Hay Cart
The hay cart or ruck shifter came into Ireland in the late 1800s. The cart was reversed to the edge of a ruck of hay, and a pin holding the front of the platform to the shafts was pulled out, allowing the back to tip up. Heavy ropes were pulled out and hooked behind the ruck and it was pulled up onto the trailer by means of levers and a gearing mechanism. Once on the cart, the platform fell back down onto the shafts, the pin was replaced and the ruck could be taken off elsewhere to form part of a large haystack.
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