You are too funny islandlife! I have no clue. My daughter says an outdoor fire tool. My husband says an egg scrambler. (Just kidding)
It is 3 feet tall. I figured a scooper of some kind too. Its fairly modern machinework, welded nicely etc but weird. The short side rods are straight but the wider side rods are bent out like feet. Really weird.
At 3' tall and with the configuration of the "teeth", I'd venture a guess that it is some kind of nut picker-upper. Does the handle telescope to make the teeth close? We have those around here for picking up pecans, but they are usually round or oval, and are always called "back savers"!
Yes in the two pics you can see the plate moves thereby opening the time travel device. It is steel so fairly heavy, and thus I suspect it is not used as an umbrella.
Ah that makes sense. And the heavy weight doesn't matter ( or might actually help) as you are dropping it down from the top of the chimney.
Could have used one of those many years ago ! Had a chimney fire once and for about an hour had to stand outside in February hosing the roof down ! Daughter put a small pine log in the fireplace instead of hardwood ! Looked like fireworks coming from the chimney ! Lesson; Never tell a kid to throw another log on the fire !
They are. I had the same thing once when I was my grand parents. Grandpa had built the house hell for stout so he was not worried about it, just sit with a hose on the roof. It was like a jet engine though. Lotsa air rush noise and hot coals dropping down from inside the chimney to the fire area.