I have always heard this called a hay hook. It is for hooking into a bale of hay as a handle, to help move it from one place to another. You can see them hanging in horse barns etc.

Nice hook, Glenn. I've made about 4 of them for the Historic Site that I volunteer at.

Nice job Glenn!

I'll admit - I've been on the grabbin' end of one o' those so many times it makes me shiver looking at it (actually I gave up using hooks decades ago and just grab strings now) but if I need another one, I'll look you up to make it!

That's a great construction. The handle won't break off without a fight. Most of the hay around these parts anymore is processed as 3x4x8 foot bales that weigh half a ton or so. My current favorite set of hay hooks says 'Hyster' across the back.

So Glen,gonna put the leather apron to work in a secondary field?(pun intended)
I can remember getting paid by the bale to buck hay.I preferred working the field rather than the barn.The field had a better breeze(hopefully)and less dust.
The barn did offer more shade though.

Nice hook,let us know how they toss.

thank God my hay days is over .good lookin hook though.

I admit that I have finally graduated to outside the barn, just about the time we no longer needed hay.

I still remember folks saying working hay will open your sinuses (they understated that fact).

So what`s the next project?
How about cross crafting(wooden handle)and making a pulp hook or pickaroon?
Bucking hay will be a good warm up for tossin` pulp. ;)

They're also known as "stevedores' hooks".

I've actually used one of those.

We worked for a farmer one summer who had his wagon hooked directly behind the square baler. The baler shute came right up on the wagon, so one man would hook the bale as it started out the shute and drag it to the stack man. You would stack a wagon full, take it to the barn and unload the square bales on a motorized conveyor. The barn crew would catch them and stack them in the loft. Two farmers and four boys could get a hay up in a day's time.