952 Mar 15 1921 P.J. Tumulla


Champion Wrench Mfg. Co. wrench (patent 1371952)(photo: ebay 174843727431 01)

Champion Wrench Mfg. Co. wrench (patent 1371952)(photo: ebay 174843727431 02)

 

[four.cycle]

Next up - the "I" word. International Harvester Comany of Chicago. IHC had a plethora of "Champion" wrenches manufactured for them by both B.F. Avery & Sons and E & D Co.

In both cases, these were "implement wrenches", easily distinguished from conventional open-end or combination or pipe wrenches:


Avery / B.F. Avery & Sons Co., 1721 S. 7th St., Louisville, KY / "Champion" IHC wrench, implement wrenches /

E & D / E & D Co. / "Champion" IHC wrench /

I have no further information on either of these companies.

 

[four.cycle]

Next up - C.S.L. Company of Geneva, Ohio, makers of a unique "Jar Wrench" for which they applied a patent:

C.S.L. / C.S.L. Co., Geneva, OH / "Champion" jar wrench / pat pend /

I have no further information on this company.


C.S.L. Co. (Geneva OH) Champion jar wrench (pat. pend.)(photo: ebay 255506859010 01)

 

[four.cycle]

Next is an entry for "Champion" Keystone Forge:

Keystone / Keystone Drop Forge Co., Northumberland, PA / http://www.keystoneforging.com / https://toolarchives.com/node/191 / http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgIndex/detail.aspx?id=2263 /

Apparently they made some widget and branded it "Champion".

 

[four.cycle]

error corrected 06/08/25

see here

 

[four.cycle]

Here's a fun one - Champion Mower & Reaper of Springfield Illinois, makers of "implement wrenches":

Champion / Champion Mower & Reaper, Springfield, IL / implement wrench / some specimens marked 2153, 2155, 2156 with stylized Maltese Cross /

The Champion Mower & Reaper Company manufactured farm implements, and tools to repair them:


1871 Pacific Rural Press Champion Mower and Reaper ad Vol 2 No 16 pp 255 Oct 23 1871

1875 Asheville Weekly Citizen (Asheville, NC) Champion Mower and Reaper ad Jun 10 1875

1883 Our Brother in Red Champion Mower and Reaper ad Vol I May 1 1883 pp 14

That last one had me puzzled for a bit until I figured out that "Oklahoma" was still "Indian Territory" when that ad was published. The other content in "Our Brother in Red" - the publication from which this was taken - was somewhat amusing, if not troubling.

Champion Mower and Reaper made tools to repair their own equipment. Not all of them are marked with part numbers. Some wrenches may be found marked "2153", "2155", "2156", and/or sport a stylized "Maltese Cross" logo:


Champion Mower & Reaper Co 2153 wrench (photo: ebay 294070026782 01)

 

[four.cycle]

Here's another fun one - the Champion Potato Machinery Company of Hammond, Indiana. This same company also made appearances as "OK Champion":

Champion / Champion Potato Machinery Co., Hammond, IN / "OK Champion" / see OK Champion /

O.K. / O.K. Champion Potato Machinery Co. see O.K. Champion Corp. /

O.K. / O.K. Champion Corp., 4714 Sheffield Ave., Hammond, IN 46327 / est. 1897 / farm implements / acquired by TSE International see https://tse-international.com/products/underground/ok-champion/ /

Originally a manufacturer of farm implements designed to plant and harvest potatoes, this company went on to become an industry leader in underground maintenance equipment for electric power, sewer and communications systems:




1903 Champion Potato Machinery Co. (Hammond IN) ad

1915 O.K. Champion Potato Machinery Co. ad

1937 OK Champion Corp ad

They also just happen to be the company who made that odd "S" shaped service wrench stamped "OK CHAMPION" with the little chevron shapes at the ends of the shanks:


OK Champion open-end wrench (photo: George Roberts 01)

OK Champion open-end wrench (photo: George Roberts 02)