# Some Sort Of Hanging Pulley/sheave From An Old Barn



## pdentrem (Sep 19, 2016)

It is a bronze casting and the lock lever is spring loaded to hold on to a 1/2" or less flange or whatever. 

What is it called?


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## woodtickgreg (Sep 19, 2016)

I wonder if that is a beam clamp? Just a wag.


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## jim18655 (Sep 19, 2016)

The handle on the right looks like it's designed to snap onto something like a carabiner clip would. Maybe for lifting feedbags?


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## pdentrem (Sep 19, 2016)

Sort of. The handle opens the throat by lifting the wedge shaped part out of the way. A pulley clamp has yielded may pictures of items that could be used the same way.
Pierre


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## Tony Wells (Sep 20, 2016)

I have to say that upon first read of the title of your thread, Pierre.......horse thieves and cattle rustlers came to mind immediately.

Can't say I have ever seen anything quite like it, so I can't help ID it.


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## John Hasler (Sep 20, 2016)

pdentrem said:


> It is a bronze casting and the lock lever is spring loaded to hold on to a 1/2" or less flange or whatever.
> 
> What is it called?
> 
> ...


Probably part of a system for handling loose hay.  A huge claw hung from a track at the peak of the barn.  The track was cantilevered out the top of the hay door at one end of the barn.  You ran the claw out to the end of the cantilever, dropped it into the hay on a wagon, closed it, lifted it and its load of hay up, ran it back into the barn, and tripped the catch to drop the hay inside.  That looks like part of the mechanism for releasing the claw.


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## pdentrem (Sep 20, 2016)

The angle would be wrong as the hook end is not lined up with the center of the pulley. You would have to pull the lever end towards you enough to rotate the hook so that it could release. There is no wear on the handle but I do not know if it was not used much or not.


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## brino (Sep 20, 2016)

reminds me of something for hanging a carcass in a slaughterhouse.....except for it being bronze.....hmmmm
-brino


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## RJSakowski (Sep 20, 2016)

Coming from an old barn, it looks like it could be some sort of rope brake from when they moved loose hay in the haymow.


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## Ulma Doctor (Sep 20, 2016)

i can't tell by the scale , but i think it is a clothesline pulley


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## pdentrem (Sep 20, 2016)

This should give a sense of scale. 
There are no marks, but a cast number and a small #2 near the hook end. It is a nice piece, well made. One would think that a maker or foundry mark would be on it.


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## Ulma Doctor (Sep 21, 2016)

the only other thing that comes to mind is a dumbwaiter pulley


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## upahill (Sep 21, 2016)

brino said:


> reminds me of something for hanging a carcass in a slaughterhouse.....except for it being bronze.....hmmmm
> -brino



That was going to be my guess too. The shape would lend itself to being pulled along a line and a quick google of 'cattle processing hook' shows a lot of similar albeit modern examples. What bugged me about the idea was it doesn't look as though it would run along a solid bar, but rather something flexible like rope instead which I can't imagine being the first choice of a slaughterhouse.


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