[Tom S]

Great Job Gabe.

Thanks,

Tom S

[Tom S]

I sent a reply to post two days ago about my three mules, one molly and 2 johns and I was identified as anonymous. I don’t know how to look at the old post.

Still learning the new site.  I am more of a lurker than contributor.  Too much I don’t know about being a teamster, so I just ride them.

[Tom S]

All I have ever had are riding mules. I have a 6 yr old molly and two johns, one 4 and the other 7. They were born on my place. I have raised several. I have been around mules for about 12 years. I am not a teamster so I can’t help you on driving them, but if I can answer any questions about them, let me know.

[Tom S]

I am not sure of the brand, but it is a disc almost identical to the ones we used to farm with back in Indiana. I grew up pulling one just like it from the early 50’s and into the mid 60’s before we had hydraulics on our tractors. We had 4 or 5 of these just like those you pictured. The front part with the tongue tossed the dirt out and the ones following tossed the dirt back into where it came from. We pulled them with John Deere tractors. There are levers on them to adjust the cutting depth. They hooked to the tractor with a pin. They were old when I was young and I remember being in the fields at about 8 yrs of age which would have been in 1954. My grandpa farmed with mules prior to 1950, but he bought a 1938, 1947, and 1948 John Deere to farm with in about 1950. I’d guess the discs were probably built in the 30’s or early 40’s. I put a lot of hours pulling these discs, but none we had had a seat on them. I am pretty sure the ones we had were never pulled by horses or mules.

[Tom S]

All I have ever used is Stihl chains saws for the last 30 years. I stihl have one that my wife bought me 28 years ago . It isn’t used much but if I need it, it Stihl fires right up.

[Tom S]

@Donn Hewes 30692 wrote:

Hi Tom, I am just starting to work with my three year old Mammoth Jack. It is a lot of fun. I think we spoken on the phone once this summer. I added hydraulic brakes to one of my carts, but I bought new hubs and parts from a carriage maker. The parts were expensive, but it made nice brakes. I wanted the brakes to aid horses in bringing heavy loads down a hill. I hope you won’t mind a small suggestion on the harness. His tug needs to be freed up from the harness so it can come off the hames at a good angle (90 degrees). The angle he is at now will make it uncomfortable on his neck. That is a nice looking donkey.

Yes, I believe we did talk about some harness you had. I took one of my harnesses (and pieces) I had and decided I would use it until I get my donkey going.

ANY SUGGESTIONS ARE APPRECIATED. As you can see, I am not a teamster. At one time, you could give me a wild mustang, and I could get him started. I have started a lot of them under saddle, but I am out of my element here. Of course my body is beat up now, so I decided I needed a new hobby. I wasn’t sure how to set up any of the gear, so I started putting it on. I had to find several pieces of straps to get it all together and wasn’t sure it would even work. Those saddle loops looked like a good place to put the tugs, so in they went. Now that I know they don’t belong there, I’ll take them out.

Thanks for the info about the brakes, but I may have to go a differant direction than getting them from a carraige maker. Not in my budget right now.

Thanks again,
Tom

[Tom S]

Rod,

Thanks for the lenghty reply on the brakes. I sat down yesterday in my barn by the training cart to see if I could make room for a set of pressure brakes. I have the room and plenty of pipe and rod, but yet I am not sure just how I going to do it. Reading your reply help me with some ideas if I decide to go that direction. Thanks for putting the time in to reply.

Yes, my donkey just makes it into the Mammoth category. I measured him the other day and he is a fraction from being 14.3hh. He is a puppy dog and probably the only reason I can get by training him to drive, as I am sure you all can tell, I am an amateur at driving. I have been around equines all my life, but never did any driving. I am working him about an hour every day with the metal pallet. Someone gave this metal pallet and I decided I needed a drag so I modified it some. It has flat metal on the bottom that made natural runners. I only had to slightly modify the metal runners by cutting back the support on one end and tapered the flat runner on one end so they would not dig into the ground. Being the runners were really wide, the sled did not wobble from side to side and not stay in a straight line, I welded ¾ pipe to the runners, to include the taper and it drives straight. I did grind off some of the sharp edges and round the front top so if we would not get hung up as easily.
I do have a bit in his mouth, but it is hard to see since the rings are small. It was the bit I started him when I started him under saddle. It worked so I used it. I didn’t have a head stall and driving bit to fit him and as gentle as he is, I didn’t rig up any blinders. He does see me and he does anticipate a little, but overall, he is doing his job. I am sure he would turn well without the bit. He flexes really well, but I am not sure I could get him stopped. He stops really well without the drag in the back, but there is still some fear factor with the drag so I prefer the bit.

[Tom S]

I tested the text to see if it would auto save which it did. I looked around in the website to see if I could figure it out and the only way I could get it back was with the undo arrow. I wish I could help, but I don’t know the program. If I write a lot, I write it up in word and copy and paste so I don’t loose it. I too have lost a lot of text so I went to a differant method.

I went backward and lost all of the above and had a blank slate when I came back to this screen. In the left hand bottom corner of this box, it said “restore content of box”. I clicked on it and the above came back.

[Tom S]

Rod,

I appreciate the pictures. I like the idea of the springs you have on it. I sure wish I could see the whole setup, but I will have to use some imagination on rest of it. If I don’t get any better ideas with the wheel brakes, it is a good idea and it may be the best direction to go.

If you ever get any more pictures I would appreciate looking at them.

Thanks,
Tom

[Tom S]

Thanks, Carl

My main concern is to keep him in check as he speeds up from a spook. Hopefully, I won’t have to lock them. Otherwise on his ground driving he does great and listens well. He was a rescue donkey stabled all his life until 6 mos ago and his muscles are still developing. The cart is heavy enough that I don’t think he is going to far with it if it did lock up.

I work by myself. I thought I had him trained enough to put him on the cart without brakes, but he showed me he had other ideas. I am working him in the round pen and I had him hooked up to the cart and did fine for about an hour until something suprised him and he sort of “lost it”. He took off, we crashed when he got a shaft caught in a panel and I hit the ground. I really don’t want to do that again. We both came out without any scrapes and nothing tore up. I want to keep it that way.

As you said, I would like to have a “slicker” set of brakes, but I may have to go with the friction type. So far, I have looked at the Pioneer carts, but the brakes are going to be a little pricey. I was hoping someone has put some on from a car that I could copy. I got the tools and I can weld most anything, but a few extras ideas could make the differance on a “cabbaged” set of brakes compared to a “slick” set.

I have an old wagon with the friction type that I can copy if need be.

[Tom S]

Thanks Scott,

I appreciate the reply. I already have a set of soft and hard panniers for myself. My daughter likes the soft ones. I might have to do as you say and have a set of the soft ones made. Too expensive to buy new ones for no more use than she will get out of them. Your right, no one gives them up. I bought mine used out of a Albuquerque shop. The packer had died and the wife put them up for sale. I haven’t found anymore used ones that were any good since.

[Tom S]

Ed,

I turn all my animals in together and I have had as many as 19 in one medium size corral. I usually give them a couple days to get used to each other before I turn them in together. No mater how long it is, they are going to establish pecking order. Once that is done, most usually they become passive to each other, except one is the boss and eats or does whatever it wants before the other. My corrals are solid so they cannot push them down. If I were you and I didn’t want to go chase them down, I would find a good medium to large pen that will not come down, then turn them in together. It won’t take long, but there will most likely be some mild fighting.

In all the years I have turned animals together, including a stud with my mares and geldings, I have had few that didn’t work out their differances. I do have a stud donkey that one of my mules doesn’t like, so he has to stay in another pen. It gets bloody when they clash so I put them together once every few days, to see if they will work out their differances. They are slowly coming to terms with their differances, but not yet.

[Tom S]

Great Job Kristie,

Maybe some day, I will get my donkey pulling a cart. It sounds like yours are doing great. I am still looking for a used harness to fit.

Tom

[Tom S]

Try this site for a less expensive saddle. We have a couple of them and several other leather saddles. Some of our family prefer the Abetta for the setting.

http://www.buytack.com/products-saddles/act/20552.htm

[Tom S]

Kevin,

I am not sure you remember the UPS driver in that area; Bob Hess, a good friend of mine. Of course he retired some 5-10 years ago, but he knew everyone over there. He run that area for years. I am sure he would have been at your dad’s place if he was there in the same time frame. He was also a AQHA national barrel racing winner in Oklahoma City. Still works with horses locally and sometime Europeons, and travels to Italy to train the Italians with there animals.

Did you ever go to the Raber’s Buggy Shop or Knepp’s Collar Shop? They are a neat visit into the past. I still buy from Knepp’s and have them ship to me.

[Author]

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