What would be the benefits of a horse drawn tracked vehicle?

[Jim Bow]

92BD1399-883B-47BB-8E0B-3C39216282BB.jpg

[gypsie]

tracked.jpg

[David G]

Larger contact footprint to spread the weight. Less likely to sink into mud/snow?

[Jimmy W]

I just ran across a photo again the other day of using a horse drawn tracked trailer to transport big logs in Mississippi mud. Don't remember just where I saw it now.

[Jimmy W]

Found it.

[Jimmy W]

[David W Pratt]

Apparently few if any, since they are not around anymore.

[LeeG]

Found it.

That’ll make one value a log

[jpatrick]

If the wagon needs tracks, what about the horse?

Jeff

[Jimmy W]

Apparently few if any, since they are not around anymore.

Fat high flotation tires are easier to get now and they would now be using more horsepower than a team of horses.

That’ll make one value a log

From the caption, a sweet gum from somewhere in the Mississippi Delta. Sweet gums are still fairly common, but they didn't leave any that large anywhere around.

[Jimmy W]

I see some of these tracked grain carts around here at harvest time. I think I took a photo of one last fall, but this is from the web.

[Paul Pless]

where in mississippi is 'grain' planted on a large scale?

or are those used for soybeans? or corn?

[Jimmy W]

Mainly used for soybeans and corn, but this area does grow a lot of rice and some winter wheat. I saw several wheat fields planted in fall of 2021, but haven't noticed any this year. Maybe farmers were expecting wheat prices to go up more because of the war in Ukraine in 2021.

[David W Pratt]

That’ll make one value a log

Our house was built in 1790 and it has recycled timber in it.

[L.A Marche]

If the wagon needs tracks, what about the horse?

Jeff

They’re 4x4’s.

[The Ranger]

Horses used to harvest salt hay in bayside meadows wore the horse version of something that looked like a solid snowshoe.

[David G]

Horses used to harvest salt hay in bayside meadows wore the horse version of something that looked like a solid snowshoe.

Splatchers. People wear them also to go clamming in the mudflats and suchlike.

[robm]

"Splatchers"

And you learned that word where? From a certain set of children's books written in the 1930's?

[David G]

"Splatchers"

And you learned that word where? From a certain set of children's books written in the 1930's?

I learned it from a grandfatherly Finnish neighbor on Puget Sound... back around the late 50's... but it certainly sounds like a word the Brits would concoct...

[heimlaga]

I learned it from a grandfatherly Finnish neighbor on Puget Sound... back around the late 50's... but it certainly sounds like a word the Brits would concoct...

Those were used both in Finland and in Sweden when harvesting hay on beach meadows and peat bogs. However in some villages people refused to use them because if the horse sank anyway it was pretty much impossible to get it out without breaking a leg or tearing a tendon.
The hay was transported on a wooden sled with wide birch runners without iron bars. Some had wooden wear shoes made from pine comprerssion wood taken from a leaning pine tree and trunneled in place under the runners. No carts would float on those wet meadows. The hay was dried on drier ground and packed into small round log hay sheds. Then the hay could be brought home by horse and sled across firm frozen ground in winter.

By the way some forwarders logging in wet places use tracks on the boggi wheels to this day. This was even more common in the part when engines were smaller.