[Does’ Leap]

Hey Donn:

I agree that 2 poles would be ideal. Les Barden is a big proponent of this set-up and wrote short article in SFJ a while back. I welded up a 3 horse neck yoke to address the problem you outline above. It ties all horses into the pole and minimizes slackening of the hitch.

George

[Does’ Leap]

Hi Ethan:

I, like Donn, am a big fan of drop rings. I use what I call “double snaps” – preferably stainless steel – that I have clips on both ends. These are common hardware items but they tend to be nickle-plated. One of the double snap snaps on your hame ring the other snap has a 2.5″ ring in it. My lines pass through this ring, dropping the lines 6″ or so (see the horse on left).

Others may have more mathematical approaches on adjusting lines. Here’s mine whenever I mess with the lines as with the case in the picture above where I am driving 2 horses of vastly different sizes. I have the horses under load with moderate line pressure. Their heads should be straight ahead as they pull. If one or both have their heads out (as in away from the other horse), I adjust my cross-checks back. The opposite if they are driving with their heads in. Theoretically both cross checks should be adjusted the same.

George

[Does’ Leap]

Benjamin:

I welded a receiver on my arch to receive and offset pole. The pole on my Forest arch is fastened to the arch with one pin. This same pin also holds the evener. When I want to run 3, I pull the pin, move the pole to the off-set receiver, and fasten the 3 abreast evener in the center of the arch. If your pole is off-set, you can use a standard 3 abreast evener (like one you would use ground skidding). The off-set pole also centers your horses in the road (unlike a center pole with 3 abreast). This is a big advantage in the woods. If you want, I can snap some pictures.

George

PS How’s the tree jacking? Any new insights?

[Does’ Leap]

Anyone know the half life of bar oil spread over biologically active forest soils? Given that you are spreading a small amount over relatively large areas, I imagine it isn’t long.

George

[Does’ Leap]

George:

If you are looking for feed corn, try contacting Jack Lazor from Butterworks Farm in Vermont: http://butterworksfarm.com/jack.html He does a lot with op corn and is a wealth of knowledge.

George

[Does’ Leap]

Hi Carl:

Have any of your clients signed up for EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentive Program) through NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service)? They have several forest-based programs that may help take the economic stress off the LO and focus on forest quality. With that shift in focus, I imagine horse loggers would be increasingly attractive.

I’d have to look up the numbers, but I think I was paid around $9,000 to implement TSI on a 90 acre parcel of land. I completed about half of it with my horses and hired a forester and cable skidder to manage the balance (my most inaccessible land – 1/3 mile+ from the landing). The only criteria I had for the forester was a quality residual stand which met the goals of my forest management plan and that the work would happen when the ground was frozen. Overall, the logger and forester did a nice job. I would have liked to have done it with horses but the accessibility and time constraints on the contract led me to hiring a skidder.

My main point here is that there is money to be had (I am not sure of its future in this economy) and it might help provide a niche for horse logging. Thoughts?

George

[Does’ Leap]

I am no plowing expert, but I second Donn and Carl’s advice. If you can graze it down and then go over it first with some disk harrows, I think it will help. Also, I would make your horses go very slowly. I start by asking them to “step, step, step, etc” until they get the idea. If you watch guys who really know what they are doing (Farmer Brown, et al.), their horses are walking very slowly.

Good luck.

George

[Does’ Leap]

Hey Donn:

The “easy cut” was flawless, or nearly so this year. I just baled 150 of second cut and I think I had to stop once to clear a jam. I am also sweeping as much as possible rather than 90 degree corners. This works great, can push the limits of the mower a bit. Overall, I am very pleased. As I suspected last year, the chicken manure we spread, combined with not getting on the fields early enough due to weather, resulted in a lot a rank undergrowth – a clogging nightmare. This year the fertility has mellowed and the #9 is cutting great. I have not set up the 5′ #9 with the haybine system yet (too busy finishing a barn). It will happen this winter. I am really excited about the dolly. I am a big fan of the D-ring, but those horses are still carrying that weight on their backs and I am not a big fan of heaving up that pole.

Mike, we are on high ground here with well drained soils and fared fine, thank goodness. We sell a fair amount of cheese through local vegetable CSA farms. Our biggest CSA account (in Burlington’s Intervale) had to stop for the year as all their crops were lost to water damage – a substantial loss for us but nothing compared to their tragedy.

George

[Does’ Leap]

Mike and Wes:

I would love to see some pictures of your haying. This is our third year haying on our Vermont hill farm and if all goes well with the weather, we’ll put up 1500 bales – small change compared to your operations. Next year I plan to have a second team going and more hay to put up.

Best of luck with the changes.

George

[Does’ Leap]

Russel:

I wouldn’t make a pole out of p tremuloides. My experience is that it is very dimensionally unstable (i.e it twists as it dries, despite the straight grain) and it is relatively weak and soft for a hardwood.

George

[Does’ Leap]

I agree with Donn. My geldings were inseparable when I first got them. I tied one in the barn and pulled logs all day with the other. Then I switched roles. A few days of that and now they are fine. One warning: I would have someone occasionally check on the one tied. One of my geldings launched over his tie stall when tied alone and got all tangled up but not hurt.

George

[Does’ Leap]

Carl:

Thanks for posting these. It was interesting to see when you stop your horses and how long you rest. Based on what I could see on the video, I tend to go longer and rest longer. If my perception is correct, can you comment on the value of more frequent, shorter duration rests?

George

[Does’ Leap]

Brad:

Great story. In addition to some of the teamster adjectives used such as patience and persistence, I would like to add humility to the list. I’ve been there. Incidents like the one you described are unfortunate. Its what we make of them that counts and you certainly ended on a good note.

Thanks for sharing that.

George

[Does’ Leap]

@Jen Judkins 28103 wrote:

I was more interested in the differences between the yoke styles.

Jen:

I am a big fan of the plug yoke – tight, neat, functional, and safe. Here’s the link:

http://www.draftanimalpower.com/showthread.php?2646-Barden-style-neck-yoke&highlight=plug+yoke

George

[Does’ Leap]

I loosen the front side strap on one of my horses, follow Carl’s procedure, and then tighten the side strap. Also, if you have a second person around, you can have them lift the pole while you are hitching.

George

[Author]

Posts