Latest Find
 

It is not Friday but I wanted to show my latest finds:whistle:

I’m sure you guys are way smarter than myself, but wanted to see if guys recognize these two pieces and more specifically where they were used?

Some sort of tensioning tool. Fence or wire stretcher.

My grandfather. I adored the man, was a farmer in western Kansas. When a high school kid I'd live in his home and farm with him. He had other businesses to deal with and needed a hired hand. I was his hired hand. Western Kansas, not far from Dodge City. Flat, wind swept. I operated my grandfather's tractors, plowing. It was wonderful and if I could relive any of my days today (I'm an 80 year old man.) I'd like to re-do those. Twelve to fourteen hours a day, round and round putting that right wheel in the furrow. Stopping to refuel and grease the barings of the plow. Watching the clouds build to thunderstorms. Absolutely wonderful and some of the most wonderful times of my long life.

Isn’t the one on the right a jack for a horse drawn wagon ? I think the correct term is “conestoga jack” . All thou I could be way off :whistle:

Craig,

You are correct, the jack on the right was used on the Conestoga wagons. The wagons were produced in our local area starting around 1750 and ending around 1840.
https://explorepahistory.com/hmarker...Id=1-A-60.html

Slop jar

This was a grease bucket, it hung from the rear axle and was filled with a mixture of animal fat & tar.
This was used to keep the wheel hubs greased

Bearing buddie

Long before anything was invented like a bearing:rolleyes:

Didn't they still grease the axle?

Gee I was gonna say porta pottie and field telephone. I'll stick to stuff I know from now on

:rotf::rotf::rotf:

Wheels were made of wood and the axle also, the pitch/grease mixture was a lubricant

I understand that the wheels and axle were made of wood, but it seems to me that the application of grease would still slick things up a bit. Under the carriage of a field piece (cannon) there hung a grease bucket which they used to grease the axle, also made of wood. I think they'd do the same on a wooden axle of a wagon. When I worked on a farm in the early 60s we greased ever baring on the tractor and the plow. I suspect that habbit started before barings.