Tractor experts what is in my barn?

[xacex]

I found these cleaning up the horse barn and have no idea what they are and what they are used for. They do not seem to have a place in my IH 460 to go.163725

[Goatwhiskers]

Those are anti-kick devices for cattle. One would be placed just in front of the pelvis with the arms extending down the flanks. Turn the screw and clamp her and she won't kick while milking, medicating, etc. Haven't seen one in over 50 yrs. GW

[bedbugbilly]

+1 ^ Now all you need to do is get a good Holstein, a clean bucket and a three legged stool! And . . oh . . . son't forget to warm you hands before you get started . . . . and make sure the barn cat is near . . . they like a squirt every once in a while!

[Plate plinker]

Funny yes they are used on cows. My own eyes have witnessed them in use.

[PaulG67]

Never saw anything like them. They look like cool wall hangers to me,

[Taylor]

Speaking of Holsteins,those were what I learned to milk on.Never a more hateful cow.Wished I would have had one of those gizmo's.

[runfiverun]

you gotta poke em around a little before squeezing,,, no wonder she didn't like you.

[waksupi]

Them folks must have been rich. We would get a loop around a cows neck, and then run a half hitch around the flanks. Once you got that done, a ten year old kid could put the meanest cow or bull on the ground in seconds.

[rancher1913]

I figured for sure I'd be the only one that knew what it was. have one out in the milking stall that we last used about 2 years ago.

[CLAYPOOL]

You can use rope for the same effect..

[xacex]

Well shoot, I thought it was for a tractor lol. They seem to work okay. I have no idea what to do with them. No intention of milking a cow so I guess I will put them up as wall hangers. All sorts of old equipment around here. Horse drawn manure spreader, some sort of horse drawn seed planter with disks, and something for hay I believe. It has a bunch of thin gauge times in a row. Rides on steel wheels. Fun buying an old farm where they leave a bunch of tools and equipment. I think for me anyway none of it has a use now and is just decoration rusting away.

[opos]

If you ever had a Holstein kick you hard on a cold morning while you were handling he or medicating her or milking her...you know what those were for and were glad to have them..

Besides guns one of my hobbies is collecting and restoring old farm equipment (mostly the antique engines)...There are clubs all over and xacex...if you will p/m me I'll try to get you in touch with the group near you in Oregon and they might help...please! Don't just sell it to a scrapper...it's a whole generation of history and lots of it is really interesting...thanks....Most of the kids got a dog or a cat....some of us got a calf or a goat or a pony...

163751

163752

163753

163754

[Plate plinker]

Speaking of Holsteins,those were what I learned to milk on.Never a more hateful cow.Wished I would have had one of those gizmo's.
Holsteins are not that mean, but i suppose you might get ticked off if somebody started pulling on you dangly parts with your head stuck in a head gate.

[MaryB]

That old small horse drawn equipment works well behind an ATV or larger lawn tractor... ex neighbor used it on his garden.

[xacex]

Thanks guys, I know I can count on you for helping a feller figure something out. No worries about sending anything here to the scrapper unless it is new. In fact I am saving some old tounge and groove barn floor wood I have stacked out here that has got to be 2 inches thick. Looks like solid maple. Some pieces show charing from a fire at some point. May make a nice reloading bench once milled and sealed.
We may get a couple of mini beef cattle, but I doubt we will be getting into milking cows. Already have the chickens with a couple of roos, pigs, horses, and the other animals that come along such as the skunks, cayotes, coons, and hawks. Bunch of work around here. Geting to know electric fencing, poop disposal, preditor management, and animal health real quick. I don't know how they did it in the old days. Thank God for Google.

[starmac]

Mini beef cows??? calves maybe?

[xacex]

No, mini beef cows. We have someone around here that raises mini dexters and other breeds. Less damage to the pastures. 163759
Even the pigs I am raising are small. Those are American Guinea hogs. I would rather have a good quality smaller animal I can feed properly and get good marbling of the meat, than more meat than my family could possibly eat in a year. As is I will be selling some. Farm deferment requires me to make 650$ a year off of this place. Saved me nearly 3k in properly tax a year. 49% of that can be consumed by me, so after feed "hogs are a grazing breed" I need to come up with about $325 in profit on paper. We have several buffers in this, so it is covered but we would just like to have nice smaller breeds to deal with.

[fatelk]

I found these cleaning up the horse barn and have no idea what they are and what they are used for. They do not seem to have a place in my IH 460 to go

No too many old International 460 tractors around. I've put a lot of hours on one myself. If you need another one let me know. :)

[Mk42gunner]

We used a one legged stool to milk with.

I'll second the they must have been rich statement; all we had for cow kickers was a set of wide steel hooks on a chain.

Robert

[opos]

Just for kicks here is a picture of the "really " good old days...my Grandad farmed with a team..man loved his horses...How you like my Aunt's hair do?

163762

[Smoke4320]

At least you have the full set..
1 left hand
1 right hand :) :)

[jonp]

Those are anti-kick devices for cattle. One would be placed just in front of the pelvis with the arms extending down the flanks. Turn the screw and clamp her and she won't kick while milking, medicating, etc. Haven't seen one in over 50 yrs. GW

Used to use those on a couple of cows that liked to kick and knock off the pail . Getting kicked was slightly less painfull that getting slapped in the face by a tail wet with..stufg

[smokeywolf]

Just for kicks here is a picture of the "really " good old days...my Grandad farmed with a team..man loved his horses...How you like my Aunt's hair do?

163762

Yep! That's some 'do on your aunt. Looks like your granddad took might good care of his horses too. 3rd one back isn't a happy camper right then (check the ears). Fine looking batch of horses.

I've never milked a cow. Nearly all my dealings with cattle have been with steers and done from the back of a horse.

[Freightman]

Used to use those on a couple of cows that liked to kick and knock off the pail . Getting kicked was slightly less painfull that getting slapped in the face by a tail wet with..stufg
Cousin was going to settle that problem tied a brick to the tail, carried the scar to his grave 50 years later. :oops:

[xacex]

This one has its days numbered. Compression is good, but try to keep moisture from building in the hydraulics here in Oregon is a pain. 10 gallons of hytrans a year to keep it clear. This one has a 2000 loader on it. It is a workhorse still.

[Hardcast416taylor]

We used a piece of 1/4" manila rope to tie the hind legs together to stop the `kicking` reflex. We also used a piece of hay bale twine to tie the tail to the leg rope. I think back about how many times I`ve had a cow step onto my feet when milking, no wonder I have size 12 shoes now!Robert

[Hamish]

.There are clubs all over and xacex...if you will p/m me I'll try to get you in touch with the group near you in Oregon and they might help...please! Don't just sell it to a scrapper...it's a whole generation of history and lots of it is really interesting...thanks..

Hear, hear! There's a lot of good work going on with clubs and historic groups keeping equipment and practices alive and presenting them to the younger folks. It makes me ill seeing good equipment go to the scrapper.

(Shameless plug here for the American Thresherman Association)

X, thanks for the heads up on the Dexter breed, I will have to put my BIL on to them.

[opos]

Yep! That's some 'do on your aunt. Looks like your granddad took might good care of his horses too. 3rd one back isn't a happy camper right then (check the ears). Fine looking batch of horses.

I've never milked a cow. Nearly all my dealings with cattle have been with steers and done from the back of a horse.

Grandad was one top horseman..he loved his horses...he gave me a pony when I was a small kid and would not let me use a saddle for about a year..wanted me to feel the horse and have the horse feel me...

In later years he and my Dad had a cattle buyer's location in the Denver Stockyards...Grandad found a pen of horses that were going to the killers for glue..one was a beautiful chestnut gelding that really caught his eye..they used horses to get around the stockyards moving cattle, etc...Grandad bought the horse and my Dad was kind of uncomfortable...said the horse had a mean eye...Grandad said no problem and began to gentle the horse...all was going well until one day one of the switch engines for the railroad blew the whistle near the horse and it went nuts....Grandad stayed with it for a few jumps and then it pitched him off onto the concrete alleyway and trampled and killed him...before he died he was hollering gee and haw to his old team....last words he spoke were to the old team...He was 72 and still "yard breaking horses".

He set a horse straighter than any man I ever saw...proud man..honest and my buddy..

163819

[smokeywolf]

Grandad was one top horseman..he loved his horses...he gave me a pony when I was a small kid and would not let me use a saddle for about a year..wanted me to feel the horse and have the horse feel me...

In later years he and my Dad had a cattle buyer's location in the Denver Stockyards...Grandad found a pen of horses that were going to the killers for glue..one was a beautiful chestnut gelding that really caught his eye..they used horses to get around the stockyards moving cattle, etc...Grandad bought the horse and my Dad was kind of uncomfortable...said the horse had a mean eye...Grandad said no problem and began to gentle the horse...all was going well until one day one of the switch engines for the railroad blew the whistle near the horse and it went nuts....Grandad stayed with it for a few jumps and then it pitched him off onto the concrete alleyway and trampled and killed him...before he died he was hollering gee and haw to his old team....last words he spoke were to the old team...He was 72 and still "yard breaking horses".

He set a horse straighter than any man I ever saw...proud man..honest and my buddy..

163819

Back in that day, 72 was considered a pretty full life for a cowboy. Sad when the good ones go though, no matter what their age, you know there's a lot of knowledge, experience and know-how that they take with them.

[fatelk]

I've milked more cows than I ever care to remember. For kickers, we had an adjustable curved unit that you'd hook into the cows flank and over her back, if you were alone. If you had a helper you'd have them go behind, grab hold of the base of the tail and bend it back over her back. That stops the kicking. For tail swingers we had old battery cable clamps at each station.

Our old tractor is still sitting in a shed on the old place down the coast. It ran great when used last about three years ago, good loader too. I wish I had a use for it. It's been sitting there mostly unused for 20 years. Kind of sad.

If you like old equipment, check out the Great Oregon Steam-Up.

[Alan in Vermont]

When I saw the picture I was pretty sure I would be one of the few who might actually know what those anti-kick devices were. First post nailed it though.

As for cows I'm pretty much of the opinion that the only thing dumber than a cow is two of 'em. Dispositions are all over the map with those things, some are as docile as family pets, other will, literally, try to kill you if they get a little bit wound up. I had to discuss my right to go where I wanted in a pasture with a young Holstein bull once who decided I was not going to walk through a herd of his "ladies". I held all the cards, just took a little explaining that if he kept coming he was going to find out that a pair of 4s (as in 44) could beat anything he could come up with.

[opos]

When I saw the picture I was pretty sure I would be one of the few who might actually know what those anti-kick devices were. First post nailed it though.

As for cows I'm pretty much of the opinion that the only thing dumber than a cow is two of 'em. Dispositions are all over the map with those things, some are as docile as family pets, other will, literally, try to kill you if they get a little bit wound up. I had to discuss my right to go where I wanted in a pasture with a young Holstein bull once who decided I was not going to walk through a herd of his "ladies". I held all the cards, just took a little explaining that if he kept coming he was going to find out that a pair of 4s (as in 44) could beat anything he could come up with.

Nothing meaner than a dairy bull unless it's a big sow with pigs...I student taught in the artificial insemination station while going to college and we dealt with dairy bulls all the time...like you said...docile...the farm pet .... until you turn your back...the small breeds like a Jersey bull are the worst....we were really careful and while I never got hurt we had a couple of "smart" students that figured they were quicker than something on 4 legs...wrong!

[shooterg]

You have chickens - you can get some use out of the manure spreader !

[shredder]

Sorry to intrude here but this is what I love about this place. It all started with a "Tractor Part" and look at what is showing up. I love the good old days too. Thanks for posting the old time pictures.

[William Yanda]

I was a "Milk Tester" for 20 years, had to report body weight of each cow, each lactation. This was estimated by using a weight tape which correlated body weight with chest girth. The difficult part was getting the tape around the cows who were flighty. Some didn't mind. Those who did, resisted to the best of their ability. I wore a hoof shaped bruise high on my thigh before I gained the ability to eyeball weight. What was even more disconcerting was to be beside a cow, bending down to reach under for the tape before the dance started. I definitely did not want hoof to head contact.
Bill

[xacex]

You have chickens - you can get some use out of the manure spreader !

Oh that thing is probably rusted in place now. I need to pick one up anyway for the horse manure. Part of what drew me to the place was then antique equipment scattered around. It is nice to touch a piece of farming history. The door to the upper portion of the shop has a door from the late 1800's. It has a neat little door bell you turn on the center of the door. It is in sad shape, and has been repaired a time or two, but I would sure like to replace it, refinish and repair it for an inside door in the shop. The previous owner left details on where it came from.

[TXGunNut]

Just for kicks here is a picture of the "really " good old days...my Grandad farmed with a team..man loved his horses...How you like my Aunt's hair do?

163762

Thanks for the memories, opos. My grand dad farmed with horses long after his NE neighbors bought tractors. His "little" team out-pulled more than a few draft horse teams. He sold the farm and moved to town without ever buying a tractor. He was a janitor in the Norfolk, NE schools. He remembered Johnny Carson as just another kid.
My dad never liked horses, he was tossed by a Shetland when he was a kid and the break near his elbow bothered him all the rest of his life. Cold air from an automotive a/c vent aggravated it, his summer road trip uniform always included a long-sleeved shirt. He never trusted Shetlands again. I learned how to ride a horse well enough to hunt off one and work around them on occasion but never had one. Wouldn't mind having a Clydesdale for a pet and occasional ride but I have better things to do with my time.
My mom didn't like milking, seems when she was young she had a milk a cow that seemed to enjoy putting her hoof in the milk bucket when it was full or nearly so. I'm sure she'd have liked one of those clamps. ;-)

[woodbutcher]

:bigsmyl2: My Grand Father had a pretty good description of a cow."A whole lot of trouble wrapped up in a rawhide".
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[xacex]

Okay, I found it through google. It is called the Kow Kant Kick, and it appears that they are still produced. No telling how old the ones I have are.

[Uncle R.]

I spent a lot of time on a dairy farm when I was a kid. I never got to be an expert, just a city kid who was tryin' to learn. I milked a lot of cows, never got kicked. They didn't let the city kid milk the mean cows. They had a trick of some sort they would would do to the tail to hold a mean cow - kinda twist it into a semi-circle, or at least that's how it looked. With one person holding the tail that way another could milk her without much trouble. The cow might dance a little or shuffle her feet, but apparently couldn't kick with her tail held in the right manner.

I saw it done may times. Anyone else know of such a trick, or can describe it better?

Uncle R.

[fatelk]

Sounds like what I mentioned in post 30, you just bend that tail up over the cow's back. I don't know if it's a nerve thing or what, but that will stop them, almost always. I do remember one especially mean old bat that was still able to kick no matter what. Tight "kicker" bar, kinking the tail hard; nothing stopped her. I think we finally just sold her for slaughter.

I remember one mean bull that almost killed my dad. He slipped in the mud and slid under the fence just as the bull slammed into the fence above him. You think the old cowboys carried their six-guns for rustlers and outlaws? Nope, it was for mean old cows and angry bulls. :)

Another time my mom was checking the dry stock out in the pasture- a bunch of dry cows, heifers, and one bull (different from Killer above, as I recall). There was a stock tank in the field, pump and float all rigged up, but the cows were all muddy because they had been wading up to their bellies in mud to drink from the irrigation ditch for some reason. My mom stayed there to watch and see why they weren't drinking from the tank.

Every time a cow would approach the tank, this bull would run over and chase her away. I guess he was protecting his herd from that scary metal tank of doom or something! Anyhow, he stood by the tank glaring and snorting at her across the fence. She yelled at him to try to get him to go away and let the cows drink, but he just glared. She picked up a big rock laying on the ground and chucked it at him as hard as she could. By luck it hit him square between the eyes! She said he went to his knees and blood trickled down his nose- she started to worry she'd killed him.

He staggered for a few seconds, then just shook his head and wandered off to the other corner of the field to pout. The cows all rushed over and drained the tank. From that time on whenever he saw her he kept as much distance as he could. Stay away from the scary lady who throws big rocks!