THE PERGHERON REVIEW 
Figure 3A. Side View Sliowing Only Off Horses in a Four- 
Horse Team, to Show "Tying in and Bucking Bacl<" 
mous in affirming that for hard work, such as plowing, 
the tugs should make right angles with the shoulders of 
the horse. Thus it is evident that in order to overcome 
the difficulty, attention must be given to the angle of 
trace, rather than to the distance from the load. The 
angle of trace can be improved in tandem hitches by 
placing weights behind each team except the wheelers. 
In the hitch illustrated in Figure 1, weights of 50 pounds 
each were placed behind the lead team and the second 
swing team with entire satisfactory results. Field trials 
with these weights gave unmistakable evidence that the 
horses worked more freely and sweat less than when the 
weights were not used, and that the draft of the plow 
was not increased. 
In order to drive horses hitched as described above 
the method of "tying-in and bucking-back" must be 
used. This system of driving has been successfully used 
by farmers of the Pacific Coast for a number of years 
and was described in a letter written by Professor E. L. 
Potter of the Oregon Agricultural College. The lead 
team is the only one on which lines are used. The fur- 
row horse from each of the remaining teams is "tied-in" 
to the draw rod with an ordinary lead strap and his 
mate tied to his hame ring. "Bucking-back" is accom- 
plished by fastening each end of a strap 10 feet long to 
the bit rings and extending it back over the top of the 
collar between the hames. A ring rides free on this strap 
to which a single strap is fastened. The other end of this 
strap is attached to a ring on the draw rod. The hitch 
is so designed that when any team pulls forward the 
draw rod is pulled back which tightens the buck strap 
and thus holds the team from going ahead. This system 
of "tying-in and bucking-back" is illustrated in Figure 
3. It is very important that the buck straps be so 
adjusted that the team is checked just before it reaches 
the forward end of the play allowed by the equalizers. 
"When these buck straps have been adjusted to the proper 
length, snaps should be inserted so that the matter of 
hitching-up and unhitching will be facilitated as greatly 
as possible. These buck straps may well be left on the 
harness. Ropes can be used for "bucking-back and 
tying-in" if desired. 
An 8-horse equalizer, Figure 1, is secured by detach- 
ing the front end of the rear draw rod in the 10-horse 
hitch and taking the front units. The 8-horses are 
driven as explained above. This hitch can be used on 
3-bottom 36 inch or 42 inch gang plows, in fact where 
large horses are available it is preferable to the 10-horse 
hitch. 
Figure 5. Four Horses Pulling Two Bottom 28-Inch Gang Plow 
with Gulley Dynamometer Attached. Lead Team 
Shows Faulty Angle of Traces, Which Handicap 
We Subsequently Overcame 
Figure 3. Diagram of "Tying In and Bucking Back" on a 
Horse Team. Leaders Alone Are Driven, Whether 
6, 8 or 10 Horses Are Used. All Pairs Except 
Leaders Controlled This Way 
