Sunday, March 18, 2012

Re: [papercreters] Re: MIXERS;





You could be right, Donald. Without knowing all of the variables like over all weight, type of wheels and terrain, etc. there isn't a way to know for sure.
 I do most jobs with a single horse but use a pair for anything serious. Two have pulled a very large John Deere out of the mud and there was an Amish team that moved an 18 wheeler out of a ditch, not that long ago. I am not experienced enough to attempt that sort of thing.
Most of what I do know came from northern New England and Canadian old time farmers. They were big time into 'pulling' horses.  That is where my foundation stock came from.
 Clarissa




--- On Sat, 3/17/12, Donald Miller <donald1miller@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Donald Miller <donald1miller@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [papercreters] Re: MIXERS;
To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, March 17, 2012, 5:19 PM

 

I am 68 years old and was raised on a small subsistence farm/ranch in Western South Dakota. My Dad farmed with horses and put up a lot of hay with horses as well so I am quite familiar with work horses and what they can do. From my experience with using a tow mixer, I would have to say that a single horse would not be able to tow a mixer of any size. Possible one made with a 55 gallon barrel and then it would probably require the paper/cardboard to be put in slowly which would greatly slow down the process. Making slurry is a slow enough process using a large tow mixer as it takes a lot of loads to make a sizeable amount of blocks or slip form material.

--- On Sat, 3/17/12, Alan <rustaholic777@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Alan <rustaholic777@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [papercreters] Re: MIXERS;
To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, March 17, 2012, 12:13 PM

 
Thank you Clarissa,
That was a lovely email to read.
Here in northern lower Michigan I know a lot of folks with a couple horses that spend way too much time just eating and being kept.
One pair that I take care of whenever the folks go away has a very old smaller horse, Ibn, and a much younger big strong one, Bandit.
There are saddles and harness just hanging in the tack room.
Bandit alone could pull a mixer if you didn't load it all at once.
So, Don, I was not actually kidding.
I was just wondering how many here have horses they know or have known.
 
Alan in Michigan

--- On Sat, 3/17/12, cloud wall <windwalkerwill@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: cloud wall <windwalkerwill@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [papercreters] Re: MIXERS;
To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, March 17, 2012, 2:41 PM





Thanks for the cart photo. I love its economic commentary. That is a light horse pulling it, too. Half the caloric intake of a draft animal. I know that the economy is presenting different challenges through out the country but here, horses are dirt cheap (as in you can't give one away). Unlike much of the country, hay is cheap and plentiful although not very nutritious.
Using horsepower, I can go places that even ATVs can't get to and in just about any snow, rain or mud conditions that make our roads impassable. They've also helped me to turn vine covered woods into park - like settings. You have to stop them before they create a desert like setting.
I don't have the mechanical skills of most of the people in this group but you really can 'rig' just about any pulling, harness, braking set up for a given situation.
All that aside, they are a constant maintenance type chore added to every day. Draft horses, while certainly not for everyone, really are an eco~friendly power source. They have certainly improved the clay here so that some good things can grow and removed all sorts of brush. This year, making one more step towards sustainability, we are experimenting with millet; traditionally a forage crop that is used in Europe much more than here. At about 2000# each, they consume about 200# of forage per day and can pretty much tell you where to go, when they feel like it.
I don't know how that compares financially, to using  gas powered  equipment.
There is something really satisfying about accomplishing a job that I couldn't have done alone, using their help instead of a tractor.
Clarissa




--- On Sat, 3/17/12, JayH <slurryguy@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: JayH <slurryguy@yahoo.com>
Subject: [papercreters] Re: MIXERS;
To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, March 17, 2012, 2:15 PM

 
While I certainly recognize a good element of humor in the idea of an AVERAGE person in the United State pulling a tow mixer with horses or other animal, it could be a very practical option in different circumstances.

There are a great many people in other countries and in other cultures that go through their entire life without ever owning or driving a car.

I suggest that the most economical and practical power source to pull a tow mixer is the power source someone already owns and cares for anyway. If that is a car, a pickup truck, a tractor, horses, oxen, mules, a dog team, or a gigantic herd of trained kitty cats. (I thought about mentioning a herd of trained hampsters, but EVERYBODY knows that the best way to use hampster power would be to build a stationary mixer and power the mixer from the hampster's wheel.)

In many cultures the cost of owning a large animal is drastically cheaper than a car. They manufacture new model replacement power sources themselves if you let the males mingle with the females. They can fuel themselves by eating off a range of grass and grains. An individual can learn from his elders how to make his own harnesses or other equipment. That is the way farmers powered their farms for centuries.

The only issue I envision with horses or other animals pulling a tow mixer is that it would be extremely important include BRAKES in the mixer design. Otherwise the operator would have serious problems when going downhill.

Of course, for most of us in the U.S., attempting something like this would be a huge joke because we would have to buy everything to make the system work instead of doing it ourselves. That and most of us wouldn't have the slightest clue how to handle the animals. No doubt those that have spent their whole life around animals would think of average westerners as funny or stupid if they watched us make the attempt. I'm not sure they would be wrong to think so.

For people who have spent time abroad, these types of carts are EVERYWHERE.
http://rpmedia.ask.com/ts?u=/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Horsecart_with_watermelons.jpg/120px-Horsecart_with_watermelons.jpg

--- In papercreters@yahoogroups.com, Donald Miller <donald1miller@...> wrote:
>
> I would assume you are joking about the horses as the last time I checked, the price of a draft team and the collars, harnesses and other gear would cost way more than a good used pickup. And the price of hay has gone up on a scale comparable to diesel fuel.
>
> --- On Fri, 3/16/12, Alan <rustaholic777@...> wrote:
>
>
> From: Alan <rustaholic777@...>
> Subject: Re: [papercreters] Re: MIXERS;
> To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Friday, March 16, 2012, 5:49 PM
>
>
>
>  
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> You seem to be forgetting the horses I mentioned.
> Just a nice walk for them.
> Alan
>
>





__._,_.___


Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___