[OldKat]

@Carl Russell 3015 wrote:

Check out the Yard Hitch 3-pth Cart at http://www.yardhitch.com There are also photos on the gallery, under equipment.

Gene Gunderson has designed a 4-wheeled cart with electric powered hydraulics that run a 3-pth that can take any category one implement. It weighs about 500 lbs, but the extra weight comes in handy for some of the uses it can be put too. It can be plugged in to be charged, and batteries can be switched out easily, so that you can move round bales all day long. It is well-built, and well-designed. A good piece for the tractor farmer in transition to horses.

Carl

Yes. “Essentially” what I had in mind. Doesn’t include charging on the go, but weight wise that may not be an option anyway. Guess this is another take on an answer to my question.

Thanks.

[OldKat]

@416Jonny 3013 wrote:

Of course you could do it. You can do just about damned near anything with electricity if you feel like it, or feel like spending the money.

The system would end up working like a hydraulic three point hitch cart (since electricity and water end up acting in very similiar manners) by accumulating energy, either by use of pressure (hydraulic) or voltage (electricity).

There is a system out there that uses a forecart and a special three point trailer behind it that uses electricity, only it gets charged by being plugged in.

Setting up a charging system is beyond simple. Find an alternator that has a built in voltage regulator and a 1/2″ drive pulley. Mount a pulley either to the wheel hub, or if you want a speed multiplier and the base for the forecart, just use a truck axle and bolt the pulley to the pinion flange. Look for Dana built truck axles, since they are built outside of any one manufacturer, they generally have flanges, instead of yokes. One out of a dually rear end will be narrower and usually have deeper gearing.

Not to knock your idea, but why electricity? Given that so many pieces of equipment are already outfitted with hydraulics, why switch to something as fidgity and expensive as electric?

Hitching an electric forecart to one of these implement would require some interesting connections. All would have to be free of dirt and moisture. It would also need a way to control the ground circuit so as not to arc out the system everytime you plugged something in. Not really sure how you would handle the rain. I guess if all you are doing is running a 12 volt system you won’t really get in any serious trouble.

Also, the strain it might put on the batteries could shorten their service life. Changing out those batteries every couple of years wouldn’t be much fun.

I would say that hydraulic accumulater systems are a bit better suited to the farming environment than electricity, but please, don’t let my opinion stop you from building anything, and if you have questions along the way, don’t be afraid to ask.

Jonny B.

Thanks for the feedback 416Jonny. After I reread my post I realized that I kinda mis-spoke about what I was trying to do. That’s what I get for posting in the middle of the night, because I couldn’t sleep! What I was really getting at was a way to power existing hydraulic cylinders without having to use a gasoline engine to power a pump, or a ground drive accumulator …. because of the weight issues. Having said that it, by the time you add the storage batteries and all of the gearing involved it might end up being heavier than existing options anyway.

Much of the farmland around where I currently live is going out of production because the land is being broken up into smaller tracts. That is putting allot of smaller to moderate sized equipment on the market, much of which could be adapted to be being pulled behind a forecart. Many of the current options I have seen are really heavy, so I was looking for a way to reduce that weight. However, that may not be possible. Anyway, thanks again for your thoughts.

[OldKat]

I do like your style! All the pictures & videos I have seen from you all have some really nice horses, too. Black Percherons, a man after my own heart. 🙂

[OldKat]

@kris fraser 1109 wrote:

does any have one what have you used it on would it run a baler i saw one in use at the field days and have been very interested ever since. any info from people who have used one would be appriciated

Way outside the box thinking I know, but is there any possibility of using a speed multiplier (gear driven or otherwise) on a forecart to operate a 12V generator? The reason I ask; if you could keep a 12V battery charged & couple it with a high torque electric motor could you not replace the hydraulic cylinder, or use the electric motor to operate the hydraulic cylinder, on implements like plows or discs that need to be lifted at the turn row or in leaving the field for transport? I could envision an energy center that could be modular in design so it could be quickly mounted on various implements, but keeping the battery charged stumps me. Wouldn’t work in an application like a hay swather or baler that is in continuous service while in the field, but might work for intermittent service applications. Thoughts?

[OldKat]

@jenjudkins 2962 wrote:

Aww well….after my 2 year old (with whom I thought I was making so much great progress) got away from me in a training session last week and jumped a 4 foot fence, I got to thinking!?! I got him straight away and brought him back to the arena and we finished the lesson, but I was surprised he had that in him at this point….he spooked, I was caught off guard and didn’t have the leverage to keep him from bolting (luckily he was not in harness). So I’m worried now that I am not spending the amount of time I should be with his training or worse yet, I’m screwing up somehow. He still doesn’t seem to get the point that we are ‘working’ vs ‘playing’. The reality of training a baby of this size is now dawning on me, lol! I’ve decided to send him off for training. Ted Russell agreed to evaluate him over 2 weeks for me. I’m sure it will be money well spent, but I have never sent a horse off for training. I kind of feel like I’m sending my kid off to his first day of school!:confused:

So any feedback would be appreciated. Do I just drop him off and wait for the report card? Should I plan to participate as much as possible (like on the weekends)? How long would you put a two year old in daily training? I’m kind of feeling like a failure here, but am triing to be proactive. Jennifer.

Jennifer: For my first post ever on this forum, yes maybe I can help you. I have a couple of 4 year old Percheron mares that I bought as weanlings (actually adopted from a PMU rescue outfit). About this time last year I decided that my work situation was never going to allow me to spend the time with them that they really needed.

Although I had owned horses my entire life, and even owned Percherons before, I had never trained youngsters under harness. I opted to have an Amish guy that lives “relatively” close to me farm with them all last Winter (in South Texas field work starts in December and planting is done by mid February) and into the Spring. Yes when I dropped them off it did feel a little like the time I took my now 25 year old daughter to her first day of kindergarten.

They were about 160 miles or so away, so I couldn’t just drop by every evening after work. I did manage to get down there about every 3 or 4 weeks for a day or a day & a half. During the first visits I just watched; later on I would drive them as singles, part of a threesome or the two of them as a team. THE BEST thing I ever did, best money I ever spent. When I got them back it was mid-April and it gets really hot here about mid-May. I found that they didn’t do real well when it got really hot, so I elected to give them a breather until it started to cool off in the Fall. Hurricane Ike has pushed that back even a little further. Yes, I realize that stopping them like that while they were in training was not the ideal situation, but I have worked enough horses in this climate to know that when they are hot and sweaty & so am I, that the training is not all that productive anyway. I would say if you have a capable trainer nearby and you are the least bit unsure about where you stand with your youngster, don’t have too much pride … call in the pro.

Rambling, but hope it helps.

OldKat

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