Make a neck yoke from one hardwood beam 120-140 cm long, 10-15 cm wide and 8-10 cm thick, with two shallow neck saddles carved 90-100 cm apart centre to centre, and two U-shaped bows that fit each ox’s neck with about 5 cm of clearance: too tight restricts breathing and too loose lets the yoke shift and rub. Pin the bow ends above the beam with removable hardwood keys.
Part of Harness & Yoke Making
Building the standard North American and Northern European ox yoke: beam, saddles, bows and the ring for the load.
The Bows Decide Breathing, The Saddles Decide Sores
A neck yoke has two interfaces with the animal. The bow runs under the neck and is where breathing is restricted if it is too tight. The saddle sits on top of the neck and is where rubbing starts if it does not match. Both are set during the building, and both must be checked on the animals.
What You Need
- One piece of hardwood — 120-140 cm long, 10-15 cm wide and 8-10 cm thick. Elm is traditional because it resists splitting.
- Two U-shaped bows — steam-bent hardwood or forked branches, about 50-60 cm around. See Steam Bending.
- Lashing or iron staples to secure the bows.
- Hardwood keys — to pin the bow ends.
- A ring or chain — at the centre bottom of the yoke, for the cart tongue, plow chain or drag chain.
- The pair of oxen, to measure.
Method: Five Steps
Step 1: Shape the beam. Make it slightly curved to sit on the animals’ necks. Carve two shallow saddles where the necks sit, spaced about 90-100 cm apart centre to centre.
Step 2: Drill the bow holes. Below each saddle, drill two holes for the bow ends. The bow wraps under the ox’s neck and both ends come up through the beam.
Step 3: Fit the bows. Each bow should fit snugly around the ox’s neck with about 5 cm of clearance all around. Too tight restricts breathing. Too loose lets the yoke shift and causes rubbing.
Step 4: Secure the bow ends. Above the beam, pin the bow ends with hardwood keys or wedges. They must be removable for yoking and unyoking.
Step 5: Attach the ring or chain. At the centre bottom of the yoke, to connect to the load.
Worked Example
Where does the beam end relative to the saddles, and where must the ring go?
- Overhang with saddles 100 cm apart on a 120 cm beam: (120 - 100) / 2 = 10 cm each end.
- Overhang with saddles 90 cm apart on a 140 cm beam: (140 - 90) / 2 = 25 cm each end.
- The ring at the centre of the beam is 100 / 2 = 50 cm to 90 / 2 = 45 cm from each saddle centre (assuming symmetric saddles), so the pull is shared equally if both animals pull equally.
A ring placed off-centre shifts load onto the animal nearer to it; see Yoke Fitting & Padding for the numbers.
Common Mistakes
- Bows sized to a different animal — measure each ox, not the average.
- Saddles at the wrong spacing — the pair works at an angle.
- Bow keys that cannot be removed — yoking and unyoking become a fight.
- Ring not on the centre line — one ox does more.
Safety
The bow is around the animal's neck
Yoke and unyoke the animals standing still, haltered and held, with a second person. Do not leave a yoked animal tied by the yoke. Bow keys are not a quick release; rig a pin or hook between yoke and load that one hand can release.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Yoke Fitting & Padding — sores and uneven pull
- Combine with: Working in a Team — matching the pair