DAPNET Forums Archive › Forums › Draft Animal Power › Oxen › my first yoke (for a single)
- This topic has 10 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 11 months ago by
fabian.
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- December 24, 2008 at 12:03 am #40019
ivy
ParticipantI want to make a yoke for my steer. He is four months old. I wanted to know if anyone had a reference for making a single yoke. I was thinking that I could make the yoke and then purchase a bow. I feel that it would be a good exercise for myself to learn to make a yoke. Also, yokes are expensive and while he is growing, I cannot afford to purchase several yokes for him. (Although I might purchase a yoke for him when he is grown because he will be doing heavy work and I want him to be sure he is comfortable.) I think I would be most interested in using a neck yoke, but am open to other ideas.
I have the book “oxen, a teamster’s guide” which i think is quite excellent and has a lot of information about making a double yoke, but not much on single.
Another question is: this is a picture from the book. Would you say this is an accurate drawing? Can a young steer pull a light load without a britchen?
December 24, 2008 at 12:14 am #48791fabian
Participantwhat have the britchen to do with the ability of pulling? :confused:
December 24, 2008 at 1:04 am #48783Rod
ParticipantTillers international has a booklet on making neck yokes which has a plan for a single yoke. I made one from the plan out of basswood (6″ ) and bought the bow from Clark Bending 1895 Tr 152, Baltic Ohio 43804. Tillers is at http://www.tillersinternational.org/index.html
The britchen is for holding a load back as in going down a grade with a wheeled vehicle in back. If the load is not likely to skid or roll into the steer going down grade but needs to be dragged everywhere then you don’t need a britchen. As far as how much weight to put a small steer on I will leave that to the more experienced teamsters to answer.December 24, 2008 at 1:09 am #48785Howie
ParticipantThe britchen is purely for convience. But once you have used one you won’t be with out one. The drawing is pretty acturate, it is my grand daughter and her single Ayrshire.
December 24, 2008 at 1:17 am #48784Participant@Howie 4217 wrote:
The britchen is purely for convience. But once you have used one you won’t be with out one. The drawing is pretty acturate, it is my grand daughter and her single Ayrshire.
HI Howie
Do you use the britchen to keep the yoke from turning as well as to hold loads back?
December 24, 2008 at 1:27 am #48786ParticipantIf you are just a little bit handy. If you buy a single yoke big enough for him now you can build the next size larger by just increasing the over all size.
If you buy a medium britchen you can buckle it down and tie up the excese now and let it out as he grows to about a ton plus.
I have a medium one on a 1800 pound steer now and there is still room to let it out more.December 24, 2008 at 1:38 am #48787ParticipantFor Rod
If the britchen is adjusted right it will sure help to keep the yoke in the right position. It is worth it’s weight in gold just for keeping the steer between the traces. I gives you a better place to carry your traces and such when you are not hitched to any thing too.
A good single ox can do it all !!December 24, 2008 at 1:41 am #48790Crabapple Farm
ParticipantIf an ox wearing a single neck yoke without britchen and without tension on the traces lowers their head, the yoke will slide forward to their horns. When it does that, the neck is shallow enough that it can flip over, under their neck. The yoke is top heavy, and so it wants to slide under the neck. If there are traces involved, this can be a real nuisance.
A real well trained ox who you teach to walk with their nose in the air is one solution. Holding onto the yoke all the time is another. Most people prefer using a britchen of some sort.
If you are never planning to use shafts or wheeled vehicles, and so don’t need the britchen to hold or push back a load, then you don’t need the britchen to be fancy harness straps. I have used baling twine successfully for short durations, though I wouldn’t recommend it. But clothes line ought to work – one line running behind under the tail, another running over their back to prevent the britchin from falling down out of position and tangling in their legs.
The goal is to keep the yoke held back in “working” position – in this position the neck is deeper than wide, and so the bows will prevent the yoke from rolling.
I’ve based my single yokes on the dimensions for the double yoke in Drew Conroy’s book, and used eyebolts through at the outer ends for hitching to. I like to use the heavy duty welded galvanized grade of eyebolt, but for real light loads with a training yoke standard duty might be fine (just check the load rating on them and respect it).December 24, 2008 at 1:51 am #48788ParticipantIf he is wearing a yoke he is not to put his head down other than to lean into the yoke.
December 24, 2008 at 11:59 pm #48782Carl Russell
ModeratorHowie;4220 wrote:For RodIf the britchen is adjusted right it will sure help to keep the yoke in the right position. It is worth it’s weight in gold just for keeping the steer between the traces. I gives you a better place to carry your traces and such when you are not hitched to any thing too.
A good single ox can do it all !!Howie, all this talk about britchen reminded me of the set you donated to NEAPFD. I just checked with Wendy, and she said she just sent it to someone in Florida. It was very generous of you, and now someone who will use it, can put it to use.
Thanks, Carl
December 25, 2008 at 1:25 am #48789ParticipantCarl
I am glad I can be of help to some one.
Merry Christmas. - AuthorPosts
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