He Makes His Own Grain Wagons

He Makes His Own Grain Wagons WAGONS/TRAILERS New Wagons 26-2-3 When he needs a gravity wagon, Ron Stadler, Monroe, Mich., makes one himself. So far he's made five of them. His latest uses the frame of a 1978 Ford F-350 pickup, which he bought from a friend for only a few dollars. He mounted a 175-bu. Killbros gravity wagon on it that he already had. He moved the pickup's rear axle ahead 4 ft., removing the rear springs. Then he cut off the rest of the frame behind the axle. He used 3/16-in. thick 2-in. tubing to make a tongue and connected it to the front axle via a clevis-type hitch. He cut off the springs on the front part of the frame and welded in a pair of homemade, L-shaped steel cradles that support the sides of the wagon. The wagon still uses the pickup's original tie rods for steering. He fitted it with 16.5 10-ply truck tires and painted it with grey primer. "I spent a total of less than $100. I pull the wagon behind my corn picker and also use it to haul grain. The wagon box was rusted out when I got it but I fixed it up. I welded more steel onto parts of the frame to take some of the load off the axles. I also added a hitch on back so I can pull another wagon behind it." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ronald Stadler, 7400 N. Custer Rd., Monroe, Mich. 48162 (ph 734 587-3458).

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