[Baystatetom]

@Matthew 29289 wrote:

Has any one ever had a problem with horses getting sick from eating hickory nuts?

Can’t say a thing about horses but deer and bears sure like them. As a forester I have never heard that they were poisonous.

[Baystatetom]

I got my first pair of oxen when I was 5 and never wanted a horse. Unfortunately for me my daughter wanted nothing but a horse, so I finally broke down and got her one. I was right all along I really do like cows better for to many reasons to list.
However the one good advantage I can see to having a team of horses would be the ability to use them for more public entertainment like hay rides/sleigh rides. Seems like a good way to make money off a team when farming or logging is slow.
I wouldn’t be afraid to buy a well broke team except if you start with calves you will learn together, if you start with a grown team you have to catch up quick. I gave away a pair rather then see them go to slaughter and was surprised how much there was to teach the new driver. You have to learn how to act with them not just that haw is left and gee is right. If you get a grown team be sure you also get driving lessons, and not just one either.

[Baystatetom]

Ha!
I knew I read this somewhere!

[Baystatetom]

Mass had the same system Mitchmaine was talking about but the state foresters job went from providing forestry services to enforcing harvesting laws. Not sure why, it all happened before I started in the industry.
As far as the proposed changes to our harvesting laws I hate to even think about it, it makes my blood boil. Basically unless you are already familiar with our harvesting laws its way to much to explain, except to say we already have the most restrictive harvesting laws in the country.
As a forester I still think most bad harvesting is the fault of the landowner. Sure some old ladies get taken advantage of and some loggers and foresters are just plain bad at what they do, but most often the landowner is the one saying “show me the money.” Luckily I have enough work close to home I don’t have to take those jobs anymore, but their is always somebody else happy to get the call. My question is should the government turn a blind eye, or encourage better management through grants, or pass laws and regulations that force landowners to practice long term management.

[Baystatetom]

I am not unsatisfied with the near steers performance I think he pulls well enough. I blame the off steer for trying to run all the time, he just doesn’t have first gear its flat out or nothing. I was hoping if I put him on the near side maybe I would have better control of him. I’ll keep you posted as I blunder along 🙂

[Baystatetom]

You found the right place, all kinds of folks here to ask. If you can’t get a big enough piece you can always laminate a few together. If you have the ability to mill wood yourself, I would do up a bunch and start letting it dry, you’ll need a new one before you know it!

[Baystatetom]

Yup that is a good design, I have a 9″ and 10″ yoke with that kind of staple, but I have two 7″ and 3 8″ that all have a fixed staple. I have been playing around trying to avoid the expense of a new yoke, either in time building one or $ buying one. The first time I used the block under the yoke to increase the draft by 2″ I didn’t notice that it made a difference. Then again I pulled a light load. The last two days I freighted them down a bit more and I am starting to think it is working. It looks like the off bull is working harder and staying in line with the other. I think I’ll try it a few more times before declaring victory though. Swapping them in the yoke may also be a good idea. I think I’ll try that after this weekends fair.

[Baystatetom]

I am on my 5th team and am still playing around trying to see what works the best as far as shape and style. As far as species of tree to use, I have seen old yokes made from eastern white pine but the far majority are sugar maple, birch, or elm. These are all diffuse porous woods as opposed to ring porous. Ash, oak, walnut are all ring porous, you can see clusters of pores in the growth rings where sap flows through the tree trunk like a giant straw. Diffuse porous woods pass sap through the cell wall and don’t have open pores, this makes them stronger against splitting. Try and find a heavy diffuse porous wood. I have always leaned toward lighter yokes but as the team gets bigger the yoke gets heavier, they need to learn to keep their heads up.

[Baystatetom]

I just remembered one more yoke I didn’t have at home yet, so I ran over to my folks barn and found it buried in the back corner of the loft. I drove out the staple and replaced it with one 2 inches longer. I took up the space with a 2×4 block and put it on the team for a trial run. It did tilt the yoke a lot more but didn’t have enough of an evener effect to slow down that off steer. I didn’t dare drill to more holes in it to move the staple.

[Baystatetom]

I have always started mine in a 6″ made from pine nice and lite. Yup it is way to big for a while, but at that point the emphasis should be on learning to walk together and turn. It doesn’t have to do more then hold them together. You can carve it out of a 4X4 from the big box store even. Look at my album on here you can see my daughters two week old jerseys in it.

[Baystatetom]

I agree with Carl. I would guess that as pioneers moved west bringing with them only the necessities, they made yokes as quick as possible when they needed them and then switch to horses soon after. Mean while we New England Yankees being both thrifty and resistant to change kept our oxen much longer. Allowing for both old technology to be carried on and new advancements to be made. As Carl also stated earlier there is a difference between working yokes and pulling yokes. Most oxen these days are used only for pulling contest at fairs, therefore there are many more of those types of yokes around. Including all the ones I have from my ancestors.
I am now working on putting a longer staple with a spacer block in my old 8″ yoke.

[Baystatetom]

Now I get it! I had to go look at my yokes and tilt them around before I could see how the V was formed by the deeper belly yoke. Just like math class in high school, I’ll get there eventually! Although the 7″ yoke I just switched out of had a pretty deep belly and my off steer still charged ahead. The antique 8″ I just transitioned into has a shallow belly and fixed staple. I do have a unfinished 8″ with a deep belly and adjustable staple, maybe I should invest the time in finishing that new one.
That cracked yoke I was going to play with is too tight on there necks to use even as an experiment.

[Baystatetom]

I would love to see the differences in draft forces from a level skid to a inclines one. Anybody (Tim) ever try that.

[Baystatetom]

I am practicing for a ox teamsters challenge event in a couple of weeks. I am not sure I should switch them indefinitely right now, but I may try it once just to see what happens.

[Baystatetom]

I tell my kids whoa all the time. One time when my daughter was pushing the cart in the grocery store I told her “gee over a bit.”

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