[fabian]

in my area in Germany (also poor ) all work was done with cows. There were nearly zero oxen for work.
studies from the 1930’s say, that it is more economally, to work with cows if the farm has less than 7 ha (17,5 acres).
I also use cows, because I don’t have enough work for oxen (even in summer). The cows bring a calf every year, which has two advantages:
1. they will bring income and
2. they won’t get fat.
It is a challenge, to keep an ox slim (by feeding) if you don’t have so much work for him, that he will stay slim automatically.
The disadvantage of cows is, that they are more capricious, particulary when they are in heat (just women 😉 )

With a sorry for my clumsy English !
Wolfgang

[fabian]

Howie, you said it in a professional way !;)
But we mean the same.

[fabian]

@Ira 4289 wrote:

There doesn’t appear to be any chains around those logs???
It is always interesting to see how other folks get the work done.

There is a hook at the end of the chain (like a big,big,strong nail) which they beat/strike(?) into the logs. When the log is at the place where it should be transported to, they pull out the “nail” with a hook.

[fabian]

The yokes in the picture above are the typical yokes used in Eastern Europe.
I have a video showing a man logging with brown-swiss oxen in a kind of this yoke in Romania.
If I understood Drew Conroy right, it is not a Neck-yoke but a Wither’s yoke, because the staves do not press against the shoulder but stand away from the animals body. But if that’s right, then it is a high-developed Wither’s yoke.
Also it can be seen here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No6DBv-0aFk&feature=related

at the end of the video (at 1 minute running-time)

[fabian]

what have the britchen to do with the ability of pulling? :confused:

[fabian]

I do believe, that the 3-pad-collar is not ideal for heavy draft. It presses invitably (?) the shoulders together.
In one of our gathering we had a saddler as guest, who came from East-Germany and who knew the times, when oxen were used for really work in the woods. And he said, that the oxen pulled a heavier load with the forehead-yoke than with the 3-pad-collar. Neck- and withers-yokes were not in use in a bigger number in Germany. Therefore we can only compare the collar with the forehead-yoke.

[fabian]

@CharlyBonifaz 4137 wrote:

padding is necessary in places were the body doesn’t provide any naturally

elke

I forgot to write this .;)
The forehead-yoke must be padded of course.
The neck-yoke does not need any padding (my opinion) for the neck has “padding” enough.

[fabian]

I think, that more important than padding is the surface area.

[fabian]

hellao Bivol/Boskarin,

there were areas in Germany (in the east) where the wither’s yoke (as a single or also as a double yoke) was in use.
It was usual in the parts of Germany, which belong today to Poland. Therefore it is also in Germany an “eastern yoke” .;)

Wolfgang

[fabian]

@Anne 3960 wrote:

The most common harness for working cows was the three pad collar.

That’s not correct.
The most common harness in germany was the forehead-yoke.
Steinmetz dreamed about that, what Anne wrote. 😉

Wolfgang

[fabian]

Hello, I am new in this forum. Howie know me as “Wolfgang from Germany”.
I use the forehead-yoke, because it was the most common kind of cow-hitching in my area.
The neck-yoke design I first time saw while surfing in the www. The advantage, the forehead-yoke has over the neck-yoke is, that you nearly can’t make any mistake.
And Charlybonifaz: Please forgive me my clumpsy English ! 😉

[Author]

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