Wallingford Cast Aluminum Hames

Hi bud, sounds like you know as much about those hames as I do. I always wanted a set but they were pretty pricey as I remember.
About dick, he’s gone. Passed away 8-10 years ago. I tried buying horses from him back in the 70’s, but the timing was never right. He was a successful logger, and puller, and had a business selling logging equipment like chains and chokers and sliders and such. He made and sold those hames at his shop in the forks. Said he started melting down sleeves and heads and pouring it into sand casts, but he got better at it. The weak link was the throat so he doubled up the hame straps and his guarantee was “if you break those hames, I’ll buy the horse”. You could pick him out of a crowd of a hundred men. He had this perpetual smile on his face. Like he was outside all his life and was squinting so long, the look just stuck to his face, and when he saw you and really started to smile, there was even more teeth. Great guy. I do not think they make or sell those hames anywhere around here anymore, but I will bet there are a hundred set in barns and shops within fifty miles of here. He had a son richard jr. who lives somewhere around mooshead, Greenville or somewhere, he might be a good place to start your search. But your search will be more successful if you start in north western maine. Good luck with that.
mitch

How are hames sized?
Thanks,
Mark

Actually Mark, and all, the Walingford hames have size numbers that do not match our conventional understanding of collar/hames fitting.

The number on the hame…. 12, 14, 16…. Refers to the distance measured between the top of trace attachment to the lowest notch for the top hame strap. In other words the number is a more accurate measure of draft location than mere collar size.

The letter …. 14B… Is an indication of the shape of the hame…. Straight versus bowed…. To meet the shape of the horse’s neck.

This requires more purposeful appraisal of the shoulder/collar fit, and point of draft location, but the hames do have adjustment notches to meet variability for each animal.

Carl

• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by Carl Russell.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by Carl Russell.

hi woodsman,
i remember hearing that the wallingford hames were infact an alloy. i also remember hearing magnezium and nickel but that might be from someone who knew little or less than i knew about the subject. regardless, good luck with your project and here is to success. i think you are doing something very usefull for the greater draft community. can’t wait to see and hear about your results. you got me thinking with your posts, so i made a few calls, and own a set of wallingford hames myself now, not that i actually have them in my possesion, but it looks like they can still be found around.

Are these hames similar to Walsh Lynite Aluminum hames made by James M. Walsh Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin that I read about in the Draft horse journal a couple of years ago?