Over here Ash is the prefered timber, some of the old railway equipment that was used for extreme pulls like boilers were made of Oak. For general draft I think Oak would be a bit heavy,plus the tannin in the wood rots mild steel bolts. British Pine quality isnt as good as other countries so I cant really comment on the Pine you have over there.. I hope some of the loggers are reading this coz these guys really know timber and will be a better source of info regards use.
John
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