Mystery Tool Help Needed

[Catalyze]

A friend of mine was herding cattle on his father in law's land and found an old abandoned farm house. It was mostly collapsed but he poked around a bit and found this wrench. It was a rusty mass and so I put it in the ****** bucket over night (electrolysis bucket...LOL). With a bit of wire brushing this is what it looks like. Any ideas on what its purpose was a long time ago?
Thanks!
Craig

View media item 8458

 

[383 240z]

Not sure about the wrench, looks like an early 1800's version of the one wrench to turn every bolt tools they we see for sale on late night TV now.

On a more sober note, if you want to sell that sundial let me know. Keith

 

[Bruce Lancaster]

It almost certainly came with some 1900ish farm implement or machine as original equipment for general adjusting and maintaining that piece of apparatus. If it has emblems or patent numbers of any sort, it might be identifiable from those. If not... there are a million variations of that sort of wrench, mostly farm related, and only the right crazy wrench/tractor/implement collector could even guess!

 

[KEH]

Might be for some specific piece of farm machinery. Might also be what is called a buggy wrench.

KEH

 

[NinetyTwoFifty]

That is a nice sundial. Is it made of bronze?

 

[airbuff101]

I believe they are callled Wagon wrenches too.

airbuff

 

[caper]

Asking on Papa's Wrench would probably get you more info.Some ******** old wrench collectors there.

 

[Catalyze]

Thanks for all the information! It's just one of those funny mechanical bits that pops up and makes us scratch our heads. To answer another question: yes, that is a bronze sundial that was made for my longitude and latitude. It is extremely accurate as long as you set it according to the Equation of Time table. Basically a few times a year, sun time and clock time are the same....those are the days that you can set it to sun time. With it, I never wear a watch when I am out in the yard.....you just go look at the sun dial and you are accurate to within around 2 minutes.
Thanks for all your help! Just have to love this forum.....
Craig

 

[tool-nut]

Looks a lot like this JOHN DEERE. Any markings?

http://cgi.ebay.com/OLD-ANTIQUE-JOH...pt=Folk_Art&hash=item588d3fcebd#ht_500wt_1156

 

[Gregg33]

I recently bought a lot (about 50) old wrenches. Almost 1/4 of them were from farm implements, one was marked IHC, another Yanmar, another Case etc. There were also several unmarked wrenches, with no brand, coo, or size, only a part#. Also likely came with machinery. The sad part is, while very sturdy, most don't have sizes marked on them and I don't collect any type of farm equipment stuff, so I ended up giving them away to a friend. The wrench you have is a neat conversation piece and probably very valuable to someone who cllects that type of thing or wants his restored xxxxx to have it's original wrench. If you ever attend a antique farm equipment show take it along and ask some of the oldtimers if they know what it is.

 

[ZRX61]

It's a buggy wrench, probably worth about $5. At least thats what they sell for around here

 

[Catalyze]

Bingo!!
Tool-Nut in his first post ever nailed it complete with picture on Ebay.
Gregg and ZRX are correct also. It is an implement wrench and according to
the Ebay posting....for a John Deere. I will take another look at the embossing on
the other side and see what I can make out....it is in faint shape.
Once again.....from Vises (or Vices) to Implements of Destruction (Arlo Guthrie)...this
forum is the Best! Thanks all...
Craig

 

[ZRX61]

Now get back to that old farm house with a metal detector... start around doorways & fence posts...

My commission for that info is a mere 10% of the find

 

[tool-nut]

I just got lucky, saw your wrench as said "I've seen that wrench before". I don't remember much, but its hard to forget a neat old wrench.