Hand-Built Weaver Wagons Are Known For Quality
Hand-made craftsmanship with superb quality throughout was the driving force behind Ervin Weaver building his first custom wagon in 1994, and it continues today as his sons Emory and Vernon operate Weaver Wagons in Dalton, Ohio. The operation is known as a premier manufacturer and restorer of all kinds of horse-drawn wagons. Weaver wagons can be found loaded with hay on a small Midwestern farm and they also sparkle in the city lights, moving people in fancy carriages around New York’s Central Park.
Before starting his company, Weaver had a background in construction and farming and worked at Pioneer Equipment, so he had high standards for quality, value, and a great eye for detail. Starting out he worked in a building the size of a 2-car garage, and had to wait for a nice calm day to lay a tarp on the lawn before he could paint a wagon. The business gained traction 6 years later when Weaver added 5,000 sq. ft. of production space, and in the past 20 years the company has continued to grow, now working in a building large enough to accommodate semi-trucks. Weaver’s sons Vernon and Emery run the business now, along with five full time and two part-time employees.
The Weavers are especially known for jaw-dropping-beautiful parade wagons with mirror-like painted finishes, but they still make simple farm and hay wagons along with buckboards, trail wagons and people haulers.
“Several things set Weaver Wagons apart from others,” says Emery. “We get the most ‘oohs and ahs’ when people see our paint jobs.” The company has a dedicated paint facility and uses an eight-step process to produce a finish rivaling those of fine automobiles. “When people see the painted wood wagons they think they’re made of metal, but they’re not.” Weaver says their customers also appreciate the company’s outstanding craftsmanship, quality, value, and attention to the smallest detail, including the hand-crafted pin striping.
Weaver’s Parade, Trail and Hitch Wagons ride on Pioneer running gears, have torsion axles with leaf springs for noiseless operation, and can be ordered with LED lighting, cushioned seats, floor mats, cup holders and canvas tops for an authentic pioneer look. Standard equipment on Weaver’s Haflinger wagons includes hydraulic brakes, a raised steel tongue with a spring assist, and a retractable rear step. Wagons can be finished with natural looking stains or painted with a high-gloss and easy-to-clean automotive finish.
Emery’s brother Vernon is a master machinist and produces most of the wagon’s metal parts, including their own fifth wheel gear design. The company still has a strong partnership with Pioneer Equipment, which makes gears for some of the wagons. Most other metal parts are made from stainless steel and are usually fabricated and polished on site.
Weaver Wagons uses traditional materials and assembly techniques and continuously strives to improve with newer technology. “We use poplar lumber in many of our wagons because it has a good strength to weight ratio and paints up very well, but we also use pvc panels because they’re durable, resist cracking and also take paint well,” Emery says. The company also offers vinyl graphics as well as hand done traditional painted pin striping.
One of the most challenging parts of their business is restoration. Some projects, like replacing a rotting dashboard, are straight forward, but others require a lot of planning, studying and head scratching. Recently they restored a neglected fire ladder wagon which was more than 100 years old. Emery says “it looked every bit its age and was so far gone we had to imagine what it once looked like. Now it’s completely restored, including 3 weeks needed to complete the pin striping.”
Contact:FARM SHOW Followup, Weaver Wagons & Custom Design, 5090 South Mt. Eaton Road, Dalton, Ohio 44618 (ph 330 857-7811; www.weaverwagons.com).
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Hand-Built Weaver Wagons Are Known For Quality WAGONS/TRAILERS Miscellaneous Hand-made craftsmanship with superb quality throughout was the driving force behind Ervin Weaver building his first custom wagon in 1994 and it continues today as his sons Emory and Vernon operate Weaver Wagons in Dalton Ohio The operation is known as a premier manufacturer and restorer of all kinds of horse-drawn wagons Weaver wagons can be found loaded with hay on a small Midwestern farm and they also sparkle in the city lights moving people in fancy carriages around New York’s Central Park Before starting his company Weaver had a background in construction and farming and worked at Pioneer Equipment so he had high standards for quality value and a great eye for detail Starting out he worked in a building the size of a 2-car garage and had to wait for a nice calm day to lay a tarp on the lawn before he could paint a wagon The business gained traction 6 years later when Weaver added 5 000 sq ft of production space and in the past 20 years the company has continued to grow now working in a building large enough to accommodate semi-trucks Weaver’s sons Vernon and Emery run the business now along with five full time and two part-time employees The Weavers are especially known for jaw-dropping-beautiful parade wagons with mirror-like painted finishes but they still make simple farm and hay wagons along with buckboards trail wagons and people haulers “Several things set Weaver Wagons apart from others ” says Emery “We get the most ‘oohs and ahs’ when people see our paint jobs ” The company has a dedicated paint facility and uses an eight-step process to produce a finish rivaling those of fine automobiles “When people see the painted wood wagons they think they’re made of metal but they’re not ” Weaver says their customers also appreciate the company’s outstanding craftsmanship quality value and attention to the smallest detail including the hand-crafted pin striping Weaver’s Parade Trail and Hitch Wagons ride on Pioneer running gears have torsion axles with leaf springs for noiseless operation and can be ordered with LED lighting cushioned seats floor mats cup holders and canvas tops for an authentic pioneer look Standard equipment on Weaver’s Haflinger wagons includes hydraulic brakes a raised steel tongue with a spring assist and a retractable rear step Wagons can be finished with natural looking stains or painted with a high-gloss and easy-to-clean automotive finish Emery’s brother Vernon is a master machinist and produces most of the wagon’s metal parts including their own fifth wheel gear design The company still has a strong partnership with Pioneer Equipment which makes gears for some of the wagons Most other metal parts are made from stainless steel and are usually fabricated and polished on site Weaver Wagons uses traditional materials and assembly techniques and continuously strives to improve with newer technology “We use poplar lumber in many of our wagons because it has a good strength to weight ratio and paints up very well but we also use pvc panels because they’re durable resist cracking and also take paint well ” Emery says The company also offers vinyl graphics as well as hand done traditional painted pin striping One of the most challenging parts of their business is restoration Some projects like replacing a rotting dashboard are straight forward but others require a lot of planning studying and head scratching Recently they restored a neglected fire ladder wagon which was more than 100 years old Emery says “it looked every bit its age and was so far gone we had to imagine what it once looked like Now it’s completely restored including 3 weeks needed to complete the pin striping ” Contact:FARM SHOW Followup Weaver Wagons & Custom Design 5090 South Mt Eaton Road Dalton Ohio 44618 ph 330 857-7811; www weaverwagons com
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