Home Forums Gear Horses and ATV's The One Horse Open Sleigh?

Anyone have a cutter? A friend's father used to have on overhead in a shed.

This is mine. More of a sleigh than a cutter. I made it in the70's and had to re-wood it once.That old mule had to be put down at 30 years old a few years ago.I don't have anything to pull it now.

Breast collar is loose as I had to back him up to get the right pose

Cool, no pun intended. Well, I did interned, but that is quite nice. I'll think that was a project.

Very nice rig. How did that sleigh come to be?

Kinda of a long story.My in law's neighbor had an original.Their parents use it to go to town for groceries in the winter. I live pretty close to where they did this .NE of Colorado Springs. I visited the in law's neighbor and took quite a few photos with one of those old Poloroid cameras and some basic measurements.

I formed all the iron and since I could not duplicate the runners supports that were fancy wrought iron,I made some out of steel angle. The runners are oak and I fashioned the curve out of oak that I curfed (sp)and then soaked to get the bend, Finally gluing the curfs back together. Then I faced them of f with 1/8" steel strap.

The sleigh itself,I fashioned out of redwood I had around.The snowboard in front,I cut each piece of redwood edge on an angle to match the curve of the original and then tied them all together with 3'4 " x 1'8" steel strap that I bent, and 1/4" screws and nuts. Except for the nuts being hex instead of the original square it came out pretty close to the original sleigh.
The shafts and singletree had long since disipeard so I fashioned the ones shown out of steel tube.

The redwood lasted about twenty years and then I replaced it with ordinary pine.It's about due again,but since I don't use it anymore, it might just stay a yard piece.
When the old mule was alive,neighbors use to come over to get me to hitch it up so they could take photos for their Christmas cards. We would decorate it for Christmas, put a cassette player in back with Christmas Carols playing and go around the neighborhood delivering fresh baked Christmas gifts my wife made. Lot of good memories there.Most young folks that have since moved in don't do that kind stuff anymore.

Here is a little newer smaller rig. Not as fancy,but went in deep snow pretty good

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Sometimes the sleigh stayed home on Christmas eve.My wife didn't want to be the designated driver after several visit.



Summer time we changed over to this smaller hitch wagon.

Cool stuff right there, Vince!

So nice, and thank you! We have the old bobsled yet. All rotted away save the iron.

Man, this is great stuff! Glad you know how to post photos. Thanks for putting them up.

I rebuilt Granddad's bobsled.

Thank you for the History.

Nice Oak, my father has some stories about the old sled. The winter of 36, snow, and cold.

Were you able to do it with clear white oak?

I always wanted a big team like that and a bobsled Roundoak. .I did raise a 15 hd team of haflinger mules though,but by that time I couldn't lift the harness anymore.

I started small before that .These two were 44" tall and I built the wagon for them.



Same sleigh, but with a pole.

Southern Yellow pine.

Saddlesore, thanks for sharing pics of your equipment and mules. Enjoyed it.

Thanks men, the 'fire at it's best.

Oak, did you need a bandsaw for the project?

Wish I had a bandsaw. Used tablesaw, circular saw, compound chop saw and jigsaw.

Cool, Roundoak!