Feed Wagon Powered By Pickup

Feed wagon powered by pickup LIVESTOCK Feeding Equipment 16-3-10 "Converting an old pto-operated feed wagon to hydraulic power lets me operate the wagon with my pickup and move between scattered fields at highway speeds. It gives me most of the benefits of hauling feed with a truck but without paying for an extra truck license and insurance," says Mark Adams, Summer Shade, Kent., who pulls his modified feed wagon with a 1978 Chevrolet 4-WD 1/2-ton shortbed pickup. Adams removed the pto shaft from a 1956 Grade-O-Vator tandem axle wagon and mounted a hydraulic motor in its place. The motor is driven by a hydraulic pump that's belt-driven off the pickup engine's crankshaft. A pair of hydraulic hoses run from the pump to "quickcouple" hose hookups under the pickup's rear bumper. A 10-gal. oil reservoir is mounted behind the seat. To unload the wagon, Adams flips a switch on the dash to en-gage or disengage an electric clutch mounted on the pump. He uses a lever mounted on the floor of the cab to operate a hydraulic control valve that lets him change direction of the conveyor apron if the wagon plugs up. "It works great and was easy to set up," says Adams. "I have feedlots scattered out several miles apart so it really saves time. I spent only about $600 to make the conversion. The 29 gpm pump has more capacity than most tractors I own. I use it to unload feed into bunks that I make from steel pipes. I can put the transmission in low gear and just let the pickup creep as smooth as silk down the feed bunks. I don't even have to put my foot on the accelerator." Since FARM SHOW visited Adams, his original modified feed wagon (pictured) wore out so he removed the hydraulic motor and now uses it to power a new Schwartz feed wagon. The hydraulic motor mounts in the bed of the pickup and is fitted with a 540 rpm pto shaft that can be hooked up to the standard pto shaft on the feed wagon. "With this arrangement, I can now use my pickup to power most any pto-powered equipment including silage wagons, grain augers, and so on." To make the feed bunks, Adams bought about 200 ft. of 26-in. dia. steel pipe from a local salvage company. He used a cutting torch to split the pipe in half in lengths 14 to 20 ft. long, then used sheet metal to close off the ends. He also cut off short sections of pipe and welded them at a right angle to bottom of troughs to make "skid" legs. He lines the troughs up endto-end, then drives posts into the ground every 8 to 10 ft. with high-tensile electric wire above them to make a fenceline feeder. He also uses them as "stand alone" troughs in pastures. "Each trough weighs about 1,600lbs. I use my front-end loader to move them," notes Adams. He paid about $15 per foot for the pipe so a 20-ft. long pipe makes two troughs at a cost of $150 apiece. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mark Adams, 3656 Temple Hill Road, Summer Shade, Kent. 42166 (ph 502 427-4601).

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