How To Set Up A Cowtrac

December 1, 2022 | Showing , Ranching , Ranching | RHC Cut , Ranching , Ranching , Training , Ranching , Ranching , Working moo-cow horse , Working ranch horse , Showing , Reined cow horse , Cutting

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A flag is a necessary item for training a moo-cow horse.

The all-time selection is to buy a professional flag, but sometimes their price tag can be a problem. A quality flag starts effectually $1,500 and, while it is worth every penny – and much more economical than keeping practice cattle, sometimes "it isn't in the upkeep" is a terminal respond.

Some other option is to ready up a flag with a person-powered stationary bike. This is much more economical and nifty exercise for the guy riding the cycle, simply sometimes it is difficult to find someone to ride the bike at the same time y'all want to practice.

The late AQHA exhibitor Charles Padilla of Santa Fe, New Mexico, shared the plans for his homemade mechanical flag, which is something that any handy person can "MacGyver" together for less than $200.

All of the textile tin can exist purchased at your local home improvement store or via common online retailers. In one case the materials are gathered, it is a weekend project to put together.

However, this requires a few notes before y'all commencement.

First, if you lot are not comfortable working with electricity, this project is not for you; safety is imperative!

Second, another mutual phrase – "you lot go what yous pay for" – is also in play hither. This flag is very functional and certainly meliorate than nothing, merely it is not quite as versatile or powerful every bit a professional mechanical flag.

Basically you volition build the mechanical part of the flag inside a 16-inch toolbox. A 12-volt battery powers a reverse-polarity controller, which is attached to a 600-RPM high-torque motor, all wired together in series. This will power the cord (and thus the flag) dorsum and along. The battery can be unscrewed and replaced as needed.

What Yous'll Need to Make a Homemade Mechanical Flag

You'll need basic tools – screwdriver, hammer, pliers, drill, saw and a pocket knife.

Shopping List:

12-volt lantern battery
10 ft. scroll of galvanized hanger iron
16 gauge electrical wire
Wire splice connectors
Opposite-polarity controller with remote
three inch hose clamp
12-volt 600-RPM high-torque electric geared motor
Flake wood and fasteners
Two 3-inch pulleys
16-inch plastic toolbox
325 feet of polypropylene mason string
Fabric flake and safety pins to apply equally a flag

OPTIONAL TO BUILD MOBILE STANDARDS

One 80 lb. bag concrete
T-post (cutting in one-half and capped for safe)
Two plastic buckets
Strapping or wire

Building the Mechanical Flag

The majority of the flag mechanism is housed inside a toolbox, which also has convenient pocket-size pockets in the lid for storage of things like the remote, string and flag when non in use.

Cut a hole in the bottom of the toolbox, and place the motor and then that motor shaft sticks through the hole.

Secure the motor using fleck forest, screws and hose clamp. Secure the pulley to the motor by pinning information technology to the motor shaft.

Secure the controller to the toolbox. Wire the controller to the motor.

Secure the battery using hanger iron and screws. Then wire the battery to the reverse-polarity controller, which in turn connects to the motor. Equally a prophylactic measure, disconnect the bombardment when you're not using the flag.

It is important that the controller is reverse polarity so that it goes back and forth. If you purchase the right one, it volition come up with its ain remote command so y'all don't have to programme the remote control to operate the controller. You might as well consider adding a wrist hanger to the remote so you don't drib it while you're riding.

The 600 rpm motor is powerful enough for a ho-hum trot when working – if you want information technology faster, you lot'll demand a bigger motor and modified pulleys.

Side by side, you need standards – the stationary posts between which the flag moves. You might already take something in your arena like a wall or portable panels, but if non, T-posts, set in concrete in a plastic buckets, will piece of work as a mobile setup. Brand sure the height of the T-posts take caps for safety purposes. The off-side pulley is wired to the standard.

Then, it's a simple matter of hooking upwardly the toolbox, looping the string through the pulleys and adding the flag. Make up one's mind how big you want your flag setup to exist – usually 50-80 anxiety is enough.

Create or install your standards. Install the toolbox housing and the far side pulley, add the string in both pulleys and add together the flag.

Then you lot're ready to get to work.