Help identifying an old farming tool

[B725]

An old boy 92 years young is after a picture of a taking up rake or gathering up rake this is what he vaguely remembers it called here in Derbyshire. When the barley and wheat was grown the field was opened up with a scythe then this rake that had 3 or 4 curved tines and around 16 inches wide was used to gather the corn on it untill you had enough to make a sheath. This then allowed the horse drawn binder to continue without trampling the corn. If anyone can let me have a picture to put in his book he's writing I would be grateful. 

[Capt Christopher Jones]

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/202682476451

[Walker570]

Pulling yard muck off the back of a horse drawn cart. My arms ache just looking at it.  A load would be put on the cart and the horse and cart taken to the field. The horse would be lined up across the field and the cart tipped a notch.  You then went round and pulled a pile off ... gee up and the horse walked forward..whoa, horse stopped and more muck pulled off. You could then tip the body an extra notch to reach the much up the front.  Our horse would walk a straight line across a field.  Once you had a row then pace ten paces and put i another row until the field was covered.  Then the work started because you then took a four tined muck fork and attacked each pile spreading it evenly across the field.  These young farmers today do not know they are born.

The fork underneath is a pitchfork for battens or loose hay/straw.

On the first round of a field, I followed my grandfather who scythed the corn into a tidy row in such a way I could pull sufficent together to make a batten and then it was tied with about a dozen strands of corn, twited round and tucked in.  I was aware of a short handled rack for the job but if the man with the scyht knew his job the straw lay just right .

Edited May 30, 2019 by Walker570

[B725]

9 minutes ago, Capt Christopher Jones said:

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/202682476451

It's along those line's 

[old man]

Yep, top one  drag fork.

[B725]

As a 10 year old we spread muck by hand, we had to sit on a plastic bag on the muck as we went down the field's. The Fordson Major SRR 711 was the first thing I ever drove on my 13th birthday I still remember the excitement and huge grin afterwards. 

2 minutes ago, old man said:

Yep, top one  drag fork.

I've just emailed the picture is that the correct one do you think? 

[Walker570]

When tying straw battens you didn't have to get all the heads level, so as they lay when scythed properly you could just scoop enough and tie it up.  When battens came of the binder the heads would be at an angle and then when you went round shucking the corn was put on the inside to protect it.  Our standard shuck would be six battens but some farms put eight and like hedge laying every county virtually had it's own style.

example ..for battens substitute sheaves.

 

Edited May 30, 2019 by Walker570

[Capt Christopher Jones]

Some of you must be as old as Father Christmas  🤩

[B725]

At times I feel that old 😀

[Pigeon Shredder.]

Cheeky young whipper snapper.

Anyway l thought we were going to get a picture of Ditchy 😂

[old'un]

Is it one of these? a wheat/barley grain cradle.

[B725]

No I had already shown him that one but thank you for trying to help. 

[ditchman]

they still use those for cutting reed here........

 

what you are looking for is a rake of wooden construction about a yard wide with curved ash tynes on it..................the only reason i know is because one of the last farms in east anglia  used to grow and havest wheat for thatching and for the newmarket stud...had to be thrashed straw.........from stucks... 

[B725]

I thought you was the Newmarket stud and liked to thrashed. 😁

He did say they had metal tines trouble is the old ******* memory is fading 

[old man]

43 minutes ago, B725 said:

As a 10 year old we spread muck by hand, we had to sit on a plastic bag on the muck as we went down the field's. The Fordson Major SRR 711 was the first thing I ever drove on my 13th birthday I still remember the excitement and huge grin afterwards. 

I've just emailed the picture is that the correct one do you think? 

That's what I know it as bud, may have other names and uses?

[ditchman]

its the same tool they used pullin hay together........

[Konnie]

Did he describe it as a large rake just had tines about 2" apart and 4-6" long, as ive seen rakes like this.

[B725]

It's difficult getting an accurate description as he's almost 92 and his memory is fading, I've looked at tons of pictures on the net for him that's why I'm trying on here as there's lot of characters with a world of wisdom 

[ditchman]

look on the webste "antique farm tools"..............they have one there...........as you describe....it is a hayrake but does the same thing..

 

click on "1-99"

Edited May 30, 2019 by ditchman

[mel b3]

On 30/05/2019 at 17:49, Walker570 said:

Pulling yard muck off the back of a horse drawn cart. My arms ache just looking at it.  A load would be put on the cart and the horse and cart taken to the field. The horse would be lined up across the field and the cart tipped a notch.  You then went round and pulled a pile off ... gee up and the horse walked forward..whoa, horse stopped and more muck pulled off. You could then tip the body an extra notch to reach the much up the front.  Our horse would walk a straight line across a field.  Once you had a row then pace ten paces and put i another row until the field was covered.  Then the work started because you then took a four tined muck fork and attacked each pile spreading it evenly across the field.  These young farmers today do not know they are born.

The fork underneath is a pitchfork for battens or loose hay/straw.

On the first round of a field, I followed my grandfather who scythed the corn into a tidy row in such a way I could pull sufficent together to make a batten and then it was tied with about a dozen strands of corn, twited round and tucked in.  I was aware of a short handled rack for the job but if the man with the scyht knew his job the straw lay just right .

Now that sounds like proper hard graft nev.

[oldypigeonpopper]

hello, remember those as a youngster at tumble down farm, as happened i stuck a prong through my welly  by the time i ran home mum was not to pleased but patched me up and washed out me welly, i was about 8, did not stop me going again, always loved farm life but like most a pipe dream to own one

[Walker570]

10 minutes ago, oldypigeonpopper said:

hello, remember those as a youngster at tumble down farm, as happened i stuck a prong through my welly  by the time i ran home mum was not to pleased but patched me up and washed out me welly, i was about 8, did not stop me going again, always loved farm life but like most a pipe dream to own one

Aye, dangerous places farms , even back then. It is pure luck I am here typing this I can tell you.

[oldypigeonpopper]

1 minute ago, Walker570 said:

Aye, dangerous places farms , even back then. It is pure luck I am here typing this I can tell you.

hello, your right but most of the time i watched the milking, it was a run down farm as i remember but owned by a lovely elderly couple, always  had tea  and some cake for me, now its a housing estate !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Walker570]

Our old farm was broken up with smallish fields and the 12 acre and 10 acre being the largest. The whole farm is now just one big field, a prairie landscape with all the den areas we had as kids gone, all the thick hedges always full of a variety of birds nests and enough rabbits to half fill the milk van on a Friday with snare caught paunched rabbits for the customers. The other half is now the M42 motorway. 

My Uncles farm adjoining is now bricks and concrete and only people exits there now, although Team Tractor did say he saw a muntie walk down the road.

All of this used to be crawling with wild grey partridge now all gone.

[oldypigeonpopper]

12 minutes ago, oldypigeonpopper said:

hello, your right but most of the time i watched the milking, it was a run down farm as i remember but owned by a lovely elderly couple, always  had tea  and some cake for me, now its a housing estate !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hello, those to many of us were the good old days, last time on a visit to the area and look out our old house on the hill only to find the view i had from my bedroom window over rolling hills in West Sussex now had more houses than i could count, and they say progress !!!!!!