Little Red Wagon Powers Itself

Little Red Wagon Powers Itself FARM HOME Toys/Games Gus Haag built his self-propelled wagon from the ground up using parts from old lawn mowers and a few new parts like bearings and wheels     “I had seen a picture of a red wagon a guy from Seattle had built on a Toyota pickup chassis and running gear ” says Haag “I didn’t want to use a pickup so I started doing drawings and designed my own chassis with 1-in heavy-wall square tubing ”     He soon had a 10-ft long 4-ft wide ladder style chassis He found a 14 hp Briggs & Stratton from an old riding lawn mower He tore it apart redid the valves replaced the rings and cleaned up the cylinder bores He also rebuilt the electronic ignition and carburetor After reassembling and bench testing he mounted it behind the area where the seats would go     Haag found a nearly new Peerless Model H 2000 hydrostatic transmission on the internet It was mounted in place behind the engine and the two connected with a belt drive The axle stubs on the Peerless had to be extended to match the width of the chassis Haag machined new hubs to mount a set of wheels from Harbor Freight fabricated a clutch and brake pedals and a clutch release pivot mechanism     Haag had planned to use straight pipes but decided they were too noisy Instead he adapted mufflers designed for a Ford 9N     “They added a nice throaty sound ” he says     Since he planned to drive the wagon in local parades he knew the slow speed could cause the hydrostatic to overheat To protect it he added 12-volt muffin fans     For steering Haag rebuilt a Ross steering sector and a steering axle from a Deere model 214 tractor He cleaned up the steering gear added new bearings and relocated the Pitman arm portion Then he cut the axle in the middle and extended it to match the chassis width     “I covered the chassis floor with marine plywood and made side panels with 16-gauge sheet steel ” says Haag “I bought boat seats from Fleet Farm and mounted them in front of the engine ”     Marine plywood was also used to cover the engine a 3 1/2-gal boat gas tank that he mounted in front and for cowling For the 12-in sides Haag first mounted uprights to the frame to which he drilled and riveted the sheet metal He also bent electrical conduit and mounted it on the top edge of the sheet metal for the classic “Radio Flyer” rounded-edge look     “I added a rear seat that will hold 2 adults or 3 little ones ” says Haag “The back rest folds down and the entire seat folds out of the way to access the transmission belt ”     For finishing touches Haag fabricated a wagon tongue making three before he was satisfied Boat fenders were cut down and mounted over the rear wheels He also painted everything red and added Radio Flyer decals sized to the wagon     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup T A “Gus” Haag 8527 Goodhue St N E Blaine Minn 55449 ph 763 785-1901; gushaag@msn com

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