✅ SOLVED Possibly a tree saw of some sort?

[NewAtThis]

It's not a tree saw. It's part of a wagon!

Hello, all. I dug this out of my yard today. This part of my yard is wooded and has been wooded for several decades. Does anyone know what it is? It is oval, has several saw teeth, and looks like it has places for two bolts (one of which is still on the item).

Thanks.
Steven

 

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[creskol]

That is what they call a "brake ratchet" ... off of an old farm wagon.

 

[cw0909]

creskol, good ID
NewAtThis, found an img, welcome to Tnet, cool find
http://www.southyubariverstatepark.org/RespImages/Barn/BarnWagons/wag08_4878.jpg

 

[Yak1366]

Great ID!! Very cool find NewAtThis, and Welcome to TNet!!!

 

[NewAtThis]

That is what they call a "brake ratchet" ... off of an old farm wagon.

creskol, thank you! That's so exciting. Best thing I ever found.

 

[NewAtThis]

creskol, good ID
NewAtThis, found an img, welcome to Tnet, cool find
http://www.southyubariverstatepark.org/RespImages/Barn/BarnWagons/wag08_4878.jpg

Thank you, cw0909! A photo! Wow, that's neat. If this came off a wagon like that, then it is pretty old indeed! I'm looking forward to doing some research on farm wagons now.

 

[NewAtThis]

Great ID!! Very cool find NewAtThis, and Welcome to TNet!!!

Thank you, Yak1366. I'm happy to be here!

 

[creskol]

creskol, thank you! That's so exciting. Best thing I ever found.

You are welcome, and welcome to T-net! I love old wagon parts myself. Nice find!

 

[NewAtThis]

Hello again, creskol and cw0909. I've been trying to find some information on ratchet brakes. I haven't found much. Do you know anything about them, as for date range or patent information? I did find a 1902 patent claiming to be for "new and useful improvements" to wagon brake ratchets, but I don't know if the device I found is a predecessor to this or if this is a later evolution of it. Here's the patent: https://www.google.com/patents/US691670#forward-citations

Thanks.

 

[cw0909]

this is where the img came from,click #s in barn map for more info

The Barn at Bridgeport

 

[NewAtThis]

this is where the img came from,click #s in barn map for more info

The Barn at Bridgeport

Thank you cw0909. Yes, I was able to follow that link and found some really interesting information about wagons, including the style of wagon in the photo that you linked to, but it didn't have specific information about this style of brake. The style of wagon in the photo was made starting in 1850, but there's no guarantee that the earliest ones had a ratchet brake. I'm hoping to find information specifically regarding this kind of ratchet brake. That 1902 patent is the closed I've found to dated information for something that looks what I found.

Thanks again.
Steven

 

[flinger]

Don't know anything about your find but being I make things out of metal it seems to me that it is hand made and probably made by a blacksmith. Cool find!

 

[creskol]

Hello again, creskol and cw0909. I've been trying to find some information on ratchet brakes. I haven't found much. Do you know anything about them, as for date range or patent information? I did find a 1902 patent claiming to be for "new and useful improvements" to wagon brake ratchets, but I don't know if the device I found is a predecessor to this or if this is a later evolution of it. Here's the patent: https://www.google.com/patents/US691670#forward-citations

Thanks.

From what I can gather, that style ratchet was actually engineered for the Union Escort Wagons at onslaught of the Civil War. Lighter wagons, such as the Ambulance Wagons used a little different design.