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Andy Carson
ModeratorThat is an interesting design. I imagine the four wheel design was used because of the weight on the winch? Do I see a pivot point to allow the shafts to pivot up and down (and follow the horse) over rough terrain? If it does pivot, is there some sort of limit to the pivoting so that the whole cart doesn’t tip back or nosedive? Maybe all the weight is too low for this to be a concern? Is this also not a concern when the horse is holding back the load? I am also curious about how well this design turns with four fixed wheels. Is there a steering (or articulation) aspect that I have missed? Does it still maneuver easily with four fixed non steering wheels? If carts like this with four fixed wheels are just as maneuverable and practical as the two wheels versions, there would certainly be a lot of use for them! I like the concept!
PS. I think as the shafts can pivot (I think), it seems your line of draft has to be exactly right to keep the cart from tipping back or forth when dragging the log. This seems like it could be set up just right, but the line is going to change a little with changing terrain, different loads, different lengths of logs, etc. Perhaps you need some sort of “fudge factor” figured into your design so that it will work if the line of draft is 15 degrees +/- 2 degrees (for example) not a design where the angle has to be exactly 15 degrees and will “nosedive” or “wheelie” if off a fraction of a degree. This “fudge factor could be provided by either 1. increasing the wheel base (which would definitely require some sort of steering with the front wheels) or 2. fixing the shafts (which would require going with a two wheeled design) or 3. Some other much more interesting modification that we’ll probably hear about in the near future… Maybe some sort of limited pivoting of the shafts? Maybe spring loaded rear wheels? Thanks for sharing, I like to design new things myself 🙂
PPS. Perhaps the “nosediving” “wheelie-ing” under load is tolerable is kept to a minimum. If one extended the hitchpoint forward as far as was practical it would limit the potential forward and backward tilting, and provide some “fudge factor”. Probably the tilting would be limited enough that it wasn’t an issue if you made a good estimation of the average angle of draft. I still worry about those shafts tilting when trying to hold back a load, but if it works, then it works…
ModeratorFinished my new chicken coop this weekend. I still have to make a run for it, but the chickens were growing so fast and I had to get them out of the basement… The house itself is 6×12 feet. I opted for a permanent design to house the chickens that I will breed in the future, as I am concerns about predator protection for the tractor designs is used year round. I still plan to use tractors for the broilers. A question for you other chicken keepers out there. What do you use for fencing in your runs? I have read that hardware cloth is the best and it is even better to have a full roof. I think this makes some sense, but it is taking a bite out of my pocketbook… Chicken wire is so cheap, and as the coop is right next to my horse pasture, I can tie into the electric easily so it could easily be a chicken wire, with an additional electric wire at 1 foot and 5 feet (or thereabouts). I could also put some lines over the tops to keep hawks from swooping in. Or perhaps I ought to just go for full enclosure… I’m kinda “on the fence”… When I’m home, I am going to give the chickens the run of the horse pasture too, but want to keep them in a smaller, more secure area when I’m not around to guard them. The chickens are definitely going to be locked in the coop at night no matter what. I included a couple photos, as people seem to enjoy these… These are the buckeye I hatched out at a little over five weeks now.
By the way, I have the full cast of north American predators (minus the big ones). I have seen raccoons, possums, red tailed hawks hanging around. I have heard coyotes yipping at night, and seen quite a few foxes hit on the road (even though I haven’t seen one in action). I have also smelled skunks from time to time. I haven’t seen sign of weasels, but I don’t think that means they aren’t around. I have heard from others that there are bears in the area, but haven’t seen sign and personally think people are exaggerating a little…
ModeratorThe field is a mix of Canfield and Ravenna silt loam, with about a 5% slope. The field faces south and is near the top of a small hill. There is a natural wet spot in one area that is not in the plot destined for early planting of peas. The very bottom of the hill gets shade from the trees that form the perimeter and this area dries slower, but the rest of the field stays pretty well drained.
ModeratorHa! I caught one of my neighbors discing some ground that was plowed last fall. We’ve got some rain coming next week, but after the ground dries out from that it’s on!
ModeratorIf you don’t mind me asking, what you planning to plant? I am also curious about the direction you have chosen to plow. It looks a little like you are going up and down a slight hill, but it might be the angle of the pictures…
ModeratorWoo-Hoo John! Are you the first to break ground this year? I am trying so hard to be patient…
ModeratorErika,
thanks for the thoughts. Don’t misunderstand, I am not planning on giving up on the snacks concept. I just sometimes do calculations and get worried. God knows how much corn I’ll get off my acre, but even with a pretty modest 70 bushel per acre yield I will still end up with a couple tons. If I sell a 1 pound package of corn meal or corn nuts per minute, I will need to make 4000 sales and wait 67 hours to move this quantity. It’s the same story with the other crops (although the pattern is definately muted). Alternatively, I could make 4 sales if I feed out some hogs… I’ll know alot more after this year, I have plenty on my plate already. I like the chickens alot because they are so flexible in what they eat, are incredibly easy to take care of, and you can sell eggs of meat.ModeratorSicklehocks,
I am planning on either roasting or frying several of my field crops, adding salt, and making packages to sell. Hard to know how well this is going to work until I try it. Sunflower seeds are pretty easy. Fried peas are also pretty easy, but although I like them alot it hard to know how well they will sell. Pumpkin seeds will require a little more work to clean the seed, but I think might sell well. I am going to try corn meal and corn nuts and see what there is interest in. I can’t resist growing corn for it’s all around versatility. Buckwheat honey from the bees isn’t really a snack food, but I feel pretty good about this selling anyway. This is my wife’s project, so I don’t count it in my labor, other than doing for lifting from time to time… I like the idea of adding value to the crops in some way of another as they sell for almost nothing unless you do something with them. It might end up being as much work to take care of the animals (who essentially process it for me) than to do it myself. I think I would rather do primarily snack foods anyway, but so much depends on what kind of yields I actually get.George,
Thanks for the advice about the pigs. I actually grew up on a pig farm and probably have more experience with pigs than any other animal. Funny that I am coming back to them as (possibly) the last animal I will incorporate into my farm. I am definitely waiting until next year for them though, because, like you point out, hogs require some careful planning. I really need to know how much grain (esp corn) I will get and how much I have left over, as I am really not interested in buying grain to feed them. Right now, I think it would be best to keep a couple purebred sows of some heritage variety (I like Gloucester Old Spots), sell most of the piglets (hopefully easier b/c of the pedigree), eat the worst culls myself, and feed out a few (maybe 4?) each year to sell for meat. Kinda on the fence about keeping a boar, but I have a full year to make this decision… I’ll definitely be PMing you closer to the time I would be making pricing/strategy decisions with regard to the meat.Moderator@near horse 25680 wrote:
If you don’t mind, what are your grandparents first names so I can say hi next time I’m at the market (in season of course).
Bobbi and Dale. My grandpa, as I was saying, is always interested in making a deal and either has, or knows where to find, a surprising variety of stuff. He might know where to find a good deal on some old pieces of equipment, for example. I don’t know this for sure, but if you are in the market for something old, unusual (or both) it might be good to pick his brain about it. He’s got a long and photographic memory. Wear your bartering hat.
ModeratorMatthew,
You might want to check with some of the more experienced teamsters before you throw alot of weight on that stone boat. I honestly don’t know how much a horse that young ought to be pulling and you wouldn’t want him to hurt himself. I’ve not had any that young before…The other thing I do that may help somewhat, is I often sing or whistle a tune when things are going well. I think it is comforting for my horse to know she’s not all alone, even if her “buddy” isn’t another horse. I think she likes it, but it might be in my mind… I try to avoid tunes with sounds similar to commands she knows. She does tend to stop on the “Ohhhh” if I sing “Oh my darlin’ Clementine” 🙂 (sounds like Whoa)
ModeratorHey Geoff,
Do you sell at the Moscow farmer’s market? If so, you might recognize my grandparents (the Butlers). They sell the cedar deck furniture (mostly adironack chairs). They were telling me that Moscow raised the farmers market registration fee substantially for 2011. They are still definately going to the market, but might be open to some sort of shared site for a shared fee. I don’t know if the rules allow this, but my Grandpa is always looking to make a deal… Let me know and I’ll put you in touch by PM.ModeratorHi Matthew,
I have always thought of myself as more of a horse “user” than a horse “trainer,” but I some experience with singles so will share some thoughts on this one. I have bought two different drafts that were trained and worked exclusively in a team and I use(d) them single. Perhaps I had good luck with them, but I can say it certainly is a do-able task for many horses. My second, younger, horse took a while to get comfortable being all by herself, but simple persistance and repetition served me pretty well with this. For her, I could tell when she was getting nervous, and tried to work through these areas with simple repetative work that brought her to the edge of her comfort zone without crossing it. Perhaps gently easing your horse into the type of work you expect while paying attention to his emotions so you know when you might “go too far” (before you actually do “go too far”) will be helpful. When I started driving my wife’s riding horse (a task still not complete), I noticed he got nervous and spooky if I put on a bridle with blinders. He seems to go just fine without the blinders though, and that was an easy fix. Just ideas. There are much more experienced horse trainers on this site. I also use a snaffle and like it alot. I think sometimes people are tempted to simply use a “bigger bit” on thier “bad horse,” and I have never thought this made much sense. I am sure there are reasons to use big bits, but I never signed on to the “beat a horse until it’s comfortable” method. It’s easy to misuse those big bits. That said, if he’s used to the big bit, you might not have a choice for a while… It might even be possible that you’ll never get that soft tender mouth back if someone has been cranking on his mouth for a while… That would be sad to me…Moderator@near horse 25591 wrote:
Did anyone see that small HD no-till drill on Rural Heritage TV last night? The broadcast was from 2010 Horse Progress Days but I didn’t catch the manufacturer’s name. Anybody know? Those boogers weren’t cheap but not much is these days.
I didn’t see it but would love if anyone has info to share about this design. I am curious if these no/min till techniques are getting popular with animal powered folks. It seems there is interest… I read an article not too long ago about the Nordells no-tilling garlic.
ModeratorThanks again for the thoughts and explanations, I will try hard to be patient… I have to say I pretty excited to get things started! Another point about the field crops vs market garden issue is that heirloom seeds for 5 acres isn’t cheap (although i suppose it’s probably not cheap for veggies either)… Either way, it’s expensive to replant big sections and this is another reason to be patient… When I was planing things out, I think that is there was a crop that could go in early, it would be peas. The earlier i get this done the more time I have to focus on plating the next wave of crops, so I still want to get this done early, but it is probably still too early… This is going to be a fun year.
ModeratorI also had a great time reading it. Great job everyone!
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