found in field today

ok I found this in a field today, typed the words into google and found this website
http://www.graisseur.fr/us/utigerl.php

but still I have no idea what this thing is used for, anyone? what was this used on? The site does not really say

Got a side or bottom view?

in link I posted

Yes, grease cup.  Used for oiling bearings and such on engines or things with moving parts.

ok thanks guys

Interesting 

    Just a minor addition to the already good information here.  The cups were loaded with grease not oil. The cups don't work automatically or slowly. A machine like a stationary engine or something with a pillow block would have directions that say something like " Before starting give each Grease cup 1-2 full turns, which injects the grease under pressure into the bearing area. If it was something that ran continuously you had to come back and give the cups a turn now and then. The devices that held "oil" were the "oilers" they had a 1-2-4oz glass reservoir. This device when turned on....did drip and release oil slowly. This is how the piston rings were lubricated continuously. The main crank journals has the Grease caps. The G.C.'s then had to be unscrewed and reloaded with fresh grease every couple days. I'll try and find a pic from one of my engines that shows them in use. Many farm machinery items used these, even horse drawn equipment. It eliminated the need to carry a grease gun to the equipment each time necessary.

Tirediron

makes sense........starting to understand!

  Here is a quick example from ebay. Look at the middle picture from the rear. It shows a grease cap on each side on top the crank caps. Then on top you see the glass oiler (dripper) that lubes the piston rings while it runs. It was dangerous for one to reach in while the engine was running and turn the crank bearing "grease caps"....but a lot of farmers did it. Thats why they hold up two fingers when ordering 3-4 beers. http://cgi.ebay.com/Antique-Hercule...DefaultDomain_0?hash=item45ef3fc15d

Tirediron

Check out this definition of a grease cup I found on the internet.

Little over my Alabama Boy head but I know what they are:

A lubricating device for automatically feeding lubricant from a reservoir to an element such as a bearing, characterized by a hollow housing having a lubricant injection fitting and relief valve for controlled filling, being connectable with the element by way of an axial lubricant discharge passageway, and having an annular sealing shoulder with anti-slip means for retaining a flange of a diaphragm in place; a distensible elastic diaphragm having a peripheral sealing flange seated on said annular sealing shoulder; an annular threaded ring that threadedly engages the internal threaded wall of the housing for being screwed inwardly to compressively retain the peripheral sealing flange of the diaphragm against the annular sealing shoulder independently of any guard element; and a rigid guard element disposed about the diaphragm for protection.

Hahhahahahaaaa.....good one Chief.  I agree with it word for word except where it says..."for automatically feeding lubricant".... you know as well as I do that a Grease Cup is incapable of doing anything "Automatically".  If you don't turn the knob...the grease never leaves the reservoir. I'm sure old machinery in Alabama works alot like machinery in Colorado, except yours rusts and ours freezes up.

TiredIron

Thats why they hold up two fingers when ordering 3-4 beers.....lol, good one!

simply put, early greese gun

You both are right on that stuff.  Different terminilogy for sure and counting is a whole nother thing for me.  That is why I went into Criminal Justice, no math in that course of study at college.  I lost my mathematical skills when my folks were finally able to buy me a pair of shoes.  Couldn't count over ten past that point.

One thing though.  We never had a hard time finding a parking space.  You just park where you want to and then get out an draw the lines with your toe in the dirt around your car.  It is kinda hard drawing that handicapped symbol though.