Steel Poles

There are advantages to using steel poles as well as disadvantages. I have used a setup like you are describing and works well, especially when using the same implements on a tractor(manure spreader, bale rack,ect.) An short tongue for a tractor or a long tongue. I have seen wooded poles that were made the way you are describing but never cared for them. Steel is the way to go for what you want to do.
Steel tongues are stronger and even if they get bent they seldom break. But on the down side they are heavier and are usually more expensive to replace. Most of the ones that I have used or have seen are made from standard steel tubing of various sizes. They used to make a rolled steel tongue that was both lightweight and strong but are hard to find today.

A good ash tongue is hard to beat light , strong, fairly inexpensive, and easy to find. Although all are not created equal in my estimation the best ones are sawed on the taper were as most are sawed by from a square and then tapered.

We use both steel and wood. Steel is OK if it is the right gauge, tough enough not to bend but not too heavy that it creates unnecessary tongue weight. I doubt that hollow tubing is that much heavier than a good white oak or ash tongue. I’m not crazy about a fixed neck yoke but thats your decision. I have a friend who is constantly complaining about his horses snagging a line on the end of the tongue but I haven’t had that happen since I was 14 with someone elses team. In the last 17 years it hasn’t been an issue for us but I guess it could also happen tomorrow. You also may want several of these arrangements so you aren’t constantly changing the tongue to go do something else.

I like the idea, but I would probably find the pole wasn’t on the implement I thought it was, and I’d have to go looking for it. I have grown used to looking for potential pole trees, and in the style Iron Rose mentioned I saw out a few extra each year, because I like to have several implements set up at the same time. To each their own, and if you can build them yourself, it sounds like a smooth system.

Carl

So, out of curiosity, I hear people saying metal works good if they find the right gauge, thickness, ec. sooo, what is the right gauge/ thickness/ diameter/ etc.?

Working on building a people mover right now and I’ve only got a couple old (aka not trustworthy) wooden tongues.

Ack, spring links! I’m allergic to those things!

Besides their propensity to admit and then retain the odd strap or ring at just the wrong moment, they have little resistance to torque.

Use 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.
Joshua

John,

Nice cart picture (and cart). Did you model it after the one Lynn Miller had in his book?

I have a steel tongue one my mower (came that way when I bought it) and it seems to be more of a bother for me than for the horses. As Joel mentioned, I hold the tongue with my leg when hooking/unhooking the neck yoke and the pole can seem a bit heavy but that might be from ther being no counterweight on the mower (my fat butt) when hitching. Bottom line is it works fine.