✅ SOLVED Old pulley maybe?

[Divin]

Found this near Charleston, SC it looks to me like part of an old pulley maybe from a hay barn or something?
Interested in suggestions.

It measures about 10 inches across the picture below shows both sides.

 

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[Erving]

I do believe it is the remains of a pulley.

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

timing gear...cam shaft...old Chevrolet...

 

[AU Seeker]

Does this "pulley" have a groove, if yes is the groove round or sorta V shaped?

Round would indicate it was use for a rope, V shaped would indicate it was used for a V-belt.

Also does it seem to have a "keyway" in the shaft hole, or a pin hole to lock it on the shaft?

 

[Divin]

Does this "pulley" have a groove, if yes is the groove round or sorta V shaped? - Flat groove or U shaped
Round would indicate it was use for a rope, V shaped would indicate it was used for a V-belt., it does not appear to have any keyway


Also does it seem to have a "keyway" in the shaft hole, or a pin hole to lock it on the shaft?

The area on the outside appears to have a groove but it is neither round nor V shapped, pretty much flat, and no keyway visible.

 

[AU Seeker]

A shape like this is what I'm getting from your description \_/, this shape would be for a V-belt, which is most likely an automotive application, what the pulley looks to be to me is a pressed on power steering pulley, but it could be from many other types of applications other than automotive.


This image is of a pressed on power steering pulley, almost all modern era power steering pulleys no longer use a V-belt type belt.

Ford OEM V-belt power*steering*pulley - Bing Images

 

[dieselram94]

timing gear...cam shaft...old Chevrolet...

It measures 10 inches across and I don't see any teeth for the timing chain...

 

[dieselram94]

Could have been used for a cable. Logging maybe? On our plow trucks we have pulleys that look identical to that for lifting the front of the wings. They use a bronze bushing, I can't tell if that has a bushing in the middle or not. I am guessing it is left over from a block and tackle used for logging.

 

[dieselram94]

 

[cudamark]

A good closeup photo of the best edge section would help. What is the diameter of the center hole? Any threads or a bushing? Grease fitting or oil scupper?

 

[Divin]

A good closeup photo of the best edge section would help. What is the diameter of the center hole? Any threads or a bushing? Grease fitting or oil scupper?

Got some better pictures, sorry for the delay.

*You have to click on the thumbnail below, then click several times on the picture to get to the full size version.

 

[mical66]

so the surface looks to be 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide with no rim on the inside . the center hole almost looks like it was cut of with a cutting torch. i was thinking a metal wheel .i will look to see what i can find.

 

[mical66]

i believe it is a wheel off a hay trolly. these trollys hung from the ridge on a beam, it had 4 wheels with 1 rim on the outside that straddled the beam with pullys below that had ropes running thru them attached to a hay hook that you could lower and raise , the trolly would roll along the beam from 1 end of the barn to the other to move sheathes or bales of hay.



i cant confirm 100% but i really think this is what it is. i have salvaged a few from old barns we dissmantled in the past.

 

[CC Hunter]

This example posted is a die cast wheel of nonferrous alloy metal. Most likely this came from the drive shaft of an electric motor on small machinery, to carry the power belt to drive whatever function the machine performed. Pulleys and trolleys require greater strength in the function of a wheel type mechanism, therefore these will generally be steel or iron in composition, rather than die cast alloy.

CC Hunter

 

[mical66]

CC this wheel he ha posted looks cast iron to me, with the rust and the over all darkness of the exposed metal .
maybe the poster could try a magnet to see if it is iron or non ferrous ?
not trying to disagree and i hope this is not seen as being rude to one of the great minds on here , because i have alot of respect for you guys. but i also want to see this item IDed correctly.
sorry to ramble , just feel i have to defend my self if i disagree with some one since i am a new blood

 

[treasure search]

This pully would have been used as a drive belt, the belt probably wide leather or velcro type rubber similar used in old canning factory assembly belts. I believe it is cast iron ,about half of the pully is broken off and that is where belt would fit or travel from engine power. The four holes are bolt attacment holes to some type of engine. possibly tractor or farm related. real old pully probably 1930ies or older... just a guess

 

[dieselram94]

I think the hay trolley is a very good probability after seeing the pictures...

 

[Paleopilot]

I think it ran on a rail of some sort. Could have been from a mining cart or something similar. It's a bit large for a hay trolley.

 

[CC Hunter]

I think it ran on a rail of some sort. Could have been from a mining cart or something similar. It's a bit large for a hay trolley.

You could very well be on the right track with that idea (pun intended).

http://swcamborne.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Image-1.jpg

Vast areas around Charleston SC were extensively mined for phosphate in the decades following the Civil War. Mining equipment is in fact found in the area, as I know from experience.

CC Hunter

 

[CC Hunter]

CC this wheel he has posted looks cast iron to me, with the rust and the over all darkness of the exposed metal .
maybe the poster could try a magnet to see if it is iron or non ferrous ?
not trying to disagree and i hope this is not seen as being rude to one of the great minds on here , because i have a lot of respect for you guys. but i also want to see this item IDed correctly.
sorry to ramble , just feel i have to defend my self if i disagree with some one since i am a new blood

No worries!

Any time I'm proven wrong on something, I learn something new, so it's a win either way.

Not sure how much cleaning has been done on this item after recovery. However, from experience I know that anything ferrous dug near the saltwater areas or even inland where the salt air drifts in, will be a solid hunk of rusty brown iron oxide with a thick crust obscuring most details.

CC Hunter