LIVING OFF GRID

This blog is about our travels in our solar powered "Airstream" and living off grid, in our passive solar home, near Bancroft, Ontario, Canada.

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Tuesday 3 April 2012

Farm Machines from 1800

Out behind the Hubbell Trading Post we found all this farm equipment from the early 1800.

Did you know that rams had four horns? I didn't until I saw this one at the Hubbell Trading Post.




Don't peak at the answer but can you guess what this piece of farm machinery did? It was pulled by a team of horses and the box at the back should be a good clue. It is a ....................


old fashion, horse drawn hail bailer. WOW! I thought they just put the hay loose into the barn back then.



Another piece of useful equipment but if you look carefully there are no safety guards on any moving parts, not even the cutting blade. Imagine sitting on this for hours as the horses pulled it up and down the field. The blade is about 8 feet long so it would take some time to cut a ten acre field of hay.


Now this machine brings back memories. It was used to lift the hay off the field and into the wagon as the horses pulled it along. One summer I was up at the farm helping my uncle get the hay in and we were spreading the hay in the wagon as it came off this contraption. The wagon was bouncing along and from time to time I would put my pitchfork into the load of hay to keep from falling over.  Once I put the fork into the hay but my uncle's foot was there, OUCH! Right into the back of his boot. Time to jump off the wagon and walk in the field for a while. OH, the memories!

Have a great day and safe travels.

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