Wesco options.

[2dogs]

Steers are sold around 9 months then most go on a 100 day fattening diet at a feed lot. Some are finished on grass and that beef is more expensive. A 10 year old steer would be called an ox if it lived that long and weigh more than a bull. There are very few oxen in the USA.
Hides are worth 10% of the value of a steer. The tannery that tanned leather for Whites and Wesco snd others was owned by my friends. It closed about 10 years ago. They paid an average of 19.00/hr while the Chinese were paying 50 cents an hour. Stillthe main issue was that alnost all the shoe makers are in China so the tanning moved to China to reduce costs. Bull hides are generally used for belts and some saddle parts. To be used for boots bullhide is split. The Chinese are making better leather every day ny the way.
I dont know whose leather the bootmakers are using today but I will see if I xan find out.

 

[M_S_S]

I make custom saddles, so I use a lot of leather lol. Boot leather like 2Dogs sez is split cowhide ( bullhide is a sales pitch) Cowhide includes all hides from bovines ( steers, hiefers, cows and bulls) calf hide is different. I buy my skirting leather from a tannery in Penn. There are several tannerys in the U.S. and a lot of tannerys in Mexico tanning U.S. hides. The U.S., Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Austriala produce the most hides. The Chinese also produce a lot of leather as does India. Not sure where the custom boot makers get their leather but do know most of the custom saddle makers ( the ones that make a good product) use U.S. hides. I just bought a pair of Hathorns (made by White) am sure they are import leather as they are a hundred dollars cheaper than White. Good boots though. ED

 

[M_S_S]

I just bought 8 sides of skirting leather (4 cows) cost me just short of 1900 dollars. Takes 2 sides to make a saddle, a good tree costs 450, so a custom saddle has about 1200 dollars worth of materials. Boot leather is expensive too, of course you can get more boots out of a side of leather, but there is a lot of waste. Parts of the hide is to stretchy to make good boots, the belly , flanks and such. the waste will drive up the price of the finished product. ED

 

[Gologit]

MSS...that's good information. Thanks.

 

[hseII]

I purchased the Red Dawgs last week after all the good talk about them, both on here, and by local Polecats....
Baileys sure doesn't get in a hurry on their regular shipping...

Come on 12/16

 

[KYLogger]

Really like mine, thinking about the calked version. Really good leather for a production boot. Made in Canada. MSS What kinda saddles are you making??

 

[M_S_S]

KYLogger I make mostly saddles for working cowboys. I am a cowboy, born and raised on a cow ranch.I started making saddles about 30 yrs ago. Most of my saddles average about $4000. Cowboys in the Great Basin and northeast California spend more on their saddles than they do on their wives lol. Saddles are a tool they make a living with.
I was raised in the Sacramento Valley, never logged but knew a lot of loggers, my BIL drove logging truck for years. I spent a lot of time chasing cows in Plumas and Tahoe NF. Cut firewood at an early age in fact now I cut firewood for fun lol. I sell a lot of it. All soft woods now, no oak up here lol.. Ed

 

[KYLogger]

I was raised a Cracker, made my living chasin' bovids before we moved to Ky and then I found that cowboyin jobs were few and far between. So here I am. We still keep some cattle, but logging is my life now.

 

[M_S_S]

I have read about the Crackers. Cowboying is different all over America. Southern Cal is different in some respects than northern Cal. Texas thinks they invented it lol, but there was guys chasing cows in California just as early lol. Texas ropes with short ropes tied to their saddle horn, California, Nevada and Oregon use longer ropes and dally on the horn. Roping a large bovine is kinda like deep sea fishing lol, you play with the critter. Tell me if I am wrong but Crackers use whips to drive cattle. Some of the old fellows I knew as a kid did also. Lol I haven't been a kid for many years now. ED

 

[1270d]

I'm wearing a pair of Meindl shoes right now. I like the cork insoles well enough, but they fit a bit narrower than expected. I'll get them a size or two wider the next time.

I normally wear D width. my miendl's are EE and very nice. E would probably work as the laces are pulled pretty close

 

[KYLogger]

Yeah, hence the term Cracker We roped as well, tied off hard and fast with a 35 0r 40 ft twine.

 

[KYLogger]

We totally jacked this thread............. LOL

 

[M_S_S]

Well boots, leather, cows lol I think they all relate. ED

 

[KYLogger]

True and all the custom calk boot companies do make packers, "cowboy boots" and the like sooooo.............

 

[northmanlogging]

nah ya totally jacked it, but its ok its still interesting...

 

[Gologit]

Yup. The only thing I know about leather is that it covers the cow. This is interesting.

 

[wowzers]

Just picked up a pair of meindls. See how they do next week at work.

 

[treeslayer2003]

hey all you skinny foot boys, tell me more about the red dawgs please.........i have trouble getting boots with a narrow enough heel, its coming time soon for a new pair.

Heath i have trouble with baily's slow shipping as well............seems funny to me, Jasha gets chain to me in two days..........

 

[hseII]

hey all you skinny foot boys, tell me more about the red dawgs please.........i have trouble getting boots with a narrow enough heel, its coming time soon for a new pair.

Heath i have trouble with baily's slow shipping as well............seems funny to me, Jasha gets chain to me in two days..........

That's cause Jasha is on top of his Business, and Bailey's will get to it when they get to it.

I live 4 hrs west/ northwest of Savannah: the Atlantic Ocean, and I think Jasha uses planes to get chain here.

Baileys sends their stuff here by pack mule, the turd smoke express, IYW.

 

[mdavlee]

Ask baileys to use USPS priority and you get it in 2-3 days instead of 1.5 weeks.