[Jelmer]

Bob,

I changed the upside down file, see the new attached PDF.

And added a D-10 Manual as a PDF. Can´t change the language though.

Yes it is a differential in the center of the axle. It looks to me comparable to a tractor differential.
Where the #9 has the pawls and springs mechanism in the wheel hubs, the D-10 has it in a “differential block”.

I might have an oppertunity to peek in the gearboxes.

Jelmer.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by Jelmer.

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One more

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Old D-10 Mower

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Hey Donn,

My plans changed quite a bit unfortunately.

I´m asking for more pictures of such a converted mower with double knives and will post the news here.

I´ll make new post for the D-10 to keep topics seperate.

[Jelmer]

George,

What I found out is that te mower in the picture is still in process. The search there is for the right parts to make the bar fit.

However I am contacting another person.

I will keep you posted.

Jelmer.

[Jelmer]

Here are two late cents from Europe.

Lodged hay is also a problem here, in Germany there are a few examples of converting a sickle bar mower to a “double blades” bar.

In other words its like the I&J “precision cutting sickle”; but then on an old double blades bar on an old mower.

Added is a picture where a double blade bar (Fendt brand) is being built on a mower. The mower is a Mc Cormick D-10 (which I believe is a European model built after the #9).

• This reply was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by Jelmer.

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[Jelmer]

Good you found the real adress, I missread that part.

The Millers works with or without raised beds.There´s an adjustable spring that helps lift the cultivator bar.
When I worked with the machine there where 3 horses pulling. And I´ve seen a model of 11 feet wide which used 5 horses.

At Millers they would know if there is a riding cultivator of theirs near MA. Every year they are present at the Horse Progress Days.

Best,

[Jelmer]

You´re welcome Michelle! Good to read it might work for you.

Millers has sold quite a few of these cultivators. Maybe Miller has experiences with a telescoping frame. I have seen that they do make changes to machines for customers needs. You could ask him.
With a raised bed the clearance between crop and frame get less due to the wheels that are in a track and the raised soil i between the wheels. So that might mean the machine could touch and/or damage the crops earlier than when no raised bed. I´m not sure what the clearance is on a standard Miller´s riding cultivator. I think it would be a thing to concern.

Germany is nice and has quite somethings going on concerning farming with horses. The Pferde Stark event a nice event to visit. It is like Europe´s version of the DAPnet´s Field Day or the Horse Progress Days. The next one is in 2015. http://www.pferdestark.org

As for the Little Seeds Farm, I think you might mean the farm of Willy Denner? Last year I worked in that area. http://www.littleseedgardens.com

• This reply was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by Jelmer.

[Jelmer]

Interesting to see the pictures of the cart. It reminded me of a cart made for hoeing/scufling I once saw in Germany. A bio dynamic farmer used this, I´m not sure if he still does.
See 3 added pictures. The soil is very “heavy” river clay, the crop is lamb´s lettuce.

Michelle, I thought the Miller´s riding cultivator might be something you´ed be interested in. It is designed for crops like corn, but could be used for other crops. Miller´s Repair Shop from Lagrange Nothern Indiana makes them (other pictures)
They make them as 3 wheeler or as 4 wheelers, for in the bed system. The front wheels can be steered with your feet and the back wheel(s) follow. Instead of the back wheel(s) a roll can be placed to prepare a seed bed.
Miller can build the wheel width to your bedsystem, and the eveners that go with that. Also rubber tires are avaible.
I´ve been in their shop and worked with a 3 wheeler in pumpkins and liked how the machine worked.

Another option is to see in France, the link will show a blog made by people who work with draft animal power there. Posted on May 15 is a new on farm built cultivar for the bed system.
There´s more interesting things on that blog.

Jelmer.

French blog about draft animal power

• This reply was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by Jelmer.

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[Jelmer]

Hey Michelle,

Good to hear you found the machine and this is the same one.

Belgian horses would pull this implement easily.
By using two horses, they could walk on the path next to the bed, without walking op the place where the crops come. That is in my opinion an advantage over using one horse.

Best.

[Jelmer]

Interesting, I know that the biodynamic Pfeiffer Centre in Chestnut Ridge NY uses Haflingers. They work with them in the raised bed culture.

For as far as I know, Mac Mead made this machine himself. It looks like the descriptions you mentioned.
In the picture it shows the wider joysticks and evener needed like Erika mentions.

I agree such an implement or rig is an missing link.

http://www.pfeiffercenter.org/about_us/draft_horses/index.aspx

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You´re very welcome.

Those are Silesian Norikers, the mares “Agua” and “Salva”. Owned by the logger and breeder Josef Svoboda from the Czech Republic.
Josef is very well known in Europe´s horse logging scene.

[Jelmer]

Hey Michelle,

Any chance of posting a picture of the machine you´re describing?

A while ago I placed 2 PDF files of 2 simular machines you described. Apart from having a different colour it can do what you mentioned and fits in small scale efficient farm methods. Those files describe the machines or “tool carriers”.
Click on the link here and look for the post on January 30th 2014.

Underneath that post there, you´ll find a very informative post of Erica showing PDF-files with products and prices for mechanical weed control. Those products can be very helpfull to built on such “tool carriers”.

Jelmer. Look for the post on January 30 2014

[Jelmer]

Great to read that your so close to the old seining site and connected to the Columbia River.

You´re welcome!

[Jelmer]

Hey Daniel,

Reading your post makes me think of the agricultural landscape in the Andean mountains. There oxen are used for plowing, harrowing & hilling on slopes. These are slopes where a tractor doesn´t enter. Added are two pictures of Ecuador. One of a field being harrowed and plowed. The other shows a field that was just plowed by oxen.

People in South America asked me about using animal traction machinery like the European tool carrier there. My thought on that is if its really steep field, I would use a walk behind cultivator.
The farm in Ecuador, to whom I delivered and integrated a European tool carrier, has a slope of 15%. The same as the tractor, the Kockerling tool carrier works fine there on such a slope. They use one horse for the machine, in broccoli and leeks.
A team in front of such a tool carrier is possible too. With the permanent grass-paths bed system the animals could walk the paths

Cultivators with a ridge or crest on the wheels would have an advantage on a slope.
The steel wheels of for example the I&J riding cultivator have a ridge/crest. This gives the machine more stabilty from sideward pressure. Comparable to the wheels of a ground driven mower, but with a bigger crest.

Working off-set.
When working off-set, the further or/and deeper that goes, the bigger sideward pressure on the machine/draftanimal will be. The soil type also has and effect on this.
Such work would put uneven pressure on the draft animal. If that´s high and for hours, it might not be pleasant. I think its like pushing a wheelbarrow in front of you, but offset. A bit off-set and for a short while with a light load that´s ok. Changing sides would help too.

This sideward pressure depends also on the type of machine being used. Like a walk behind cultivator with a setup like the hitching piont on a walk behind plow (Like Kevin mentioned).
For a tool carrier it would be different when a single horse is put off-set. Interesting would be to solve the sideward pressure on the machine so the animal walks “free”.

Stabilizer bars.
What the stabilizer bars on the tractor concerns, using the tiller is heavy work. When these bars are not set, a machine seeks its “own path”. Especially a rotating tiller. Even on flat land, when seeding for example, I would set these bars tight enough so that the seeder follows the tractor directly. Without “wandering off”.

Would this side pressure be experienced with the draft animals too?
Not as much as with tiller behind the tractor. The (percentage of the) slope does influence this.
When working with an off-sett “walk behind cultivator” it could be forced to work uphill by the created side draft. Letting the animal walk next to the crop and setting the line of draft in such way, that it will follow the machine straight. In this way it will be compensating from following the land slope. When set very off-set, the rear part of the cultivator turn downwards.

It depends on the percentage of the slope and when needed on the off-set adjustment on the machinery. Too much off-set would make the rear of walk behind cultivator turn.

What you mention with a team and a neck yoke makes sense to me. That is seen a lot in the Andean oxen culture.

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