Truck Parts Business Booms For Alberta Farm Family

Truck Parts Business Booms For Alberta Farm Family TRUCKS Miscellaneous 28-3-9 A sideline business that started out as a hobby is now a major income contributor for Gordon and Vida Van Sickle, Oyen, Alberta. Their on-farm auto-wrecking and parts business compliments the 8,000-acre grain and cow-calf operation that Gordon and his two brothers and dad have together. Van Sickle got into the business 15 years ago by using his spare time to make a little extra money repairing "written off" trucks. Instead of chasing down individual parts that he needed, he bought several wrecked GMC trucks and stripped everything off himself. He sold the parts he didn't need to friends and neighbors. By 1991, Van Sickle had three employees during the winter and installed many of the parts they sold. They later began concentrating only on stripping and selling parts because of changes on the farm that limited the time they had available. He now has two employees, one full time parts person/bookkeeper, and one part time parts dismantler. The business specializes in parts for 1973 and newer Chevy and GMC pickups - half-tons to one-tons. "We rebuild Chevy steering columns, transfer cases, and do some exhaust repairs on all makes and models, but we sell only GMC and Chevy truck parts because they are mostly interchangeable," Van Sickle says. "We keep both new and used parts in stock." "We spend the most time stripping vehicles in winter, when the farm isn't as busy. We label our inventory of parts according to year and model, and store them as neatly as possible in various storage facilities on the farm, including a weatherproof sea container that I picked up at an auction," Van Sickle explains. "We've gone through more than 500 trucks since we began, but there's no big, ugly boneyard to look at. A crusher comes in regularly to deal with the stripped shells, and we sell the scrap metal for up to $55 a ton to a recycler who uses it to make rebar." The company has brisk sales year-round, except it slows briefly during harvest. Customers include farmers, garages, body shops and restoration buffs. By advertising in farm papers and setting up a website, VS Truck Works Inc., has customers across Western Canada and the U.S., including California, Wisconsin, and Kentucky. "We ship parts orders by mail, freight truck and courier, and even make personal deliveries whenever we can," Van Sickle says. "Business is good, and we're grateful for that, especially since drought and BSE have taken a huge bite out of farming profitability." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, VS Truck Works Inc., Gordon and Vida Van Sickle, Box 476, Oyen, Alberta, Canada T0J 2J0 (ph 403 972-3879; fax 403 972-2001, email: vstwi@telusplanet.net; website: www.vstruckworks.com).

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