[jac]

Geoff that was a great film. The place must have been buzzing at that time. It was interesting to hear what the men ate… and how all the mill men owned their own houses….
John

[jac]

Hi Geoff.. no I wasnt on about tub grinders but an old Victorian hay chopper or chaff cutter as they were sometimes known.. mine has 3 scimitar shaped blades about 18″ long with a flat belt drive and a small shute that you push hay along with a stick.. it chops to an inch or so and I mix it thru the grain and stops the horses bolting their feed so fast.. the old tractor powers it up just now but I figured as we find it hard to find work in winter that it would be a great way to save diesel and get horses exercised at the same time.. if I can manage that then the tractor will nearly be redundant:cool:…
John

[jac]

Totally agree!!! I have “met” some wonderfull friends thru this site and gained a load of knowledge into the bargain. Thank you all and a happy and peacefull Christmas holiday….
John

[jac]

Excellent Geoff !!! and some really modern looking dairy fixtures too… Happy Christmas all ….
John

[jac]

I wonder if the spikes could be swapped for 2 tubes of mabey 4″ dia and set up to just touch the ground and be set wider so they go under the bale instead of spearing it… would still reguire a bit of skill in the reversing department but wouldnt need the same force..

[jac]

Hey Mitch there was a man called James Cuthbertson from the village of Biggar {where my grandfather delivered milk till 63} and he is credited with developing the modern rubber tracks.. He designed a tractor called the “Water Buffalo” in the early 50s.. it was designed to go on peat bogs but i believe a few ended up on your side of the puddle. I think there are fotos of it on the web if you google it… I used to walk past his yard in the 60s on my way to school and could see all this big boys toys thru the gates. It was good to see the heavy freight sleds Geoff.. thanks for sharing…
John

[jac]

It might be worth DAPnet joining FECTU on http://www.fectu.org. A lot is happening in Europe…
John

[jac]

Jeez you guys have a great selection of stoves !!! Bryant stoves is an awsome website. Its great to see the old stoves being restored. Over here we have a choice of 3 {that i know of} Aga, Stanley and Rayburn.. and these usually start at £5000 or $7000:eek: each. The rest are imported from “other ” places and the quality is not great:(…Having said that Ixy I was on the “windy smithy” site and it looks like a breath of fresh air… maybey some of you enterprising souls in the States could start an export market to Britain… American quality is usually pretty good.. or so I have found so far… used to run a Hesston 4755 baler and found it great on the build front..Britain used to have it too but unfortunately the powers that be have decided we are better being a “service” nation… whatever the hell THAT is ??? and have shut all our major manufacturing… Off topic now and blood pressure rising:mad:…
John

[jac]

Hi Ixy… I have been thinking about this and I wonder if Angus will be walking fast enough to power up a mower ? I know he will have enough grunt to pull it but most of the mowers and even hay tedders need a bit of forward speed..An option might be a hitch cart with a small engine , this would open up a lot of options. I know an engine seems to defeat the idea of draft animal power but if it lets you use Angus for haymaking then thats got to be good. Traditionaly oxen were the sluggers I suppose, with the horses doing the faster work… just my take on it..
John

[jac]

Dave I noticed you mentioned Indonesian junk harness… as a Brit who has to import all my harness from the states I was wondering if you could give us the heads up on companies to avoide.. I had wondered about the St Paul saddlery company too but this has eased that worry. Thanks for posting the fotos…
John

[jac]

Jeez an I thot mine were cool dudes doin parades with ballons bursting and kid and pipe bands !!! never mind fire works and dynamite !!!!..
John

[jac]

I would say its valuable but not nessissary.. I once asked my grandfather who used to retail milk off the farm in the town of Biggar with a pony and trap how he managed to see in winter time.. He reconed the pony did his seeing for him:D. He maintained that the carriage lamps were more for other road users to see HIM rather than for him to see. As you say.. its going to be a great way to sharpen youre judgments regards turns .. good luck with it . sounds a lot of fun…
John

[jac]

Yes I do that as well. Its interesting that they stand really quiet when harnessed but if tied bare they swing around and paw and such like.. like they get into work mode and are glad to stand in “park”…
John

[jac]

Way to go Erika !!! I cant comment on the stateside situation but over here government intervention in agriculture has usually been… how can I put this… less than successful.. but if your guys positively support this then thats only good and a great start…
John

[jac]

Rod you have saved the day. Thank you. Your idea worked a treat. We used a log across the back tyres and had about 6 moves before it came out, but it was awsome the way it worked. Thanks again… Another example of this site helping folks across continents.. long may it continue..
John

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