A heavy iron tool featuring a central bar and hinged barbs that lock outward when plunged into a wagonload of loose hay. Attached to a rope-and-pulley system powered by a draft horse or tractor, it grabbed massive bites of hay to lift into the barn mow. Once positioned over the loft, a trip rope released the barbs to drop the hay.
Heard on the job
We found an old harpoon fork up in the rafters of the dairy barn while replacing the roof.