Slip or Road Scraper - Doniphan, MO - Missouri Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

County of display: Ripley County
Location of display: Franklin St., S. side of Heritage Homestead, Doniphan
Donated by: Lester Wright
Marker erected by: Doniphan Neighborhood Assistance Program

Marker text:

SLIP OR ROAD SCRAPER Many early farm ponds were built with a tool similar to this. They were very popular with rural road builders and were manufactured in three different sizes. This slip, the smallest, called for a regular team or horses, held 3½ cubic feet of dirt and was called a No. 3 scraper. The No. 2 and No. 1 scraper held 5 and 7 cubic feet respectively. They were usually equipped with a three or four horse team. If possible, a plow would first loosen the soil six to eight inches down. One man controlled the team while his partner operated the scoop or slip. The operator held the handles firmly and was careful not to take too deep a bite. Once the scoop was full, he pressed the handles downward enough so that the load slid over the surface. Scoops could be purchased with or without runners welded to the bottom. Once the load was in place, the operator raided the handles and let go. The scoop turned upside down and was dragged that way until it was ready to be loaded again.

Another good view of its use on Doc Hammells Horsemanship

Web link: [Web Link] History of Mark: "The original Slip/Scoop scraper is shown above. It was also variously called the "flip" or "slip" scraper because it was flipped to empty it and it slid (or slipped) along the ground as horses pulled it along. It was pulled by one or two horses and was operated by lifting the two wooden handles to dig the metal blade into the ground. As the scraper filled with dirt and rocks the handles would be lowered and the loaded scraper pulled to a location where the load could be dumped by flipping the scraper forward and over. As you can easily imagine, the loaded scraper was heavy and a great heave was required to flip it forward. In addition the operator had to hang the reins for controlling the horses around his neck so he could access them quickly without dropping them. It was very hard, demanding, work. "Pictured above is the much improved Buck scraper with a metal bucket. This scraper operated on the same principles as the slip scraper but was much more efficient and easier to handle" - Seldom Seen Sheep Additional point: Not Listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   12/01/2022 biscuitt bunch visited it