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Simon,
Good points about breeding. I know percheron show breeders that only breed for a certain look and do little actual work with their horses. They sell a lot of foals. And a horse proving itself can take quite a while,or show quite early. I’ve had a few litters of Australian Shepherd dogs out of working parents and grandparents. Some would work. Some wouldn’t. So we’ll see. My stud colt came out of working parents. The dam was from a long line from an old very well respect farmer/breeder. My mares i’m not completely sure of their history, but they work well for me.

I appreciate your previous post. I always learn something from this forum

Neal Mcnaughten
Maine, USA

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Jason, We’ll take any advice you can give on stallions. We just got last fall a chunk Percheron stud colt, he’s a year now and has been out with three adult mares most of the time, and getting his little butt taught a lesson or two. He was started well with feet, and basic manners, he’s the low man in the herd. We plan to work him and get him along side the team doing hay this summer.

We too have much rain in Maine but the next stretch of sun will mean Hay.

Thanks

Neal Maine

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Jason, Interesting point about fertilizer and rapid growth/lodged hay. We too only do as much hay with our horses that we can comfortably get done well. 3-5 acres and yes we always say a prayer to the baler god and annoint with grease.

Was checking out your HHFF site, alot a good stuff on there. In one photo Chads neck yoke has a nice arc to it. Seems to raise the point of attachment to the pole. Did he come up with that, because i need to make a new neck yoke, it matches perfectly as far as i can tell the arc of old buggy axle, which i have. 7/8″ solid.

Best

Neal Maine

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George, I mow with a D-ring but not with the Les barden type neck yoke. I have more of an old evener type if you will. From the pin on the evener to the the cap strap stop at the end of the pole, i usually make them 120″ or 10 feet. This works for my set up but the pole is a bit low and its not do the pole length, its because i need to reduce the depth of the neck yoke, like your Les barden model. I believe the overall length of the pole is about 14′, maybe a tad under? With my rig running a bit low the bar lift looses some of its lift height and the bar tilt needs to be set back(higher at the guard tips from the ground). Your rig looks like the single trees might be getting into their heels if the chains are snugged up. You might have trouble with the inner heel registry to the ground and lift spring tension running the pole that hight at the front.

Went out and mowed three acres with my trusty old #7 which runs beautifully the othr day low pole and all. The horses didn’t mind.

I’d say go try it the way it is. Mowers are great machines but take some phrigging with to get em to run sweet.

Goodluck

Neal
maine

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Jason, good points all the way around in your last reply. SFC seems to me but a mere seed at this point. It’ll take good soil, and many years to grow. Maybe there needs to be a conference/seminar/brainstorm/git together of some sort if there already hasn’t been one.

neal
maine

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Just took a quick look at the SFC site and its an impressive can of worms. It seems a like a huge undertaking. One of the sub headings, such as insurance,if brought to fruition would be more then one full time job for many people. Curious to know if this whole project would be membership driven, or if there is a team of folks working on it, grant monies, etc…

The land preservation piece–Farm land FOR FARMING–is especially interesting and important. There are some models out there working on this goal, but also and awful lot of conservation of land for the sake of it–without working out the farmer access piece. Rich persons’ tax shelter play farms… muddied by politics in conservation agencies.

It would be nice to see this issue addressed with a little more of a pure heart and clarity of purpose.

A few thoughts…

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Carl, how would you stack in the field to shed rain?

Neal maine

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george, i believe in the book “Haying with Horses” by Lynn Miller, there’s a pic of Bulldog Fraiser on a rake as you describe. I have always wanted to set one up as such but I’m still using old horse rakes which originally had a pole and seat on them but would like to get a modern rake together at some point. The rake in Lynn’s book bascially had a triangle of plywood with a bus seat on it right on top of the frame. I’d add a guard rail and maybe a step.

I usually hook to a forecart to do hay because i can switch implements quickly but it limits your turning radius.

Good luck

Neal Maine

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Sheet metal,vinyl siding(my personal favorite) maybe even the old ledgers with machine screw like Mark says to attach them. 3/32 is a bit.

Did you get the flywheel off George?

Neal, Maine.

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You may not agree with everything written in the SFJ or wish there was different content………….to me Lynn and his family, care enourmously about small ag. ,draft animal power and quality of life apart from mainstream beliefs. Thats good enough for me.

neal mcnaughten
unity, me.

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George,
Once you get the shaft and flywheel off, take it to a machinist or tractor shop or a good mecanic and have them press off the shaft. If the shaft doesn’t have huge wear marks in it where it rides in the bushing, reuse it. It would have to be pretty worn out, but it happens. I’d put a new shaft bushing in at least since you’ve got it down this far, it will help tighten things up. Chuck the old wrist pin and pitman bushing, they’re cheap and whoever pulls the shaft out of the flywheel for you can do all that. the wrist pin is easy to change; grind or drill off the peen on the back side and drive it out on an anvil or something. Lynn Miller hacksaws a ways through the pin and busts it off with a hammer then drives out the stub. the oil seals,there will be two newer ones that fit……..put them both in.

I had a nine given to me a few years back that was pretty near worn out but still mowed quite well. presently its being fixed and when you get all of it back together right they can sing. Some of my mowers don’t sing, they more like grunt and shake. They need attention.

Goodluck

Neal mcNaughten
Gwyneth Harris
Unity, Me.

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george, bummer dude, hate when things like that happen.
Every time i pull one apart i go and look at a shaft and flywheel i have sitting on the bench and remind myself which way that pinion gear unscrews.I have a nine still apart from when i met my wife five years ago. The Miller book to me is a bit confusing because he doesn’t reference where he’s looking from to go CC,or C. there was a correction to that page. So George the threads on the pinion gear are standard threads not left hand. With a piece of bent rod or whatever under the pinion(ground side of the pinion and ring) and standing looking straight on to the mower,from say the far end of the pole, the fly wheel should turn counterclockwise to loosen the pinion. It shouldn’t take to much force has been my experience. Use a short handle pipe wrench and don;t put an extension on it. At this point i would sacrifice the flywheel and do what ever to loosen the pinion. drill a 1/2 hole in it and put a bolt or something to get a purchase on it. You will have to replace the flywheel, a new shaft is twenty bucks, the oil seal are five dollars, bushing ten, wristpin and bushing ten or fifteen. My most recent technique for reomving the shaft bushing is to just take a narrow cold chisel and bend over the end in the spent bushing sveral times until i can just drive it through the shaft housing(3/4 brass punch or drift, whatever) and out into the gear box. With about a 18inch piece of broom handle the shaft bearing(gear box end) will come out easily, do this before you destroy the bushing. Norm at macknairs in PA is real good to deal with and reasonably priced. He’ll have a flywheel if he doesn’t, i’ve got one.

Goodluck, Let me know if ya need more help.

Neal McNaughten
Gwyneth Harris
Unity, Me.

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Geoff and George

I got the haybine double guards from an NH dealer, they were like $17 a piece and the salesman said he could do me even better like $14/ea on a set. They were Case guards but matched the new/old style IHC guards. I was told by Norm at MacKnairs in Pa. that a 5′ bar would cost about $139 for new haybine guards inc. shpping.

Replacing ledgers is a chore the last ones i did were on a #7. I made a wooden jig to hold them and drilled out the rivets on a drill press. I also had to grind the new ledgers to fit. I’m not sure if the new ledgers fit perfectly because i had some new/old ones and they slipped right in. Not sure if the new /old ones are still available.

I make a point not to buy things at tractor dealerships unless i have too. A wrist pin for a 9 is $50 compared to $12 from PA.. The wear plate under the head is $36……..$12 from PA. Haybine knives were a fair price from the NH dealership.

No matter what mower your running they all take constant maintainence. Its good to have a spare mower or parts around. Like a pitman stick. easy to make out of ash.

the gears in my 9 are not sloppybad but i was looking for maybe some one that new more then me about what they should be. Some mowere just sing and the gearing has a lot to do with it.

Gotta wash some kids

Neal

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Jason,

We like grain bags too. A colt that i handle nightly didn’t like them so we kepted adding them to where he was feeding till he was knee deep in them, He doesn;t mind much any more. Have you tried the running chainsaw(safety break on) in the round pen, Thats fun. Or over the back(of the horse) rifle sighting in?

Neal

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George,

Horses don’t like anything fermenting in their foregut… I’ve heard of people doing it, but the rule of thumb is never to give them fermented feed. Someone can elaborate on this, but basically, because they are not ruminants, and do all the fermentation of feed in the hind-gut, gas that develops in the foregut can’t escape–they can’t burp–and causes gastric upset (colic). Neal says that if you do see someone feeding silage/baleage to horses, there’s a good chance they’re trying to cover up heaves… the moisture keeps the dust down. Hmmm…

Gwyneth

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