Mechanization Meets Haymow: Hayfork Pulley Systems

By Sam Moore
Published on May 21, 2010
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Using a grapple fork to put hay through the gable hay door on an end-hoist barn.
Using a grapple fork to put hay through the gable hay door on an end-hoist barn.
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A 3-pulley hayfork carrier for wooden track. The large knot above the right pulley holds the draft rope to the carrier. The lighter pull-back rope is tied to the knot and if knot-passing draft pulleys are used, the pull-back rope can be used to pull the draft rope back through the carrier to reverse the direction of operation. The trip block is bolted to the bottom of the track at the right of the carrier.
A 3-pulley hayfork carrier for wooden track. The large knot above the right pulley holds the draft rope to the carrier. The lighter pull-back rope is tied to the knot and if knot-passing draft pulleys are used, the pull-back rope can be used to pull the draft rope back through the carrier to reverse the direction of operation. The trip block is bolted to the bottom of the track at the right of the carrier.
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Diagram of how hayfork pulley systems were rigged. This example shows a typical hayfork installation in a center drive barn. Read a step-by-step process: “How to Rig Barn Pulleys: Setting Up a Hayfork Pulley System.”
Diagram of how hayfork pulley systems were rigged. This example shows a typical hayfork installation in a center drive barn. Read a step-by-step process: “How to Rig Barn Pulleys: Setting Up a Hayfork Pulley System.”
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A track end stop and the trip block for a hay carrier.
A track end stop and the trip block for a hay carrier.
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A typical 2-pulley hayfork carrier. The end of the draft rope is knotted firmly into the left side of the carrier before passing down around the lower pulley, to which the fork is attached, and back up and over the right carrier pulley. This carrier can be swiveled to operate in the opposite direction.
A typical 2-pulley hayfork carrier. The end of the draft rope is knotted firmly into the left side of the carrier before passing down around the lower pulley, to which the fork is attached, and back up and over the right carrier pulley. This carrier can be swiveled to operate in the opposite direction.
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A hay sling in use.
A hay sling in use.

Someone recently asked how barn hayfork pulley systems were set up.

He said he had talked to many old-timers about how the ropes ran and they remember using them, but not how they were rigged. (Read a step-by-step process for a center drive barn: “How to Rig Barn Pulleys: Setting Up a Hayfork Pulley System.”)

Before barn hayforks, one man pitched hay off a wagon into the mow and one or two others distributed it in the mow and tramped it down. In the middle of summer, in an airless haymow, this wasn’t much fun. However, in the middle of the 19th century, mechanical means of placing hay in barns began to be developed.

The first barn forks resembled extra-large pitchforks with a heavy handle, a ring for a lifting rope and folding tines held in place by a latch. A rope and pulley hung over the haymow. One end of the rope was tied to the fork and the other ran outside to a singletree for a horse. The man on the load of hay stuck the fork into the hay and, using the fork handle, maneuvered the load over the mow as the horse lifted the load. The man then yanked on a light rope that released the latch and the fork tines folded down, dropping the hay. While it was an improvement over the pitchfork, this type of barn fork was awkward and not quite the answer.

Running on rail

Hayfork carriers that ran on tracks soon became available. Early tracks made of 4-by-4 lumber were suspended the length of the barn just under the ridgepole. As the price of steel dropped, its lighter weight, smaller size and easier operation soon made it the standard for track. Carriers with flanged wheels ran on the track and supported the load, while two or three rope pulleys (as well as locks for the rope and carrier) were also part of the setup. The lower carrier pulley wasn’t attached to the carrier and had a swivel hook for the hayfork, along with a means of tripping the locks in the carrier. A trip (or release block) was attached to the track directly over the wagon location. This device locked the carrier in position while the load was being raised.

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