Heavy Duty 5000 BU Gravity Wagon

Heavy duty 5000 BU gravity wagon TRUCKS Conversions 16-6-14 Dean Fechter, Belvue, Kan., used two truck frames and rear-end assemblies to build a heavy duty 500 bu. gravity wagon equipped with 10.00 by 20 dual truck tires. The wagon box is 17 ft. long and 8 ft. wide and is made out of reinforced 14 ga. steel which, along with 21/2 in. angle iron, was the only material used in the project that he purchased new. "It gives me most of the benefits of hauling grain with a truck but without paying for a truck license and insurance," says Fechter. "My farm liability insurance covers me while towing the wagon on the highway. As long as the trailer is pulled with a farm tractor, no truck license is required which makes it considerably cheaper to own than a truck of similar capacity." Fechter used a Ford rear axle assembly on back and an International axle on front. The differentials and floating axles were removed and caps were made out of 3/16-in. steel plate to cover the main axle and bearings. He made the front turntable by welding a large pivot pin to the center of a 28-in. sq. piece of 1/2-in. reinforced steel plate and then mounted that to the top of the axle. He made the top half of the turntable by cutting a 22-in. circle out of 1/ 2 in. plate steel with a pivot, made out of steel tubing, welded to the center of it. Grease zerks were installed in the pivot and steel plate so the turntable can be easily lubricated. Fechter used 5/8 by 2-in. steel bar to form the top edge of the box and the ribs that stiffen the sides. Two 3/4-in. steel bracing rods run across the box for strength. He used 1/4-in. steel plate to make a sliding door in the bottom of the box and mounted the timing chain and sprocket from an old car onto the door. He uses a 1/ 2-in. ratchet wrench to turn a shaft to open and close the door. "I was so pleased with the first wagon that I built two more. I bought each set of truck frames, rear ends, wheels and tires for $250 and spent a total of $1,200 to 1,400 to build each wagon depending on how much new steel I had to buy. Commercial wagons of comparable size cost up to $8,000 and aren't built as well." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dean Fechter, 21855 Oregon Trail, Belvue, Kan. 66407 (ph 913 456-7622).

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