What is it?

[vtfireman85]

[Dan Robinson]

Some sort of loose hay fork maybe..

[CRVB91]

It's a hay hook isnt it? 

[Rick G.]

A medieval torture device?

[Sledgehammer]

It's a corkscrew for a barrel of wine

[1586 Jeff]

56 minutes ago, Sledgehammer said:

It's a corkscrew for a barrel of wine

Sized for sister in laws……

[New Englander]

My barn has this system installed for loose hay:

 

[acem]

Used to be several barns like that when I was a kid. Last one rotted down a few years ago. 

Our climate is hard on wooden structures. Termites are terrible here. 

[Cruz]

My grandpa's barn still has most of the pieces still in the top of the haymow on the ceiling. 

[yellowrosefarm]

1 hour ago, New Englander said:

My barn has this system installed for loose hay:

 

It's making me itch just sitting here watching that.

[sandhiller]

12 hours ago, vtfireman85 said:

My grandpa had a set up a lot like in the video only big heavy ropes instead of cable. 

Grapple fork like in the video

The corkscrew is a bit baffling, just don't see how it could grab that much hay to be effective but I've never seen this style in action, so maybe it works better than I think🤔

 

[russtred]

I may be way off here, but I could see that being used to hoist square bales into the haymow if you didn't have an elevator. ???

[mmi]

2 minutes ago, russtred said:

I may be way off here, but I could see that being used to hoist square bales into the haymow if you didn't have an elevator. ???

? 2x if #120 wire/straw

[TomH]

20 minutes ago, russtred said:

I may be way off here, but I could see that being used to hoist square bales into the haymow if you didn't have an elevator. ???

Yes, I remember the one at my mother's farm. Just had a set of tongs to grab the bale.   

[vtfireman85]

I could see it being to grab square bales, looks way too old to be for round. I bet it was slow, I also am curious about the ratchet mechanism. I would think you would have to have one person to screw it and one to unscrew it, unless the spiral was of such a pitch as that it would automatically unscrew itself when the release let go? 

[KWRB]

20 hours ago, sandhiller said:

My grandpa had a set up a lot like in the video only big heavy ropes instead of cable. 

Grapple fork like in the video

The corkscrew is a bit baffling, just don't see how it could grab that much hay to be effective but I've never seen this style in action, so maybe it works better than I think🤔

 

I believe that corkscrew could only be useful for baled hay. 

[acem]

A neighbor would lift round bales into his loft with his loader then his kids rolled them around in the loft to store them.

He has a 3x3 round baler.

[48 farmall M]

On 4/29/2026 at 8:00 AM, New Englander said:

My barn has this system installed for loose hay:

 

We have a very similar one, but it is now set up for small squares. It has what we call the bale fork.