[LostFarmer]

The tire of education.
My sons have a little pony team that they have used to do all the chores this year. Feeding 75 head of cattle a day in various bunches. You should see how hard a pair of 450 lb ponies can get. They are tougher than I had ever imagined a team could get.

[LostFarmer]

@Demented Donkey Dame 30056 wrote:

This photo came off the Rural Heritage front porch forum. It was part of a discussion regarding Yankee breeching. I was intrigued by the spreaders. I have no experience with them and wanted to ask if this is the correct use for them and if the heart in front was overkill? Do you really need the heart with the spreaders?
The reason I am asking this is because I had a hanging heart get hung up on a bit and it was wedged in so tight I had to drive it that way the last half mile home. Fortunately it hung up on a more experienced donkey but he was hitched to one I had just started and did not feel safe enough to get out and unhook that ring.
I’m wondering if I would be better off to use spreaders and fore-go the hanging heart? I ended up using a round plastic ring on my lines and keeping a close eye on it. Need a little guidance here..

This is my team. The heart is simply decoration and I like it. Kind of like the spots on the harness. It serves no purpose and is absolutely useless other than I like the way it looks. It has my brand in spots on the front side.

The spreaders are used at times and not at times. I hook the teams to various sizes of eveners. I simply add or remove spreaders to allow the horses to walk the width I want them. I could move the buckle on the split to adjust the width but prefer this method. Pure and simple no right or wrong but just the way I like it. LF

[LostFarmer]

Have blocks to keep from going forward and back then a couple of short chains to keep from going up. I have found with a sleigh that that almost worn out and sloppy is far better than too tight.

[LostFarmer]

I just have a hard time seeing a baler on a ground drive system being effective. You can’t just stop and keep the pto engaged to to clear the baler. After a couple of rounds pulling out of the had doesn’t work either. Heavy hay would be a challenge as well. The baler with the engine would be a great way to go. I have wondered about an engine off an old VW Rabbit. Those little diesel engines were easy on the fuel. I thing they would work well on a baler.

I have a rotary tedder that I think the ground drive would be great with.

[LostFarmer]

We were leaving for somewhere and I told the kids to kennel up. Then patted my wife on the backside and said over. About lost wife and my life for that one. Didn’t even know what I had done at first.

[LostFarmer]

Update.

I heard from his cousin, Lingodog on here, that he is out of ICU. They scoped him and plugged the holes. Sounds like they will release him in the morning. Family is getting by. Mama Lupher running back and forth the 30 or so miles to the hospital and home. The oldest daughter is cracking the whip on the younger ones. The 14 year old son is getting the haying done with the help of his 75 year old grandfather that suffers from macular degeneration and the school teacher uncle. They have fair this next week to showcase a years worth of efforts. I will give him a call in a bit. Sounds like the chuck wagon had just come through.

[LostFarmer]

Where are you at Robert? I am in Driggs over on the Wyoming boarder. If we can get J-L and Lingo Dog to meet up we could bring the big trailer over to play.

I would like to learn to plow. There is a potato harvest on October 8th in Idaho Falls area with the intermountain draft horse and Mule association. There is also a draft show/playday in Nampa the first week of August. It should be a fun time. Lots of kid type events. I will be at county fair with my kids that week. So no Nampa for me.

[LostFarmer]

I have this one with a 14′ long x 7′ wide bed for bigger horses. I also have one that is 6’wide and 10′ long for the little horses. I used a grain drill wheel for the pony one.

[LostFarmer]

http://shop.woodwardcrossingscountrybasics.com/SwathboardComplete-All-Steel-Clean-Sweep-for-Hay-Mowers-81C94.htm

This is the site J-L was talking about.

Thanks for the offer Geoff, I have the owners manual and a parts manual for the #4. I figure if it comes down to it I can make one from the picture. I also ordered one of those new after market ones. This mower already will have new style guards as well as other modern parts so authentic is not a big issue. I want this pig to work when it is done.

LF

[LostFarmer]

I am in the same boat. I need a board for my 9 and JD#4. I think I could make one from some hard wood if I could find a pattern. Have some 3/4″ teak that I picked up from a job that would work great and last forever. Any patterns available on line?

[LostFarmer]

From my experience QH are the easiest to sour on pulling. I don’t know why but they are easy to make balky. I would go slow with the increased loads. A little at a time increases and slow to increase. You can’t make a horse pull. It has to be trained into them that if you hook them then they can and will pull it. There are so many variables to how something drags that the weight alone doesn’t mean much.

[LostFarmer]

Geoff,
In the Palouse area they used many shoe drills. Most the ground was summer followed and then planted to fall wheat or spring barley. Where the moisture was such a hit and miss thing the furrows of a shoe drill helps collect the water and prevent runoff as Tim said.

LF

[LostFarmer]

Looks good Wes. We have been feeding with our sleigh just like your new one this week. Put 75 bales (3 ton) on it just to say we did headed out. It pulls harder than the little one empty but seems pull about the same or a little easier when loaded to the same amount. I am interested to see how the runners work with time. The only problem we have encountered it to hang up on the back of the rack as we crossed the canal. Might have to shovel some more snow into the hole.

One of these days we will noodle into the perfect round bale rig and the funds to buy/build it.

LF

[LostFarmer]

So… Where are the pictures J-L and Lingo?

[LostFarmer]

Are you ready to try the black mule with the Idaho mules on the flanks? At least the black one has a brain. I look forward to seeing this in action. LF

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