Promatta

[Robert MoonShadow]

Thank you for all that effort, Erik!
I’ve tried to get good vies of the systems they have on the website; I wish they had better detailed photos…
Perhaps it’d be easier for you to post photos of the various things they’ve got in there, then we/I could ask for more details on what strikes the interest? Because it sounds like a huge effort to translate and post much text.
Again, thank you for sharing.

[goodcompanion]

I received a reply back from Prommata:

Bonjour,
Vous allez recevoir de la documentation par la poste.
Vous pouvez en disposer comme vous voulez.
Si vous les traduisez, nous aimerions en avoir des exemplaires car cela
nous intéresse d’avoir notre documentation traduite en anglais.
Nous pouvons envoyer le matériel par transport maritime mais cela coûte
cher !
Je transmets votre message à l’ensemble de l’équipe de PROMMATA.
A bientôt, Valérie

Translation:

Hello,
We’re going to send you materials by mail.
You can do whatever you like with them.
If you translate them, we’d like to have some examples because we’re interested in having our documentation translated into English.
We can send equipment by sea but it’s expensive.
I am forwarding your message to the entire PROMMATA team.
Til later, Valerie

I think this dialog is worth translating and posting on the forum because Prommata has done such outstanding work and over such a span of time, trying to devise implements to improve the lot of small farmers throughout the developing world. Early trials were done on four continents! Promatta is still active in at least two continents. In my view there is a huge amount that we as DAPNet members could learn from them, both in terms of the equipment itself and in their general experience. Probably they could learn from us too. If there is something other members would like to know, please post and I will try to find it out.

Personally it’s long been my wish to serve as a link between the draft power movements of the French speaking world and the northeast. So I continue to try to find a way to do so just because it’s interesting to me.

[Robert MoonShadow]

That’s awesome, Erik! As far as I’m concerned, they can expand that to FIVE continents, and you shouldn’t limit yourself…you can be a link between the French farmers and the Northeast – AND the northwest!

[goodcompanion]

Well it seems to me that Prommata has interest in reaching out to the English speaking world too, it would be fun for me to work with them for whoever could benefit.

[Dylan Keating]

Hi there good companion, I did a three day course on the Kassine in Devon, England earlier this year. I found it to be an amazing tool and has led me to sell my tractor! The people who organised the course did translate a small booklet of the basics so with their permission I could possibly publish that here if it’s of use to anyone? I will be moving with my wife to Massachusetts this time next year and hope to continue working with horses. The kassine seems like the ideal tool for small scale cultivation and I would hope to use some variant of it over there.
Thanks for your work in translating the text

[Robert MoonShadow]

@dylan 31110 wrote:

Hi there good companion, I did a three day course on the Kassine in Devon, England earlier this year. I found it to be an amazing tool and has led me to sell my tractor! The people who organised the course did translate a small booklet of the basics so with their permission I could possibly publish that here if it’s of use to anyone? I will be moving with my wife to Massachusetts this time next year and hope to continue working with horses. The kassine seems like the ideal tool for small scale cultivation and I would hope to use some variant of it over there.
Thanks for your work in translating the text

Does the booklet have schematics or measurements, or just descriptions of the unit? I’d really love to get the design details so I could have my local fabricating wizard do me up one.

[Dylan Keating]

Hi there, no it was just a basic operating manual, with explanations of why the method using the kassine is so useful, and the different attachments you could use.
However the instructor did say that they would happily give away their plans (open source) to anyone wishing to make one, the only caveat seemed to be that if someone in the States say, wanted to begin making them on a larger scale they would need to attend a one week course where you could witness the whole process. This might be well worth someones time to go and do to then begin fabricating them as a business. I see a big future for them due to the ease of use and more importantly their versatility

[henkdemink]

Hi, guys. Happy to hear that prommata is moving on a little to the USA.
The book is written in 1986 and there are no chapters on the kassine in it as the kassine was constructed after 1991.
I am intending to meet some of the guys from Prommata coming May somewhere in France during a draft horse meeting.
A more or less complete set of the Kassine would cost at this moment around $5000 and i think that you can build them a lot cheaper in the USA.
It would be a great help if you could come up with a number of persons who would be willing to become a member of a USA-prommata. Maybe DAP can take this up.
Let me know if I can assist you in anyway as I will be in Europe this summer.

Henk de Mink.

[Kevin Cunningham]

I recently contacted Annie who has a feature in the latest Small Farmers Journal. She is making a kassine style tool set here in California, called Annies all in One, and might even be able to beat the $5000 dollar price tag. I did not make it to the auction in Oregon to see the tool system in action. Did anyone else get to see it there?

It seem to me that Promata also does good work promoting appropriate scale draft tools in other countries this is definately worth supporting here.

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