[Mac]

Mitch,
Down here in the South a lot of us use “plow lines”, which are just home-make checklines for field work. I have a good set of Beta lines (Right there with ya Scott!), but for plowing and where your lines are over your shoulders, I like the rope. I make my pretty long, and clamp a snap at the bit ends. They stay tied and it aint an act of God to get them loose, or so it seems to me. If they wear out, cut the snaps off and buy 60 feet of cotton rope and call it good! And, on the good side, I think they cost me about $15 to make!
Mac

[Mac]

Gosh Im glad Im not the only one who gee-haws my wife and talks to my truck like I do my team! I remember a few years ago, and Im not that old, either, daddy bought a tractor, and I was using it to plow up a rough patch of ground, and hollered whoa and pulled back on the wheel till it dawned on me it wouldnt work!
Mac

[Mac]

Havent been around here in a while, but I caught this and wanted to add my two cents. I always ride mine back from the field after a day of plowing, because I like to leave the plow in the field, rather than drag it back. Just get up on the nearside one and say walk up and steer with the lines where they’re buckled together. Kinda fun, really.
Mac

[Mac]

Even though I don’t own a forecart, I thought I’d give my two cents.

It seems to me that all farming is inherently dangerous. Me, my daddy, and granddaddy have all been hurt working on the farm. Grandad lost two fingers to a disk(the team moved and he got a hand caught). My daddy had his hand broke while driving posts with a maul (I was driving the post. He laid his hand on top of it. I hit it. HARD). I almost lost an eye mowing when a cracked pitman rod came apart (and still don’t see well out of it).

However, I can say honestly that each of these incidents resulted from carelessness on our parts. We each knew better, but got in a hurry.

My point is, farming is just as safe as you make it. The old equipment was designed for horse use by horse users. The new equipment tries to blend the two, and thats just a risk that I don’t personally feel comfortable with. To each his own, in this case. But EVERYONE needs to stop and think about what they’re doing, and continue to think about what they’re doing while they’re doing it.

Mac

[Mac]

Wow, I don’t know what I’m more jealous of, the mules or the disc! I wish I could just get into my field, let alone disc it. Its about 1/2 underwater, and the rest is a sea of mud. Just be glad you have a dry field to disk!
Best of luck
Mac

[Mac]

George:
Think about how much those pads cost you. Around $25 a piece, right? I’d use them things til they’re worn smack-dab slick-the-hell out, and then give ’em to the cats for a bed. Just my 2cents worth.
Mac

[Mac]

I’ve never owned a draft horse in my life. We have regular, quarter-horse sized horses/mules. My current farm team consists of two full brothers, 4 and 5, foxtrotters, who weigh in at about 1200 each. Thats big enough. I also have their 20 year old uncle who’ll weigh 1000 lbs and can hold his own with either one of them. And seeings how you’re wanting to have something to ride and work, this seems like a good idea. And regular size riding horse/mule can pull a wagon, spreader, or logs. Just remember… its not size, but heart. My boys do all I need to and then some, and enjoy it. The meet me at the gate and truly enjoy the work. Heat doesn’t seem to be a bother with them, but they come out of the field wet. I hope my rambling has helped you some. Please feel free to ask any questions.
Mac

[Mac]

@blue80 26242 wrote:

Lots of old mowers out here have raw pine log as the tongue. Just square off the mower side with a chainsaw so it attaches to the mower nicely, and the pine pole tapers down to about 3-4 inches at the neck yoke end….

Same goes here, except we often use a cedar or hickry pole thats had the bark taken off. Works quite well, but aint real pretty.
Mac

[Mac]

Tim:
Where are you located at, exactly? My family has raised “soggrums” for years. We usually raise Blue Ribbon or Rox Orange. The Blue Ribbon makes more juice in our kind of ground, or so we think. The Rox Orange is better for fodder than ‘lasses, or, again, so we think. We’re located in Arkansas, by the way. I’ll try to help you with any questions that you have, but I don’t usually make the stuff. I just feed the mill or drive the team.
Mac

[Mac]

Ixy, you might do as I did, and mount a line holder on your slide. I just took a 1×2 about 16 inches long and nailed it to one side of my small box slide, and it works well. Wish I had a camera so I could post pics.
Mac

[Mac]

Well Ixy, I generally do as Rod does and wrap the lines around the seat stanchion or whatever I’m hooked to. I think I might try John’s idy sometime though, as mine like to walk off sometimes. Just what ever you decide to do, be careful and good luck!
Mac

[Mac]

Before I start, I just want to say that I personally turn my ground over knee deep twice a year. This is just personal preference, but it also requires more work, because I have to cultivate 2 or 3 times per season.
However, my neighbor found a nice, small drill, and we used it to plant several acres of winter wheat for him. I was suprised at how well the little thing did. I did not like how the weeds came up in it though. I guess if one could figure out a way to prevent this, then it would be ok, for me at least. My OCD does not allow weeds in my fields. 😀
Still and all, I suppose it comes down to personal preference.
Mac

[Mac]

Hey boys, appreciate the help. E.F., I appreciate the pictures, they were a lot of help to me. I intend to take an old breeching I have and make it into something like you have here.
Ronnie, I think my old hames are about 60 or 70 years old. They belonged to my granddaddy and he gave them to me. As far as leaving thier legs out, I’ve done it before on others and they either’ll put their foot back or wear the hide off first. Again, thanks guys. I’ll keep you posted on how it works out!
Mac

[Mac]

Thanks for the help there. I think I understand now what you mean. Like I said, the crib here is built out of slabs, but its about a foot to a foot and a half off the ground, with galvanized bucket bottoms nailed across the legs to keep the mice and ants from crawling up and in. The cats help too, more than one would think. I forget the dimensions, 10×10 or 12 I think. These are relatively easy to build, and you can knock one together in a few hours and then knock it down at the end of the season, if you wanted.
Mac

[Mac]

Jeff
Post some pictures if you can. Depending on the style, you might be able to let your top hame string out a bit.
Mac

[Author]

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