How old is this chain for an old wagon?

[UnknownTreasures]

Anyone able to roughly age this style chain?

 

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[creskol]

Those toggles were pretty much universal. They were used for countless applications from wagon wheels to dog collars to kettle hangers and a gazillion more.

 

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[BosnMate]

These chains are not used to hook up plows and buggies, they are for rolling loads such as limber chests and large wagons.
The chains You are talking about are for pulling but with rolling weight you have to be able to stop the load .
These front traces run from the hames or yoke collar to the neck yoke or pole(if yoke is not used)
There may be other names for them, yoke chains or pole chains maybe? but I call all the short chains used to hook animals to a load trace chains and from what I can tell, so does the U.S. Army.

If you look at these drawings you will see several types of trace chains with twisted links and toggles.

Lovett Artillery - US M 1918 Limber for the "French 75" mle/1897


You can find these chains on ebay listed as military and civil war. Im not sure about those claims though.
civil war trace chains - page 1 | WorthPoint

First off, my experience is from limited personal use of work and harness horses, so I'm not claiming to be an expert.
I've owned and drove a couple of buggies, yarded logs, used a stone boat etc., and the photo you posted is the first I've ever seen
of tugs with chain on both ends. I don't understand how you say those short chains are supposed to hold the wagon
from rolling up on the animals. On a buggy driving a single horse in shafts, the hold backs are attached to the britchin
on the horse, and onto the shafts on each side. In my extremely limited experience with a team and a heavy wagon,
the hold backs were leather straps that come from the britchen to the pole up near the horses head. The wagon also
had a break that my buggy's didn't have. Looking at the size of the chain compared to the coffee cup and bic lighter, I can't
imagine it being used as a trace chain. But that's just me, I'm a horseshoer, not a teamster.

 

[creskol]

It isn't a trace chain, BosnMate .. you are 100% correct on that.

 

[taz42o]

Here are two pics showing the type of front chain Im talking about and yes the force is transferred back through to the breeching. All forward force is.
Yes the chains do not match the one found , they also do not match each other.
Many types can be used including no chains at all , only a leather strap with hook.
Depends on height of pole and height of animal. You cant have the pole aimed at the sky on tall animal or ground with a short animal.
Most other uses for these toggle chains require a ring and toggle,not two toggles. Such as wagon brakes ,dog leads and wagon grease bucket hangers and cow ties.

 

[taz42o]

Here is a patent for one type of those chains and they call it a breast chain.

 

[BosnMate]

OK, I understand what you are talking about now, and see how they work. Thanks.