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Joshua Kingsley
ParticipantJean,
The ponies are in the old barn that looks like it is falling in…. If they were in the pasture then Jess would get her way a half shetland half suffolk and that ain’t never gonna happen with my good mare 🙂 but then again it would be awful cute:rolleyes:… some day she may get the cross but with some other draft mare.Feel free to stop by any time or drop me a note when you are going to be in the area.
JoshuaParticipantJac,
I was just looking into the granet material and have found that it is an impregnated material like the Bio just in a matte finish that is less easily marred unlike the shiny patent looking biothane. Granet is also not supposed to be as “tacky” or sticky as Beta. The material is also supposed to be more durable than the beta for a harness as it is much like the hevier Biothane that is now becoming more popular.I am also looking into getting a set of harnesses soon and am considering the granet material for my new set. I have teh shiny bio for my ponies and am not sure if I really like the scuff marks that appear with wear and abuse of a green team. I should note that they were used when I got them though so I have no knowledge of what may have happened to them before I got them here.
Joshua
ParticipantGood idea on doubbling the loads as younever know what could happen and you don’t want the newly fabricated proto type / implement to fold when the going gets tough.
Joshua
ParticipantMark,
You seem to be pretty handy with your welder and tools, If you have the other piece get some good nickle rod and a bag of charcoal and have at it. Worst case senerio is that it breaks and then you are right where you are right now.
If you don’t have the broken ear you could take the piece out and see how it is made and try to build a piece to fit if you can’t buy one.If you really don’t want to mess with fixing the broken part with welding i would second McNairs, Norm is a font of information on older equipment.
Joshua
ParticipantCase hardening by heating to a bright redish hue and then quenching in oil will build up a small ( about .003 thick ) layer of hard coating. One benifit of doing this is that it is also a rust inhibitor. The other thing is that when the steel air cools it will also build up a really small layer of case hardening by drawing carbon out of the air.
When you think of case hardening or oil quenching think of the old time smiths. The really good stuff was often oil quenched and there for would stand up to the weather. The other thing is that when the steel is starting to patina or wear, you can coat it in a little bit of bees wax by rubbing the surface and wiping with a rag.
Joshua
ParticipantThanks for all your kind words. It is hard having a partner pass and now I have to look to the future.
The bright spot is the 5 month old filly and her dam in the pasture who are a warm spot in the dark and dreary day.
Joshua
ParticipantIt really depends on the steel. Some like A2 tool steel are an air hardening steel where as a mild steel is often able to be case hardened in oil or in a carbon material such as ground up charcoal. Water can crystilize the grain structure of some types of steel and there for make it weaker. It all depends so the best advice I can give is check to see what type of steel you are using and ask the supplier if it can be quenched or hardened and what is the best method.
JoshuaParticipantIt always seems to amaze me how diffrent the Harnesses and working systems are around the world. Great Link! Thanks Joshua
Participant@Dave G 15561 wrote:
I don’t think it was mentioned which side his good eye is on when they are out on pasture, but I would bet his good eye is on his buddy so he can keep an “eye” on him.
Your spot on with that one. He prefers to be with his good eye in to the other pony. I have tried to have him with is good eye out and he keeps trying to turn in to see where the other pony is. I will try hooking him with his good eye in as soon as I get a chance I have been a bit busy as of late with a very sick little boy.
JoshuaParticipantUse a clevis that in place of the one in the rear of the evener and then use either small clevises at the heel chains or use the forged hooks that are made for heel chains your evener reminds me of one that I saw in use with hook end traces.
JoshuaParticipantHello, It is always nice to see some intrest willingness to learn the trade of agriculture and the use of draft animals. Remember the only question that is not going to get any reply is one that is never asked. There is a lot of information that is unavailable in books that can be learned from those on this board. You can also make conections that would allow for hands on exposure if you are intrested. Let the new voices of the future and those who are already working sing strong in this chior.
JoshuaParticipantThanks for the information, I will give him a try with his blind side out and see what happens. I am hoping that they will be calmer and I will be able to start to get some more work done with them. Some time along I should be able to work them steady for a while and see what they are able to do barring any more unforseen issues.
JoshuaParticipantIn regards to top soil building, We moved onto this farm in 2003 and started with croping in 2004. The soil was basically sand and had no body to it at all. Through intensive grazing and some cover cropping as well as heavy doses of compost there is now a layer of rich dark soil that is 4 inches deep. I think that with additional compost applications and more organic matter there can be significant chainges in soil health, tilth, and fertility.
Just some observations on one creek bottom farm. JoshuaParticipantJac,
The grey seems to be happier when his blind side is out so I am guessing that he is dependant on the other stud for guidence?I think that if they were properly conditioned they could be real good workers. I have talked to a guy in New York who puls some mini- shetlands and they have pulled 3000# more than 12 feet. They were about 38″tall and weigh about 375 each possibly? so that means that they were able to pull a fair bit of weight.
I would like to find a small plow and try them in the garden along with the woods for thinning and other small work. They have the potential to do all the same things as a big pair just need to find equipment that is scaled for them.
JoshuaParticipantI think it is really neat that you are willing to go with somthing different. The pic’s are great and I would love to see some more on what you are doing there. I have seen only one or two camels in my life and they seem to be awsome animals. Are they as easy to train and work with as other stock?
How many Zebras do you have? I wanted a hitch of them when I was a little kid I thought it would be a real eye catcher.
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