Tarw Coch
Member
- Location
- Bottom of Wats Dyke
Yes, I’m sure there’s a bit of exaggeration there but none the less, 2 1/4 cwt sacks were common and men used to carry them on a regular basis, it was part of the job. No doubt your average farmer/farm worker was much stronger and fitter then than now and no doubt some of them felt the ill effects of shifting such weight.1.5 cwt is 168lbs,
2 of them on each shoulder totals 672lbs, which is twice what Olympic powerlifters lift.
I smell a bit of exaggeration in these vintage farming threads.
As I mentioned earlier, the tale my late uncle told of the men putting 2 56llb weights in a 2 1/4 cwt sack to see what he was made of, he didn’t say it was easy, it was sheer bloody determination not to give in that got him to the top of the granary steps and I got the impression they’d picked on him as the strongest man there and that none of the others gave it a go.