[Jay]

I had the use of a rubber tired mower for a bit 1 year- the rest of my 35 years of mowing have been on steel steel wheeled #7s and #9s. The rubber tired one had a 6′ bar, dolly wheel and was in pretty good but not quite excellent shape. I was quite happy with the way it handled and mowed. With the dolly wheel, it followed the contour of the ground a little better than mowers with a long pole, but in most hay fields, that’s not so much of an issue. It had a comfortable ride- though I’m not sure that I would bother to spend the extra to go out and get the tires if I hadn’t had them already. Over all observation: If the mower is in GOOD shape- tight and in tune, it will mow well with out too much draft, through almost anything…. If it’s not quite in great shape, then it pulls progressively harder as the condition goes down. I remember one workshop participant recalling a salesman telling his father when the #9s were first coming out and his #9 was occasionally slipping on heavy hay under the wheels that rubber tires would cure that. His father got the tires and didn’t have the problem again- though no one was sure if that was because of the particular conditions that year or if the tires did actually make a difference. I have made some “boots” for my own steel mower wheels out of old car tires which I tie on before going the mile down the paved road to my sister’s hay field. Makes the ride down much more pleasant. The price is right too. Jay

[Jay]

Yes, wood that is locally available. I’ve heard of/used ash, hickory and white oak, also red oak sometimes, though I prefer the others. Jay

[Jay]

We are all the poorer for his passing. I am very sorry to hear it. Jay

[Jay]

Thanks, Donn for the clevis idea and the good picture of it as well. I haven’t broken a fly wheel yet- and I hope to keep it that way (with a little luck!). I too find that the condition of the mower is more important that whether it’s a #9 or #7. Jay

[Jay]

So glad to hear that both you and the horses are allright. Be well. Jay

[Jay]

My understanding is that that is the function of the belly band, to hold the pole strap or side backer from being able to rise too high. Jay

[Jay]

Kevin, Thank you for sharing, hard as it is. We lost a son similarly many years ago…. he is still with us in some ways, though others think we have 3 children not 4. It is good that you named him and held him at least for a brief time. Take the time you need to heal. The memories will still sneak up on you at unexpected times. My horses seem to understand at times like this better than anyone, they are just able to be which is often what we need….. Both of you hang in there and don’t be afraid to share with us when you need to. Jay

[Jay]

As evidenced by the reactions to being without gasoline after Sandy in the areas most severely hit, it appears to me that most of us have a very hard time imagining anything different than what we are doing now. I seem to spend a fair amount of time thinking and planning how I (we) would handle it if we lost power and or fuel (or the price went up significantly). Jay

[Jay]

Ben and all, our thoughts are with you – it’s never easy – this “other” side of living/working farming, but I wouldn’t trade it hard as it is sometimes. We are thinking of you. Jay

[Jay]

In terms of use of energy, our approach has come to down to trying to use energy source that comes by the most direct route from the sun (using the underlying supposition that ALL energy forms on earth comes originally from the sun). Therefore grass fed energy is 1st choice – horses or oxen for power, grazing for meat, milk, etc. Wood for heat and (primarily) solar and wood heating water with propane as a back up for warm weeks in the summer with no sun. Cooking is on wood in the colder months and on propane when it’s warmer. We use hand tools where practical and use “appropriate technology” with great care, i.e. gas- chain saw, truck, car, tractor with loader for loading the manure spreaders while the horses pull them (to keep the weight of the tractor off the fields). I am looking forward to taking the horse to town to deliver eggs soon. (we are only 2 miles from the center of town, so I don’t figure I really have any excuse not to. I figure there are no “right” answers, it just helps me to have a framework in which to look at the questions and to help frame the decisions.
For 30 years we have bought some hay as we don’t make quite enough. I have looked at it as buying in nutrition. This year we have enough and so for the first time wont be buying any hay as the crop was very good this year. Jay

[Jay]

I have acquired at least 2 pairs of New England D ring harness for parts over the years that have not had back pads of any kind. I could not figure out what the point of having a D ring is if there is not back pad, but I have seen it several times, so apparently some were set up that way. Jay

[Jay]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write in such detail of your trip. Fascinating. Thanks again. Jay

[Jay]

George,
In my experience, for what it’s worth, when I put a good ledger in the outer shoe and made sure it is level with the rest of the ledgers(ie the shoe is not bent- I found one that way after I had spent time getting it set…) the problem has gone away when it used to bother me alot. Jay

[Jay]

George, Thanks for all the effort, thought and all you have put into this project AND for sharing that with us. Thanks again, Jay

[Jay]

Also, watch that the ribs don’t get in the line of fire of the handles as they flip over- not that it ever happened to me of course! It is a great tool… Jay

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