[Tim Harrigan]

Mark, a picture would help. I think you want to pull directly on the tongue. If you pull on a Y chain on rough ground you will really ge a lot of see-sawing of the cart from side-to-side.

[Tim Harrigan]

A horse drawn grader has multiple adjustment and a very long front-to-rear wheelbase, just like the mechanical graders of today. The long wheelbase stabilizes the blade and minimizes the effect of pot holes etc on the axis of the blade. I think if you mount a blade under a forecart you will get a lot of unwanted up-down action on the blade so the more you work it the greater will be the washboard effect of the graded road. The more you go over it, the more up-down action you will get. It seems like if you are just going to drag something versus suspend a blade you will not want to over complicate it, or overshoot your expectations. I think a drag can move a little loose gravel around, fill in some pot holes etc, but with much gravel it will want to side-shift and dump from time to time to even the load. A drawn drag does not have much to offset the sidedraft. Think of the function of a landside on a plow.

[Tim Harrigan]

Yes, Mark, nice little article. Lots of room for customizing and innovation there.

[Tim Harrigan]

I am not looking at that Mark so can’t comment exactly, but generally the draft would depend on how much gravel is being moved and if it is cutting or just pushing. 8 ft is a wide swath, on a firm surface just moving around some loose gravel at the surface it would not be too challenging. On a softer surface cutting in and pushing gravel it could be anywhere from challenging to infinite. Having some depth control would be important.

[Tim Harrigan]

I know some folks have a difficult time conveying some of their thoughts in a civil and respectful manner and someone has to make the call on that. With the exception of one or two instances that I am aware of, that has not been an issue on this site. I am not familiar with the instances you are referring to Droverone so I can’t comment on that. I know there are draft animal sites where I have greatly curtailed my use because of the tone and content of frequent contributors. For me, with FB, I just can’t ditch the feeling that time on FB is wasted time that I can never get back. Bad attitude, I know, just can’t get over that hump. To each their own. Time here has value to me.

[Tim Harrigan]

I did as well, but for different reasons. Now if I could just manage to heave my computer and cell phone….

[Tim Harrigan]

I think steel bows were/are commonly used in Australia. I saw some pictures once, don’t remember where exactly. Might have been on the Rural Heritage site. Maybe I can find them.

[Tim Harrigan]

Sorry for your loss of a good friend. I still say a few words to Abe when we pass by his place.

[Tim Harrigan]

http://www.draftanimalpower.com/showthread.php?4577-Ox-Logging-Pulling-Down-Hang-Ups&p=29802&viewfull=1#post29802

This link will take you to a discussion we had about pullin down hang-ups. If it does not take you directly, it is post #21 in the thread.

I do not think it is a question of horse, ox or mule power. It is a question your approach and confidence that you can assess the situation well enough to minimize the danger to you and your team. There are various ways to extract hang-ups and pulling them out is not always possible or even the best approach. Many considerations are involved in the decision to pull hang-ups out with a team, bottom line is if you are not confident that you can do it safely, walk away and find another way to do it.

[Tim Harrigan]

Thanks for sharing this, any pictures?

[Tim Harrigan]

@Countymouse 36593 wrote:

This thought gives me an idea… I wonder how hard you have to graze rye in the spring to kill it. /QUOTE]

The challenge with grazing rye in the spring is that it can grow so fast under the right conditions that it can get away from you unless you have enough animals to hit it hard and fast. But green chop is a good way to harvest the feed, and that scythe that you got will be getting rusty in the spring. Baling is good if you can find enough drying days.

[Tim Harrigan]

@Stella 36581 wrote:

Yes, they are Brabants.

…. Thanks, EVERYONE for all your help. We are slowly trying to recover and finish getting tents taken down & things put back to normal. It sure was great to see all those videos so I could see what everyone was up to all weekend! What a great event and what a great group of people. So glad that so many could make it and look forward to next year….
-Bekah

The irony of these events is that the folks who work the hardest and longest to make them happen have to go back and look at the video to get a glimpse of what was happening around them. I noticed, and I am sure others did as well, how hard you and the small core worked to pull it off and it was magnificent. One of the core values of DAPNet is building community, it is one of the principles that guides our activities throughout the year. Others are education and training/mentoring. This gathering embodied all our core values in high amount and we are indebted to you and Neal and all the others who worked so hard to make it happen and for offering your farm for us to share. Events like that leave a mark.

Thanks so much, Tim

[Tim Harrigan]

I think most folks would prefer to avoid making frequent adjustments. In some types of work such a logging the loads and terrain can change frequently so a versatile design is desired by many. You are probably right that it is possible to design for specific loads and flatter might be better in some cases. Overall, the loads with change, yoke rotation can be an issue, and also how the team likes to carry their head, low, middle or high. And the neck is mostly soft tissue so the yoke can conform to the neck without undue pressure. The other issue is having the yoke slide back. So having a constant contact surface is a bit of overstatement, but you for sure want to avoid unnecessary pressure points such as you might get with a more angular design.

[Tim Harrigan]

I think the general goal is to have a surface contact area that does not change much as the yoke rotates.

[Tim Harrigan]

Andy, nice work. The only suggestion I have based on what I can see is that the neck seats could be rounded more front to back so that when the yoke rotates in a pull you do not have any sharp corners bearing the load. Maybe you did this already, hard to see in the pictures.

[Author]

Posts