[Jonathan Shively]

I have looked at and threatened to buy off of craigslist a couple of the DR or Swisher trail (rough) mowers. But I have a 6′ bushhog pull type that I haven’t used for years, going to pull it up this spring, take off the PTO shaft, put a belt pulley on it, build an engine stand and put an electric start engine on it. Figure a long choke cable for a throttle cable, electric start and an off button, open the back of the mower up and put a stiff belting on the front over the opening. I am not working in a woods or unmowed ditch banks, I just want to mow pastures. I know my Fjords won’t have any trouble pulling this behind my forecart, quieten the exhaust as best I can so I don’t have ringing in my ears at the end of the day of mowing. Will try to take pictures as I build this contraption.

[Jonathan Shively]

A set of shafts aren’t required but will help stop you from running into the back of your horse! Man that looks like fun! We used to stand up on our sleds behind a mudboat, but nothing that fancy! Great job of building a sled, great construction, it will provide years of service if you put it up on blocks and under a cover. Great job, more information on what you are driving?

[Jonathan Shively]

Great video, beautiful scenery! Any day with my horses or cattle or livestock or just being on my farm is a great day. You my friend, with that video captured a time of heaven on earth and you experienced it! Just beautiful. I’ve got to get a camera someday.

[Jonathan Shively]

I’d pour the concrete floor. Set the mill. A blue tarp can be your friend for a while, you can saw up what you need and build the shed around you using your own material! Also this will give you a specific known idea what foot paths you are using, where a pole would be handy, unhandy, in the way, out of the way, etc. A pitched roof/truss style will give you the great opportunity to expand in both directions with lean to roofs. A buddy of mine set 2×2 angle iron angle up on RR ties and made his own mini RR and used some steel rims with a groove to follow the angle iron to move a log in and set slab wood on and run out the other end of the mill. His I beam and trolley with chain fall were outside the building above the RR track so you backed in (and were no where near the mill and building) and with log tongs or chains lift or drag out logs and load on his homemade RR cart and take to the mill. Just some ideas. Oh, and if not wanting to spend the money on the treated posts, there are U brackets for regular posts on top of concrete that keeps the end of the pole dry then.

[Jonathan Shively]

We bought a training device for cattle, think TSC or Rural King or the major farm stores have it. It is comprised of chains with rope climber type snaps and a round metal ring that goes over her face like the halter (can be used over the halter). Anyway, when you jerk or she pulls against you this ring tips and puts pressure on two places/sides of her face. We had a family that had a show steer they couldn’t lead, they borrowed this contraption and were leading him in two days. Here is an example of what I am talking about, http://www.showtime-supplies.co.uk/shop/breaking-halters/metal-breaking-halter
Do not tie and leave her with this on! Mine also has another chain and pair of snaps that goes under the throat latch so it can’t be rubbed or pulled off easily. Can easily be made, the connection point of the lead on the front seems to be the “trick”. Even unbroke cows will behave with this on.

[Jonathan Shively]

Wally, any reason you just don’t post the comparison between the two and your review of the Homesteader right here on this thread?

[Jonathan Shively]

I’d say Will was thinking, “breaks over boys, I got to get to work sometime today”. Animals keep it interesting for sure.

[Jonathan Shively]

So are you near Shawnee town, IL?

[Jonathan Shively]

It is worth all you will pay for it and the least he will take for it.

[Jonathan Shively]

I can’t remember exactly what they do to a set of runners if they are bolted to the hubs of the axle. But a stay chain or something is attached so the runner doesn’t “flip” upside down if it catches in a rut or doesn’t run up over a pile of snow.

[Jonathan Shively]

Man that is one nice chunk of a horse! Put your bridle back on her and if nothing else, use a set of lunge lines/ropes for driving lines. Keep a load/some weight on that sled so it doesn’t run up on her back legs and scare the crap out of her. What fun when the work pays off!!!!!!!!!

[Jonathan Shively]

I personally think the price is pretty substantial. But then I get to thinking of all the sales I attended trying to gather that amount of equipment, the frustration of finding what I bought was sprung either from a runaway or someone pulling it behind a tractor. My time at sales where I couldn’t afford anything or what was advertised was incorrect or everything was junk. My gas money. My time away from the farm. In the end, for a brand spanking new piece of equipment with a warranty from a very reputable company, it probably is cheap in the long run. Very unique idea and wish I had thought of it. Rural Heritage magazine either this issue or the last had a review on it, think there was a post about it also on the porch. I think it would be ideal for my Fjords or your Haflingers.

[Jonathan Shively]

I would agree the first one is an original horse drawn disc for a couple of reasons. The seat post as well as the levers are angled so the person sitting on the seat can reach them. Missing the tongue trucks (look for two steel wheels about a foot apart with an axle and a bracket in the middle of the axle). They are probably in the brush you are pulling this stuff from. The second, could be for making your horse drawn disc into a double as the levers then would be facing the driver again, or they are tractor drawn and missing the back half.

[Jonathan Shively]

In dollars and cents I never really paid my kids. Bought their school lunches and one week’s worth of gas if they wanted to drive to school. Otherwise, they bought their own 4H livestock unless it was from one of our cows or sows then they could have it for free and mom and dad bought feed. All money made from the project was theirs. They both when getting off farm jobs told their co-workers how easy the work was in town. “Go work for my dad one day my youngest daughter told one of her co-workers after stocking some shelves.” They didn’t feel underpaid, now they love it cause mom and dad feed out a hog and a calf and they each get half for their freezers. They pay the processing. They both told their husbands just a couple of weeks ago after getting their beef, “dividends, that is what this is, our dividend check!!”. Do what your heart tells you, not what the sheepie of the world say.

[Jonathan Shively]

Start hauling manure daily with her by herself on a mudboat. Wet collars will do a lot of good. She might have been broke, but could be an old puller or just one out of a bunch they got tired of for the reasons you are finding.

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