Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Draft Horses Are Helping Upgrade Cell Towers In Wisconsin (npr.org)

Posted by msmash on from the interesting-developments dept.

Companies that provide cell phone service are constantly racing to provide the most reliable signal. In Wisconsin, one of the providers has turned to a surprising option to get the job done: draft horses. From a report on NPR: The horses are helping U.S. Cellular upgrade equipment on about 200 cell towers in Wisconsin, some of which are served by hard-to-navigate access roads. "We call them roads. They're more of a path," says Brandi Vandenberg, the company's regional planning manager for engineering. "So when you don't have a firm structure to travel on, any type of inclement weather can make it a challenge." Wisconsin's deep snow and heavy rains can make the access roads all but impassable for trucks. Vandenberg says with construction planned at so many tower sites, the company has a tight timetable for delivering equipment and scheduling technicians to install it. Jason Agathen, a driver for CH Coakley, the logistics company hired to coordinate the tower upgrades, knows how tricky the access roads can be. Agathen has delivered thousands of pounds of electronics gear to the cell tower sites. One trip, he says, involved snow so deep it blew the transmission on an ATV. So the company hired farmer Jason Julian of Medford, Wisc., and his draft horses to keep the tower upgrades on track.

61 of 96 comments (clear)

  1. What's a draft horse? by cayenne8 · · Score: 2
    I've heard of a horse....

    But what is a "draft" horse?

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    1. Re:What's a draft horse? by Snard · · Score: 5, Funny

      It's the status of the horse until it is approved, at which time it becomes a final horse.

      --
      - Mike
    2. Re:What's a draft horse? by avandesande · · Score: 3, Informative
      RTFA will set you free-

      Julian uses draft horses to do much of the work on his organic dairy farm and for a horse logging business during the winter. His Belgian Brabant are the type of working horses that were common on Wisconsin farms before motor vehicles took over much of their work.
      "They're short-backed, heavily muscled. They're easy keepers, very calm-minded, very easy horses to be around. Very easy horses to train," he says.

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
    3. Re:What's a draft horse? by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      RTFA will set you free-

      Read the article? You must be new here...

      ;)

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    4. Re:What's a draft horse? by will_die · · Score: 3, Informative

      They are large horses used for work, primary farm, hauling, etc. the most common example are clydesdales.

    5. Re:What's a draft horse? by hey! · · Score: 5, Interesting

      The following terms are all etymologically related:

      Draftsman -- someone who illustrates.

      Draft horse -- a plow horse.

      Draft beer -- beer on tap.

      These all descend from the the Old English dræht, meaning to pull or drag. A draftsman drags a pen across the page. A draft horse pulls a plow. You draw a pint from the tap.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    6. Re:What's a draft horse? by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 1

      But what is a "draft" horse?

      Straight up? Or on the rocks?

      And the horses on my ranch are just plain daft, and what is on third base, and on any horse at all.

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    7. Re:What's a draft horse? by Woldscum · · Score: 1

      Look at a Budweiser TV commercial. The Clydesdale is a breed of draft horse. Bread for pulling things.

    8. Re:What's a draft horse? by Deadstick · · Score: 2

      That's one that didn't want to join the Army but had to.

    9. Re:What's a draft horse? by rickb928 · · Score: 1

      Why do people post these responses just to prove they didn't know something? Something they could have, with a moment on Google, found for themselves?

      Is it to try and demonstrate the item being referenced was somehow intentionally obtuse? It was not.

      God forbid TFA referred to them as 'draught horses'.

      --
      deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
    10. Re:What's a draft horse? by rickb928 · · Score: 1

      Trained draft horses do not require whipping. In fact, a competent trainer would never need to resort to whips. Draft horses are bred to pull loads, they know what to do, and require minimal effort to direct them. And getting them home is even easier...

      --
      deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
    11. Re:What's a draft horse? by chuckugly · · Score: 1

      It's a horse that's bred and trained to pull a load rather than be ridden with a saddle.

    12. Re:What's a draft horse? by rickb928 · · Score: 1

      Maybe not. But the jockey is the smart component required. The horse provides effort and desire, each equally necessary. Skill is not a word that describes the horse's contribution to a drafting strategy.

      --
      deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
    13. Re:What's a draft horse? by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 2

      Draft horses are bred to pull loads, they know what to do, and require minimal effort to direct them.

      Another advantage of draft horses over tractors is that they reproduce. So by the time one wears out, the next generation is ready to go.

      And getting them home is even easier...

      Yup. Horses have built-in GPS. At the end of the working day, you can harness up the team, shake the reins, and then go to sleep in the bed of the wagon. The horses know the way home.

    14. Re:What's a draft horse? by DarkOx · · Score: 2

      Right, my experience with log pullers and the like is they have such a strong instinct/training that as soon as they feel a load they tend to want to pull, often before you are ready.

      --
      Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
    15. Re:What's a draft horse? by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 1

      Another advantage of draft horses over tractors is that they reproduce. So by the time one wears out, the next generation is ready to go.

      This defect will be fixed very soon. Once the farmers accept you cant repair you own tractors, they can be easily persuaded that the next generation of horses do not belong to them, but to the franchisee breeder who licensed the animal to them. Getting horses pregnant could be a violation of the EULA.

      --
      sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    16. Re:What's a draft horse? by mjwx · · Score: 1

      I've heard of a horse....

      But what is a "draft" horse?

      When you're at the pub, if you don't want a bottled horse you order a draft horse.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    17. Re:What's a draft horse? by mjwx · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Draft beer -- beer on tap.

      These all descend from the the Old English dræht, meaning to pull or drag. A draftsman drags a pen across the page. A draft horse pulls a plow. You draw a pint from the tap.

      Sorry, but I have to be pedantic, in correct English (En-GB), it's spelled draught beer.

      Your entomology is mostly correct, the draught part comes from an old English word meaning pull, this refers to the way a keg beer is poured by pumping the handle in long pulls as its a mechanical pump rather than an electric one as seen in modern pubs. English pubs still carry the traditional draught taps for serving real ale.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    18. Re:What's a draft horse? by Shatrat · · Score: 1

      Sorry, but I have to be pedantic. In correct English (En-USA), it's spelled etymology. Also beer is not dispensed with electricity. It's dispensed with pressurized CO2, with the exception of Beer Engines which are pumps and getting rare even in the UK from my understanding.

      --
      09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    19. Re:What's a draft horse? by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      Lager should really be pressurised with nitrogen rather than carbon dioxide.

      Being that CO2 is the natural byproduct, and can (if allowed) will naturally carbonate beer....why would you want to use nitrogen to dispense it rather than CO2?

      The only beer I know of that uses nitrogen regularly to dispense is Guinness....which I believe is an ale, not a lager (different yeast used for each is the distinction).

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    20. Re:What's a draft horse? by cmdr_klarg · · Score: 1

      I've heard of a horse....

      But what is a "draft" horse?

      The original All Terrain Vehicle.

      --
      THE SOFTWARE, IT NO WORKY!!!
    21. Re:What's a draft horse? by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

      Draft beer 3rd??? it's Wisconsin

    22. Re:What's a draft horse? by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 1

      I've heard of a horse....

      But what is a "draft" horse?

      It's what came before "bottled horse" was invented.

      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    23. Re:What's a draft horse? by swb · · Score: 1

      one of our many fine Chavs will be happy to instruct you on how to drink a real ale which will be available at almost any drinking establishment.

      I thought Chavs all drank Carlsberg Special, which I couldn't find at any of the pubs I went to. I had to buy in a shop.

    24. Re:What's a draft horse? by Areyoukiddingme · · Score: 1

      Right, my experience with log pullers and the like is they have such a strong instinct/training that as soon as they feel a load they tend to want to pull, often before you are ready.

      I think it's fair to call it instinct at this point. Belgian Brabants have been selectively bred to pull for 1000 years. At this point the desire to pull is built into their brain pathways. A Brabant who isn't born wanting to pull is basically a sport.

    25. Re:What's a draft horse? by Nchantim · · Score: 1

      Your entomology is mostly correct, the draught part comes from an old English word meaning pull, this refers to the way a keg beer is poured by pumping the handle in long pulls as its a mechanical pump rather than an electric one as seen in modern pubs. English pubs still carry the traditional draught taps for serving real ale.

      Olig. https://www.xkcd.com/1012/

    26. Re:What's a draft horse? by hey! · · Score: 1

      Sorry to be pedantic in return, but you aren't talking about "correct English", but rather English orthography, which assumed roughly its current form when the English court switched from Norman French to English (with a brief detour into German). That was before a number of major pronunciation changes, among other things before the Great Vowel Shift (1400 AD - 1600 AD). American orthography was subsequently reformed (partially) to reflect Modern English pronunciation, but Britain retained the pointlessly archaic phonetic spellings from a time when English sounded a lot more like Dutch or Frisian. In any case, orthography is merely an arbitrary convention for representing language, the most "correct" spelling in any objective sense would have to be the one that represent pronunciation most accurately. It could be argued that ignorant phonetic attempts to spell words produce more "correct" results than standardized orthography.

      Now as to which dialect is more correct, we have to ask correct relative to what? Shall we say the English of Shakespeare's day? Sadly, I must inform you that Midwestern American English is closer, at least in terms of pronunciation, to what would have been spoken London in Shakespeare's day. Elizabethan English sounds like a cross between Midwestern American English and Ulster English. Many Americanisms are actually archaisms, for example our use of "fall" for the season which is from the early modern English "fall o' the leaf"; "autumn" is a French loanword.

      If you read English commentators on language of the late 18th and early 19th Century, they decry the the slovenly pronunciation of the young toffs, which subsequently became Received Pronunciation and filtered down to the masses. Thus you pronounce "secretary" as "sec-ruh-tree", whereas Americans retain the all four syllables. On the other hand English commentators of the period also remarked on the "correctness" (e.g. conformity to early 18th C standards) of American speech, even among the uneducated classes.

      I will however concede to the UK, however, on the matter of beer.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    27. Re:What's a draft horse? by sysrammer · · Score: 1

      Nice troll. I mean that in a good way. You got mostly considerate or considered responses.

      Kumbaya, y'all

      --
      His ignorance covered the whole earth like a blanket, and there was hardly a hole in it anywhere. - Mark Twain
    28. Re:What's a draft horse? by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Some beers are drafted with mixed gas, CO2 and nitrogene.
      Some with nitrogen only.
      Thouse beers are called Souts or Ale, not Lager. Most prominent example is Guiness.

      Sorry, I'm german. What we love more than beer is correcting internet noobs :)

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    29. Re:What's a draft horse? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      The only beer I know of that uses nitrogen regularly to dispense is Guinness.

      Here's another one to add to your list: Old Rasputin.

      It is now fairly commonplace to find stouts and porters on nitro. I also had a white IPA on nitro recently which was interesting, but I wouldn't pay extra for it.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    30. Re:What's a draft horse? by Areyoukiddingme · · Score: 1

      They are large horses used for work, primary farm, hauling, etc. the most common example are clydesdales.

      Clydesdales may be the most common example, but the most common breed is the Belgian Brabant. As it happens, that's the breed being used for the work in Wisconsin. Clydesdales are the second most common.

    31. Re:What's a draft horse? by sysrammer · · Score: 1

      "God forbid TFA referred to them as 'draught horses'."

      Er, do you mean a period of below-average horses in a given region, resulting in prolonged shortages in its horse supply? /jk

      Yah, my first thought was "what, you can't select:right-click:search google"? Then I quickly figured he was trollin' just to be a smart-ass, so, whatever.

      But take a look at some of the responses! If one has at least a casual interest in Languages, some of the responses are quite entertaining/educational.

      So, I give it a pass.

      --
      His ignorance covered the whole earth like a blanket, and there was hardly a hole in it anywhere. - Mark Twain
    32. Re:What's a draft horse? by sysrammer · · Score: 1

      Good post, it caused me to go down the rat-hole of linquistics for a bit. I checked out the GVS because I've always been a little fascinated with the arcane spellings/pronunciations of English. The google article on GVS was informative on the how but not on the why.

      On another tangent, I would imagine that the invention vocal recordings from the late 1800's on have dramatically slowed pronunciation shifts.

      --
      His ignorance covered the whole earth like a blanket, and there was hardly a hole in it anywhere. - Mark Twain
    33. Re:What's a draft horse? by sysrammer · · Score: 1

      I say, only the best bread for the horses bred to bring our beer!

      --
      His ignorance covered the whole earth like a blanket, and there was hardly a hole in it anywhere. - Mark Twain
    34. Re:What's a draft horse? by fuzzywig · · Score: 1
      "Beer Engines which are pumps and getting rare even in the UK from my understanding"

      Fortunately you've been misinformed, most pubs have at least one or two ales on tap*, and new beer engines are manufactured and sold.
      * A choice of beer, a lager or a cider is the bare minimum for a self respecting pub

  2. Sometimes technology can't deliver by Coisiche · · Score: 1

    An old low-tech solution works best in some situations.

    Just don't tell that to anyone who works in government or military procurement.

    1. Re:Sometimes technology can't deliver by turkeydance · · Score: 2

      the US military uses pack animals in Afghanistan. mules, horses, etc.

    2. Re:Sometimes technology can't deliver by myrdos2 · · Score: 1

      I wonder... I doubt horses would be any better than a Bombardier. Seems like more of a PR stunt to me.

    3. Re:Sometimes technology can't deliver by Falos · · Score: 1

      If I wanted to be pedantic about "best", a blank check could get you [better] ATVs, helicopters, jetpacks, whatever.

      But no, this seems like a fine response. Especially if they're reasonable and not assholes about >tight timetable never mind.

    4. Re:Sometimes technology can't deliver by PopeRatzo · · Score: 2

      An old low-tech solution works best in some situations.

      Don't kid yourself. They're using draft horses because draft horses won't unionize.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    5. Re:Sometimes technology can't deliver by Higaran · · Score: 1

      It probably comes down to the cost factor, the horse guy is a contractor, and the company doing the upgrades is probably a contractor as well. No one cares about how the freight gets there, and no one wants to buy expensive equipment that they need for only a few jobs. Realistically, they would need to drive this thing on a trailer behind the delivery truck to all the jobs to get the freight to the site. Once the jobs are over then they'd be stuck with a machine that they'd probably never use again, so it' just easier to pay this farmer a couple of hundred per job at the most to move his stuff.

    6. Re:Sometimes technology can't deliver by rickb928 · · Score: 1

      Not only are there few Bombardiers that could haul a ton up a mountain in deep snow, but all the other equipment is expensive, somewhat reliable, and uncertain to succeed. These horses are an excellent choice, and could even avoid unnecessary damage to the paths.

      They are the right technology, applied correctly. Good job.

      --
      deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
    7. Re:Sometimes technology can't deliver by DarkOx · · Score: 1

      Good luck getting that machine through a narrow notch or between to large trees. There still are things horses can probably do better than anything besides maybe the most advanced special purpose build robots.

      --
      Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
  3. Without a horse work permit? by Kohath · · Score: 1, Insightful

    They didn't need a special horse permit? No special government worksite inspections? No mandatory ASPCA representation on site to prevent abuse? No need to submit a permit change or get government waivers? Didn't the farmer have to get a specific number of hours of training, pass a certification test, and join the union?

    Are you sure it wasn't Somalia? The lack of regulation is horrific.

    That kind of problem solving would never be allowed in a blue state.

    1. Re:Without a horse work permit? by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      They didn't need a special horse permit? No special government worksite inspections? No mandatory ASPCA representation on site to prevent abuse? No need to submit a permit change or get government waivers? Didn't the farmer have to get a specific number of hours of training, pass a certification test, and join the union?

      Indeed, this looks troubling, but have no fear....

      "Hello, I'm from the government, and I'm here to help you!!"

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    2. Re:Without a horse work permit? by CWCheese · · Score: 1

      did they not get a climate change permit from EPA to allow the horses to break wind whilst pulling the loads?

      --
      Have a Day!
    3. Re:Without a horse work permit? by rickb928 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      There are few reasons for a farmer who relies on his draft horses to abuse them. While non-union workers are plentiful in many cases, good horses may not be.

      They need fewer regulations than you might think.

      --
      deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
    4. Re:Without a horse work permit? by rickb928 · · Score: 1

      "Ok, grab that scoop over there. You may want to change your shoes..."

      --
      deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
    5. Re:Without a horse work permit? by hackel · · Score: 1

      Your deplorableness is leaking.

  4. They watch movies... by freeze128 · · Score: 1

    I have heard of the famous Alamo Draft Horse...

  5. Who's surprised by this? by TWX · · Score: 2

    When I was an adolescent we had ATVs to ride, and it was common to ride the rural powerline maintenance "roads". These were little more than two-track ruts that followed the path that the power lines took, and for those few times we saw maintenance trucks out there, they were always 4x4 or 6x6 and specially built for the application.

    Even the municipal radio towers for city services used 4x4s, they had an older '90 or so Dodge Ramcharger that had upgraded transfer case and differentials for climbing to the top of the various buttes and mountains to allow a technician to service the radio equipment. A friend of mine ended up buying it after they surplused it, makes for a nice offroad rig.

    It's no surprise that in even worse terrain they'd resort to animals, as lacking drive wheels the animals can cross terrain that would thwart wheeled or tracked vehicles without entirely destroying it in the process. So long as they don't need heavy equipment for what they're doing then it's probably cheap. I expect even helicopters would cost more.

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    1. Re:Who's surprised by this? by OhPlz · · Score: 1

      Sounds similar to companies using goats to clear overgrowth. The power companies do that occasionally for areas that are too difficult to clear by machine.

    2. Re:Who's surprised by this? by rickb928 · · Score: 1

      What is used too often to clear land mines would make you weep.

      --
      deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
    3. Re:Who's surprised by this? by TWX · · Score: 1

      You mean Africans who've spent 20 years clearing their own countries of landmines, such that they're experts and are now contractors sent to places like the Falkland Islands to clear Argentine landmines?

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  6. Horses can be pretty useful by Gilgaron · · Score: 1

    As I recall, a shortage of draft horses due to casualties caused many problems with German logistics in WWII

  7. Jason by tquasar · · Score: 1

    So he doesn't know how to operate an ATV, don't blame your fail on the equipment.

  8. Re:Tracked vehicles by CWCheese · · Score: 1

    Draft Horses == Organic AT-ATs

    --
    Have a Day!
  9. Re:Tracked vehicles by TheDarkMaster · · Score: 1

    We requisited some AT-ATs, but the accounting department screamed on us for hours about the cost. Damn guy...

    --
    Religion: The greatest weapon of mass destruction of all time
  10. Re:Snowmobiles. Snowcats. by EvilSS · · Score: 1

    Cell tower installers have never heard of snowmobiles?

    I was going to ask this as well. In central and northern Wisconsin snow mobiles are pretty common.

    --
    I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
  11. Old News(?) by bbsguru · · Score: 1
    Back in the distant "pre internet" history, my company was hired to erect a 50' radio repeater tower on
    a national forest-surrounded peak near June Lake California.
    All of the parts, including concrete mix and the water to make it with, was carried to the
    site on a pack train. 6 mules, 3 horses, and about 20 trips altogether.

    Ah, the good old days :-)

  12. Belgians, No Less! by jsrjsr · · Score: 1

    Can't even use good, American horses to do this. What's that? American horses won't do this job? I bet they're willing to try! No need for H1B horses to take jobs away from American horses!