Identify these antique wheels, pls.

[earthship]

We bought a couple of antique wheels yesterday. We are wondering what equipment they might have been on? These are large (4' or more in diameter), double spoked, all metal and very stout. Any ideas?

http://www.thinkcia.com/earthship/wheel1.JPG
http://www.thinkcia.com/earthship/wheel2.JPG

They look to me to be the wheels off of an old hay rake. The teeth in the wheel hub activated the dumping device which was activated by a foot trip lever. Read about such a rake in "Little Britches" by Ralph Moody.

[earthship]

thanks for the tip - found this site:
http://www.vannattabros.com/iron46.html

pretty sure our wheels are from one of these Sulky rakes.

they look more like seed drill wheels too me . flat tire and two sets of spokes mean heavy weight . possibly an ih . post over at yesterdays tractors

[Kirk]

First I havn't a clue what they are. Second I wonder what you plan on doing with them? Since we bought our house I've been looking for something interesting to put at the end of the driveway, so I can tell people look for the wagon wheels or whatever.

[earthship]

Kirk - we think we will use them between old cedar fence posts (we have a stack of pulled posts); wired to a cedar post placed on either side of the wheel. This arrangement will be set to each side of our main gate. We have had people drive around our locked gate as there is enough space for a small vehicle to pull this off. This is what we are thinking - but we liked the wheels a lot and bought them without a concrete idea as to what we would do with them ;-) I know they couldn't be made at an iron works place for the $45.00 ea. that we paid for them ;-)

[Alex]

I think the first set of wheels are from a John Deere Dump Rake. The cogs on the inside of the hub cause the tines of the rake to lift up and the hay to dump. You manually pull a lever (with some force) that engages another gear on a shaft on the tines that engages the wheel cogs. More or less that is the idea.

I used such a rake thirty years ago to rake about 34 acres, then the neighbour baled about 300 bales (square bales - about 60 lb + or - each) from the 34 acres.



Alex IV On The John Deere Dump Hay Rake, Alex V Driving "Tillie-The-Tractor" - Thirty Years Ago - Yikes! Thirty Years Ago! [How can that be? I thought I (Alex IV) was only 35 years old this year, and last year, ... ?]

btw If it is a John Deere, the spokes would have been yellow, and maybe the inside of the wheels green - not sure.

btw 2 We bought this dump rake for $15 CDN (equal to $11.62 USD at todays CDN/USD currency exchange rates) from a neighbour at Moberly Lake, BC, Canada in 1973. We hauled it to Vancouver, and then sold it to a very happy person for $115 CDN ($89 USD), in about 1984, when we moved.

Enjoy,

Alex

[fordson major]

i wish i had the digital charged up! we have a set very similar sitting on a mcormick seed drill also have a set from a dump rake and a side delivery rake all different ! all have cogs on the inside. sounds like a good use!! have seen them made into very attractive gates.

[earthship]

Dear Ford - would like to see those pictures when you get your batteries charged ;-)

[Ducks limited]

The extra wide wheel in back is just like the wheels on a horse drawn "fertilizer spreader" we used to have. The wheels were wider so it would pull easier.
The other wheels look to be heavier duty than any hay rake wheels I have seen. Maybe a seeder wagon?

[Ross]

My dollar is on a hayloader. Could be numerous horse drawn items that ground drive but the large triangular teeth are meant to engage a pawl that would slip easily if reverse travel was required. They look too tall for spreader or drill wheels too. Still could be but the spreaders I've seen are even wider than that. Check out this site for pictures. P4A.com especially the last picture.

[Alex]

Interesting site!

Hmmm ... sure, could be, don't know, still looks a lot like my rake. As you point out this was most likely a common desing detail.

Alex

[agmantoo]

Definitely hay rake, got a set exactly like the two in front. Took mine from the rake. It is the inside of the hub that identifies as one of the above posts states.

[Ross]

Is there a ground drive lift? What are the teeth for?