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Yokes | Hardware | Bows

Tillers does not currently make yokes or bows. We offer plans and techguides for people to build their own. During the oxen basics, students build a training yoke-- giving practice for the many yokes your team will grow into. Oxen are inexpensive sources of power. By building your own yoke, you are able to keep costs down. There are several yoke makers across the country. If you do make yokes, and would like to be listed here, please call or email.

A List of Yoke Makers:

Clark Bending
1895 TR152 Baltic, OH 43804
Or c/o Jo and Gerry Corrigan
11988 State Rt 39 Millersburg, OH 44654
1-330-674-6039



BerryBrook Ox Supply
www.berrybrookoxsupply.com

Economy Farm Yokes by Tillers International

These are very functional yokes built to meet ordinary farm needs.  We also call them English farm yokes, since they are patterned on the design common on established English farms.  There the land was clear and there was less need for the rugged features of most American yokes.  They have shallower bellies (about 20% less draft), and are a little narrower from front to back while the curve of the neck seat is somewhat flatter. These features make them lighter and less time consuming to make, and more of the work can be done with power tools. The rings and calabash hooks are arc welded for economy. For training yokes (4 and 5" sizes), these lighter yokes will help your calves hold their heads up. Sizes 4 -10"

Item #4ykec. See Yoke Price List below.

 

 
   

 

Woodworking Series
Some yoke blanks ready for shipping.

   

Yoke Kits with Beam Blanks by Tillers International

These beams are band-sawn to the shape of the economy yokes, and have predrilled holes for bows and staples. Both the front and top profiles have been cut. You can shape it at your leisure and save a few dollars. Includes hardware and bent but unfinished bows. Sizes 4-8".

Item #4ykbk. See Yokes Price List below.

 

  
   

Woodworking Series

    

Traditional Yokes by Tillers International

These hand-shaped yokes are built to the common American design, with deep bellies and draft and broad neck seats for greater bearing surface. They are made of cottonwood, elm, or your choice of available hardwoods. Forge welded hardware and wooden bow spacers are included. The bows are white oak, hickory, or ash, and you can choose "U" shaped half rounds or oval shapes (with sides angling back inward at the top). There is an extra fee of $12 for yokes with oval bows, given the added difficulties of bending bows and angling the bow holes in the beam. These yokes are finished to the classic look and shape of historical yokes. Sizes 4-14 inches. Advance order larger sizes.

Item #4yktd. See Yokes Price List below.

 

 
   

 

 

Woodworking Series
Morgan Taggart at Greenfield Village.

   

Replica Yokes by Tillers International

These yokes are built to the common American design described in the plan of our Neck Yoke Design and Fit paper. They have deeper bellies and more draft, and the neck seats have greater surface, than the English/economy model. They are made of elm, cottonwood, or your choice of available hardwoods. Forge welded hardware and leather bow spacers are included. The bows are your choice of "U" shaped half rounds or oval shapes with sides angling inward at the top. They show adz and other tool marks and should be dated to distinguish them from historical artifacts. Sizes 4-14 inches.

Item #4ykhd. See "Yokes Price List" below. Add 20% to Traditional price.

 

 
   

   

Yoke Price List

 Economy (English) Traditional (American)

Economy Kit
Bow
Width		 Item #4ykec Item #4yktd Item #4ykbk
4" NA NA NA
5" NA NA NA
6" NA NA NA
7" NA NA NA
8" NA NA NA
9" NA NA NA
10" NA NA NA
11" NA NA NA
12" NA NA NA
13" NA NA NA
14" NA NA NA

When ordering the Optional Oval-shaped Bows with a Yoke add $12.

 

  
   

 

 

 

 

Woodworking Series
Hardware components.

   

Yoke Hardware | Yokes | Bows

Yoke Hardware Sets by Tillers International

If you are a willing wood worker but unable to forge your own iron, these hardware sets will help you make a respectable yoke. Except for the training size, they have the traditional two-stemmed staple design with a 2-5" wide bulb at the bottom in which the ring and calabash hook hang.  The width of the bulb moderates the pressure on the bows under heavy draft.  The table gives the lengths for the stems on the staples which need to accommodate the top to bottom depth of your beam plus room for fasteners and any spacers. The rings have 4.25" inside diameters to accept cart tongues.  The calabash hooks are set for 1/4" chain on the training set and for 3/8" chain on the other sets. These sets also include a pair of spring steel bow keepers.

Item #3ykhd. See Hardware Price List below.

 

 
   

   

Yoke Staples by Tillers International

These staples are the double-stemmed design shown on the traditional yoke plans (except for the training yoke staple). The bulb width at the bottom ranges from 2-5". This was a late yoke adaptation (circa 1840) to moderate the pressure on the bows under heavy draft.  The table gives lengths of the stem on the staple which need to accommodate the top to bottom depth of yoke beams plus room for fasteners and any spacers.

Item #3ykhm. See Hardware Price List below.

 

 
   

   

Yoke Rings by Tillers International

These rings are 4.25 inches inside diameter. Rings for training yokes (4-7" bows) are made of 1/2" steel bar, others are of 5/8" bar. The table prices are for arc welded rings. Add $8.00 for the forge welded option.

Item #3ykhs. See Hardware Price List below.

 

  
   

   

Yoke Calabash Hooks by Tillers International

These pear-shaped rings permit quick adjustment of chain length from the yoke.  While they don't seem to have been common on farm yokes, they were on many logging yokes.  From the front of the team, the teamster can easily pull a few more links through to shorten the chain and get a little more lift on the load. For training yokes (4-7" bows), the calabash hooks are made of 3/8" steel bar and are set for 1/4" chain. Other sizes are made of 1/2" bar and set for up to 3/8" chain. The table prices are for arc welded hooks.  Add $8.00 for forge welded hooks. Add $5.00 for 5/8" bar if you are doing very heavy work.

Item #3ykht. See Hardware Price List below.

 

 
   

   

Hardened Steel Bow Keepers by Tillers International

It is very important to secure bows from falling out of yoke beams. These keepers are shaped to fit into 1/4 inch holes in 4-7" bows and 5/16 inch holes for larger bows. They are hardened to keep their shape and grip longer. The small size fits 1 - 1.5 inch diameter bows (4-7" wide) and the large size fits 1.75 - 2.00 inch diameter bows (8-14" wide).

Item #3ykkp. Specify Small or Large size. Price: $5 per pair.

 

 
   

   

Wood and Leather Bow Spacers by Tillers International

Spacers are placed under the bow keepers to adjust the bow depth for the oxen. If set too deep, bows will irritate the brisket. Spacers allow fine adjustments for differing lines of traction and loads. They are easy to make, but we also stock them for your convenience. The small spacers have a 1.5" dia. hole and the large ones a 2" hole. We stock them in wood thicknesses of 1/2", 3/4", and 1", and in leather. Even if you do not need spacers for adjustment, a leather spacer protects your yoke from the keeper pins. Sizes Small and Large, in wood or leather. Please specify wood thickness.

Item #3yksp. Price: $1.80 per pair.

 

  
   

   

Hardware Price List

Full Set

Staple

Ring

Calabash

Bow Widths

Item #3ykhd

Item #3ykst

Stem Length

Item #3ykrg

Item #3ykkp

Training
4-5"

$30

$15

5"+

$10

$15

Small
6-7"

$36

$17

7"+

$14

$18

Medium
8-10"

$44

$22

10"+

$14

$18

Large
11-14"

$47

$25

14"+

$14

$18

Add $8 for forge welding, and $5 for extra-heavy 5/8" stock.


  
   

   

Bows | Yokes | Hardware

Ox Bows (Standard or Oval Shape) by Tillers International

For your animals to work well, they need well fitted bows. If too narrow, they pinch the neck as they slide back; if too wide, they bruise the shoulders as the oxen step forward into loads. Tillers makes them in 1 inch increments from 4 to 14 inches wide (inside opening width). They come in three options: Standard, Oval, and Unfinished. They are made of steam bent White Oak, Ash, or Hickory according to availability. Diameter of stock is listed. (There is an added fee for larger diameters of stock because of the added difficulty of bending heavier stock into smaller radius.)

- Standard bows are bent in "U" shape with parallel sides. These are most flexible for easy depth adjustment and are preferred by most teamsters in New England.

- Oval Shaped bows were common historically when cattle were perhaps thinner in the neck. The bow holes in the beam must be angled toward each other at the top. This limits the depth adjustment of the bows as they bind when they are pushed upward. Add 50% to the price of a standard bow of the same size.

- Bark left on Hickory was a historical means of bending bows without steam. The bark on green hickory sap wood kept the bend from fraying. These bows are prized for their historical authenticity. We have had to drop this option because we can not reliably succeed in keeping the bark on available stock.

Item #4ykbw. See Bows Price List below.

 

 
   

   

Bows Price List (per pair)

Bow Width

Stock Diameter Standard  
Bend
    Item #4bwsd
4" 1" NA
5" 1" NA
6" 1.5" NA
7" 1.5" NA
8" 1.5" NA
9" 2" NA
10" 2" NA
11" 2" NA

12"

2"

NA
13" 2" NA
14" 2" NA

For increasing stock diameters by 1/4" add $15 per pair.

 

 
   

   

A List of Yoke Makers

Clark Bending

Jo and Gerry Corrigan

Howard VanOrd

Bud Kluchnick

Ray Ludwig

 

Copyright 2003 Tillers International, Inc. All rights reserved.
______________________

10515 East OP Avenue, Scotts, MI 49088
phone: 269/626-0223 or 800/498-2700
email: tillers@tillersinternational.org
http://www.tillersinternational.org
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