How to Make a Donkey Plow

If you like to experiment and have a lot of farm animals, make a donkey plow for your large garden and get the donkey to earn his keep. A simple donkey plow uses the energy of the animal combined with yours to get the garden plowed faster.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 4 metal shafts
• Vise
• Drill with bit to drill metal and one for wood
• Jig saw and blade to cut metal
• Grinding stone or sharpening stone.
• Wood
• Miter box
• Screws
• Screw driver bit for drill
• Measuring tool
• Metal rod
• Wheels that are 12 inches in diameter
• Key pin
• 3/8 inch metal rod
• Handle grips or foam tape

1. Get four long shafts of metal. These shafts create the actual movement of the soil. They need to be 2 inches wide and 9 inches long. Drill two holes in the metal at the top. This is where you attach the blade to the plow. Hold the metal in a vise as you drill. Sandwich it between two pieces of wood to keep it secure.

2. Bend the metal down to form an arch. The arch doesn't need to be a full semicircle. It just needs to be enough to lift the ground as it moves. Use a hammer to pound the metal into the arch shape while you have it in the vise.

3. Use a thick metal cutting jig saw blade made of cobalt steel to cut a point at the end of the metal shafts at the end opposite the holes. Keep the bent metal in the vise as you do this. Sharpen the ends with a grinder or sharpening stone. When you make a donkey plow, the amount of sharpening depends on the condition of the soil.

4. Build a triangle made of wood to make the frame for the donkey plow. Use three 20-inch 2-by-4 inch boards. Use a miter box to cut the angles of the boards. Use screws to connect the three together so the wide ends of the board are up. Put two holes in middle of the board 4 inches from the front to attach the reins of the donkey.

5. Secure a piece of metal rod 3/8 inch in diameter and 26 inches long. Also, get two tires that are 12 inches in diameter. Measure the width of the wheel. Add 1/2 inch to that measurement and subtract that from 3. If the wheel is 1 1/2 inches wide, your number to subtract would be 2 and the difference 1. In this case, drill a hole through the pipe, 1 inch from the edge on each side.

6. Screw on the bent pieces of metal with the point facing to the front. Put three evenly spaced starting 2 inches from the side. With the triangle turned so the metal points are face up, attach a 3/8-inch diameter, 26-inch metal rod to the back of the triangle with screw down clamps. Put the first clamp on the outside edge of both sides and use two more evenly spaced to hold on the rod. Slide a 1/2-inch washer on and put the wheel on to the pipe. Secure it with a key pin through the hole you drilled.

7. Measure out two 3/8-inch pieces of metal rod to the length of 44 inches. Drill a hole 1 inch from the bottom in each one. You need these when you make a donkey plow, to guide the plow. Insert the metal rod into a vise and bend it 8 inches from the opposite end. Attach handle grips to the ends or wrap with foam tape. Screw the rods to the back of the V, one on each side as a guide.

Tips & Warnings

• You may need to add extra washers on the inside before you put on the wheel, to keep the wheel stable. When you make a donkey plow, the wheels need stability.