Sunday, January 3, 2010

UPDATE - An Important Tool for the Barn

Do you have one of these? (or something similar)

http://compare.ebay.com/like/370181827102

I should have done this first, but hey... We picked this one up at Lowe's for $15.00. The magnet head is 12 inches long.


While working over Millie's stall yesterday, Mike dropped three large staples. I could only find one. So I had to lock her out until I could go get a magnet to swep her stall.

We bought one at Lowe's, with a telescoping handle, for $15.00. I was very surprised when I used it.

I was able to find both of the staples, plus a smaller one that had been there a while. Then I found several framing nails just outside her stall. When I swept the area where the horses get their feet trimmed, I found a surprising about of horse shoe nails, clippings, and filings. My farrier is usually very conscious about the ends that he clips off, so the number of clippings I found was surprising.

If you don't already have one, I could recommend getting a magnet. It'll save your tires, and your horses' feet!

3 comments:

luvredponies said...

One of the first things we purchased after we bought our old farm was a big magnet. I am shocked and amazed at the things I pick up with it. There are areas I have drug the magnet over dozens of times, and yet, when I take it out, I will find more stuff. Our place was used to farm wheat and raise cattle and sheep for about 150 years before we bought it and there is just so much stuff that has been dropped and forgotten over the years. I would really like to get a BIG magnet that I can hang under the tractor to make it easier to clean up the big fields.

I agree with you 100% that a magnet is a tool no farm or horse owner should be without!

Katharine Swan said...

Great suggestion, Karen, and one I'm sure many people don't think of until they need it!

Anonymous said...

I have been wanting and looking for a BIG industrial type magnet for a looong time...just can't find a BIG one. I know they make them because when I worked in an industrial setting the comapny had one...When we had our kitchen roof torn off and redone, I spent hours picking nails up...I know there are still alot more out in our yard and I'm constantly finding more on our flat rubber roof beside the kitchen roof...which makes me angry cuz you don't want nails on a rubber roof! GGRRR...I also spent an hour trying to find a screw I lost in a stall one time. Sifting through shavings is not fun.