Over the last few days Rupert and Obadiah have pulled the Rover far further than they have ever done before. The ground at the farm was very heavy, as you can tell from the wheels! The bus held up well but it was very hard work for the boys and they did have trouble starting.
I find the process of the transfer of energy fascinating and Steve is extremely knowledgeable. It became obvious as we groomed the horses that the pull was not being transferred evenly and their shoulders were becoming irritated.
Steve took this as a challenge and has spent the weekend looking at the bus, calculating the angle of draught with his ubiquitous measuring device (baler twine) and drawing the conclusion that the angle of draught was wrong causing uneven pressure on the horses.
We bought eveners for the bus, so long ago now, and spent a happy time varnishing them. Did I ever tell you about them before? or take a picture of them suspended from the barn roof? Maybe not. I cant find it looking back through the blog.
So, eveners, as you might guess, even out the pull between the horses and make starting and pulling far less difficult as the eveners move to balance out the pressure being exerted by the horses. Steve would explain it better. We hadnt put them on the bus as there was no fitting, so Steve's experience as a welder and fabricator of great repute came to the fore and fabricated a brilliant bracket. He explained it to me yesterday and I will take a photo of it and add it here, it is a work of art without a doubt!
I am left wondering how the bus was ever pulled satisfactorily. Steve's answer is that maybe it wasnt, or never pulled far. Roger the wheelwright says the front undercarriage and turntable assembly come from a 1930's hay wagon or some such vehicle, added at some point for convenience. It makes sense, if you look at the fancy work picked out in green along the top edge. It works well enough, apparently, and those more knowledgeable than I am about horsedrawn vehicles, say it is good enough. Even so, Steve has improved it, I have learnt a lot and we have made steps progress in making a workable compromise, ensuring that the horses are able to get the most efficient and comfortable result from their efforts. An important consideration in a world where our horses are some of the rarest around and it is important they are kept safe and well.
Over the last few days Rupert and Obadiah have pulled the Rover far further than they have ever done before. The ground at the farm was very heavy, as you can tell from the wheels! The bus held up well but it was very hard work for the boys and they did have trouble starting.
We bought eveners for the bus, so long ago now, and spent a happy time varnishing them. Did I ever tell you about them before? or take a picture of them suspended from the barn roof? Maybe not. I cant find it looking back through the blog.