long pole with bent circle handle

[BobinSouthVA]

dug this today in a field where I pulled some 3 ringers and some eagle cuff buttons, so I decided to post it here. My guess is its just a hole digger, but than again I don't know much

The end is flat and it looks like the top (circle area) had been hit with a hammer. Pretty sure it was straight at one point in time but that is just a guess.

Thanks for looking and HH

 

[BobinSouthVA]

Was this found close to any railroad? This looks like a piece of brake rigging from a box car.

nope no railroads here. nearest one is about an hour away

 

[Nonsequiter]

Looks like a simple 'dead-man' to me. It's used in concrete to hold cables for a pole or some such. Might have been modified for something else but the patina looks like it was once on concrete. JMO

 

[Tnmountains]

Looks like a simple 'dead-man' to me. It's used in concrete to hold cables for a pole or some such. Might have been modified for something else but the patina looks like it was once on concrete. JMO

I agree it looks as if it was driven into the ground and hit something bending the end. An anchor pin would be my guess.

 

[dimeaday]

rod to hold the tailgate in place, on horse drawn wooden farm wagon...dl

 

[sniper100]

I do some blacksmith work and the ring on the end is a common method for the above post, used as a handle to hold the rod, used as a attachment point such as a hook and chain, or part of a camp fire tripod. Most people never discarded iron tools after they stopped using them for the original purpose and would reassign them to other task for many years. Most fire place pokers were part of other tools relegated to tend the fire.

 

[mrjosh]

Tie down anchors screw into the ground. I agree someone hammered it in but I dont think that was the original purpose. Would a broken branding iron fit the area?

only the shorter ones screw into the ground. The church that I work at had one in the back parking lot that I tried to pull up, even by tying it to a small tractor, it didnt budge, when they started redoing the parking lot after construction I asked the back hoe operator to dig it out, it was about 7 feet long. The ground rods they pulled from the electrical poles were over 7feet.

 

[bula]

It is a running iron to change the brand of the stolen cattle.