[Rod]

Hi Robert

Thanks for the compliments, actually most of the welding work was done by a Farmer friends son.His name is Josh and his phone is 1-603-355-7303. I did ask him and is is very intrested in building more of these if people want them.

I figured I could just slide a rebar extension into the dump handle and operate it from the seat as you suggested.

[Rod]

Besides turning them off you could also hurt them.

[Rod]

I assume the steers are trained to the yoke and know the basic commands such as stopping, back, gee and haw etc. Usually it’s best to start them on a small load such as a tire etc and work up to bigger loads. Keep a halter on them until you are comfortable and to use as an emergency brake as the may panic at first when they feel and hear the load behind them.

[Rod]

For those following this thread I put two pictures of the finished cart in the photo section.

[Rod]

Yes the Vet did it for us.

[Rod]

Mine eat as much as the they want. A 600 lb bale will last a couple of weeks for the two of them which is about 20 lbs each per day. They are not slim at this point but also have a heavy winter coat of hair so it’s hard to tell and they have not done any work this winter to speak of.

[Rod]

I feed my Halfingers with round bales out of a feeder. They eat it all, no waste. But I did have the Vet give them botulism shots in the fall which is recommended if you are feeding round bales. Three shot protocol two weeks apart.

[Rod]

My horses are in a 12×20 box stall open to the SE and can come and go as they please to a small 1/2 acre paddock. The get fed from a round bale feeder in the end of the stall under cover. Water is from a continuously running pipe in a tank outside. I don’t have to clean the box stall because they go outside in a single place (a big pile ).

[Rod]

Thanks for the additional information, I didn’t intend to be brusque in my previous response but on re-reading it it comes across that way. I am really excited that the bit change may solve this problem which has had me stumped and I appreciate ALL the posts and find each one to be helpful in some way.

[Rod]

Good replys but but not specifice enough. Should I try a stright bit? or any other suggestions. Most of the bits I find in my Meaders catalog are of the broken (jointed ) type. Any suggestions. I would love to solve this head throwing problem and if it’s the bit will try a diffrent style and quality.

[Rod]

I make wooden things, carvings, turnings etc as a hobby and usually they have a defect of some type. When I give them away usually I point out the imperfection and explain that it’s there to prove it was made by a human not a machine.

I’m glad you are doing the wagon project again, I was wondering what was happening with it. I know someone who has a real nice antique but usable delivery wagon for sale. It was originally going to be used in the same way by a vegetable farmer to do local delivery’s. With a top added it would be perfect for what you want.

[Rod]

How do I tell a good bit from a poor one other than by price, especially when ordering by catalog. Also is the broken snaffle the mildest one. I have a problem with both my horses when stopped. They are constantly throwing their heads around and rubbing them against each other. The broken snaffle bits I an using came with the horses and I wonder if what you describe might be the problem?

[Rod]

I knew someone would ask that. I attached that to the tailgate because it’s difficult to get closed when it’s hanging straight down with no way to grasp it. And it’s pretty heavy (heavier than it needs to be I think). The tailgate that is.

[Rod]

I agree that we can sometimes find humor looking at others react to what to us is familiar and nonthreatening in our environment. It reminds me of someone I used to know, a young man from Brooklyn NY. At the time he was the youth pastor in the city Church we attended and also worked for me part time on my land surveying crew. He was totally out of his element in the outdoor work and suffered for it. He would wear a stocking hat over his ears and gloves on the hottest summer days when in the woods because he was afraid of the bugs. Any wildlife would see him running in a panic to put distance between himself and the animal. He never was able to learn to pound in a surveyors stake and we could not trust him to use a machete or an axe for fear he would cut himself. Once he came to our Christmas tree farm with his wife to cut a tree. After trying with a bow saw for 45 minutes with no success I had to cut it down for him. My crew chief good naturally called him a wimp on many occasions.

But in his element he was a bear. He would go into the most dangerous parts of the city and engage the toughest hardened street kids and gangs challenging them to the claims of the Gospel and adding many of them to his youth group and the Church. I watched him work like a gentle drill Sargent keep these renegades in line as he discipled and taught them the principles of Christianity and living productive lives. He was very effective in helping to change many lives and was an inspiring testimony in the way he was able to confront a very dangerous and rebellious culture with the power of the Gospel turning many of it’s wayward youth onto paths of decent humanity and followers of Christ.

I remember many years back when I was an avid reader of Hot Rod magazines on the back cover their was usually an add for Atlas piston rings. Showed a muscle man with a piston ring in his hand with the caption ” tough but of so gentle” That was Vinny the youth Pastor that I knew and as he was terrified to follow me into the woods I admit that I would be terrified to follow him into the blacktop jungle that he knew so well.
I know I am completely comfortable with bulls and horses and cows and the like but venture to say in the environment that he confronted I would be a wimp also.

[Rod]

It’s a little under 5′ wide. With 12″ side boards it holds 33 cf. If that were water it the load would weigh 2046LBs. loose Gravel would be about 3600lbs. Dry compost is light but I can’t tell you what it would weigh.

[Author]

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