Few activities a teamster could devise will train oxen better than logging will, provided the animals understand the basic commands and are started with light loads. The team learns to avoid obstacles and draw loads of different sizes under various conditions. The repetition of moving log after log, load after load, is a wonderful teaching tool for young animals.
Serious logging requires well-trained animals that have been gradually conditioned to the work. Although horses and mules are stronger and faster, particularly in warm weather, a team of oxen is hard to beat when it comes to simple logging with a minimal investment of money and training time. For a part-time farmer or the owner of a small woodlot who needs to move firewood or thin a stand of trees, logging with oxen is appropriate, cost-effective, and fun.
Author Robert Pike, in Tall Trees, Tough Men, describes both the ox and the logging camps at the turn of the twentieth century in New England: “Before the days of the horses, a team of three yoke of oxen, hitched in tandem, was ordinarily used to haul logs to the river. It took a skillful teamster about two months to break a green team.”
The author claimed that oxen don’t get sick as often as horses do, “But they would get lame and galled [stabbed by another ox or by dropping trees], and when the snow was crusty they were always cutting their legs below the dew claws.” Cut legs required frequent treatment. Oxen numbers dwindled by 1890 because of the difficulties with shoeing, their slow speed, and their inability to slow a load adequately. At that point, “all but the most stubborn New England ox men made the transition to horses.”
According to Ralph Andrews in This Was Logging, oxen were worked in the Northwest into this century. Although they were often referred to as “bulls,” the animals’ physical characteristics, shown in the early photographs in his book, make it obvious that many were castrated mature bulls. Most of the early cattle were nondescript animals with characteristics of the Shorthorn and Devon breeds.
To move the huge logs of the Pacific Northwest, numerous teams had to be yoked together. Twelve oxen (six pairs) were frequently hitched to logs that were pulled on greased skid roads.
The life of a “bull” in the logging camps was not easy. Andrews reports that “Bulls were kept in corrals and barns at night, [and] shod with two plates to each cloven hoof on Sundays and days when the weather or snow was too bad to work.”
Author Dave James, as quoted in This Was Logging, wrote, “The oxen were brought in from great distances, chained and yoked together, [and] goaded into effort by bellowing men that could be heard for miles. Boys . . . were given the job of swabbing whale oil on the skids to help the logs slip. This was about the only help anyone gave the bulls. The [bull] puncher, that master of profanity, consigned them to burning eternity a hundred times daily.
“Of all the types of power brought into the timber, only the bull teams served a man’s stomach. The accident victims could be eaten.”
Oxen in the United States were used for logging in the Northwest, the South, the upper Midwest, and New England, where logging was usually a winter activity. Cattle cleared the New England forests of large virgin timber in the 1600s and 1700s, and in many areas continued to be used in the woods well into the 1900s. With little outdoor farm work, many colonial farmers became lumbermen during the winter, their farm teams transformed into woods teams.
Freezing temperatures, frozen waterways, and snow or ice benefited oxen in many ways. Provided the team was shod, they could draw tremendous loads over rough ground or swamps that would otherwise be impassable. Other advantages of winter work included a lack of troublesome insects and the opportunity to increase the animals’ stamina without concern about overheating the team.
For centuries the ox team was the chief power source for logging in the United States. As the lumber industry became more commercialized they were gradually replaced, nationwide, by horses. During this transition the two animals were used in combination. The oxen primarily skidded logs to landings. Once the logs made it to the landing, they would be loaded onto huge sleds pulled by horses and in later years loaded onto trains.
Oxen were slow, steady, less valuable than horses, and well suited to the difficult and dangerous work of logging. Their pace always offered plenty of opportunities for coaxing and goading by the teamsters. In dangerous areas they may have been maintained and used to prevent injury to horses. Even when an ox was injured, the loss was not total because the animal could be used for beef.
Horses largely replaced oxen by the end of the nineteenth century in American logging camps, and machinery later replaced both oxen and horses. While draft animals still have advantages over modern machinery, particularly in small lots or environmentally sensitive areas, oxen will never compete in the woods based on volume or efficiency.
Although few teamsters in New England today log commercially with oxen, many continue to work in the lumber industry. Most use contemporary methods and machinery on the job and take advantage of being self-employed to take the necessary time off to work with and condition their teams for competition.
Pulling contests in New England occur during the summer and fall. The presence of oxen is a reminder of the early days when teamsters came from the forest in spring with teams well conditioned and “hard.” They challenged friends and neighbors to test the strength of their teams and began New England’s long-standing tradition of ox pulling.
In New England, most logging with oxen was done in the winter, when the farmer and his team had spare time and large loads could be hauled on sleds over snow or ice.
During summer months, a cart or wagon was used to haul firewood or pulpwood that had to be moved any appreciable distance.
Many current New England ox teamsters log part-time, using oxen for small-scale forest thinning operations or to haul their own firewood. Oxen are still commonly used for logging in Latin America and Africa. Although they do offer some advantages over machinery, their slow pace detracts from their ability to compete against modern machinery, where it is available, and even against horses.
Compared to horses and mules, oxen may be slower, but they are less likely to shy from chainsaws, heavy machinery, falling trees, and deep snow or mud. During cooler winter months they compare favorably to horses and mules. In summer their pace will become slower than usual, because of their inability to sweat and thereby to dissipate body heat.
Unlike with horses, the ox teamster leads from the front, a vantage point that offers safety in avoiding the many obstacles such as mud, rocks, stumps, and other logs. The teamster is ahead of anything the team is pulling and therefore has no need to dodge a twisting, rolling log.
In New England, logging is often a 4-H event that creates a fun learning environment while helping train teams and raise funds for other projects.
Hauling small logs, like these at the New Hampshire Farm Museum, makes a good training aid for young steers.
Good woods horses don’t need a driver because they can be directed to take a log to the landing and return to the woodlot for the next log. Oxen can meet the same challenge, but only partway. A well-trained team will readily pull logs out to a landing, but I’ve never seen a team go back into the woods by themselves out of sight of the teamster.
Animals as young as six months old may be used in the woods, but for only a few hours at a time hauling small-diameter 8- to 12-foot poles for firewood. Yearlings may be expected to work most of an eight-hour day provided they get appropriate breaks and plenty of feed and water. A more mature team may be expected to work a full eight- to ten-hour day once they are used to the work.
Most New England ox teamsters use cattle in the woods to haul firewood to heat their homes.
When logging with oxen, first ascertain that the woodlot is appropriate for animals. The layout and lengths of the skid roads are critical. Steep, rocky slopes are challenging, and wet swampy ground should be avoided unless it is frozen. Mud dirties the logs and quickly tires the animals.
Slight downhill skids of only a few hundred feet are best, especially if you are skidding individual logs. Longer skids or uphill skids will wear out an animal faster, particularly if the weather is warm or the ox is worked only occasionally.
Keep each animal’s condition in mind. Nothing is more discouraging to a team of oxen than being pushed beyond their psychological or physical limits. Be careful not to overwork a team that is unaccustomed to the activity.
Logging in snow is a good way to teach a team to drive from behind, as they are not eager to leave the packed trail and enter deep snow. Logging on dry ground is difficult work, especially for a young team. On long hauls the team will benefit from frequent rests.
The basic requirements for working in the woods are a yoke, a team willing to work, and a chain about 12 to 15 feet long, with a slip hook on one end and a grab hook on the other. The end of the chain with the slip hook is wrapped around the log or logs and the grab hook is used to attach the other end of the chain to the yoke, allowing adjustments for length. Many teamsters cover part of the chain with plastic pipe or hose to protect their animals’ legs from chafing when they must turn a corner with a log.
Ground skidding with a chain works best for twitching logs short distances. The most common scenario is to pull the logs to a common area, or landing, where they are loaded onto a wagon or truck. Minimizing the distance the logs must be twitched on the ground keeps them cleaner and is easier on the animals.
A few precautions must be taken when twitching logs. Logging was historically done in winter to make twitching and hauling easier for the animals. During warm weather the forest floor has exposed roots, rocks, or stumps the team might get hung up on. A log that catches on an obstacle will slow the oxen or even stop them in their tracks. If the team has not learned how to move from side to side to free the load and instead they continue trying to pull, they may break the yoke or chain.
Using a chain to skid logs along the ground has its limitations, especially if you have a long distance to travel or the trail or woodlot is particularly rough. Be aware that some sawmills won’t accept lumber that has been skidded through dirt because of the chance of damage to saw blades.
When ground skidding is inappropriate, a few techniques may be employed using implements that require a greater investment in equipment and larger skid roads. Since initially approaching and hitching these implements to one or more felled logs may be difficult, they are usually used in conjunction with ground skidding.
In winter a bobsled may be used to raise the front end of the logs to prevent hang-ups. A bobsled is similar to a logging lizard but is used for more than one log. It is designed only to lift the ends of the logs, and not to carry logs piled on it.
Alternatively, a scoot lets you carry the logs or firewood completely off the ground. A scoot is like a bobsled, but larger, usually 6 to 10 feet long, and is used for hauling small logs such as cordwood or pulpwood cut to 4-foot lengths.
Another option is to use a small sled, a logging lizard or go-devil on which to rest the end of the log and prevent it from digging into the ground or getting caught on roots, rocks, or stumps. Since the end of the log does not dig into the ground, friction is reduced (along with the amount of work the team has to do) and the log is kept cleaner. When using the logging lizard it is important to check the skid path. If obstacles are unavoidable, try beveling the end of the log so it will to bounce off or ride over obstacles.
A logging lizard fashioned from the natural crotch of a tree. This style of logging lizard is also called a go-devil.
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Using a bobsled or scoot over frozen ground or a well-packed trail works well if your oxen are shod. If the animals are not shod, working them in winter may be challenging because their cloven hooves offer little traction on a packed and frozen trail.
Be especially careful when going downhill. Make sure the bobsled or scoot has a pole so the load doesn’t creep up on the animals and overrun them. The team should also be accustomed or trained to holding back a load. Oxen that are not equipped with a breeching must learn to use their heads and horns to hold back a load.
The New England logging scoot, usually outfitted with a pole to increase control on hilly terrain, works well for hauling small logs and firewood in snow.
Metal-strap pockets along the sides hold side posts to help control the load.
At the landing the side posts are removed and the logs are rolled onto a pile, to be sawn or picked up by a log truck.
Many teamsters in the United States historically used carts with large wooden wheels to straddle the log and lift one or both ends into the air, making the moving of logs over great distances or soft ground much easier. In warm weather or southern climates today, wheeled forecarts are used to raise the front of the log off the ground.
Some forecarts use a small winch to raise the log. Others have an axle that drops when the cart is backed up and rises when the cart is pulled forward, raising the front end of the log. This system requires hitching close to the cart.
In warmer months, a wagon or cart may be used to haul firewood out of a woodlot. A simple but rugged cart may be welded together from a truck axle. It should be strong enough to withstand hitting an occasional tree, rock, or stump without falling apart. Such a cart may easily be designed to hold one-third to one cord of wood in 4-foot lengths.
Make sure the load is well balanced. Too much weight in the front will quickly tire your oxen. Too much weight on the back may lift the yoke off their necks. Depending on the unevenness of the trail, you may need a chain and binder to hold the load in place.
A kind of arch commonly called big wheels, timber wheels, or logging wheels was once used In flat regions.
Using a small logging arch, this Milking Shorthorn team easily handles this small maneuverable logging aid.
Logging with oxen requires creativity if you wish to generate enough income to cover the cost of your time, equipment, and animal upkeep. Many ways have been devised to charge for the animals’ services. An option for small or difficult woodlots is to charge by the hour. Other options include being paid by the day, by the load, or by the amount of lumber or firewood hauled out.
Cleaning up a woodlot that was harvested with machines can generate income with less work. Hauling out hardwood treetops, usually left after the logs are taken, can generate considerable income from firewood without the need to fell trees. Such wood can often be taken for free by arrangement with landowners who want their lots and trails cleaned up. Selling the firewood at the landing will minimize your labor requirement.
Brandt Ainsworth can’t remember exactly when he began logging, because he started as a boy, helping his dad in the woods in western New York near his hometown of Franklinville.
He did start logging professionally on his own in 1995, using horses, and began using oxen in 1999. “I watched the ox show and pull at the Warren County Fair in Pennsylvania, and met Howard VanOrd, and then I guess I got the fever to have a pair of oxen.”
I first met Brandt at Tillers International in 2002. In 2006, he helped Tim Huppe and me with a workshop on logging with oxen and was a wonderful asset to the program.
Brandt has written articles and produced, with Rural Heritage, one of the best videos on logging with draft animals that can be found. His first pair of oxen, featured in the video, were Limousin-Holstein crosses.
“They were a mistake,” Brandt says, “as a beef bull got into a neighbor’s pasture with some Holstein heifers, and my first team started with an investment of $60.”
When the team, named Timber and Jack, were about six months old, Brandt took them into the woods because they fit nicely in the truck with his horses. “I realized they could pull small logs, and they started going with me daily after that. They couldn’t really work hard until they were about 18 months old, and by two years old, they could finally pull some good-sized logs.”
Comparing horses to oxen in the woods, Brandt admits he has been more of a horse person his whole life; he guesses he has had 50 horses, most of them bred on his family farm. He has pulled, shown, and logged with horses.
“Different situations work better for each animal,” he says. “Horses are quicker and they are a lot better on a long skid, especially if I use a logging cart. However, for short hauls and ground work, the oxen have some advantages. With horses hitched to a log on the ground, you have to work behind the animals, near the log, which is dangerous. You also need more equipment for horses and have more breakdowns.
“The advantages are oxen have is the simplicity of the equipment, fast hooking and unhooking, and ease of handling, especially through tough spots. The oxen can pretty much go anywhere I can walk.” Brandt had only one breakdown with oxen, when he hitched the team to a large log high on a bank above the skid road. When the oxen pushed into the yoke, the bow snapped, because the line of draft was too high. Even a good team can have a bad day.”
Brandt sets training goals for his teams and work toward those goals. He finds the more real work he has for the team, the better they get. He not only logs with his oxen, but has also taken them in parades, farm field days, fairs, and even pulling contests. “Be persistent and stick with it, he says.
In terms of making money logging with draft horses or oxen, Brandt, a very careful and methodical logger, offers this advice. “You need to constantly improve your logging skills, especially in terms of buying timber and marketing logs, if you want to make money. Don’t worry about production: you seem to get more out, and do a better job, if you work a good day and do not set goals and rush to get, say, 60 logs in a day.”
Another advantage Brandt sees with oxen is that he would not regularly work a pair of horses in the woods if they were not shod. In contrast, he never shod his oxen once in the four years he worked them regularly in the woods, finding that their feet really “hold up better than the horses.”
Brandt recalls, “I had Timber and Jack for five years, and they did farming and logging almost daily.” Having trained four other teams, he admits, “If I was only doing firewood or logging part-time I would prefer steers. A team of oxen are cheaper to keep, and I really enjoy oxen.”
I grew up logging with oxen. In high school I made a lot of money logging on weekends and during vacations, and the time I spent in the woodlot with my team seemed to whiz by. More recently I have used oxen to harvest firewood and building timbers from the woodlot behind my farm. I have enjoyed few activities in my life more than working with a team in the woods.