🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Heavy metal object found. Possibly a flywheel?

[Gerrit]

A friend of mine found this metal object next to a lake. It was thickly caked with rust but I got most of it off with electrolysis. My first guess would be a flywheel from a large machine. There's no markings or numbers on it that I can see. Diameter is about 9" (20-25cm) and it's very heavy.
Any idea what it could be?

 

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[cudamark]

I'd say it probably a wheel or roller. Most flywheels are a lot bigger in diameter than 9".

 

[crashbandicoot]

Bearing of some kind,you can see the balls in there.Part of it,s broken off.

 

[Gerrit]

I'd say it probably a wheel or roller. Most flywheels are a lot bigger in diameter than 9".

It's very heavy to be a wheel though.
I would think a wheel would be made lighter.

 

[Gerrit]

Those are not bearing balls, it's indentations. So an indentation on the one side would be a bulge on the other side. Hope that makes sense.

Bearing of some kind,you can see the balls in there.Part of it,s broken off.

 

[crashbandicoot]

Those are not bearing balls, it's indentations. So an indentation on the one side would be a bulge on the other side. Hope that makes sense.

Perfect sense.Spoke before I engaged brain.

 

[Gerrit]

Perfect sense.Spoke before I engaged brain.

I can see how it can appear to be bearing balls if you don't zoom in on the photos.

 

[Gerrit]

I think it might be an antique cast iron castor wheel.
Google image search shows wheels that look similar, although I haven't found an exact match with the indentations yet.

 

[Tony in SC]

All the cast iron cart wheels that I have are flat. This piece has a rounded edge making me think is part of an old hand wheel, maybe from a flat belt clutch, etc.

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

could be a broken mushroom boat anchor.

 

[Gerrit]

could be a broken mushroom boat anchor.

Good guess, but I just looked up photos of mushroom anchors and they're all curved to one side only, and thinner than the item we found.