NOT MANY PEOPLE WOULD KNOW THE
IMPORTANCE OF THIS PULLEY?
alan skeoch
nov. 2019
This pulley seems to have been accidently thrown aside in the Gordon Ball barn .
It is resting on the floor after all. I bet that not more than 1in 100 would know
its use. Maybe 1 in 1,000.
Lucky for me. Iong long ago around 1950, my Uncle Frank Freeman used a pulley just
like this to get hay into the hay loft of his barn on the Fifth line of Erin Township.
He did not have s bailer so hay for winter feed was forked on his hay wagon and once
filled the team of horses hauled the load into the threshing floor of the barn. Then
the horses were unhitched and led out of the barn and attached to piece of rope…a long
heavy rope. I think there were two such pulleys and two ropes…one on each side
of the barn entrance. (That’s why farm sales always seem to have long lengths of
perfectly coiled rope on hand.)
“OK, Daisy..Dick…move out”
And they would walk down the barn hill pulling the rope taut. The rope was
attached to the rack lifter in the second picture below. Need a right angled
turn to get the rope up to the rack lifter. Attached VIA this
pulley which was hooked by a couple of right angled bends to the loaded
hay wagon. Presto! the load of hay was elevated and then forked off by
hand into the hay mow. Once emptied the reverse happened and the
empty hay wagon was lowered back onto the wagon wheels and axles …then
the horses were brought back to the hay wagon and backed the wagon
out of the barn…ready
for the next load.
Labour intensive. You bet!
Accidents? Likely…if the hay rack got loose…or horses bolted from ground wasp nest…
I have not seen this pulley in many barns. None except this one. if you look closely
you might even see the hand drill the drilled the hole for the bolt holding the pulley in place.
My memory may have missed a step. Correct me if you can
alan
Haying needed a good team of horses that understood English. The horses bonded
with my uncle Frank. He loved them.
“Horses are better than tractors.” he said to me back then
“Why?”
“Because horses needed to rest…have s drink of water or just get their wind back.”
“What is so good about that?”
“Think about it. If the horse needs a rest then I get s rest too. Tractors never stop.”