rdl123 Report post Posted May 13, 2019 I have a friend who gave me this well used and well made older wade saddle to repair. A horse reared up in a trailer on him and the horn caught on one of the ribs of the trailer ceiling - Bust the horn off as you can see. This saddle is old and well used - However goal here was to get it back to a functional rig that could still be ridden and used for light roping (ie: brandings). Here is my solution to the repair - I would like the thoughts of others...What would you have done and do you think this repair will be solid? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smartee Report post Posted May 13, 2019 I'm sure it'll be fine for looks but I don't know that I'd rope off of it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rdl123 Report post Posted May 13, 2019 Fair enough! Bad break and we didn't just want to garbage such a nice saddle. Got the epoxy idea from structural engineers who use it to hold heavy loads in concrete. https://www.westsystem.com/instruction-2/epoxy-basics/bonding-fasteners-hardware/ Here are some pics before I cover with leather again... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikesc Report post Posted May 13, 2019 Just a thought from a non saddle maker..epoxy has very good "wont pull apart" strength..But no so good "shear strength"..one bolt wont counteract shearing..two other bolts ( can be smaller diametre than the main one ) placed forward and either side ( like at 10 to 2 position and epoxied along their length ) would give it that anti-shear strength..stop any possibility of "twist" or "pivoting" around the main bolt..Two quarter inch bolts epoxied into holes drilled in at an angle that follows ( approximately ) the front of the horn and down into the base should do the job.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rdl123 Report post Posted May 13, 2019 mikesc - I think I will do that - Maybe tonight when I'm done work! Thanks for the advice! R Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JHayek Report post Posted May 13, 2019 Looks like a good idea. I would personally rope baby calves at most off it. (Tagging) anything bigger than 4 to 6 weeks old might give me some pause though. Should make a good colt saddle though. Just my opinion Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rdl123 Report post Posted November 21, 2019 Update: This saddle was used all summer and I had told client to be pretty careful with it - Ie: rope only calves... Well long story short, they roped calves out of it, it worked fine, so they roped a few cows, it still was ok and now they tell me the've roped a few bulls out off this thing now. Scares me to say the least! Pics just before I dyed and oiled it: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smartee Report post Posted November 21, 2019 It looks great! Glad it held up for them! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ken Nelson Report post Posted November 25, 2019 I would imagine the tree maker that built the tree in the first place would repair it properly and professionally but it would cost to have it done. From a liability stand point, according to my insurance agent, "you are stomping very hard on very thin ice"! It may holdup but I would call it a cobble Job and I would not ride it from the stand point of a cowboy that did that for nearly 40 years and a guy that has built saddles for over 20 years but it looks like you got away with it for now anyways. Professional repairs are part of being a professional saddle maker. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rdl123 Report post Posted November 25, 2019 30 minutes ago, Ken Nelson said: I would imagine the tree maker that built the tree in the first place would repair it properly and professionally but it would cost to have it done. From a liability stand point, according to my insurance agent, "you are stomping very hard on very thin ice"! It may holdup but I would call it a cobble Job and I would not ride it from the stand point of a cowboy that did that for nearly 40 years and a guy that has built saddles for over 20 years but it looks like you got away with it for now anyways. Professional repairs are part of being a professional saddle maker. Hello Ken, I agree that this is not an ideal repair. In this situation it was for a friend...I would never offer this for someone I didn't know well and even then, in retrospect, I will not do this type of repair again. I had a wreck this year with a colt and went through two surgeries and then spent three months in a wheelchair. It gave me a new perspective on taking risks and is just not worth it. Biggest issue here is I have no control on how this saddle is used. If it was used for riding only / roping smaller calves I would be comfortable. For roping anything larger I do believe that the bolt could put enough pressure on the swell that it will split vertically. I have warned my friend that roping out of this thing is dangerous. I did chat to some tree makers and we concluded that the only way to have repaired this saddle 100% was to replace the entire tree. Appreciate your comments & time! Regards, RDL Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ken Nelson Report post Posted November 25, 2019 I did not mean to make this a personal attack and I hope you did not take it as that. My experience has been that if someone cannot afford to get a repair done professionally, they need to do it themselves. The insurance agent I referred to in my earlier post, and he was a rancher, bronc rider, bareback rider and colt starter in his earlier days, told me his rule of thumb in advising a saddle shop owner is: Don't send any saddle out that will not take extreme use because you never know how it will be used, no matter what the customer tells you. Don't repair junk that is really not safe to use on a ranch. And most important, "REMEMBER, THE LAST GUY THAT HAD HIS HANDS ON A SADDLE THAT FAILS IS THE FIRST GUY SUED!!!!", If it fails and someone gets hurt or killed. I knew that but hadn't thought about it until he told me that. I offer that as a favor to any young starting up saddle makers out there. But that is just my 2 cents worth. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rdl123 Report post Posted November 25, 2019 Ken, I sure didn't take it as an attack and I think it's good very good advice. Making me re-think this whole deal for sure. Last thing I need is a lawsuit... I am going to go back to my old motto of 'no repairs'. Too many variables to be worth it - Especially for a guy like me who does this as a hobby and in theory 'for fun'. RDL Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ken Nelson Report post Posted November 26, 2019 I have done a lot of repair and it is a money maker if you get what your work is worth. However, Like I stated earlier, I do not repair anything that is of such poor quality when new it is not safe for ranch work. If you do professional repairs, it will get you orders in time. I build several saddles a year for one man and have for a number of years. I repaired saddles and tack for him for 2 or 3 years before he ordered his first saddle from me and now there are almost 30 of my saddles on the ranch he manages. All started doing his repair work and the repair work got him in to the shop when I had new ones done and he liked what he saw. hth Ken Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
