A friend of mine got this old uni when he bought a pile of old bike stuff. I might buy it just as a curiosity, perhaps to use as a loaner for anyone I convince to learn to ride. The wheel seems to be a 20 incher. Can anyone tell who made this, what kind of hub that is, is there any reason not to buy it?
that is a cotter pinned hub
i cant think of one
Looks like the seat can be tilted.
When I read the title, I assumed it was gonna be a shwinn, but the frame and tire doesnt even look like the old style shwinn (which is sitting about 6 feet away form me). Those cranks look very long too, sharp turns would clip all the time. Cottered hub and cranks too, but they look different from other brands I have seen.
looks the same as my learner now that i look at it
haha it looks very painful to ride!
Not as painful as the one in my avatar!
the pedals are the same as the ones on my old schwinn
Well obviously the original owner was more trials oriented. 
It looks to me like a one off built by a competent engineer, using bits that came to hand. I have a 1959 “one off” that has some similarities (and many differnece). It is clutter, waiting to occupy your shed or garage. It is unlikely to ride as well as a modern one, and will be no more than a curiosity.
Your unicycle is from Japan. I have one with the same bearing mount setup and capped fork crown, but mine is painted. The sticker says “Pro Unicycle, made in Japan.” I think the brand name would be Pro, not the intended use. 
I also have an Oxford unicycle, also Japanese, with the same cap on the fork, but a different bearing setup. The Oxford is also Japanese, so I’d assume the same factory on the forks. The cap on the fork crown is made of brass! Pictures:
http://www.unicycling.org/unicycling/Unidb/qdesc/pro.html
http://www.unicycling.org/unicycling/Unidb/qdesc/oxford.html
If you plan to do Trials, don’t buy it. But it should be fine as a learner machine, maybe with a little help on the seat… I paid $15 for mine, but it had a bicycle seat on it, and two left cranks.
Thanks to everyone for the replies. Another question…
Now that I am looking again at these photos (and recalling a recent thread here about bent axles) does the axle on this one look bent? Check the crank arms in the first image. Do cottered cranks move on the axle to make such an offset, without bending the axle?
I’d like to get this just because… but if it’s got a twisted axle I’m not sure I’d bother.
It’s easier for cottered cranks to be crooked like that, especially if the cotter pins are put in parallel. They should go in opposite ways to keep the cranks 180 degrees apart. But the small angle I see in the picture will not be noticeable, especially for a beginner.
I learned on my current Norco Twenty… I got it from a friend minus spokes and a rim… the cranks originally were about 20-30 degrees off…
I put it in a vice and used this weird pole with a hook sort of thing on the end to fix it
If your cotterless cranks don’t line up, you’ve got a much bigger problem than with cottered ones; put it that way. The unicycle above has either a defective, or much more likely a twisted axle. With heavy use, a twisted axle will be a broken axle. But cottered cranks can be out of alignment for years. In fact, I just took a look at my 45" big wheel, the only cottered unicycle (other than my tiny 12-incher) that I ride these days. The cranks are out of alignment, they’ve probably been that way for years, and I noticed the cotter pins are pointed the same way. Someday I’ll take one off and put it back the right way…
Ben,
I think it would make a great mailbox post!
I hope you didn’t pay much for it.
Kathy
a cottered hub (as previously stated)
i dont see a good reason not to buy it, other than it isnt good for trials, muni, freestyle, or even long distance. its an antique to be sure.
Hi Kathy! Nope, I didn’t pay much. (this is because I haven’t bought it yet) I did tell the guy today that I’d give around $15…and then added the option of giving it to me for free because we’re friends. He responded appropiately by doubling over in laughter. I’m trying to talk him into learning to ride it…
John I’m curious, would that make the cranks line up, or would you be doing it only to make the pins “correct”? (wondering what to expect if I do the same with this old unicycle)