Identify this weird metal thing (farm implement)

[Mathochist]

Hi again everyone. I’m back again. And in the meantime I’ve been crawling about underground!

Specifically, I’ve been teaching near Mammoth Cave, and have been going down on a lot of the tours, including the “wild” cave tour. And that’s where I found this weird metal thing.

It’s wedged into a crevice in some rocks nearish to Cathedral Domes. Since that’s a migrating sinkhole, it’s likely that, whatever this thing is, it was washed down from the surface. Someone else on the same trip noted that the hole to the right looks to be square, which is usually done for some particular reason, since it’s not exactly the easiest feature to machine.

So, any ideas?

[Gorsnak]

Looks to me like it’s the end piece from a sickle mower. See here, for example.

[Squink]

some variant on a chisel plow?

[Magiver]

@Gorsnak

Looks to me like it’s the end piece from a sickle mower. See here, for example.

I think you nailed it. The shape is not symetrical and your picture matches it.

[Mathochist]

@Magiver

I think you nailed it. The shape is not symetrical and your picture matches it.

Yes, that looks pretty much exactly right. Something I’d never have guessed, since I don’t think I knew such a thing even existed.

[Oslo_Ostragoth]

@Mathochist

Someone else on the same trip noted that the hole to the right looks to be square, which is usually done for some particular reason, since it’s not exactly the easiest feature to machine.

It looks cast, not machined, to me.

I concur that it’s from a sickle mower.

[Kansas_Beekeeper]

Guard from a sickle mower.