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Tim Harrigan
ParticipantMatt, some of my work was with a nylon tow rope, not these Amsteel ropes but nylow that had some stretch to it. We did not see any clear advantage for it either in starting the load or in keeping it moving after it was started. These Amsteel ropes look interesting but the tensile strength is so great that for most typical loads with draft animals I am not sure the stretch or rate of recovery would be in the right range to be useful. Andy and I are gearing up to test some variations of his draft buffer concept and maybe some other things as well. We will let you know how it is progressing.
ParticipantWe had a few days like that a couple of weeks ago. With all the dead ash around here I don’t go anywhere near the woods on days like that. I see too many dead branches standing straight up buried about 6 inches in the ground. That’s going to hurt.
ParticipantIf the yoke and bows fit correctly the weight will not be a problem. There is no weight/yoke size rule-of-thumb that I am aware of.
ParticipantOK, thanks for the suggestions. I checked Bailey’s and it looks like they have some great stuff.
ParticipantHow old are they? Does one walk particularly fast or slow, or just different? Are they pulling a load? When you speed the slow one up, does the other one speed up as well?
ParticipantI agree that you have to consider the entire housing and handling system and the more animals you have together, particularly of different sizes and ages the more potential for problems you have. And if they are housed where one can get cornered that can be a problem. I was picturing a 6 month heifer with a calf down the road in 18 months or so, in the meantime pastured with a couple of horses with enough space to stay out of each others way. Maybe I pictured it wrong.
ParticipantJen, I should not overstate the predictability or lack of risk with cattle, weird stuff does happen. Based on my experience with cattle I would not de-horn the heifer based on the concerns that you listed.
ParticipantKeep the horns. It is not a safety issue for the calf. They know exactly what they are doing with their horns. If she happens to harm the calf that is another issue and not related to horns. Keep a close eye on her when others are around, particularly kids. She might be inclined to shake her head a bit to define her space, but kids should be respectful of cattle anyway and taught how to behave and approach them. Again, if she is inclined to want to rough someone up she would do it whether or not she has horns. And you will find that out soon enough. The horses can take care of themselves and they will set her straight in short order.
ParticipantYesterday I saw a picture of several guys ramping up a huge log on to a wagon, I think they were logging in S. America. The were all using cant hooks.
ParticipantThat’s it!
ParticipantWell, the cant hook was free, all it cost was a whole lot of extra work and aggravation.
ParticipantOK, I have some shopping to do. I curse that cant hook every time I use it. Nothing like using the wrong tool for the job.
ParticipantCarl Russell;21558 wrote:I don’t wear the steel toes because of the animals. I have only been stepped on a few times. I have worked around my animals barefoot, cleaning stalls, leading to water, etc., but I usually wear shoes for traction, comfort, and protection against the elements, rather than as protection from the animals. I train them early not to get that close to me.
CarlI agree somewhat about the animals, I have only been stepped on a few times as well and usually, at least the last time in the spring, it was my fault for stepping into them when they were moving. More often I have seen folks get stepped on, mostly I think when training new teamsters at Tillers. You see the animal slowly shift their weight on to the unsuspecting foot, the new teamsters eyes get big and their mouth opens wide but no sound comes out for several seconds. Ouch.
If steel toes save me from that just once it will be worth it. I just like solid work boots when I am working. I have had nails go through flimsy shoes and into my foot. I have had heavy lumber and wagon tongues drop onto my foot to be saved by the steel toe. I had a piece of wire get caught in a rotary mower and whip the side of my foot, would have been a nasty cut without good leather work boots. I like high shoes that keep dirt, stones and burrs out, so work boots in the garden etc. I agree there are times when hard bottom work boots lack traction but I am willing to work around it.
ParticipantI wear Red Wings that come up above the ankle with steel toes for just about everything I do around the animals or equipment. In the winter or when it is wet or muddy I have LaCrosse boots that I pull over the work boots and they come up to six inches below the knee or so. In winter the work boots with LaCrosse pull-ons keep my feet warmer than anything else I have used including Sorrels with felt inserts. I am not sure how often the steel toes have saved me, seems like the cattle like to step on the side of my foot, but I feel safer when I have them on.
ParticipantPatrick;21490 wrote:….some of the presentations were rather limited in viewing area. For the lucky few who were able to gather closely around and see what was going on, it was great, but others in the rear could not always get in close, and they missed out on some great stuff….. it works for me for $20. If I miss out on some parts, or get slightly inconvenienced, it’s not the end of the world. For $50 I’d want a bit more for my money.There are some good points to consider here, but the reality of some of these types of demonstrations is you need to get a close look to see clearly what is going on, and space is limited. But the presentations were not rushed, and it was possible to step up and ask the presenters to repeat it. One way to capture some of the details would be to create a video of some of the demos where those types of details were important. You do not need to hire a professional videographer, you can make a pretty decent video and voice over for $250 worth of equipment and minimal skills. Consider keeping the price at $20 and make the demo videos available on DAP on a pay per view basis. $5 or $10 per demo/workshop might add up. I do not think it is particularly difficult to set something like that up.
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