The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Pets & Working Animals => Horses, ponies, donkeys & mules => Topic started by: Fieldfare on May 31, 2011, 04:34:55 pm
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Hi all- in my ongoing (confusing) quest for finding a bit of Horsepower on my smallholding (mainly to knock back patches of creeping thistles- which will then be tidied up by my sheep) I am wanting to investigate the possibility of using a donkey powered finger bar mower or similar (getting a small tractor is of course the other possibility). Crazy idea? anyone doing this? Any info. or links would be great. I've tried Googling but am drawing a bit of a blank.
cheers
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It could be a crazy idea in so far as a donkey would be struggling to pull a finger bar mower. You may need a team of donkeys, or a pair of Fell or Highland type ponies, or one decent sized horse. ;)
Remember, with an equine (or two)(or more), it is imperative that you have time to feed them, muck out their accomodation, and train them. Then there are the costs of worming/worm counts, shoeing, tack/harness, vet bills, winter feed...
If you buy a decent tractor, you need only put diesel and oil in it and, if looked after, it shouldn't cost you an arm and a leg. You don't have training or daily maintenance, and can turn the engine off and forget about it till next time it's needed.
Personally, I would rather work the horse(s), but sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day/week/year.
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two shetlands could do it. but your looking at having the machine made specially. we found a company that were building something simular for bulgaria and they were wanting about 4 thousand for one. so a cheap tractor and second hand equipment would workout cheaper. there is a company in belaruse(not the right spelling) but never bothered to phone to check it out
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I was thinking about something similar to this - I was contemplating getting a shetland pony anyway (once I've decide if I've done enough research on keeping horses), and I happen to have an old Allen scythe (3' finger cutter) with no compression - The only trouble is I think the drive to the wheels is by worm gear so i doubt it would work as a wheel driven mower. :-[
What about those cylinder mowers which are used in parks & school sport fields - the ones with five wheel driven mowers pulled behind a tractor - would one of those (if you can find one) work if pulled at donkey / pony speeds?
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good idea. would it work on long grass.
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http://www.viableselfsufficiency.co.uk/SC/saddlechariot (http://www.viableselfsufficiency.co.uk/SC/saddlechariot)
;D
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Hi that link is brilliant!!!!! Seriously looking into it after we have two rather stocky ponies one being a Highland Pony and the other a cob!
The price isnt bad either. ;D ;D
Has anyone got experience with this chariot??
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(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y190/jinglejoys/Mules%20can%20do/cid_001e01c702cbb9e4e1707a1a8351you.jpg)
Me ;D If you are anywhere near Wales, Simon's doing a demo at the Wholehorse Weekend http://rowanoakhorses.co.uk/default.aspx (http://rowanoakhorses.co.uk/default.aspx)
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Have you ever tried implaments on the back like it says???
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the chariot is just short of 2k. with the addition of tools your still looking well over the price of a cheap secondhand tractor. i would not fancy riding it if there was something sharp being pulled.
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You would need a PTO drive motor for a mower, which would push the price up even higher. Any implements 'ground driven' are usually heavy and limited. Personally I see the saddle chariot as nothing more than a novelty item for exercising small ponies on flat ground (not much ground clearance). A lot of the photographs look set up. This is only my opinion of course. I would like to see a genuine demonstration. I work my little Shetland with a cart picking up wood and logs; as he and the cart are small enough to maneuver through the woods. The little 'uns have surprising strength for their size.
A tractor is the way to go to be honest. The implements are easy to get hold of and are quite cheap. I went half each with my neighbour on a rotary topper 150 each. I bought myself a small square Baler 250. hay disc mower 175 and a hay rake/tedder 150.
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I want to get the "bigfoot" add on(in joke) because I can sit on it like a flat bed and get off quickly without being run over and it releases.Personally I don't like anything behind me and I don't like being trapped in a conventional vehicle.For using impliments I'd prefere to longline but thats just me :)