hitching combinations

[Nat(wasIxy)]

Hi guys,

Have been reading about camels in the outback and how one man found a single in the shafts and the rest hitched in threes in front of him worked best for him.

This would solve a lot of problems for me ox-wise, as my biggest animal has no well-matched partner, but the rest are all pretty similar age and sizewise. I thought I’d have to put the biggest up front on his own but while he is very good, I think I have a better lead animal up-and-coming who would be best for that.

What are the benefits and pitfalls of this arrangement? And how would a team of three physically be fixed in front of a single animal – I just can’t work it out even though I’ve studied the photos!

[Nat(wasIxy)]

is it called a ‘pickaxe’ hitch?

[CharlyBonifaz]

is it called a ‘pickaxe’ hitch?

3 in the front, two in the back
just returned from a very rewarding tour through the alps were the horses were hitched to the postwagon in this manner; the following link is an access to my pictures taken on this trip, might very well give you an idea of how they are hitched together
http://picasaweb.google.de/107443822450645834267/DerLindauerBoteCorriereDiLindo2010#
advances are in turning: with 2 in the back you can make tighter turns
the 3 out front need to be “ready to go” animals, very willing, very forewards
the 2 in the back will have to hold the whole weight in tight turns in the mountains, actually the horse in the inner curve has to hold the most; in tight turns the front three have to be taken out of pulling, otherwise they might break your pole;
so you want strong animals in the back, forwards going animals in the front
if I had only one oxen for the cart, I’d be using shafts and hitch the front rigging(?) of the three to the shafts with chains; think of two eveners with a 1/3 – 2/3 ratio and 3 singletrees, the middle one hooked into both eveners. Have tried to hitch one (!) ox in front of another one (tandem) and resulted in one broken harness 😮 , but will try again 😎

[Nat(wasIxy)]

Thanks for that – it seems incredible when we think of the weights this guy with the camels (think it was 14 camels involved or something?) was pulling, that all the weight would be taken by that single camel at certain moments!!!

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