Wallingford Cast Aluminum Hames

[Traveling Woodsman]

I am interested in buying and/or renting different sizes of the Aluminum Alloy hames made by Richard Wallingford from Maine. I am interested in sizes 12,16 and 18. There were a number of different curvatures made denoted by letters following the size, including B, BC, BCC, and C. I would potentially be interested in any of those. Let me know here or PM me if you have any or know of anyone who might have them. I would also be curious to know if anyone here knew Dick or knew anything about the processes he used and the way he did things. Thanks.

[Carl Russell]

I have a pair of 14’s and a pair of 16’s…. unfortunately I can’t part with them. I think Earle “Mitch” Mitchel is knowledgeable about Dick, and his operation.

Carl

[Traveling Woodsman]

Well shoot Carl, I don’t know how I didn’t see your post until just now. That’s totally understandable not wanting to part with them. I do have a lead on several pairs of 16’s.

Who is Earle Mitchel, and how would a body go about contacting him?

[Carl Russell]

He is on here as Mitchmaine….. You will find some of his comments on a thread entitled “Hames” if you search the forum.

Earle Mitchell is also pretty active on FB if you search my friends or go to the DAPNEet FB page I’m sure you’ll find his posting close to the top.

Carl

[mitchmaine]

Hi bud, sounds like you know as much about those hames as I do. I always wanted a set but they were pretty pricey as I remember.
About dick, he’s gone. Passed away 8-10 years ago. I tried buying horses from him back in the 70’s, but the timing was never right. He was a successful logger, and puller, and had a business selling logging equipment like chains and chokers and sliders and such. He made and sold those hames at his shop in the forks. Said he started melting down sleeves and heads and pouring it into sand casts, but he got better at it. The weak link was the throat so he doubled up the hame straps and his guarantee was “if you break those hames, I’ll buy the horse”. You could pick him out of a crowd of a hundred men. He had this perpetual smile on his face. Like he was outside all his life and was squinting so long, the look just stuck to his face, and when he saw you and really started to smile, there was even more teeth. Great guy. I do not think they make or sell those hames anywhere around here anymore, but I will bet there are a hundred set in barns and shops within fifty miles of here. He had a son richard jr. who lives somewhere around mooshead, Greenville or somewhere, he might be a good place to start your search. But your search will be more successful if you start in north western maine. Good luck with that.
mitch

[mitchmaine]

it took some doing (google), I found nothing about Wallingford hames, but I did find that there was in fact an aluminum hame made in 1928, so I was mistaken when I said Richard came up with the idea.

[Mark Cowdrey]

How are hames sized?
Thanks,
Mark

[mitchmaine]

hey mark,
haven’t shopped in a while but I think hames and pads are sized a couple inches larger than the collar, right?

mitch

[Carl Russell]

Actually Mark, and all, the Walingford hames have size numbers that do not match our conventional understanding of collar/hames fitting.

The number on the hame…. 12, 14, 16…. Refers to the distance measured between the top of trace attachment to the lowest notch for the top hame strap. In other words the number is a more accurate measure of draft location than mere collar size.

The letter …. 14B… Is an indication of the shape of the hame…. Straight versus bowed…. To meet the shape of the horse’s neck.

This requires more purposeful appraisal of the shoulder/collar fit, and point of draft location, but the hames do have adjustment notches to meet variability for each animal.

Carl

• This reply was modified 9 years, 11 months ago by Carl Russell.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 11 months ago by Carl Russell.

[Traveling Woodsman]

Once again, technology has failed me. I was not notified again of all these replies, and am just now seeing them. Mitchmaine, that’s very interesting info. So you knew him personally, I take it?
Did he stick with using scrap metal for them? or did he end up buying commercially?

There was an aluminum hame made in the 20’s, but it was aluminum, not aluminum alloy, which would be much weaker and not really suitable for this application. It’s available in the patent records. There is (or was recently) an amish fellow in PA who made aluminum hames (not alloy), and I’ve heard of them breaking while pulling a plow. Not really what you want.

I’ve done some research on alloys and have chosen a high strength alloy with self aging characteristics. Should work good.

[mitchmaine]

hi woodsman,
i remember hearing that the wallingford hames were infact an alloy. i also remember hearing magnezium and nickel but that might be from someone who knew little or less than i knew about the subject. regardless, good luck with your project and here is to success. i think you are doing something very usefull for the greater draft community. can’t wait to see and hear about your results. you got me thinking with your posts, so i made a few calls, and own a set of wallingford hames myself now, not that i actually have them in my possesion, but it looks like they can still be found around.

[Traveling Woodsman]

Mitchmaine,

You wouldn’t have any more people to call about some Wallingford hames, would you? I really need to find some 16’s and 12’s.

[Will Stephens]

Are these hames similar to Walsh Lynite Aluminum hames made by James M. Walsh Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin that I read about in the Draft horse journal a couple of years ago?

[Traveling Woodsman]

Maybe similar in material, maybe not, but different in a lot of other ways. Wallingford style hames are heavy duty pulling and logging hames, with double bottom hame strap loops, and heavier construction throughout.

[Author]

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