New-Style Forecart Boosts Efficiency

New-Style Forecart Boosts Efficiency HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Miscellaneous A radical redesign of the forecart may change how horse-powered equipment is used The Mono-Rad Concept 1 0 forecart developed in Luxembourg uses draft horse power more efficiently Both shaft and singletree connection points can be adjusted quickly and easily On-board sensors make it ideal for comparing implements but also for adjusting operation for greater efficiency “This forecart was designed to test various shaft options for hitching a single draft horse to different implements ” explains Paul Schmit Schaff mat Päerd Working with Horses “The Mono-Rad Concept 1 0 adapts implements quickly and easily to different sized horses Draft force and speed sensors measure the pulling effort of the horse during work with different implements ” Schaff mat Päerd is a non-profit research group They design and build prototypes of new equipment for use with draft horses in small-scale gardening wine growing and farming A main feature of the Mono-Rad forecart is the 3-wheel concept The single steering wheel and frame attach directly to any 2-wheel implement creating a rigid 3-wheel unit That is true of standard horse-drawn designs as well as smaller tractor-drawn units The single front steering wheel reduces steering force while the rear wheels carry the bulk of the load “The draft force of the horse is centered on the center of the front wheel ” notes Schmit “This eliminates lateral forces transmitted by the shafts on the horse’s belly while pulling an implement ” The operator walking alongside can activate the brake lever which can be offset to either side The same lever can be used to manually steer the front wheel if desired The forecart has a total width of about 35 in and a length of 32 1/2 in without shafts It’s equipped with disk brakes and springs and weighs 205 lbs Schaff mat Päerd doesn’t produce equipment it develops but has in the past licensed them to an Italian partner Equi Idea has commercialized several implements and is expected to handle the forecart “The estimated price is about $1 090 for the single wheel forecart including shafts at the front and the implement adapter at the rear ” says Schmit Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Schaff mat Päerd 27 rue de Brouch L-7481 Tuntange Luxembourg schaffmatpaerd@pt lu; www schaffmatpaerd org or Equi-Idea Via Lazzaretto 98 37133 Verona Italy 
 ph 39 045 527899; albano moscardo@libero it; www noieilcavallo org

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.