Haywagon rebuild thread

[Robert_in_NY]

Ok, looks like we will be going with the "traditional" deck as I need to have sides (we have a kicker on our baler). Perhaps a laminate beam will still work.....

Aaron Z

The beam will work fine. Just seal each piece first before assembling then top it with a metal cap and don't worry. I just replaced my one beam that rotted by laminating 3- 2"x8"x18'. Stained them all first then glued and screwed then bolted them together. Topped them with an aluminum cap and put it in. I also had to double up the 4x4 joists as most of them were cracked where the beam rotted. As soon as I was done I took it to the field and put 200 bales on it without any issues. I am not worried about the beam rotting away anytime soon either. Good luck with your build.

 

[aczlan]

First off, sorry about the picture size, my brother took the pictures on his fancy schmancy phone and they are too small to show much detail.

I started on the rack yesterday. We had a friend who is a carpenter come over. He and I started building at about 8:30am.

First I found that he had ordered 4x6s for the runners, I didnt think they would be strong enough, so we called the lumberyard and they didnt have 4x8s, but they had 9.5x1.5 laminated beams. We ordered four 16 foot ones and they delivered two 16 foot ones and two 18 foot ones for the price of four 16 footers (they ran out of 16 footers)


Then he screwed the pairs of laminated beams together while I went back to the lumberyard to get a few other things we had missed (like flashing)


When I got back we installed the flashing over the runners (so that when the hay falls down it will not rot the beams) and bolted them to the frame


And installed the "strong tie" brackets



Once they were installed we installed the 4x4 joists


And I started on the deck boards while he started notching the 4x4 uprights


I finished screwing down the deck boards


And we started installing the uprights (details on how we fastened them to follow once they are fully fastened, they are currently a work in progress)


Then we started installing the side boards


However we ran out of screws before we finished, being as it was 3pm, we called it a day and I will work more on it later in the week.


More pictures and details to follow

To be completed:
Connecting uprights to the joists in a more secure fashion
Finishing boxing the top of the walls
Front gate
Chains on the side doors
Steps for the side doors (this will be fun)
Finishing installing the boards in the back
Straightening the upright that got screwed in on the wrong side of the mark (a 4" oops)
Spring assist lift for the tongue?
Replacing the nails in the "strong tie" brackets with 1.5" deck screws
Painting the runners JD green
Staining the rest of the wagon (probably next year when the wood has dried) with an opaque stain

If there are any questions/suggestions feel free to make them known

Aaron Z

 

[aczlan]

Some finished pictures at long last:


Clearance from the tires, thinking of notching the beam a little to make it ride ~6" lower, but that hasn't happened yet:


Drop down gate on the front and front braces:


Safety chains go through the tongue, then are independently bolted around the axle (this is the wagon that we use for hayrides):


Aaron Z

 

[KTM Ranch]

Aaron,

Thank you for taking the time to send me the pics, that is exactly what I was looking for. Nice looking job!!

Kenny

 

[joewilshire]

Wonderful rebuild. I just bought an old hay wagon and plan on rebuilding myself.
One question...would it be advisable to put 2 x material spanning the width in between the runners? Like at least one in front and one in the rear?
Any other suggestions you may have put into your plan now that it is finished?

Thanks.

 

[aczlan]

Wonderful rebuild. I just bought an old hay wagon and plan on rebuilding myself.
One question...would it be advisable to put 2 x material spanning the width in between the runners? Like at least one in front and one in the rear?
Any other suggestions you may have put into your plan now that it is finished?
Thanks.

All 4 corners of the runners are bolted to the running gear and there are brackets holding every 4x4 crossbeam to the runners, so it shouldn't be needed, but that's not a bad idea.

If I were to do it again, I would have gone with a single beam on each side for the runners and I would have notched it to make it sit ~4" lower (will probbaly still notch it).

Aaron Z