Stone Boat on Steep Hills?

[KMichelle]

I am looking forward to working my team of Belgian mares this winter on my land project in central Vermont. The soil needs some work and I’m hoping to directly row compost on some potential garden areas as I muck the sheds this winter. Initially I was thinking of building a stone boat for piling manure on and then moving it from the neighbors barn (where I will be keeping the horses over winter) to the garden area on my land. This is about a 1 mile roundtrip on the roads. Most of the road is relatively steep grade, that will surely be snow covered for some, but maybe not all of the winter.

The more I think about it, I am concerned that a stone boat will not have enough weight on the downhill, empty trip home on the snow covered gravel road. What are the alternatives? I am on homesteading-shoe-string budget and would prefer to build this thing myself. Any advice on stone boat fabrication or an equally straight forward implement better suited to steep terrain would be greatly appreciated!

[Eli]

If you put a pole on the stone boat the horses will hold it back. Eli

[j.l.holt]

drop a chain over the front of the runners..as the chain goes under,,the team will have to pull it down the hill. start with the chain over the top and going outside and under each runner. chain has to be one piece..will be a lot of pull against this chain…. make a test run on the dirt to get the feel.

[Carl Russell]

Build a work sled, or a scoot and put a box body on it. Both should have poles. A stoneboat is far too small to haul a load a mile, especially since there are no sides, and bouncing along the road your load will unload itself. You really should not be using any sliding device in the hills of Vermont without a pole. Even on dirt or gravel they will slide out of control, or up on the horses’ heels.

Carl

[KMichelle]

I have seen some of the ‘scoots’ around on the internet and I am liking that for the alternative. I wonder if there would be some way of making the box body detachable so that I could also use it to drag small timber and brush out. There are some very basic specs for them online and it seems this is on the same level as stone boat construction. I am wondering if anyone has leads on detailed fabrication info? Maybe SFJ? I have years/decades of archives that I could pour through, but maybe someone knows where to go. I’d been willing to pay a couple courtesy bucks for a really straight forward plan, as I am not the most competent/creative carpenter I’ve ever met. Thanks for the advice thus far!

[KMichelle]

Also, what size/weight dimensions should I figure on for the box-body? We’re talkin’ about some beef-cake Belgian mares here… I swear Roxie’s neck is tall as my out stretched arm. OK, maybe not quite.

[Does’ Leap]

See if this helps….http://draftanimalpower.com/forums/topic/new-scoot/

George

[KMichelle]

Wow George, I never thought I would lust after wood and hardware… You must be quite pleased with your workmanship. Thanks for the inspiration!

[KMichelle]

George – I am wondering if the link for the Les Barden plans has worn out? As I can not find it, or I am not certain how to navigate to it. Or, do you know about the year that SFJ article was in?

[Author]

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