20-Wagon Bale Train Stops Michigan Traffic
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Chuck Timm created quite a hubbub when he hooked 20 loaded straw wagons together in a single “wagon train” on one of his grain fields. The 1/8th-mile long spectacle stopped traffic on a county road near Hubbard Lake, Mich. for nearly a week as motorists paused to take photos.
“It’s not every day a person sees something like this,” says Timm with a smile. “One day we created even more of a stir by moving all the wagons at once with a 1206 International tractor.” That event was captured on video by Timm’s son-in-law Jeff and his brother, who posted it on YouTube.
Timm’s 3,600-bale train was a variation on other lineups he had in previous years. “We started this with 15 and then 18 wagons a few years ago,” Timm says, “and last year we put all the straw from the field on 20 wagons and lined them up. It just seemed like a fun thing to do.”
While motorists knew the straw train was special, they probably didn’t know that every wagon was a different size and that Timm had built all of the racks and many of the wagons in his farm shop.
“I’m one of those guys who always has to be building something,” says Timm. “For the past 20 years it’s been a different wagon or two every winter.” Timm uses old axles from junked trucks to build front and rear running gears. He prefers the axles from Ford trucks because of their I-beam suspension, but he’s also scrapped out axles from old school buses. His largest bale wagon is 30 ft. long, and others range from 16 to 25 ft. long. It takes him about a week to build a wagon, and a full day to make an extendable pole.
“The size wagon I build depends on the axles I’m working with,” says Timm. “If it’s a heavy-duty axle, I make the reach with a 3 1/2-in. pipe on the outside and a 3-in. pipe inside. With those I use larger wheels and can make the rack larger. On the smaller wagons I use axles from 3/4-ton trucks and the reach is 2 1/2-in. pipe with a 2-in. pipe inside.” He also uses scrap parts from cultivators and combines.
Timm makes the tongues, and the tie rods are original from the trucks. Hay wagons have flat bolsters, and wheels are 15, 16, or 20 in., sized to fit the wagon they’re mounted on and the load they’ll haul.
The smallest wagons in his fleet carry 150 bales, and the largest one can haul 350. “Most of our hauling is done within 10 miles of the farm,” says Timm, whose family runs 1,600 acres and also operates a feed dealership.
Asked why he has such a large fleet of wagons, Timm is quick to reply that he and his family don’t like to handle bales any more than they have to. “We park them inside and pull them out when we need straw or hay in one of the barns.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Chuck Timm, 6690 Nicholson Hill Rd., Hubbard Lake, Mich. 49747 (ph 989 727-3676).
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20-Wagon Bale Train Stops Michigan Traffic BALE HANDLING Chuck Timm created quite a hubbub when he hooked 20 loaded straw wagons together in a single “wagon train” on one of his grain fields The 1/8th-mile long spectacle stopped traffic on a county road near Hubbard Lake Mich for nearly a week as motorists paused to take photos “It’s not every day a person sees something like this ” says Timm with a smile “One day we created even more of a stir by moving all the wagons at once with a 1206 International tractor ” That event was captured on video by Timm’s son-in-law Jeff and his brother who posted it on YouTube Timm’s 3 600-bale train was a variation on other lineups he had in previous years “We started this with 15 and then 18 wagons a few years ago ” Timm says “and last year we put all the straw from the field on 20 wagons and lined them up It just seemed like a fun thing to do ” While motorists knew the straw train was special they probably didn’t know that every wagon was a different size and that Timm had built all of the racks and many of the wagons in his farm shop “I’m one of those guys who always has to be building something ” says Timm “For the past 20 years it’s been a different wagon or two every winter ” Timm uses old axles from junked trucks to build front and rear running gears He prefers the axles from Ford trucks because of their I-beam suspension but he’s also scrapped out axles from old school buses His largest bale wagon is 30 ft long and others range from 16 to 25 ft long It takes him about a week to build a wagon and a full day to make an extendable pole “The size wagon I build depends on the axles I’m working with ” says Timm “If it’s a heavy-duty axle I make the reach with a 3 1/2-in pipe on the outside and a 3-in pipe inside With those I use larger wheels and can make the rack larger On the smaller wagons I use axles from 3/4-ton trucks and the reach is 2 1/2-in pipe with a 2-in pipe inside ” He also uses scrap parts from cultivators and combines Timm makes the tongues and the tie rods are original from the trucks Hay wagons have flat bolsters and wheels are 15 16 or 20 in sized to fit the wagon they’re mounted on and the load they’ll haul The smallest wagons in his fleet carry 150 bales and the largest one can haul 350 “Most of our hauling is done within 10 miles of the farm ” says Timm whose family runs 1 600 acres and also operates a feed dealership Asked why he has such a large fleet of wagons Timm is quick to reply that he and his family don’t like to handle bales any more than they have to “We park them inside and pull them out when we need straw or hay in one of the barns ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Chuck Timm 6690 Nicholson Hill Rd Hubbard Lake Mich 49747 ph 989 727-3676
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