Filed under: November 2019 | Tags: benefit auction, hayride, horse drawn wagon, Pioneer 6 ton wagon, refurbish
November 2, 2019
I recently bought this wagon. I realized that after having sold my old hay wagon with our small baler, I didn’t have a way to give my grandchildren and others a hay ride. A friend bought this wagon at a benefit auction. He didn’t need the wagon himself, but wanted to help the cause of the benefit auction. He offered the wagon to me.
It is a good wagon, built by Pioneer Equipment in Kidron, Ohio. I could see a diamond in the rough.
I traded the steel wheels, along with a little money, in exchange for these rims and tires. We shortened and narrowed the bed of the wagon. This makes for a nice handy size for all sorts of jobs around the farm. It now measures eleven feet long by six and one half feet wide. It has spring bolsters over the axles for a smooth ride.
A new steel tongue replaced the wooden one. A little fresh paint increased her eye appeal. The side boards come in handy when picking corn or hauling split firewood. The wagon bed was built from treated lumber, the paint will enhance the lifetime of the wood. We replaced a couple bearings, greased the wheels and auto steering and went over the whole thing to ensure that it is sound and safe.
This “new to me” farm wagon will be fun to use, especially when giving hayrides. It will do many other jobs too. I am glad to have it in our equipment line up. I appreciate my friend for selling it to me at his cost. The wagon, like him, are diamonds in the rough.
Filed under: September 2018 | Tags: autumn, forging, horse drawn, horse drawn wagon, productivity
September 12, 2018
After oppressive heat and humidity, rain ushered in some cooler weather. The rains fell for three days here giving us 2.75 inches of moisture. I used the wet days to complete a couple of projects. The knife and hatchet set, forged from a farrier’s rasp was a fun project and is now complete. I learned a lot during the process. I will continue to put this new skill/hobby to work for me. I must say I really enjoy it.
We also completed putting a new wagon rack on my horse drawn wagon. This is the second rack on this same running gear. The last rack was 9 years old. It rotted out even though it had been painted. I now have room to keep this one inside during winter weather. It should last a good long time. The boards were wet as we built from rough cut hemlock lumber. Once it dries out, I will seal it from the elements. It will be all ready to gather firewood and pick our field corn.
The cooler weather also makes me get excited about fall plowing. The horses and I can do more in the cool comfortable days of autumn. This summer’s heat was one for the record books. It did make for a great corn crop. Timely rains and hot weather kept the pastures lush and green. Hay making was a challenge as we would get “pop-up” showers that didn’t do much more than wash the drying hay. It makes the hay dusty, okay for cows, but not for horses. Oh well, we can’t control the weather, but we can work with it…like doing something productive on a rainy day!
RicelandMeadows 