One of my Favorite Tool Finds

Adirondack case guy

Well-known Member
I found this piece of chain when I was operating a truck crane for a barn salvage and restoration company.
I believe its use spans several decades. The hook and the bigger links appear to be black smithed, forged and hammer welded. The twist chain and some of the smaller links appear to be commercially made. (Tire chain cross links and side links), BUT the connecting hook link connecting them is very unique.
The big links vary a lot in size and diameter, and all are stretched and show a lot of ware.
I think this chain was used as a choker to haul logs, and much of the top end is missing. It measures 51" long from hook to end. That is not long enough for a choker stretching around the girth of a big log to produce that wear and stretching.
Take particular look as the repair at the hook with barbed wire and how it was threaded thru the last chain link. Very unique. I have no idea what would have been used to haul the logs, if this was a choker, but could have been an early crawler, as they were used for logging in this area after the era of horse logging.
All guesses and comments welcome
Loren
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I don't know what it was used for, but I'm gonna check my sheds seems we have a lot of the same things. lol I do have a chain or two very similar, I always thought it was just folks making do with what they had. Both sets of my grandparents had subsistence farms and not a lot of cash, and said they couldn't tell there was a Great Depression as it was all the same to them. A chain like that could have come from either farm or even a neighbors.
 
I have a hook and about 6 inches of chain on it that I picked up in a field years ago. No idea what it was. I also have a clevis that is about 18 inches long that was hammered out. I was told that was used on the old stump pullers.
 
I think your chain was 1 of a pair that was probably used for butchering on the farm,we had several sets that looked just like yours to put thru the tendons in the legs on a hog or beef and lift it in the air to skin or halve a animal.I also skidded logs with a horse back in the late 50's but everyone at that time used a tong type similar to ice tongs for skidding,I don't think these would take the abuse a skid horse would put into it.
 
sure loox like something of odd and ends from the 30s LOL ,in those days they wereused for whatever or whenever a job called for something like that to finish the job ,. .,.i have a few hanging out here like that , someone mentioned butcher hooks ,,..that could be,.. i favor lorens logging too , no one has mentioned rigging for horsedrawn implements ,,so i will
 
You do have it right, used to be several pair hanging in the barn. Dad used to cut white oak logs, haul them to where he wanted them with his mule team, then using powder he would split them into posts.
 
The hook and the part of the chain next to it looks like the chain on the end of a tug on harness used to hook to the single tree.
 
my Uncle used to have something similar, he had about six pieces of chain like that and used them for tire chains on his farmall H. Just threaded them through the holes easier than putting on a complete set.
 
My wife's grandfather farmed with a team into the early 60's. She was his only grandchild. We have hand forged hooks and chains hanging everywhere. I wish they could talk.
 
My thoughts also. If only it could tell when and who made it, how it got broken, who an how it was repaired time and time again. Lots of interesting stories hidden in these links.
Loren
 
My Dad always said the same thing about the depression. He said they didn't have anything before it started, and still didn't have anything when it was over. Most of his family were share croppers of some fashion. He also said his folks wouldn't take any stamps or anything from the government. They always had plenty to eat, but not a penny to buy anything. His brother and him would have liked to have bought some land (at the time they could have got it for 50 cents an acre), but he said they couldn't have bought an acre to save their necks.
 
I don't know the original use. But there is a shorter chain very much like that hanging from the clothesline post up at the farm. I saw it just a few days ago.
 

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