Scoot shoes

[Mark Cowdrey]

I am building a scoot using white oak runners I had sawn out years ago. They are 3″ wide. The bunks, beams, bolsters or whatever the correct name is, are mounted with steel pins welded to angle iron bolted to the side of the runners as per Les Barden’s design (see another thread)
1. Is this wide enough to use a 1″ wooden peg to secure the shoes?
2. Do you bore all the way through the runner or drill a blind hole “up from the bottom” of the shoe part way into the runner? If so, how deep? The runners are only about 6″ deep.
3. This is a short scoot. (Don’t even ask.) I am hoping it will “track” OK. Hopefully will work OK for 4′ wood, manure, general hauling, winter trail breaking, moose, …. The “shoe on the ground” length will be just over 6′. Are 2 pegs enough on each side? 3? Spacing?

Any other thoughts?

Thanks,
Mark

[Carl Russell]

Mark, I would be inclined to drill down through the runner with 3/4″ threaded rod, then counter sink the shoe about 3″ if you are using 4×4 shoes. I think that 3″ runners would be wide enough to accommodate a 1″ dowel, but I would be worried that the dowel will loosen over time, whereas you can tighten the threaded rod from the top of the runner if needed.

You can see the through-bolts in this Berry Brook scoot. When the shoes wear down to the nuts, then it is time to replace them…

Carl

[Livewater Farm]

Mark this is one of the occassions you put a square peg in a round hole I drill all the way thru the runner drive the square peg thru I found it stays tight even in dry weather let it stick up an inch or two easy to drive out to replace shoe
Bill

[Baystatetom]

My grandfathers old scoot was held together with round dowels, not sure the trick but they lasted a long time. The scoot is hanging from the rafters in the old manure shed. I was going to get it out of there 15 years ago but decided it was too dry rotted to use, so there she hangs.
I made a small one and used carriage bolts thinking that they wouldn’t wear to fast if I kept it off the road. I was wrong, the heads wore off pretty fast. I got one year worth of gathering sap out them. Next time I’ll try one of the methods previously mentioned.
~Tom

[Author]

Posts