I can say without a doubt that it is used to tighten chains. Our Grandfather called them "Chain Ratchets" and if I remember correctly, Operation was something like this.

1) You would apply the slotted feet on either end of the chain around a load, In our case a load of pulpwood on the flatbed.

2) Using the wooden handle pull down to bring the slotted feet closer together.

3) Apply a pin thru the closest hole to lock the "ratchet" in position.

4) Take the tail chain and apply it to the load chain so you can remove the pin and release the ratchet.

5) Take another bite with the ratchet to tighten the load chain again, apply pin, tail chains, repeat until you have your load secured and use a double ended hook to secure the load chain and remove the "Chain Ratchet"...

My Grandfather assigned his drivers one load chain and double ended hook set for each log bunk a truck carried, 1- Wooden Handle and 1- Chain Ratchet per truck.

Part of my job at 12 years old every Saturday morning was to inspect those items and make sure every truck had what was assigned to it.... along with sweeping the shop and burning the garbage......

I have also used a "Chain Ratchet" to pull fence posts....... but that another story!

Tim Wilson

Excellent! Finally a mystery has been solved! Thanks.

Okay, you guys have gotta do a video of this thing in action. I'd love to see how it works.

The next time I go up to the farm, I'll pull one out of the Garage and try to do that. It's been 30 years or so since I last saw one used but I think I can put a short video together.

There is a couple of them hanging in the Garage at the farm... finding a wood handle in good condition might be the problem.

Tim W.

Tim,
I think you are confusing this with a chain binder. There is not enough room with this assembly to leave a hole open due to the thickness of the lift ring and second hook. Add to that, if it was a chain binder then there would be no reason for the lift chain or loop.

below is what I think you are thinking of, the hook at the top of the picture is where the pin or bailing wire would stop it from passing back through the loop behind the left hook.



They are still available this way, but most people use the regular one and wrap the extra chain length around the handle, to prevent it popping open (I have secured many a load of ties, rails and equipment this way).

Rich C.

From all the reference material available on the internet, that item is definitely a fence stretcher. Why people are trying to make it into some type of railroad track tool is beyond me.

I thought this was a fence stretcher too. It truly is a track tool also. Most likely, every railroad had their own fences along the line. It would be a track crew responsibility to erect and maintain the fences. I would expect to find one of these in every track maintenance tool shed.

Brian

Train Guy,
I hate to ask this, but since there is so much conjecture and misinformation on the internet, did any of those reference materials include period advertisements or catalog pages? If it did, could you share one or two of the references?
Thanks,
Rich C.

Not sure what kind of fence you're stretching, but that tool is sort of overkill for stretching any kind of wire (barbed or woven(sheep).

That said, a quick spin over to Ebay http://www.ebay.com/bhp/wire-stretcher , shows some similar kit, but it's more exotic and quite frankly, big and bulky for fencing. It looks more useful to pull wire loops together to be tied off--a primitive bander (signode) as it were.

With that giant peavey socket, this looks for more suitable for load binding, or whatever other creative need you have for pulling things together.

Michael Seitz
Missoula MT

I hate to be a pick, but the thing that fits in that socket is a jack handle, or, as one old pollack track foremen at the CTA called them, "jack stick". A peavey is a tool onto itself.

No matter how you look at it, this tool is going to grab something and give it a good yanking nudge and re-adjust to give it another yank and remove the tool, whatever it yanks something else is going to hold that yanking position while the tool is removed.

I suggest take it out to some fencing experts or some truck loading experts and get more opinions.