So you're outfitting the hands on a ranch ...

[NirreBosse]

I grew up on a farm and now own it as a "Moonshinefarmer". I still work with fences every year for the sheep I take care of over summer for keeping the fields open. Nowadays its easy with electric fenses. Based upon my experiense I was thinking of saying a Hultafors carbon carpenters knife but reading here about horses and fixedblade disharmony I changed my mind. If I was to equip horseusing ranchhands with a folding knife it would be the Vik electician knife for its 2 blades, one of them a shepfootlike blade, an awl, at least for me a important tool working in the farm and a screwdriver sturdy enough to pry with.

Bosse

 

[338375]

In case you're wondering, we've got many cowboys here in Northern CA as well as some pretty good sized ranches along with a lot of cows. CA isn't all sun and beaches.

I've seen the commercials. California has Happy Cows

 

[mnblade]

Well, if a rancher/farmer couldn't afford a less than $100.00 knife for their hands such as this one, they're not going to be in the business long.

I agree. But even if I could afford to buy my hands a GEC, I think I'd still opt for a cheaper Buck or yella CV Case or Victorinox that would get the job done just as well for less than half the price. I.E. why buy your crew a Cadillac for work, when a Ford will do the job?

If I was to equip horseusing ranchhands with a folding knife it would be the Vik electician knife for its 2 blades, one of them a shepfootlike blade, an awl, at least for me a important tool working in the farm and a screwdriver sturdy enough to pry with.

I was thinking exactly the same thing in my original post. Great minds think alike, I guess.

 

[Modoc ED]

This is a Buckaroo Knife Sheath. A rather fancy one.

The one pictured might be classified as a BBQ Buckaroo Sheath as most are pretty plain and usually have a bit longer strap.

What you do is put your belt through the loop and then put the sheath in your pocket. When you need it, you pull it from your pocket using the strap and then while working, you let the knife dangle in the sheath. Very handy for pulling the knife when wearing chaps, a gun belt, etc.. It's not unusual to see several cowboys/hands with these sheaths dangling from their belts while castrating, ear marking, and vaccinating calves during roundup time.

I've got a couple of them and they work well.

 

[Modoc ED]

I agree. But even if I could afford to buy my hands a GEC, I think I'd still opt for a cheaper Buck or yella CV Case or Victorinox that would get the job done just as well for less than half the price. I.E. why buy your crew a Cadillac for work, when a Ford will do the job?

Actually, I do agree with you except for the Cadillac/Ford part. I'd rather have a Ford than a Caddy any day.

 

[knowtracks]

This is a Buckaroo Knife Sheath. A rather fancy one.

The one pictured might be classified as a BBQ Buckaroo Sheath as most are pretty plain and usually have a bit longer strap.

What you do is put your belt through the loop and then put the sheath in your pocket. When you need it, you pull it from your pocket using the strap and then while working, you let the knife dangle in the sheath. Very handy for pulling the knife when wearing chaps, a gun belt, etc.. It's not unusual to see several cowboys/hands with these sheaths dangling from their belts while castrating, ear marking, and vaccinating calves during roundup time.

I've got a couple of them and they work well.

Thanks for posting that Ed :thumbup: It sure l;ooks like it ought to do the job!!

 

[Peruna1998]

This is a Buckaroo Knife Sheath. A rather fancy one.

The one pictured might be classified as a BBQ Buckaroo Sheath as most are pretty plain and usually have a bit longer strap.

What you do is put your belt through the loop and then put the sheath in your pocket. When you need it, you pull it from your pocket using the strap and then while working, you let the knife dangle in the sheath. Very handy for pulling the knife when wearing chaps, a gun belt, etc.. It's not unusual to see several cowboys/hands with these sheaths dangling from their belts while castrating, ear marking, and vaccinating calves during roundup time.

I've got a couple of them and they work well.

And where would one find such a sheath?

 

[Modoc ED]

And where would one find such a sheath?

I'm not shilling for him but I do know that this is a good place to get a Buckaroo Knife Sheath. Notice that he offers BBQ (fancy) sheaths and plain Cowhand sheaths.

http://www.backroomleather.com/buckaroopouch.html

 

[tongueriver]

Horses are still used a lot in rural America. The number one use is to look out the window and see them standing out back switching flies, eating up dollars and destroying the landscape. Most of them never see a rider. Other uses are racing, breeding, parades, polo, dude ranching, rodeoing in all its forms, packing and riding into hunting country, and .....ranching cattle. They are used for working livestock approximately dead last. They are used in that regard a little, not much. The number one livestock tool is the pickup, and also to a certain extent the 4 wheeler and motorcycle. Most cowboys who wear "cowboy boots" are dressing up or have an identity crisis, not including the few who need them. Same for cowboy hats. Most of the time they are a nuisance, and are just for show. The ubiquitous "feed cap" or baseball cap is what you will mostly see on working ranches except for show time. You still see a lot of the Hollywood gear, hats, chaps, mustaches, etc. ad nauseum, but it is largely a cultural and identity thing and has little to do with function. If a hand was to be told that he was to receive a knife he would be shocked, and if a boss was to give one out he would be outraged. The proper knife for a working man is the one he has. Who am I to say these things? I am 67 years old and was born (yes, born) on a ranch in Eastern Montana and raised there. My family worked 80 sections (that is 80 X 640 acres). We are all out of the business now; there is no money in it. The knives I saw were almost all CASE stockmans of one size or another. Every man had a truck, either his or the ranch's, and it had a few basic tools in it, including some barb wire (usually), a pair of fencing pliers, a wire stretcher, jack, cross wrench, and pliers, screwdrivers and whatever else. A coffee Thermos was and is de rigeur A lot of the poor bastards smoke or chew. When the herds came north in the '70's and '80's, most of the hands were ex Confederates displaced after the war, or Blacks. They were not the genteel wise Sam Elliot types you see in the films. Most were at the bottom of the social and pay ladder, roughly equivalent to the gang boys in the slums now.

 

[neeman]

In regards to carrying a sheath knife

What about the facon?

A facón is a dagger worn at the back and tucked into the belt of the gaucho in order to be quickly drawn with the right hand

 

[coffeecup]

MooreMaker Fencing pliers

How do you use these for fencing?
En Guard!!

Seriously....

Well, I'll give it a shot. Most fencing done with wooden posts has the wires mounted with staples driven into the post. The hammer head on these is obvious--you drive staples and fingertips with it. The curved pick is used to pull staples, like when you are tightening fences or salvaging wire from a fence being pulled out. The notches on either side of the pivot pin are used to cut the fence wire. The plier jaws can be used to draw a staple (at the tips) or to stretch wire (kinda like the way you use a claw hammer to pull nails, it pivots around the curve of the head). The teeth between the handles can also be used to pull wire tight. Note that they are not the best tool for all these jobs, but they can be used for them--and fit in a saddle bag or under the seat of a truck.

Fencing pliers make an excellent cracker for walnuts, handle for a hot coffee pot, can be used to nail a snake if you're startled, and anything else that comes to hand. Though no one I know ever admitted doing so, I've heard of the jaws being used to hold a ring that is heated and used to modify a brand, like a running iron.

The handles are yellow so you can find them under the seat of your truck (I always use orange spray paint).

 

[Modoc ED]

Horses are still used a lot in rural America. The number one use is to look out the window and see them standing out back switching flies, eating up dollars and destroying the landscape. Most of them never see a rider. Other uses are racing, breeding, parades, polo, dude ranching, rodeoing in all its forms, packing and riding into hunting country, and .....ranching cattle. They are used for working livestock approximately dead last. They are used in that regard a little, not much. The number one livestock tool is the pickup, and also to a certain extent the 4 wheeler and motorcycle. Most cowboys who wear "cowboy boots" are dressing up or have an identity crisis, not including the few who need them. Same for cowboy hats. Most of the time they are a nuisance, and are just for show. The ubiquitous "feed cap" or baseball cap is what you will mostly see on working ranches except for show time. You still see a lot of the Hollywood gear, hats, chaps, mustaches, etc. ad nauseum, but it is largely a cultural and identity thing and has little to do with function. If a hand was to be told that he was to receive a knife he would be shocked, and if a boss was to give one out he would be outraged. The proper knife for a working man is the one he has. Who am I to say these things? I am 67 years old and was born (yes, born) on a ranch in Eastern Montana and raised there. My family worked 80 sections (that is 80 X 640 acres). We are all out of the business now; there is no money in it. The knives I saw were almost all CASE stockmans of one size or another. Every man had a truck, either his or the ranch's, and it had a few basic tools in it, including some barb wire (usually), a pair of fencing pliers, a wire stretcher, jack, cross wrench, and pliers, screwdrivers and whatever else. A coffee Thermos was and is de rigeur A lot of the poor bastards smoke or chew. When the herds came north in the '70's and '80's, most of the hands were ex Confederates displaced after the war, or Blacks. They were not the genteel wise Sam Elliot types you see in the films. Most were at the bottom of the social and pay ladder, roughly equivalent to the gang boys in the slums now.

I guess these guys haven't got the word yet about cows not being driven with horses. This is a regular sight along my road. The arch is at the foot of my driveway and cows are driven up and down the country road regularly. Sometimes as many as 500 or more head.

The next time they come by I'll run down to the foot of my driveway and tell the cowboys to take their horses and cowboy hats home and come back in pickup trucks wearing baseball caps. Oh, I forgot. I'll tell em to take their cowboy boots off too.

This happens to be the tail end of this drive. It ran about a 1/2 mile long in total.

 

[knowtracks]

I guess these guys haven't got the word yet about cows not being driven with horses. This is a regular sight along my road. The arch is at the foot of my driveway and cows are driven up and down the country road regularly. Sometimes as many as 500 or more head.

The next time they come by I'll run down to the foot of my driveway and tell the cowboys to take their horses and cowboy hats home and come back in pickup trucks wearing baseball caps. Oh, I forgot. I'll tell em to take their cowboy boots off too.

This happens to be the tail end of this drive. It ran about a 1/2 mile long in total.

Yes!! you see Ed this is the big difference between living in the mountains where there are trees & eastern Montana where you can see a tree down by the river side.
Good luck gathering cattle with a pick-up, motorcycle or 4 wheeler in the forest. By the time summer is over and the cows have to come down off the forest they can be about half wild. If you went tearing around on a 4 wheeler or cycle you'ed have cow scattered from here to Nevada!

 

[rwc53]

I own a small ranch here in South Central Texas. I don't have any ranch hands...other than my wife and myself...and my 4 year old Grandson at times! I've got horses and cattle...and llamas and dogs and cats and ducks and chickens and guineas. What I use the most are my Case yellow handle Trapper, my Vintage Knives Model 1902 Moose, or my 1988 Winchester Moose. They're all big enough to cut what needs cuttin' and small enough to carry in my jeans pocket. The folks I know around here who also have places with cattle and horses mostly carry Case Trappers, or their equivalent. When I was out in the Alpine, Texas area back in February, I noticed all the ranch folks out that way were mostly carrying Trappers as well. And a good pair of fencing pliers are indispensible around here as well!

Just my $0.02 worth,
Ron

 

[JAlexander]

I own a small ranch here in South Central Texas. I don't have any ranch hands...other than my wife and myself...and my 4 year old Grandson at times! I've got horses and cattle...and llamas and dogs and cats and ducks and chickens and guineas. What I use the most are my Case yellow handle Trapper, my Vintage Knives Model 1902 Moose, or my 1988 Winchester Moose. They're all big enough to cut what needs cuttin' and small enough to carry in my jeans pocket. The folks I know around here who also have places with cattle and horses mostly carry Case Trappers, or their equivalent. When I was out in the Alpine, Texas area back in February, I noticed all the ranch folks out that way were mostly carrying Trappers as well. And a good pair of fencing pliers are indispensible around here as well!

Just my $0.02 worth,
Ron

Thanks, Ron. It's always good to see a neighbor. I guess that the trapper pattern must be a Texas thing. And Mike's granddad carried a stockman. Anybody else? Any Oklahoma cowboys? Come on, y'all.

As far as the horse issue goes... I don't use them, but I know a lot of local cowboys do. In fact, I know one guy who made a good living for years catching other people's wild cattle. He did almost all of it on horseback with a partner and half a dozen Catahoulas.

James

 

[Coonskinner]

Thanks, Ron. It's always good to see a neighbor. I guess that the trapper pattern must be a Texas thing. And Mike's granddad carried a stockman. Anybody else? Any Oklahoma cowboys? Come on, y'all.

As far as the horse issue goes... I don't use them, but I know a lot of local cowboys do. In fact, I know one guy who made a good living for years catching other people's wild cattle. He did almost all of it on horseback with a partner and half a dozen Catahoulas.

James

I grew up in eastern Oklahoma, and we had to work cattle a horseback because a lot of that country was too rough for 4 wheelers and pickup trucks.

Most of us carried trappers or stockmans.

I don't think most of the boys I cowboyed with gave knives much thought beyond functionality.

Knives were tools, like a pair of pliers.

My Granddad had a Case Muskrat with yellow handles that he kept put away for castrating or vet work.

 

[Jenner 515]

Well now, we aren't ranching cattle but we do help out around an Alpaca Ranch (if that counts)

The old feller we help out, has a Buck 307 ground down to just about nothing from resharpening...if thats good enough for him...

I'd have to say a Buck Stockman either 301 or 307 depends on your preference. Oh, and he almost always has pair of fence pliers handy.

 

[coniferwoodsman]

Gotta have them fence pliers- original multi-tool. I worked on a ranch in Masters, CO when I was younger and grew up on a farm in Northern CO. We always had Stockmans and Trappers. A good slipjoint will fill the bill for 99% of daily cutting tasks, so I would go with Yellow handled Trappers, probably Case in CV.
As far as fixed blades go...keep them in the saddle bag or truck so when it comes time to clean a mess of fish you got a nice clean blade.

 

[Raymond1000]

Well, I'll give it a shot. Most fencing done with wooden posts has the wires mounted with staples driven into the post. The hammer head on these is obvious--you drive staples and fingertips with it. The curved pick is used to pull staples, like when you are tightening fences or salvaging wire from a fence being pulled out. The notches on either side of the pivot pin are used to cut the fence wire. The plier jaws can be used to draw a staple (at the tips) or to stretch wire (kinda like the way you use a claw hammer to pull nails, it pivots around the curve of the head). The teeth between the handles can also be used to pull wire tight. Note that they are not the best tool for all these jobs, but they can be used for them--and fit in a saddle bag or under the seat of a truck.

Fencing pliers make an excellent cracker for walnuts, handle for a hot coffee pot, can be used to nail a snake if you're startled, and anything else that comes to hand. Though no one I know ever admitted doing so, I've heard of the jaws being used to hold a ring that is heated and used to modify a brand, like a running iron.

The handles are yellow so you can find them under the seat of your truck (I always use orange spray paint).

I think Neeman was making a pun. The "En Guard" part was a clue. You know, "Fencing", the art of using a sword for self defense?

Alas, you seldom need a sword to defend yourself against cattle unless you're a matador.

 

[tongueriver]

One time I saw a wall-eyed very wild range cow, bawling, tongue a foot out, spraying dust, dirt, mud, sh.., and slobber, climb over a solid 6 foot board fence and head for Canada. She would have created numerous new orifices for anybody who got in her way. By the way, I apologize for an impression I must have given, that modern cowboys don't use horses, hats and boots. I just meant that that old way of working cattle is slipping into the background where it is not needed. In many situations, it IS needed, and always will be. Sorry if I ruffled any feathers. By the way, I can catch (the hard part), bridle, saddle and ride a horse too.