Farmall pulled by horses

nick roepk · Oct 29, 2012

last spring i saw some Amish folks with what looked like an farmall H with no motor or fule tank, just the rear end being pulled by a team of horses but they had a ditcher running on the back of this farmall"s three point that was raised by a hand jack then with this sett up they bailed and mowed hay with it, the tractor was being pulled by horses and runing a Pto implement the motor was removed from the tractor along with all of the steering linkages but the frame and front end was on the tractor rear end being pulled by four horses. I was just wondering if any one else has ever seen this. and why don"t they just use a tractor?

wisbaker · Oct 29, 2012

Because it is against their beliefs to use the tractor,they feel it leads them away from God. Why do radical nnalert want to kill us, because they believe that they get credit towards heaven for every infidel they kill or convert to nnalert, it's what they believe. Why did Wisconsin impose a per bed tax on all nursing homes, convalescent and rehabilitation facilities? Because they believe they needed more money to pay for elder and disabled care and figured they could tax those services to raise enough money to pay for it. I guess what I'm trying to say is sometimes folks believe in things that aren't rational or even mathematically or physically possible.

John Fulton · Oct 29, 2012

I Don"t have a clue what Wisebecker is talking about, but as far as the Amish using the disabled Farmall as a forecart, I am also stumped. Seems to me that a forecart would be a whole lot lighter and easier on the horses.

Walt Davies · Oct 29, 2012

Simple it's because that is what they had.
Walt

wisbaker · Oct 29, 2012

I agree that the forecart would be lighter and better for the job. So much of what is allowed or disallowed in the Amish faith is controlled by their local Bishop(s). It might be simply that's what they had, they may belong to a sect that eschews use of an engine on any mobile device or any engine at all. It might be a group using the tractor rear end with the intent of getting folks used to having a tractor around and maybe getting the whole tractor approved someday.

DeltaRed · Oct 29, 2012

Some of the more 'conservative' Amish dont use engines of any kind.The disabled tractor gives then a cheap ground driven PTO.I once saw an 8 horse hitch with a WD45(?) 'pulling' a 346 Jd baler.Again,it all depends on how conservative/progressive the bishop is.

samn40 · Oct 29, 2012

I visited the Agco/ Massey Ferguson combine and baler factory in KS back in Sept. they were completing an order of 4 balers for the Amish, all fitted with air cooled Deutz engines as the community had progressed to using air cooled engines..They were very big balers to be towed by horses...must have flat land! but the thing that puzzled me most is... where on the horse are they going to plug in that electric socket????
Sam

cd1 · Oct 29, 2012

I think you were mis-informed. That is a big baler in the photo, bigger than I've ever seen an amish use. That makes a bigger bale than standard and is likely wire tie. Should be about a 100 lb bale. That baler has the ball hitch because they pull them with anything, pickup, tractor, road tractor, whatever. California direction is where that was headed.

Bret4207 · Oct 29, 2012

Ive seen several pics of people using tractors pulled by horses. All the ones I saw were AC WC/WD's. They worked good because of the hand clutch. The idea is that the driven wheels power the PTO and maybe the hydraulics without going to the expenses of a forecart, and the 3 pt conversion helped too. Considering a good PTO forecart costs at least $2500.00 and a non running WC ( or other tractor) is well under half that, it makes sense. THe weight is going to be about the same, if the tractor is one where the hydraulics run off the tranny somehow that would work too. Farmshow has had a few of these rigs.

As far as why not just use a tractor? What's diesel/gas running now? If you like horses, and I do, it seems an efficient way of getting work done. Mixed power, horse and tractor, works and you can really refine your efficiency if you work at it. God didn't build a horse with hydraulics a 3 pt and a PTO shaft sticking out it's backside, but man never built a tractor that could reproduce or was happy to see you.

Geo-TH,In · Oct 29, 2012

I once saw a team of Amish horses pulling a CHN baler with a diesel engine. Wagon had steel wheels. It was in the county north of where I live. Wish I had a camera for that Kodak moment.

Ron/PA · Oct 29, 2012

Because they're freakin nuts.

RayP(MI) · Oct 29, 2012

Donno, but have seen Amish here using a 2 wheel motorized cart in front of a JD 14T baler. Pulled by horses. All wheels were metal wheels. Suspect they might use motorized cart on other PTO powered machines. Must be a real trick to get a 4 horse team to follow the windrow effectively. Like one previous poster said, it's all up to the local bishop to decide what's OK.
Do business with a Amish sawmill operator... He has cell phone, calculator, pay-loaders and cranes. He doesn't run wheeled machines, hires nonAmish for that. Powers mill with NEW state of the art diesel engine (with electrical glow plugs). Very proud of it, by the way.

rrlund · Oct 29, 2012

Saw an M rigged up on a 4 wheel,steel wheeled cart. Had the motor in it. Used it to run PTO implements and a grinder mixer.

Mark - IN. · Oct 29, 2012

I'm surrounded by them. Depends on the groups elders. They can elect to allow things, and then turn around later and disallow things. One group by me has enclosed buggies and oil lamps. Another has open buggies and electric. A couple of decades ago were some that had inflated car tires on their buggies that I haven't seen since I don't recall since. A few years ago, I saw one had a Cletrac. Over by my brother I see pickups parked out with the buggies. I almost bought a farm from an Amish family that had electric they didn't use, and said that if I bought the place, the propane powered refridgerator didn't stay with the house. I had a buddy that sold them a lot of Poulan chainsaws. He said the secret was giving a couple to the elders as gifts, and they in turn allowed the use of them, and...

I had an amish fella tell me recently that he and many registered to vote this year, something they have never done ever. I won't go into it so this thing don't get poofed, but he said they are seeing some serious encroachments to their religious beliefs and way of living, and don't like it. That's all I'm going to say.

Mark

JMS./MN · Oct 29, 2012

Cuz they want the pto.....ground driven.

Dachshund · Oct 29, 2012

Because being Amish ain't what it used to be.....

Anonymous-0 · Oct 29, 2012

Modern day relative of the Luddite with a few adjustments..

showcrop · Oct 29, 2012

A friend teds hay with a modern tedder hooked to the fore cart which has car sized wheels that provide ground driven PTO. I expect that if he tried hooking a baler up to it the tires would just slide on the ground, hence using a tractor rear end gives weight and more tractive tires to run the larger implement

Bruce from Can. · Oct 30, 2012

We have a growing Amish comunity here in Central Ontario. So I have also seen many creative ideas that will allow moderen equpiment to be used on their farms, without the aid of a self propelled tractor. For the most part, they are hard working folks, and ask for nothing form local, provincal, or fedral governments. No money for schools, health care , welfare, or old age benifits. May not want to join in their life style or religion , But I like to live andlet live. They are no burdon on me.Bruce

Farmall pulled by horses

nick roepk

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wisbaker

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John Fulton

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Walt Davies

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wisbaker

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DeltaRed

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samn40

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cd1

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Bret4207

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Geo-TH,In

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Ron/PA

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RayP(MI)

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rrlund

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Mark - IN.

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JMS./MN

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Dachshund

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Anonymous-0

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showcrop

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Bruce from Can.

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