Old spike harrow dug up on a farm

[MatthewVictor]

Just outside my barn and underneath a layer of gravel was this old spike harrow. I could see only a small bolt above the surface when I took a shovel and began digging. Once uncovered, I carried the old, iron farm equipment to the barn. I have not seen any quite like it online, and I don't have any thought to it's age. Any information is appreciated

 

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[Oddjob]

They are not that uncommon to see in Europe and many still use them. First few I saw many years ago in Europe I thought where peoples yard deco because they are over 100 years old. No they use it on little plots less than 5 acres. I thought it wild because I grew up on a ranch, one that has been in our family since the early 1800s and I am pretty sure we never threw a thing away and never had one of these.

They are just for smaller plots of land. Another odd one that threw me off was hand crank hay bailers.

In the US this stuff is just odd to us because our ranches are the size of most European Cities.

Anyway, in the village I live in here the oldest house is only like 865 years old, still a small working farm that is currently owned by a retired Army Officer (US); he has one very close to this he uses still from around the 1820s he claims.

 

[MatthewVictor]

Thank you. There just isn't much comparable to it on google images or what have ya'. It seems quite old

 

[Dave N Japan]

 

[trapperart]

Congrats

 

[vpnavy]

Sure is different!

 

[CRUSADER]

I sometimes find the spikes to these in the ploughed fields. I thought they were 19th C.

 

[JUNKER]

When are you going to start using it now that you know what it is lol

 

[MatthewVictor]

It would be of good use on my vegetable garden!

 

[MatthewVictor]

I sometimes find the spikes to these in the ploughed fields. I thought they were 19th C.

Yeah, I've seen some much older hand-fashioned spikes on other threads. I'm thinking this harrow is from 1800s to early 1900s

 

[Oddjob]

Thank you. There just isn't much comparable to it on google images or what have ya'. It seems quite old

Sorry but I may not be seeing these pictures correctly. These are skinny pointed blades and not symmetrical spikes, or am I looking at it wrong

I ask because the version was to be used after the field was ploughed, then this would be ran over it to break up the larger pieces trapping in some of the micro bacterial but still leaving it where the dangerous levels could die off during the winter.

Commonly used in potato farms and places that get pretty cold.

This is what that one man told me about his, because when I asked him I had mentioned that I had seen many in Europe, and he asked if they where blades or spikes because the bladed ones are harder to find that the spike ones. Then he went on and explained a bunch of stuff to me about it.

I actually have no issues with finding many just like it on the net, I guess it just depends on how you are searching and what language you are searching in.

Next time I run into him I will ask him if he can give me names of firms that made them and come back on here with that.

 

[MatthewVictor]

No, you're lookin' at it right. But when I look around for old spike narrows all I find is wood-barred ones or just modern ones