[Rod]

Hi Jean

No I think it would be to heavy in the shafts for him. I have a small donkey cart and an easy entry cart for sale either of which would be a better fit but of course are not something you could use for working.

[Rod]

Here is the forecart for $200

[Rod]

Pioneer forecart is sold. The price on the rebuilt rubber tire no.9 mower is $1000 finished or $750 as is. It still needs a blade and installation of the guards, the crazy wheel or pole and a little painting. Has new bushings and seals and one new tire, no cracks or welds, sorry my mistake on the above adv.

[Rod]

Here are the photos.

[Rod]

I like it, good well laid out barns are a blessing to a farmer.

[Rod]

@TBigLug 27606 wrote:

I know I’m digging in old threads again (shocker lol) but an ida I threw around the old brain cavity last year was using an axle off a equipmen trailer with an electric brake setup and molunting a single deep cycle battery under the driver’s seat and a trailer brake controller on the floor (simple push button switch in floor to activate controller). That way the braking power can be adjusted for the “load” so to speak and the floor of the trailer could be loer for the elerly to get on without climbing too many steps. Just another thought.

The brake controllers that I have used are automatically activated by inertia. They apply current to the magnets in proportion to the stopping velocity of the vehicle and that stopping velocity is varied by the work of the truck brakes. I am not sure how well this would work with horses applying the speed reduction force required to activate the inertia mechanism in the controller. They all have a manual override which should work fine but may be hard to apply in a graduated manner while driving the team. Something to think about.

[Rod]

One other thought is to not over build the harnesses. You are not using them on big draft horses and amount you can pull with donkeys will not be limited by the strength of the materials. A lighter weight harness is very nice to put on and take off.

[Rod]

I have both and like the batathane (it may be granite material) much better. It’s llghter and more flexable. Try Chimacum Tack for your donkey harnesses. I have two harnesses made by them and love them, easy people to work with and they do mule and donkey harnesses as a standard in their on-line catalogue. http://www.chimacumtack.com/horseharness/pleasurehorsedrivingharness.shtml

[Rod]

Nice photos

[Rod]

Boy that is a BARN! Mine would look like a doghouse inside that structure. The woods are a mix of spruce and white pine.

[Rod]

I like it especially the size, looks like a serious barn to me. What is the use going to be?

[Rod]

Here are some more photos per request. A lot of the roof joints are gusseted with 1/2″ CDX, ring shank nails and Tightbond glue (like boat ribs). My wife says it looks like a boat upside down.

[Rod]

Thanks, I will get some more photos today. The total barn footprint is 26×40 with the loft portion being 18×40. The loft is for square hay bales which will be loaded through a door in the front of the loft. The lower area has a drive through 10′ isle with a door on the driveway end and a 10′ opening into the dry lot on the back. The bays along the sides are 10 wide x 8′ deep and will have feeders along the isles for the ewes to eat from. The first bay on the left has a stair case to the loft and will be used for grain, medications etc. The one across will be for a ram pen or sick bay or both. The roofing is going to be brown metal and the siding will be rough cut vertical pine as will the loft floor. We are cutting this and some of the framing on-site with my sawmill from eastern white pine logs.

I am building it extra strong like the old way of building not just enough to stand up like some of the modern designs. I am getting sick of barns falling down around here, especially mine. The two I lost were both modern pre-fab types which could not take our Vermont winters. I will show some of the joints in the new photos.

[Rod]

Thanks Mitch, we will still have our two donkeys and may do some playing around with them and will be keeping up with the DAP site. It’s hard to give it up but I find my limits are tested by all I have going on and something has to go.

[Rod]

I bought some of those guards for the no. 9 I am working on and had the same question about the piece. The bar is not done yet on the one I am working on but I have the guards here.

[Author]

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