evener questions?

[PeytonM]

Any one have the measurements on a 3 abreast evener? I want to have it set up with a pole for on a fore cart to plow with and I also want to use it with out a pole. I’ve seen different set ups where a chain would come back to the axle but I don’t really know how well that would work with a fore cart? I know that they have the things on like a pioneer http://www.lilleystacknfeed.com/DSC04565.JPG like in this pic you can swing it to one side for an off set.

thanks for the help.

[Donn Hewes]

The easiest way to have a three horses evener that you can use with or with out a pole is to set up the cart so you can move the tongue. This also keeps the three centered in front of the cart. Then the three horse evener is as simple as a block of hardwood 2 x 6 with a clevis to a double tree on one end and a clevis to a single tree on the other. The hardwood gets a hole 2/3 from the single tree and 1/3 from the double tree. This ends up being right behind the center horse and is attached to the cart in the center, not into the tongue.

[PeytonM]

with the pole off center does it have any issues turning? didn’t know since if you had it off set of it would swing more or what not

[Rivendell Farm]

Not that Donn’s answer needs any clarification, but the evener on my tripletree is 4 feet long. From the center hole, which isn’t actually in the center, it’s 16″ to the doubletree end, and 32″ to the singletree end. The doubletree is about 36″. I don’t notice any problems offsetting the tongue, except that it’s a nuisance to have to do it. Bob

[Donn Hewes]

I am not sure about the nuisance as i just asked my intern to do it today. Think of how much he learned about horse drawn equipment! Actually shifting the pole back and forth is a chore and I basically have one cart that I run as a three horse all winter and change to a two horse in the hay making season. I can not have too many two horse carts for hay making. I would like to not unhook from every rake I use.

But to answer Peyton’s question, no, the cart turns perfectly well with the offset tongue. The main point, and the reason to move the tongue, is that your horses are centered and pulling the cart from the center. it is a better set up for my purposes than an offset evener. Also, that evener can be taken off and used for any three horse purpose.

[Donn Hewes]

PS. The Pioneer carts are also built to have the tongue moved. Most that I have seen have three channels for the tongue and there are bolt holes under each seat post!

[PeytonM]

what if it was on a wagon? My sister gets married on June 7th, I have a team of perch and a belg. mare I’d like to hook and have them go perch belg perch. my dad has a flat rack wagon that has about 2 foot sides that you can put in pockets and I’m gonna put them on it and change it so it uses a pole so I can drive the horses on it. I’m hauling the wedding party about 3 miles from the church to bar to start the bar hop. I know the perch would be able to pull it I just wanted to do something one off. I really would like to use all 5 of my horses but I don’t see that happening. I was going to have two wagon’s and have a team pull the bride and groom and then a 3 abreast pull the wedding party but my friend that helps me with horses says that would be too much work being I’m in the wedding also so I’ve come to the 3 abreast hitch.

thanks for the help.

[PeytonM]

Rivendell Farm how big is your team evener? I have one that I was going to start getting a 3 abreast built with and if I use the measurements that you gave the middle horse evener and the outside single evener had about a 4 inch over lap. I’m using a piece of pipe that dad had from a drag section that he scrapped out. there are 3 rings on it so I figured that I would be able to use them accordingly to hook with.

I’m going to town to get some light chain to use as check lines and hook on their hame rings.

I’m hoping I will be able to hook them on the stone boat yet to day if it doesn’t rain out…

[Rivendell Farm]

The doubletree, or team evener I’m using is actually 34 and 1/2 inches from one singletree attaching point to the other, and the singletrees are 28 inches overall length. The tripletree (three horse evener) length is actually 4 ft. 1 inch between connecting points and about 4 ft. 4 inches overall. Anyway there’s a few inches of gap between the single horse singletree and that of the center horse on one side of the doubletree. A diagram would help here instead of these confusing words. I hope this is somewhat useful. Bob

[PeytonM]

no worries I went out and did a little playing around and got it figured out. at first I had the hitch point for the work sled almost right behind the middle horse. That was a little bit too far for the single horse. so I moved it towards the team evener and it worked a lot better. I also had the team of percherons I normally work together split up and put my belgian mare in the middle for a few reasons. one, the perch are mother daughter team and the daughter as been a PITA! just a crab and I’ve been told its the mare in her and to get her bred. the other reason is this way I had a line one each side of he bit because she was used for a pulling horse and from a stop is really jumpy and hauls the mail. I have a vid of it but I wasn’t able to get it to upload on here. I’ll keep trying through.

I had a blast with this hitch today I felt untouchable as far as what they could do, they would spin right around like they were on a dime just had a few hairy moments on taking off with that belg mare…

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