Horse Drawn Vehicle

[Max Power]

Following on from my recent post regarding cart wheels , thought Id post a full vehicle

 

[CHJ]

That's a very attractive vehicle you have there, somewhat posher than the working carts and wagons I was brought up with.

Referb. or new build?

 

[Max Power]

Thanks Chas,everything is new except the wheels which I rebuilt from an old pair.

Its now gone to the painters and should look like this when its finished

 

[Harbo]

Very ornate - has the type got a name?

Rod

 

[kirkpoore1]

It looks great, Alan. What's the body made out of? Hand carved, or done some other way?

What are that type of wagon used for?

Kirk

 

[thomvic]

Brilliant work. You obviously have a love of interesting and beautiful carts. If you haven't already been there then you should try to visit Les Oakes & Sons in Cheadle, Staffordshire. The website seems to have been taken down though I can assure you that the yard is still open. If you google "Les Oakes & Sons" you will get loads of links to pictures and articles.

Richard

 

[Max Power]

Thanks guys, I have heard of Les Oakes's place Richard and will definitely pay a visit when down that way.
The most popular name for this type of vehicle is a "Bradford Cart" although they were made all over the country most people refer to them as a Bradford cart
I suppose its the same as we all refer to every make of vacuumn cleaner as a Hoover
They were latterly used as light trade vehicles but these days are used for show purposes and are very popular amongst the Gypsy community
The timber used is mainly Sapele and the carving is all done by hand
I shall be building a new four wheeler over the winter to fit my little Gypsy Cob (see New Guard Horse in the General Chat section)
which I will be posting as work in progress if theres interest :mrgreen:

 

[TheTiddles]

That's a very attractive vehicle you have there, somewhat posher than the working carts and wagons I was brought up with.

Referb. or new build?

how the hell old are you? :shock:

Aidan

 

[Harbo]

Not that old - my Grandfather used to have a plainer cart like that (and other types) back in the 50's.
I helped out on a farm back in the 60's that still used horse drawn appliances - the farmer could not drive.

Rod

 

[CHJ]

how the hell old are you? :shock:

Aidan

Old enough to leave Brum in late 1945 as soon as the war finished, and live on a farm in Worcestershire that had no electricity and no tractors at the start, we had three horses. A shire for the heavy work, a Dray horse much the same as referred to here and a smaller Pony for the trap and what was supposed to be for me.
But I spent more time riding the dray as soon as I was big enough to handle it on my own.

 

[Max Power]

I grew up with horses Rod, hence my interest in building the vehicles.
I can remember as late as the seventies in the small town where I grew up there were around eight or ten rag and bone men using horse and carts.
I can still hear the call ANY OLD RAGS as they went about their business, blimey takes you back a bit :shock:

 

[Max Power]

Thats a lovely old photograph Chas bet it brings back a lot of fond memories
My little Cob is being broken in to drive so I should be hitting the road shortly ccasion5:
(does 10mph class as hitting the road :? )

 

[Jacob]

My first job was farm labourer. They still had a horse which they used for odd jobs. Muck spreading was little cart loads in neat heaps over a field which over-wintered and then were spread by me :shock: - chucking each forkful up in the air and bashing it with the fork like a tennis serve.
They also had a tractor driven spreader which was hand loaded - by me :shock: - 2 or 3 hours loading for ten minutes spreading. Took longer to start the tractor - hand cranked with serious risk of arm breakage - by me :shock: and changing from petrol to diesel after a few minutes. Or was it paraffin I seem to recall.
It spread muck really well from the back but unfortunately also flung it forwards making a thick wet crust on to the back of the driver - me :shock: . I think it was supposed to have a baffle plate of some sort to prevent this but it had been borrowed to replace the missing pigsty door or something.
You could wash it out of your hair and ears, off your neck, but never quite get rid of the smell for days.

 

[Tom K]

My first job was farm labourer. They still had a horse which they used for odd jobs. Muck spreading was little cart loads in neat heaps over a field which over-wintered and then were spread by me :shock: - chucking each forkful up in the air and bashing it with the fork like a tennis serve.
They also had a tractor driven spreader
It spread muck really well from the back but unfortunately also flung it forwards making a thick wet crust on to the back of the driver - me :shock: . I think it was supposed to have a baffle plate of some sort to prevent this but it had been borrowed to replace the missing pigsty door or something.
You could wash it out of your hair and ears, off your neck, but never quite get rid of the smell for days.

Is that why you became such a shh, shher sherr (Insert Arkwright impression) sure you wanted to work with wood. :lol:

 

[Max Power]

Im starting to aquire a not incosiderable muck heap myself Jacob. Never thought one little horse could produce so much fertilizer :shock:
Should get the hedges growing nicely next year though :lol:

 

[CHJ]

Thats a lovely old photograph Chas bet it brings back a lot of fond memories
...

Yes an old bridle, a length of binder twine for reins and a hessian sack if lucky for a saddle, used to travel miles, another pastime once I could get a yoke on her was to drag any old timber from around the district back for the firewood stack or for Bonfire night.

The first year I remember seeing dad cutting the wheat harvest it was done with a horse drawn binder, in later years it was modified and drawn by a tractor (Alice Charmers) but the shifting of the stooks back to the rick was done with both horses and tractors for some years, I know we still had working horses in 1956.

The Pony and the Shire.

The Pony in the Trap ready for shopping trip to Stourport upon Severn.

The only shot I can find with the heavy working cart in use, loaded with Pea Haulm feed in the background.

Oat Stook shifting and the first time we had a Fergy for shifting them.

 

[CHJ]

..... Took longer to start the tractor - hand cranked with serious risk of arm breakage - by me :shock: and changing from petrol to diesel after a few minutes. Or was it paraffin I seem to recall. ....

Petrol-TVO (Tractor Vaporizing Oil (paraffin) ) About the same as our current heating oil I think. We had a Fergy that was a pig to judge when to change over, I carry the scars from a Fordson handle that bit me.

 

[Jacob]

Down memory lane again - when I was very little we used to camp every summer on a farm. They and their neighbours had no tractors. Hay harvest was all hand and horse and they teamed up to do each others. 20 or more people in a field with us kids raking and turning. Proper hay stacks - no bailers.
Home back in town Co-op bread, milk, deliveries by horse drawn wagon right into the 50s.
We moved back to the country about 1956 and at least one local farmer was still ploughing with a single horse.

 

[Harbo]

The farm I helped out on was at the edge of Rombalds Moor in Yorkshire.
No electricity until the 60's so just about everything done by hand.
He had a Massey Ferguson tractor which was driven by the farmers nephew but most of the work was carried out using horses.
I remember the sunny weather during harvesting, the fantastic beef or pork sandwiches, the barrel of beer taken out to the fields and the great comradery of all the workers?
Hard work but lovely memories.

Rod

 

[Max Power]

Lovely old photos Chas, my Grandad had a little pony called Nancy when he was in his late seventies like the one yoked in the tub trap. He would drive miles to farms up the Durham Dales that he'd been calling on for years
Ill try and find some old pictures tomorrow and post them