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Thanks for the replies. My biggest concern is oil distribution. I believe that angle has partly to do with oil lubricating the driveshaft. Can anyone confirm this? I could weld up a bracket that would accept the plug yoke and lower the pole, but would prefer not.

George

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Thanks for the replies. Geoff, we will be making mostly grass hay mixed with some clover. I have the new “Easy Cut” system on my MD#9 and will let you all know how it performs.

George

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That’s good news. A respected horse mentor of mine, who used a Grimm for a couple of years, told me to get rid of it due to its ineffectiveness and get a PTO tedder. One of the things he suggested, however, was to tedd perpendicular (or was it opposite?) to the direction I mowed. Any opinions there?

George

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I have been working a single horse clearing old pasture that has grown up with poplar and birch. I drag poles to one pile and then bunch large amounts of brush with 2 chains and drag that to a burn pile.

Good work, especially if you want more pasture.

George

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Mark:

I used the same approach and distorted a couple of holes, but I don’t think it will be too much of a problem. Both plates are off and ready for shimming!

George

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I also really enjoyed Donn’s article. As a new teamster this topic has been on my mind a lot as well. I started driving with much more contact than I do now. We swiched to a liverpool bit from a snaffle as we felt our team “lugging” more and more as time went on, so we changed everything, the bit and the way we drove and I’m really happy with it. It is a real challenge to get it right though, and Pat Palmer gave me the post analogy and I think about it a lot. It is so much easier to practice when on the ground. I can say…I am going to walk this slowly now, and it is your job to adjust your pace to keep the line pressure off. That is so much harder when attatched to their pace on a wheeled vehicle.

Kristan

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Thanks for the replies. Any tips on getting those rivets off that hold down the ledger? I can reach two of the four rivets with a grinder.

Neal, the flywheel is off! I rapped on the pinion gear, alternating the teeth I was hitting to break it lose and was finally able to free it up with a wrench.

George

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Don:

Keep us posted. I am interest in Yeoman’s techniques/theories on soil building. What about renovating a walking plow with a sub-soiler?

George

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Neal:

Thanks for the response. I will try to get it off the correct way this time! I have ordered seals and a new flywheel from Macnair’s. Am I wrong to assume I can use the wrist pin and bushing from my current mower or should I just replace them? Macnairs told me I had to hire someone with a press to get off my old flywheel.

George

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Thanks for the responses. Andre, if you are looking at the flywheel facing toward the seat, which way do you turn the flywheel? Rod, once I know which way to turn for sure, I will try that.

Thanks.

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I have been playing around with driving my horses single with their rope halters. I guess you could say this is bitless. I have just been ground driving them, riding them bareback, and “ponying” I think it is called (leading one horse while driving the other). My goal was to increase their sensitivity and be able to hop on their backs at will with out bringing a bridle. It is working well. Small, slow steps was the key. It has been fun and useful.

George

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Geoff:

Thanks for the info. Looks like a pretty sweet system. It’s looking like $400 delivered. In talking to the salesman, I gather it’s main advantage is that it is relatively hassel-free. I would like to hear from anyone who might be using this system. I would be willing to make the investment if I heard so positive things from others who are using it.

To answer your question, we buy all our hay and it has to be certified organic. Our prices went up 35% in one year and the market for organic hay is more limited than conventional.

George

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Geoff:

I would be curious about the model number for the NH sickle bar. We spend a small fortune on hay each year so I am willing to invest some money in my haying equipment if it will improve functionality (love those write-offs). If anyone else has any comments regarding the new sickle bar and any other improvements I should consider. Don (if you’re tuned in), I seem to remember you posting something about new sickle bars but can’t seem to find it in the archives. Also, don’t forget Neal’s question (first post) – I am muscling in on his thread.

George

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We fed out a couple of bales with reluctance b/c it was the best option for certified organic feed in our area. We were also using the baylage as bedding for our certified goat dairy, thus the need for it being certified organic (new national standards). There are numerous horse folks around here who feed baylage to horses, but we concluded before this thread (and these comments confirm it) that it is not worth it. It is cheaper per pound of dry matter compared with square bales (we were paying $25/bale).

George

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Neal:

No answers for you – sorry, just questions reading your post. I just bought a #9 that seems to be in pretty good shape. I have to replace the oil seal on the drive shaft, sharpen knives and adjust the cutter bar, etc. Can you elaborate on the haybine knife set up? The mower came with two sets of knives, one serrated and one not serrated. What are the advantages with the haybine knife set up? Do you use standard guards?

Thanks.

George

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