Farming or Mining equipment, or what is it they are sitting on?

[geniecolgan]

Well, you can rule out the well idea, looking at the better picture, it's obviously not a well 

[majm]

Bit More,

Those photos are really well done.

Notice the BRAKE or STOP lever - near the boy's left arm

Notice the STEERING mechanicism near the lady's right shoulder

Notice the shaft to permit the lifting up of the structure where the boy is sitting

Could this be a HAY BAILER perhaps?

Not sure, but hope I am advancing the plot.

JM

[mike175]

I've outlined the main structure of the frame (as I see it) for clarity. There seems to be a connecting link on the lever in just the right position for a rope or chain to run over the curved iron 'thing' . . . .

Not sure if this helps at all, but I'm still hoping someone will recognise it and tell us exactly what it is 

[majm]

Ah,  that's great mike175.

Ummm, wonder what happens when the steering "wheel" is turned

Wonder what turns the shaft - it seems to be a bright steel - would that help date it?

But I think the lady is perhaps sitting on a separate timber frame that may or may not be part of the mysterious farming implement 

Yes, I too am hoping that someone will recognise it and tell us what it is and how it worked and ... and.... and....

    

JM

[I4Favre]

I am glad that you are now looking at a better quailty picture and can see the "mystery contraption" up close! I thank all of you for your ideas and suggestions, and hope we get a definite answer to what it is!
Thanks again!
Darlene

[mike175]

Hi JM,

Yes I agree about the lady's seat, which could be a sawing horse or trestle.

My best guess is that the main object was a logging saw, with a large circular sawblade on one side of the frame and a pulley on the opposite side, driven from an engine of some sort. The boy's seat could be a cradle to hold the log, which pivots in towards the saw to cut off short lengths. It would be lowered to the ground to attach the log first, then pulled up with a rope attached to the lever.

I don't suppose I'm right, but I imagine they would have burnt a lot of wood for heating that big house!

Mike.

PS. there's a video here that shows you the idea:
http://www.joeturnerequipment.co.uk/firewood_processors.htm

[Viktoria]

Hi, I have been looking in a book about old trades and forgotten crafts. There are some sleds in one section--not for use in snow but a simple sort of transport especially in hilly countryside such as Wales. The horses were not properly harnessed  as there were no shafts but chains were attached  to their collars really to use them as brakes to slow down the descent of the sled from the high pastures .I think the horses would not go in front but at the sides or back .,There is obviously a seat where the boy is seated and some sort of wheel behind the him perhaps for some control. I can only imagine hay was loaded on either side  but perhaps we are not seeing the complete object .Something quite similar was used by cockle fishers off the Cumbrian coast and the fisherman semi lay on it and pushed through shallow water  with his feet , the sand with cockles was raked up and  they could be  more easily gathered. Hope this is not too way off the mark .There seems to be a chamfering on the front part near the ground -as you would find on old wooden wheelbarrow handles. What an interesting topic. Viktoria.

[Rian]

Have you thought of posting the photo in one of the magazines for old machinery enthusiasts? Or you could take it to one of the museums or machinery shows and ask around.
There must be an old farm equipment expert out there who knows exactly what it is (presumably they're  not into genealogy). 
Rian.

[stockman fred]

I'll add a vote for Mike's stationary saw bench with the pulley shaft and blade taken off for resharpening or safety (with kids about?
The clearer photo seems to show daylight through the higher bearing which implies that the axle shaft is missing. I reckon the metal frame behind the lady is either a primitive curved safety guard for the missing blade, or a rope guide for a pulling rope attached to the cradle on which the lad is sitting.
We've got a metal 1930s version in the nettles which would look similar with it's blade off. I'll try to get a picture tomorrow, but ours was run from a flat pulley on an old 1930 Lister engine.
Fred