Childhood Memory Launched Sleigh Business

2025 - Volume #49, Issue #1, Page #22

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When a major stroke left Jack Bollinger unable to perform his given line of work more than 30 years ago, a reflection back to his early childhood spurred a new hobby and, eventually, a thriving business.
“I was confined to a wheelchair and couldn’t return to my regular work,” Bollinger says, “then one day, I recalled being at our church when the pastor arrived in a beautiful sleigh during a big snowstorm. Somehow, that memory spurred me to try my hand at creating replacement sleigh runners. It was a hobby at first and then a business. I’ve restored more than 100 sleighs in 34 years.”
Bollinger searched periodicals for sleigh restoration instructions and eventually developed his own method for creating replacement wood runners. First, he slices a 1-in. piece of ash, oak or similar hardwood slightly longer than the original runner into 8-in. strips. He glues them together and puts clamps a few inches apart to hold them in place. Then he spreads a thin stream of glue down the length of each strip, then across the strip with a spatula. After letting it dry overnight, he removes the clamps and planes about 1/16 in. off each side. He paints them and says they look like original wood runners from the manufacturer.
“I’ve worked on some very dilapidated sleighs for people all over the country over the years and turned them into almost ‘like new’ originals,” Bollinger says. One was a Portland Cutter that’d sat outside for over 40 years. Another was for the Ralph Lauren company. He also recalls the picture of broken sleigh parts sent by a man whose grandfather had driven him in that sleigh when it was in perfect shape. While the man served in the military, his grandfather had died, and the sleigh was sold. Eventually, the man got it back in pieces and wanted it restored. Bollinger told him the restoration would be very expensive, but the man didn’t hesitate to give him the go-ahead.
With more than 30 years of experience, Bollinger is a bona fide restoration expert. His knowledge of sleigh availability, pricing, restoration cost and construction has helped his business thrive. He charges for photo and in-person appraisals so owners know their values when placing them in an estate or offering them for sale. His business does custom restoration, putting sleighs in excellent usable condition, including paint detailing. They’ll also build new sleighs using traditional designs and styles.
“Some sleighs we restore are probably close to 100 years old. We put a lot of tender care into bringing them back. All of our new sleighs are made from the finest wood available, no fiberglass anywhere,” Bollinger says. “When we sell a rebuilt or new sleigh, we give the owners complete instructions on how to care for and maintain their keepsake.”
The company also buys non-repairable sleighs for parts and can help people locate specialty sleighs such as 4-passenger Bobs, Racing, Albany and Russian sleighs.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jack Bollinger, 2200 Mastodon Ct., Imperial, Mo. 63052.

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Childhood Memory Launched Sleigh Business LIVESTOCK Horses/Mules When a major stroke left Jack Bollinger unable to perform his given line of work more than 30 years ago a reflection back to his early childhood spurred a new hobby and eventually a thriving business “I was confined to a wheelchair and couldn’t return to my regular work ” Bollinger says “then one day I recalled being at our church when the pastor arrived in a beautiful sleigh during a big snowstorm Somehow that memory spurred me to try my hand at creating replacement sleigh runners It was a hobby at first and then a business I’ve restored more than 100 sleighs in 34 years ” Bollinger searched periodicals for sleigh restoration instructions and eventually developed his own method for creating replacement wood runners First he slices a 1-in piece of ash oak or similar hardwood slightly longer than the original runner into 8-in strips He glues them together and puts clamps a few inches apart to hold them in place Then he spreads a thin stream of glue down the length of each strip then across the strip with a spatula After letting it dry overnight he removes the clamps and planes about 1/16 in off each side He paints them and says they look like original wood runners from the manufacturer “I’ve worked on some very dilapidated sleighs for people all over the country over the years and turned them into almost ‘like new’ originals ” Bollinger says One was a Portland Cutter that’d sat outside for over 40 years Another was for the Ralph Lauren company He also recalls the picture of broken sleigh parts sent by a man whose grandfather had driven him in that sleigh when it was in perfect shape While the man served in the military his grandfather had died and the sleigh was sold Eventually the man got it back in pieces and wanted it restored Bollinger told him the restoration would be very expensive but the man didn’t hesitate to give him the go-ahead With more than 30 years of experience Bollinger is a bona fide restoration expert His knowledge of sleigh availability pricing restoration cost and construction has helped his business thrive He charges for photo and in-person appraisals so owners know their values when placing them in an estate or offering them for sale His business does custom restoration putting sleighs in excellent usable condition including paint detailing They’ll also build new sleighs using traditional designs and styles “Some sleighs we restore are probably close to 100 years old We put a lot of tender care into bringing them back All of our new sleighs are made from the finest wood available no fiberglass anywhere ” Bollinger says “When we sell a rebuilt or new sleigh we give the owners complete instructions on how to care for and maintain their keepsake ” The company also buys non-repairable sleighs for parts and can help people locate specialty sleighs such as 4-passenger Bobs Racing Albany and Russian sleighs Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Jack Bollinger 2200 Mastodon Ct Imperial Mo 63052

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