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Old-Timey Excavation with horse-drawn scoop?

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Tom Detweiler

08-31-1999 17:10:55




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Hi, y'all--
I recently bought an old horse-drawn scoop from a
garage sale, which got me to wondering exactly how farmers in the days of horse power and the earliest days of tractoring used such implements?
Is anyone aware of websites, books, or sources of
information on how they used to dig, excavate,
trench, dig ponds, that kind of thing, when all they had to use were horses and harness? I suppose
this would apply also to the early non-hydraulic,
limited horsepower drawbar tractors, as well. I'd
like to be able to use such methods to redig an old silted up pond, with block and tackle and the old scoop. What a kick!

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joe Va

09-03-1999 20:26:09




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 Re: Old-Timey Excavation with horse-drawn scoop? in reply to Tom Detweiler, 08-31-1999 17:10:55  
Tom
These 'drag pans' as they were called and the teams that pulled them excavated millions of tons of earth that many of our cities were built on today. Feel proud to own a piece of history. Think of the souls that sweated and broke their backs for years with these things prior to the industrial age to create the early landscapes we can produce today in a few hours with modern equipment.



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Tom from Ontario

09-01-1999 21:15:20




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 Re: Old-Timey Excavation with horse-drawn scoop? in reply to Tom Detweiler, 08-31-1999 17:10:55  
Those blasted things crippled more men than polio. Wait until you hit a stone while loading and your team plunges. If you're hanging onto the handles, it will throw you right between the horses and they won't like that too much. Same with a tractor that's a little too big and a driver who is not watching you constantly. Throw that thing in the fence corner, get a backhoe to do your job or at least a scoop for your three point hitch. Sorry to rain on you but excavation years ago was brutal work and there are too many better ways. I landed on my back in between a frightened team of belgians when I was sixteen and I've had no feeling in the back of one arm since and that was just getting hit with a singletree let alone one of those 1700 pound flatfoots step on me. Tom

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john

09-03-1999 13:24:46




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 Re: Re: Old-Timey Excavation with horse-drawn scoop? in reply to Tom from Ontario, 09-01-1999 21:15:20  
I just let my old lady hang on to the handles. I haven't it a thing yet that could raise her up any. Have had to fix handles a couple times though.



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John (NL)

09-02-1999 08:06:55




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 Re: Re: Old-Timey Excavation with horse-drawn scoop? in reply to Tom from Ontario, 09-01-1999 21:15:20  
Thank you for the insight. I'm one of those hobby farmers trying to figure out how to make the best use of his Great-grandfather's Ford 8N. It's all too easy to forget how unpleasant and dangerous farm life could be, especially two generations removed from farming for a living. Even when I visited my Great-grandfather's farm in the 50's, he was semi-retired and for us kids it was all fun and games, especially "driving" (actually just steering) the tractor from grandpa's lap.

A hobby is all well and good, but us fair weather farmers on our 3 to 5 acres sure do need some cold water in the face occasionally from those of you with the hard earned experience.

Again, and sincerely, Thanks

John

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OCB

09-01-1999 17:26:00




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 Re: Old-Timey Excavation with horse-drawn scoop? in reply to Tom Detweiler, 08-31-1999 17:10:55  
I asked a similiar question and was told of a book which have your anwer. The Book is " Endless Tracks in the Woods" by James Young & Jerry Budy pulished by Crestline.
I also remenber My uncle breking team with a Slip, After is was loaded he would drop the reins and rest while the horse continued on to the next person for a dump and be turned around for my uncle to repeat the process. One of my missed oppurtunities to get a real picture of Grandfather Life

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Vic

09-02-1999 04:57:48




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 Re: Re: Old-Timey Excavation with horse-drawn scoop? in reply to OCB, 09-01-1999 17:26:00  
Iagree that this process is very dangerous as I have used a scoop behind a tractor for cleaning a ditch. Sure had to watch carefully and go slow and tractor operator had to go very slow and watch the scoop operator.



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