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I Forge Iron

Potential Interesting Project


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Hmmmm ox in Alaska I don't know....maybe a Caribou...or he could alter it into some kind of dog yoke, since we know all Alaskians own a sled and dogs, wear parkas, and hunt whales ; P It would make a really cool wall decoration though, may try it some day yuppies would love to buy one I bet!

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Well maybe he could down size it for one of the goats. I saw that and thought that it would be a good project for the guys that want to re-enact life in the good old days. I have made a bow for a double yoke but had never seen one for single ox and thought why not? Turns out there were quite a few in use for work in the logging industry. If I was able to stand for any length of time I might be tempted to try this. I can just see Frosty and a goat cart or sled. Do you yell mush to goats?:D

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Yes, an interesting project.

Many cultures used a single oxen/cow as a draft animal. Here in NE Iowa we see a lot of stuff from the early Norwegian immigrants. It was common for them to use one or two of the milk cows to pull a sled/cart with the milk cans over to the store or creamery. If they used two, they would hook one in front of the other instead of side-by-side. This cut down on the width of the path they had to use. Same thing in logging out in the woods. Even a number of modern day loggers using horses to pull the logs out will hook them in series instead of tandem.

And some people just use regular draft horse harness adjusted to fit their oxen/cows. The main difference is to invert the leather collar and then re-attach the hames and straps/tugs. Oxen/cows have the opposite neck/shoulder configuration of horses - the wider/narrower parts. And they pull pull with the tops of their shoulders while horses pull more with their chest. Because of that pulling with their shoulders, oxen can be yoked up with a much more simple harness - that oxyoke. Although this is one of the first that I have seen with a metal collar under the neck.

Mikey

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Very interesting. never seen one like that. I am a big fan of pulling critters. Horses, mules, oxen, me .... whatever.

An interesting pull rig for oxen I saw a couple of years ago had the yoke strapped to their horns, tandem. I think they pulled about 5200 before they quit.

If I were to build something like this, I would talk to someone who does pulling to see whats what. That yoke is nice looking, and I am sure has some stories.

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