[Donn Hewes]

Mitch, You got it exactly, When the sled moves forward, first the arch goes up and over lifting the log and then when the front chain comes taut the log starts moving. I will try to take better pictures today.

[Donn Hewes]

Hi all, The britchen is too low, but that is very common. Not sure why. Roberson, why did you think he was going a little too fast? Mules (and good horses) will walk fast. That has everything to do with how much work you will get done. The most important thing to look for is calm and relaxed. all there in the video.

I will add, beware of trying to learn too much from UTUBE, it is easy to find faults, but how well can we really see what is going on? There isn’t much opportunity to discuss it with the teamster, or try it and see what it feels like. Has everyone gone out to drive mules, donkeys, or horses this week.

I have been skidding a little fire wood, and teaching my animals to work by voice. What a challenge.

[Donn Hewes]

Ditto! Nice Work!

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Lingo dog, I beleve that is a britchen that goes right across the tail head. Is that right? If so, it is a great stopping and backing rig, and I bet most folks arn’t familiar with them (not that common). Could you post a picture some time. Thanks, Donn

[Donn Hewes]

I had to pull my hat off as I over heated trying to get the chain under the one big log in the bunch! The sweep of the front of the ski is one thing I already fixed – probably hard to see, but I curved a piece of flat steel just under the toe of the bent channel. It had a little problem of tipping over forward when empty. The extended ski fixed it. I think I will take a few pictures of all the pieces separately and how it goes together and it will be easier to see. Just came in from looking at some Aspen trees growing in an overgrown pasture. Nice logs to work the arch on.

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Carl, The chain up from the front is held by a large slip hook, but mostly you just unhook it to take the arch apart. Just backing the sled lets the arch flop over forward and it drops down. Then you unhook the loose log chains.

When you go to move a log that arch can be resting forward on the log; pull forward and the arch pops up (pivots on it’s pins) lifting the log before the forward chain tightens and the log is up and moving. A bead for tracking the ski would be a good idea. I think I will add that.

[Donn Hewes]

Thanks everyone, I have a neighbor with some better trees and better ground who I think is going to hire me in the next few days. I will try to take a few more pictures if I do that job.

What is the best / cheapest way to paint it? Spray cans?

Jason, I think you are right, it was made for the winter. I have a friend that has an arch I can use. I could make new side pieces with wheels if I wanted. One nice thing about the way it comes apart is that you could have some different components. It would be easy to make a front piece for shafts and single horses. I might make one with an offset pole for three abreast. Next time I will take pictures of it all torn apart. That is my first horn beam tongue (iron wood). Nice.

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Mink, Here is my two cents, Many harnesses have them. In some of the those there is a real functional purpose. It is either, part of a over head check, or part of holding a harness on. Often however, if the check is not being used, the crupper is not doing anything. In those cases I like to take them off, just to save a few ounces and a few seconds in putting a harness on. Short answer: look at the harness and figure out if the crupper is doing anything.

[Donn Hewes]

Four abreast neck yoke definitely not heavy, I guess I would have to find a picture. As for over kill, That depends on what you want to stop, and what ground you are working on. Most four abreasts I have seen have only had the center two on a neck yoke. If they can do all the braking and backing that you need, more would definitely be overkill. On the other hand if you are on hills or heavy loads that take four to pull it forward, you might want / need more braking or backing power. In that case my neck yoke has worked great for me. I have used it all summer for several years and it is easy to use.

I will say I like a bolt-on neck yoke, they are the safest neck yoke there is. I use a few. I have quite a few slip-ons that I use also.

[Donn Hewes]

The best thing about a bolt on neck yoke is it will never come off. The best thing about a slip on is you can use it with other tongues, and it is a little easier to pick up the tongue and hook it up.

I get the best of both worlds with a snap on. I use a heavy duty slip hook (very strong) with a gate on some of my neck yokes. This is the best neck yoke I have ever seen. There is an old thread with pictures about 6 pages back. “DIY forecart and neck yoke”. I use two of these neck yokes to hook up all four on a four abreast. I built what is basicly and evener that goes in front of the animals. With the neck yokes already on the two pairs, it is easy to pick up that front evener and snap both neck yokes to it.

[Donn Hewes]

I mow with a haybine, and think every year I will mow more with a sickle bar mower. I have a lot of red clover in most of my fields. That is another crop that is harder to dry with out crimping. I figure it is about one day difference in drying but it varies alot. Early cutting or late, Light cutting or heavy, grasses or more legumes, weather, humidity. I think you have to consider the hay you are trying to make, how much and what it is for. I make first and second cutting for a 100% grass fed sheep dairy. Every bale of hay I make must be the highest quality. When I change and advance my methods I will still adhere to that high quality standard. Some day I hope to graze more and clip more in June and make more hay later in the summer. This is one area that might allow me to do more sickle bar mowing.

[Donn Hewes]

You will want a tongue or shafts, just to keep equipment that slides off your animals heels. As for actual braking you need Carl Russel’s chain set up which is easily deployed under the runner when needed and released when it flattens out. Search back in some old threads to find a description and photos or just ask Carl direct. Now that I look at the picture, you don’t need shafts for that boat as long as you are on dry ground, just when it has that tendancy to slide. Removeable shafts perhaps

[Donn Hewes]

Hi John, First we need to remember what I think Carl Russel would say (fun to speak for some one else!). That is, we could spend all day fixing things that aren’t problems. The big horses would pull a mower all day with a regular britchen harness.

Considering the fact that I have NO “D” ring harness I can honestly say what all the advantages are. When you have a wide variety of implements you want to hook to some may have more tongue weight than is desirable. The beauty of the “d” ring harness is it moves the tongue weight to the back saddle.

I asked Les barden directly and according to him a “D” ring harness does bot allow a horse to take a heave load down hill more effectively than any other britchen harness.

If someone offered me “D” ring harness I would gladly take them, but for me the problem is one of cost. I have five horses currently working in harness, usually six. I never budget for all that new (or used harness).

As for Dolly wheels, the one place I would say they really shine with out question is for Fiords and Halflingers. As for the rest, I used mowers with out dolly wheels for years and they worked fine. Now I have dolly wheels and I like them. I think they pull a little easier. Considering the fact that I don’t want to pay for new harness it was a little extravagant to buy the dolly wheels, but in the winter time I just like working on mowing machines, That is my excuse.

Short answer is put the animals to work, and try to decide if something is really a problem before you fix it. Sorry for the long answer. Donn

[Donn Hewes]

For a 42″ evener you could start out with stub lines 8″ longer per Steve Bowers.

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Ed, Just to make sure we are on the same page; the picture was before you fixed the stub lines? With out knowing what size evener you want to hook to; the stub lines should be 4″ to 6″ inches longer than the out side line. We can fine tune it to what ever evener / neck yoke you want to use. Donn

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