[Carl Russell]

One more angle, Carl

[Carl Russell]

Here are photos of my Drive Caulk shoes that I save mostly for ice, but they do have mud caulks as well. I have tried several other incarnations of traction shoes, but for working horses on icy ground these are the best solution I have used, chips fly, and there is no slipping. Note two toe caulks so no skating at the toe, inside caulk is turned to prevent slipping out, and to help minimize striking. As far as injury from caulking, the old timers always said, “it’s a long way from the heart”!

hope the photos come through ok, Carl

[Carl Russell]

Coarse woody debris is the foundation of a vital forest. I love to see moss-covered round wood growing into the soil. If for aesthetic reasons in certain sites, if they want it piled, or chipped then I get paid by the hour, but in general logging and forestry operations, they wouldn’t have me working on their land if they didn’t accept my philosophy that slash and a substantial portion of low grade contribute significant ecological value when left where they lay. I lop it down pretty well, primarily to facilitate getting around during the current and future harvests.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Food will always be a distraction, whether it’s a bale of hay on a sled, or brush in the woods. I think it good to expose them to it, so that you can insist that they stop and stand and work for you regardless of the distractions. You aren’t going to let them put their heads down and eat grass every time you stop them in the summer. They’re young, and will try anything until they get your guidance not to. Things seem to be going great. Good job Matt.
Carl

[Carl Russell]

I have a Woodmizer LT-15. The small manual one. I paid $6400 or something 6 years ago. Built the house off it. All paid for.

I don’t do any custom sawing, but of course a few buddies from now and then. I also live to work in the woods, but having the mill is a great addition, especially to the home place.

Horses broke a pole on the bobsled one day, unhitched, got the cart, went up on the hill cut an ash, skidded the log, cut out a new stick, and was back in business the next day. Also sawed out a complete scoot, and several other implement poles from the same tree.

It keeps a good small stack of lumber available for any and all building projects, and like John says “got extra logs?, take ’em to the mill”.

If I’d paid for all the bells and whistles, I’m not sure I could afford to use it like this, but knowing how I depend on forest products, making my living from them, I figure if I can make what ever I need right from what I have right here, the better off I am.

The other thing about this model is I can load it right on the scoot and take it right into the woods with the horses. You can get sections to add to this one, making it so you can saw really long timber. The only draw back is that it sits right on the ground, and leveling it takes some experience and regular attention to keep it that way.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

This discussion was about things completely unrelated to NEAPFD. Thank you for your interest Robin, I have had too many things on my desk, and have not finished my reply to you. I will soon, I promise.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Gregg has been focusing on his art for several years now. I don’t think that there is a current form of the Newsletter. In a recent post in Introductions bob h. posted this contact info for Gregg Caudell gcaudell@msn.com

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Nice googling Mark!!!

George, I think I recall Tim Huppe from Berry Brook Ox Supply telling me he has some made up with clevises right on the swivel to shorten the whole hitch. If you have a good welder, you could open one end, and reweld it around the key hole. Other wise I just use two clevises.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

I get swivels from Logging or Equipment supplier. Then using clevises, one at the evener and one between the swivel and the hook. I use a key-hole grab hook, like on skidder sliders, they are deep, hard to lose a chain, and they have the loop built into them. I have been using this set up for 10-15 years now, and only worn out one swivel, and rarely drop a chain. The key-hole is a convenient and comfortable way to handle even a heavy steel double-tree.I also find them quick and easy for hitching to the chain.

I never use any more than one chain when ground skidding. 8′-5/16 or 3/8, but I prefer the lighter. With a good length of chain several logs can be wrapped together without the need for a second chain. Only when using the cart do I sometimes need extra chain to get a log out of reach. It is much safer if you can wrap several logs together when skidding, then to try to handle them dragging and rolling separately.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

I’m sorry for your loss. Thanks for sharing. I hope you can find solace in those wonderful memories.
Take care, Carl

[Carl Russell]

Carl Russell;3470 wrote:

……
Another case of courage I have encountered is in a dangerous or compromising situation, such as an animal that hits the ground in shafts or on a pole and can’t get back up because of the restrictions of the harness, or terrain. In these situations an animal can be extremely distraught and very dangerous, IF they don’t know to trust and follow the teamster.

Working in the woods I have had several such instances, and this is where I really became aware of how much courage there is in trust. Having to get one animal still standing to remain calm, while calming the one that is down, then loosing gear, and sometimes unharnessing completely, in a completely random setting, with little or no resources, or help, to get the animal back on its feet, re-harnessed, and hitched back up, requires a calm and purposeful demeanor anyway, but within these situations I have seen my animals (Both horses and oxen) taking appraisal of my behavior, and noticeably responding positively to me because I am not distraught (at least on the outside).

This is only to say that I believe that if you want courageous animals then at the very least acting courageous yourself is the first step.

Carl

Just last week I had a young college student visiting to accompany me in the woods, and the nigh horse must have corked himself while waiting for us clearing some brush from the trail. Somehow he lost his footing and toppled slightly off the trail into a little hollow where he couldn’t get his feet back under him. He only thrashed for a second but as I approached hi he calmed right down. We had to un hitch the off horse by unbuckling straps and then completely unharnessed him as the hames were lodged down in the hollow and kept his feet uphill. Lying there with only his collar on I finally had to “convince” him that he could actually move, and get up.
We re-harnessed and hitched them up and went back to work.

That’s a lesson I couldn’t have planned, even if that was what she came to see.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Great to have you on board. I’m glad to hear those folks are doing so well. We’ld love to have Gordon come down to put on a workshop for making head yokes at NEAPFD. If you see them, tell them Carl Russell says hi.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

I went out and got a six year old human who is absolutely nuts about any and all types of traps. Does a wicked good job. He’ll “Have-a-Heart”, or “Have-no-Heart”, either way you want!!!!!

You should have seen the #4 he set up over my grain bin, complete with 8 penny nails driven through a board, and horse shoes for weights. Never caught the monster rodent that was chewing 3″ holes in the bin, but it went away sore, and never came back!!!

It may not be the best solution for some of you, and it is really pretty expensive, but it certainly adds excitement and humor to solving a rodent problem.

Carl

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Thanks Coondog for posting that Youtube link, I enjoyed seeing the operation.

I can appreciate Jason’s Feelings about not getting a show to get across his message, but TV is really about entertainment, and we shouldn’t expect more.

I can appreciate Coondogs comments about trying to perform actual work in the presence of a film crew. We filmed a traditional harvest of a mast as part of a documentary on the building of a revolutionary war gun ship. The videographer kept asking me to stop and back up (!!) so he could get the same shot from a different angle.

The other aspect to this is that many photographers, and certainly producers and editor/publishers, see through the lens of the viewer/buyer.
I have entertained several photographers over the years, taking pix for articles, etc., taking them into the woods in a real working situation where they can see the challenges of working animals in the woods, or how the use of a bobsled can give animals advantage, only to end up with a printed picture showing a kind eye of a stationary horse in perfect focus with a fuzzy image of a person in the background doing some uncertain thing. I know very few horse-loggers who would rather have a camera in their hands than lines, so it will be a long uphill trek to change the content of either printed or video media.

The other important thing to remember here I think, is that as members of a broad community of animal powered farmers and loggers, that we not let a huge media conglomerate create a presentation that drives a wedge between us. I applaud the mule loggers for getting some real work done, and also Jason for trying to advance a worthy message. Keep up the good work.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

We have a pair of Holstein x Normande steers, 3 years old. Even crossed with Holstein they are not too big. Thicker, shorter legs, with good deep frame. Their attitude is pretty good, spirited but not rank. Basically I’m pleased. I’m not sure I would necessarily search out purebreds though, basically from a cost perspective.
Carl

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