Understanding the Carpet Mill by Hunterman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq7h6nQmKoM


This is the mill I build and use. (sort of biased) It must be turned like any other carpet mill but and at lower speeds/slower paces it has to be driven against resistance. At higher speeds/faster paces the dog can open up and go all out with full range of motion.


I need to do a newer video. This female was 8 or 9 years old and it was 95 plus that day. One leg of the mill was on a drop cord so there is some wobble.


The key to the carpet mill is it's smoothness which is different from free-ness or free spinning. The resistance must not be to the point the carpet bunches up behind the foot as the dog moves it. If it bunches up as it passes the surface to the end roller that is not smooth operating. The resistance or the free-ness depends on the carpet, the sliding surface, the end rollers and the tension of the carpet itself. It can be a hard turning/high resistance mill and still be smooth operating. It can be very free and fast/low resistance and still operate smoothly. And the opposite is true as well, it can be as free and easily turned as any slat mill per se, but if the carpet is bunched up and not laying flat as it crosses the surface it will be a rough go for the dog. Usually it will be noticed in mis-steps, and skip steps trying to get back to something flat to run on.


Basically a carpet mill is not a carpet mill is not a carpet mill. They are all different in their own ways. Very individualistic. S

 

It's basically a mobile home axle with 'spokes' welded to make a circle. I then added 2X6 wood to the steel spokes to extend the diameter to just under 15 feet. I covered it with plywood and then carpet.


It was a 'just to see if I can do it thing' and then it turned out to be really nice. It turns a lot more free than I expected. I did not factor in a brakes system. I have to put my hands on it and bring it to a slide stop. Burned thru a set of leather work gloves in a few weeks stopping it.


It works well. S

 

I guess I thought the it would be more of an effort for the dog to turn it this it would be easier to stop. The dog can go just about all out and the table keeps up just the same.


If I spin it myself and walk away it will turn for three or four minutes. Not a whole lot of resistance. Works well. S

 

I have used a lot of different carpet mills over the years. They can all serve a purpose. The work has to be individualized to the combination of the dog and the mill. Not every dog is the same and not every mill is the same. When the right amount of work on the right dog just about any carpet mill is a prized possession.


My buddy bought a Grand Carpet mill some years back. We had a little combine going so the mill could be used by as many as three or four dogs per day, as we always had something going. The lighter dogs did very well on the Grand but the heavier dogs (high 40's and up) it was more of a struggle. Either the belt or the sliding surface could not handle the weight. We used up the original belt and the replacement belt in one year. That does not seem like a lot of service but there were a lot of dogs doing a lot of time on that mill. We may have over worked it as I know a few others that have used the same Grand for a number of years, pretty much working one dog at a time.


From there we bought a Colby mill. I liked it a lot. It is a great for low end power. It can really give a dog the power to drive. It is a true carpet mill in every since of the word. The only drawback is that although the dog can go all out on the Colby it is not with full range of motion. He is not striding out as far because he has to really drive the mill.


From there I started experimenting with my own mills. I had a ton of failures. The first frame had so many holes from different rollers, different positions, different axles, different heights, etc. etc. The end of the mill looked like it was hit with buck shot. I experimented with different carpets and different sliding surfaces. All this til I hit the combination that I use today. The version I use today can be built for less than $150, usually around $125 as wood prices vary from area to area.


I would like to try one of Postman Dan's mill as the videos look like it will do a fine job.


Big fan of the carpet mill. S

 

http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/modules.php?name=Pedigrees&file=printPedigree&dog_id=318693


http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/modules.php?name=Pedigrees&file=printPedigree&dog_id=272881


http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/modules.php?name=Pedigrees&file=printPedigree&dog_id=185489


http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/modules.php?name=Pedigrees&file=printPedigree&dog_id=185489


http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/modules.php?name=Pedigrees&file=printPedigree&dog_id=453877


http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/modules.php?name=Pedigrees&file=printPedigree&dog_id=477123


http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/modules.php?name=Pedigrees&file=printPedigree&dog_id=477062

 

These are just a few of the dogs that I have experience with in the past.


You should be proud of your 60 dog in the fast lane accomplishment. And I won't need to check your reference list because, 1. it is not needed and 2.,and mostly I could care less.


Since this is a learning forum maybe you should give some insight on the carpet mill. Not the sales pitch, but the insight. I, like most of the people here, are always willing to learn.


With that said, move beyond what I do not know and start posting what you do. S

 

The third pedigree, Chloe, was out of Fat Bill's Miss Two Eyes to McGhee's Loca.

 

I am not sure how to fix it. Find a pedigree you have access to and change the ID number at the end. I am not the best a copy and paste. S

 

Very true. S

 

Great answer.


I do not feel like anything was given to me either but I would not cut down another unless I was willing to put something of value out there.


I only post what I have personally experienced. I do not post other's names, nor do I need to be referenced for a given subject. Either I have personally experienced it and make a post, or I just move on.


I can also say there is a lot of confusion out there as well. Someone with your experience and expertise could most definitely clear some of that up. I'd appreciate some knowledge as well. S