hame modification

[Mark Cowdrey]

Has anyone ever moved the hame studs in order to change the point of draft? I would need to redrill the hame but it doesn’t seem like rocket science.
I cannot get the point of draft where I want it and till have the hames fit decently on the collar with the way it is now.
Thanks,
Mark

[Anonymous]

Not sure what type of hames you have a picture might help. I have drilled holes in them before at the top to move the top links and bent lots most sets. Our local machine shop has a jig for bending hames to fit the horse. Never had ant trouble with hames breaking after they were modified.

Cheers Tristan

[Mark Cowdrey]

Thanks Tristan.
These hames are fairly common looking steel work hames, similar to what Meaders Supply (http://www.meadersupply.com/Publish/products_tack.html) sells.
What a great resource to have a machine shop setup for bending hames. How complicated is the jig?
Mark

[Anonymous]

I use the pulling hames they sell. It’s not complicated just a form that fits into thier press. The chalange is to keep the back ofthe hames straight. There are portable jigs that use a jack like some of the guys are using to tip trees but you need to be bending alot of hames to pay for one. I’v heated them with the torch and or put them in a vise but it’s not ideal. Heating them takes the paint off and it’s not long before they get rusty. Had a big grey gelding named Jim and he had the wildest neck on him. It was round as a barrle with quite a bump at the sweeny. My step father is a blacksmith and we heated a set of farm hames up, bent them between the second and third ring untill they were like two half moons. That horse whouldn’t pull the hat off your head at first but he came around. By the end of that winter he was hitting the collar hard and stayed pulling untill I retired him a few years ago. Those hames stood up to alot of punishment from old Jim.

Any good fabricating shop that understands metal should be able to bend hames or modify them to fit your horse.

Tristan

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