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Amazing pictures. An elephant might look a little out of place on my farm though.

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@Rod 2270 wrote:

Be sure the wheel you pick out does not say decorative. There are good wooden wheels around and good advice from wheel builders. I know there are lots of choices and axle combinations. For safety and durability and considering all the work and material that will go into the wagon I would talk to the folks at Witmer Coach Shop In NH PA or some one similar for some sound guidance. They sell axles also which means you can build your frame yourself from wood or steel.
There is a person in Putney VT that is selling off a collection of old wooden wheel wagon frames with wheels. I can give you the e-mail if you want. Might be just what you are looking for and the prices have been very reasonable.

I think that unless I build it from the start with wood wheels, rubber tires, and some sort of springs, I’m probably going to want to be able to interchange wheels for different jobs. I didn’t think this would be possible, or at least wouldn’t be easy, on an old farm wagon gear. I have been looking at those ones in Putney but they are a little over-built for my purposes. But I do understand that there’s one left in the collection you mentioned not on the market yet. Could be the one.

I’ll look into that coach shop too. Thanks.

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@Joshua Kingsley 2268 wrote:

The only thing that I can say is that the wagon gear you are looking at has one large flaw. The steering linkage is very weak. I

That is good to know.

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Sounds great.

I just was curious because I have connections in a different part of the state for a financial “leg up” into farming for the right farmer.

Erik

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@bivol 2262 wrote:

here’s what i found: a bull elephant pulling a 3-tonn log.
disadvantages:

1)the main disadvantage is that elephants are NOT domesticated, they are tamed wild animals. this means no selection work was done to reduce aggresiviness and to get a more reliable animal.
2)bull elephants cannot be castraterd without an operation. but more, they enter a phase known as “musth” when their sexuality awakens and they are extremelly aggressive and tend to dominate everything around. an experienced mahout knows when his elephant is entering this phase and the only way is to chain the elephant to something solid.
3)elephants have slower reproduction and growth cyrcle than horses and mules, and are rarelly bred in captivity because an elephant matures too slowelly.

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Too bad. I’ve always wanted a skidder/loader combo in a draft animal. Maybe one that could pull a harrow while simultaneously operating a broadcast seeder with the trunk, or pick rocks and lob them out of the field.

@bivol 2262 wrote:

4) oh yeah, they also eat 500 pounds of roughage every day, and drink a lot of water.

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Yes, but on the other hand they can also store up and shoot that water. Which would have great application in watering-in veggie transplants or retaliating to disgruntled motorists when on public roads.

Eleven or twelve square bales a day seems a very modest upkeep for such a majestic beast. Who isn’t inspired by the two-tone trumpet blasts of a team of draft elephants lurching into motion as their teamster expertly guides the 16-bottom plow into the rich earth? Working horses are much too pedestrian.

[goodcompanion]

Okay, let’s talk wooden wheels and hubs. My trip into town is 2.5 miles round trip.

Right now I am thinking of using the “4 x 8 utility wagon” chassis with 3/4″ axles. These come with little rubber tires on them that would be functional enough though it might be a little hard to see over the tops of the horses, since the wheels are so small.

Here is a picture of the chassis:

http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/prod1;ft1_carts_wagons;pg103446_103446.html

But probably I could mount amish-made wooden wheels on the same chassis to good result? I have noticed some wheels have a plain bore through a wooden hub, others have a sealed bearing. Some have steel tires and others rubber. See any reason such wheels couldn’t work on the above chassis? When carriage wheels are mounted, are they secured to the axle with a washer and cotter pin, like the go-carts of my youth, or some other means? How are they lubricated?

http://www.accentsofcountry.com/wagonwheels

The bill for wheels plus the chassis would be around $6-800 which sounds good enough to me.

It does strike me though that if I went with steel-bound wheels for daily use, it might be handy to also have a set of those garden cart wheels, or just use the small automotive wheels the chassis comes with, for longer trips over smooth roads.

Once I select a wheel and chassis I will draft and post complete plans and make regular updates as construction proceeds.

Long live the horsedrawn commercial vehicle.

[goodcompanion]

Thank you for posting this.

I nominate Berry for Pope.

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Okay, thanks Rod, a good lead.

Here is the new frontrunner for choice of wheels. Rated for 300 lbs and within budget, easily. The whole cart should weigh no more than 1000 lbs fully loaded. What do you think?

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product2_6970_200331764_200331764

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@dominiquer60 2247 wrote:

My personal strategy is to work like a dog at my own business and save every penny I can in as high interest of a savings account I can get from my credit union and short term low risk CDs. I am sure that there is a better way, but this is simple enough and low risk enough that I am content.

If there is a better way then I guess I’ve never heard of it.

All the best. I assume you are looking to buy a farm? Where and to do what? Or are you still flexible?

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@Carl Russell 1895 wrote:

Because as you stack loose hay on a rick like that it hangs over the edge, and the load is built up in a large sloping dome-shaped load. Then it can be unloaded by removing layers. With straight up sides you can’t put on as much, and the hay gets packed into the corners against the side, and it is very difficult to unload. Carl

What about just loading loose on a conventional flatbed haywagon? Approximate time to unload without the benefit of a hay trolley?

I have a nice hayloader but no trolley. Of course it is raining buckets right now so all I can do is fantasize about more hay.

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I hope to meet Paul someday. Thanks for mentioning that, I hadn’t noticed this thread is still active.

I guess then there are at least a few reaper-binders at work in the u.s. for commercial purposes.

[goodcompanion]

Donn,

A vote for the practical over the pure. Thanks, I needed that.

One compromise that might look all right and drive smoothly is a metal utility chassis designed for a 4 x 8′ bed with 28″ garden way pneumatic cart wheels on all four corners instead of the 16″ wheels this chassis usually comes with. Seems the garden way cart wheels have the same 5/8″ bore, and are rated strong enough to do the job.

The garden way cart wheels have some of the look and proportions of an old wagon wheel but are cheap and practical.

Box aside, it would look kind of like this, best link I could find:

http://www.estatewagons.com/Signature%20Wagon.jpg

That website with the picture sells the wagon in the picture for $1500 even as a kit. But I could get the chassis and the wheels from another source for maybe $450. Maybe add some pioneer bolster springs and shafts and we are ready for the box under $650, total material bill of $1300 or so.

[goodcompanion]

Saw one in the agriview for cheap–did you check that out?

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Glad you enjoyed it, Jen.

[goodcompanion]

A little pricey for the dump rake. Those things are everywhere and not so useful. The other stuff isn’t too bad.

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