# "Double" travois



## sanhestar (Dec 10, 2008)

ok, although I can't post a video, I'll try to explain this idea I had.

I was thinking about how I could get a larger quantity of fir branches per walk back to the goats by using a travois. When taking only one goat, the quantity of branches needed for all goats and to last for more than a day is too heavy a load for one travois. Taking two goats with travois is a bit of a challange because if both walk side by side they are quite "wide" because of the V Shape of the travois. Entangling seemed a very high possibility to me.

Remembering the 3 shaft version to hook 2 goats to a cart I though about modifying that with two travois:

The travois not mounted with a cross but both poles running along the sides of the goat. I although though about latching the two middle poles together to simulate a middle pole but decided against it.

Lashing the two travois together with the bottom poles didn't work very well, too, so I reduced all "lashing together" to the two goats that were wearing their usual belt to keep them at a fixed distance from each other.

This is what it should look like in theorie:



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in reality it was wobbly and kind of crooked at the bottom poles which shifted under the load.

We made it home well enough but for a long term use this needs serious improvements.


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## feederseaters (Nov 8, 2009)

sanhestar said:


> in reality it was wobbly and kind of crooked at the bottom poles which shifted under the load.
> 
> We made it home well enough but for a long term use this needs serious improvements.


Sanhestar,
I just made a nice Travois this weekend for one of my goats (like the one you have in your video). I erronously made the V too narrow because the main poles were sitting right along his hips. Not so great. So I opened the apex up and inserted a lateral pole so that the main rails would fit more like a cart than a travois but I had the same problem (wobbly and shifted under the load). I ended up giving up for the evening, but my husband suggested that I add bracing between the catch pole (where the Apex used to be) and the long shaft.

I was wondering if you have been able to improve on the double goat travois? I'll try the bracing my hubby suggested, but will have to report back with the results.


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## sanhestar (Dec 10, 2008)

Hello,

no I haven't used the double travois during the summer - no need for it. And not sure if I will use it this winter, have to think about it.

But with Oliver still on the mend from his surgeries, I'll take it slow to start him working again, if ever. If not, I'll have to train another goat to pull.


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