Old Wrench ID Help

[ritestuff]

I found this big wrench at a swap yesterday. I'm pretty familiar with old "iron", and I'm usually pretty good at ID'ing old tools, but this one's got me stumped. It's about 16" long and weighs about 6 1/2 lbs. It has a 2 3/4" socket on one end and a 2 1/8" on the other. There are no markings on it except for the "5" on one end and the "6" on the other. It appears to be made of cast and has a visible seam and plenty of casting defects.

I assume that it's fairly old, and possibly some type of industrial wrench. I've never seen one before. does anybody know what this is?

 

[raiderhillbilly]

Could it be to open 55 gallon barrels?

 

[larry_g]

I'm thinking a hub wrench for an old car like above.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[ritestuff]

The hub wrench is a certain possibility. I tried again last night and looked at thousands of Google images using every relevant search term that I could think of, and didn't find anything even remotely close to it. It certainly is a rare bird.

 

[ganymede]

It's kind of big but maybe it came with a machine.
I've seen lots of lathe and textile wrenches unmarked.

 

[ttpete]

I'm thinking a hub wrench for an old car like above.

lg
no neat sig line

I think so, too. The big end would be to remove the hub cap, and the smaller end would be used to remove the axle nut. There's not a lot of torque involved, so a short handle is OK.

 

[ritestuff]

I think so, too. The big end would be to remove the hub cap, and the smaller end would be used to remove the axle nut. There's not a lot of torque involved, so a short handle is OK.

It sure does make sense, and I'm really leaning in that direction, but the size of this thing is throwing me off. Just about every other hub wrench that I've seen is usually pretty lightweight compared to this thing. Also, the script on the numbers, and particularly the style of the numbering and the casting suggests something from late 1800's to very early 1900's. I suppose it could be for hubs on a tractor or some type of heavy machinery possibly.

There was another one in the bucket that I fished this one out of. I probably should have bought that one too. He was only asking 5 bucks for them.

 

[Outlawmws]

Clear pics of both stampings?