Shadow Shot Sunday...the trolley...

my hay trolley...

At the very top of the hay loft, a track or rail was suspended. From that track, a metal device with wheels (called a trolley) moved freely from one end of the barn to the other, pulled from the overhang above the door to the back of the barn with a large diameter "hay rope", draw by a team of horses and later a motorized tractor.
A set of four long steel "hooks if you will" were inserted into a clump of loose hay or group of hay bales on a "hayrack" or open wagon. Also attached to a tripping mechanism on the hay hooks was a lighter rope, controlled by the person inserting the hooks. This rope was both used to "trip" and dump the load of hay as well as manually retrieving the hooks, trolley and hay rope.

But like Granny used to say...don't lettum kid ya, the good ol' days weren't so good...as anyone who's worked the hayfields...it's the hottest days of the summer, hard, hard work for little pay, but oh what a workout...who needs a gym, just help out on a farm and feel a part of the history of the family farm...and families working together.

Check out the rest of the shadow shooters over yonder at Harriet's place...it's FUN!