What Old Ranch Tools do you have and use?

[Mountain Cowgirl]

I love old ranch tools and was cleaning my shed looking for the old fence pliers that I inherited from my dad when I found this tool. As you can see the dogs on this one are about worn off.

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

I'm the oldest ranch tool in use around here,

We use a chain pull fence stretcher but have wore a couple of them out.
WE do have a huge old set of Barnes dehorners, don't use them often as we run mostly Black Angus and if a horn shows up on something we try to take it before it gets big enough to use them.

 

[Mountain Cowgirl]

@Big Muddy rancher I always preferred to use a hot iron steel pipe and burn around the buds. Nip it in the buds rather than take the bull by the horns hahaha!

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

WE used to buy calves and run them until fall yearlings so they were beyond the point of Buds by the time we got them. Besides Dad could buy them cheaper and clean them up so we dehorned and castrated a lot of young bulls.
Now we run mostly Angus bull on Angus cows so hardly ever see a horn except the few we run a Hereford bull on.

 

[webfoot]

These aren't what I would call "ranch" tools. But they are old tools hanging on the wall at my ranch. Close enough? They all have interesting stories. The most prised one is the broad ax. It was my Grandfather's. His first job when he came to America in 1910 was squaring up big logs to make sleds for the new steam donkeys use to pull logs out of the woods. He used that broad ax to do that.

 

[leanin' H]

Webfoot that is really cool!!!! Our ancestors worked their guts out to scratch out a living. Amazing to ponder what they went through. I have so much respect for them and the trails they blazed.

 

[webfoot]

My Grandfather was know to tell me stories. I don't remember a story but I know for years I thought that he used that broad ax to chop off people's heads.
The deer horns on the far right was the shot by my Dad in 1940. He was 14 and had saved his strawberry picking money to buy a new 30-30. I have that rifle. The horns beside it are from my first buck. I shot it with that same rifle in 1964.
The scythe, fro, falling axe, cross cut saws, old wedges, spring board all have stories many too long to go into the detail here.

 

[leanin' H]

When I make my Oregon road trip to see Nicky and their ranch, I hope ya wouldn't mind me stopping by to see you place and visit. You seem
Like my kinda people. Thanks for the pictures and stories.

 

[Mountain Cowgirl]

Very nice collection and display @webfoot. When I left the mountains 30 years ago, I sold off most of my old tools and I had used them all in building the cabin, shop, and barns. I had a pickup load that I took to the Sumpter Blackmarket and sold them all within an hour. So many times I wish I had kept them and built a shop just to display them. I did keep my Grandpa's tools which include this broad hatchet and drill still in usable condition. I used these in building my mountain log cabin.

 

[Nicky]

When I make my Oregon road trip to see Nicky and their ranch, I hope ya wouldn't mind me stopping by to see you place and visit. You seem
Like my kinda people. Thanks for the pictures and stories.

He's on the way to here from Boise, probably 45 minutes away.

 

[webfoot]

When I make my Oregon road trip to see Nicky and their ranch, I hope ya wouldn't mind me stopping by to see you place and visit. You seem
Like my kinda people. Thanks for the pictures and stories.

You are welcome any time.

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

Don't hold your breath, He's been going to help Gcreek hay for years

 

[webfoot]

Don't hold your breath, He's been going to help Gcreek hay for years

At my age I couldn't hold my breath for very long anyway.

 

[leanin' H]

Don't hold your breath, He's been going to help Gcreek hay for years

Well you no what they say about good intentions!!!!! Most folks think I'm crazy, but my dream vacation would be touring ranches of the folks I have met here. But with a full time job, ranch work, raising our family and town and church obligations I'm staying on a trot most days. Someday I'll head to the wilds of BC and visit Mr Dave. BMR is also on the list although I'm confident we will not get along

 

[webfoot]

Over on CT there was a discussion about bottle calves. I said that I have couple I would let go for the price that was mentioned. Dave want to know if I delivered for that price. After a little discussion it came out that he figured the calves would be 3/4 grown by the time I got clearance to cross the border.

 

[Mountain Cowgirl]

Check out this toe buster that I inherited that was a wagon axle on one of my grandpa's mule-powered ranch wagons. After the wagon was scraped he did some blacksmithing and made this post hole hard pan buster. I have used it as a rock and concrete buster, pry bar, quick chute gate, as a fulcrum for lifting equipment, etc. It weighs about 50 lbs and is solid steel. Not even the weight of a bull could bend this tool. I haven't used it for years until yesterday when I wanted to bust up a very large heavy argillite rock in my garden. I got it busted but my old shoulders are really speaking to me today and their language isn't pretty. A 70-year-old widow woman, one such as myself, has no business having a heavy tool like this in her shed, but I can't bear to part with it.

 

[Faster horses]

Well you no what they say about good intentions!!!!! Most folks think I'm crazy, but my dream vacation would be touring ranches of the folks I have met here. But with a full time job, ranch work, raising our family and town and church obligations I'm staying on a trot most days. Someday I'll head to the wilds of BC and visit Mr Dave. BMR is also on the list although I'm confident we will not get along

We were blessed enough to do that. One of our greatest times and fondest memories. I think we met 8 or 9 of ranchers.net community. Great folks!! Time to do it again!!

 

[Evans]

When I was a young fellow, I bought a cattle comb in a country store. I still have it. It still has the price on it. The store just took a marker pencil and put $1.29 on it. In today's money it would be a $45 comb.
Anyway when my Grandmother saw what I bought and how much I paid for it, I sure got cursed at and called a dummy for thinking I would ever own cattle.
Its actually a better comb and different than anything you can buy today. It works great on horses to.
I actually think so much of it that I won't use it. I use newer less meaningful brushes on horses.
Haha it makes me grin when I look at it.

 

[Faster horses]

We were blessed enough to do that. One of our greatest times and fondest memories. I think we met 8 or 9 of ranchers.net community. Great folks!! Time to do it again!!

This was Per and his father with Mr. FH and Big Muddy Rancher and Mr. FH. Gcreek and Mr. FH. Amazing people, amazing country. We had an amazing time!! Hopefully we will get to make one more trip up there!

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

It looked smoky when you were here.