Help rebuilding a hay wagon

[sjbrunk0]

Guys,

I need some help. I just bought an old MF7 Massey-Furguson hay wagon frame for $200. Seemed like a pretty good deal... I would like to build the bed for it anyway.

I'm really looking forward to being able to pull this behind my baler so I don't have to pick the bales up off the ground.

I'm trying to decide what the bed structure should look like. I'm thinking 2x4 construction (just like a house wall) for the bed itself, with water-resistant subfloor OSB, and then two 6x6's under that running longways.

It looks like I'll have to space it up from the axles more than a 6x6 so the front tires will clear (see pic).

It looks like some of those steel pieces on top of the axles have been added, am thinking I may remove some or all of those. Two of those brackets (the ones that look like original equipment) are in bad shape having been bent all out of whack, broken, welded and broken again.

Anybody have any pointers on building a hay wagon bed, or maybe a picture or two of how this has been done?

Thanks in advance,
Scott

 

[Robert_in_NY]

4x6 or 6x6 will work for your main beams. I used 4x4 for my cross members and if I recall I used 2x8 for the deck. I wouldn't use OSB for the deck but thats because my wagons sit outside year round.

If you set your cross members right you don't have to shim the main beams up. You set one just in front of the tire and one just behind so the tire has room without rubbing.

 

[franklinute]

I built a wagon bed like you are talking about several years ago. I uses 2 6x6x16' PT as the main runners. Used 1 6x6x12' cut it into 3 pieces to brace between the runners. Then layed 2x8x8' as the bed floor after that put 2x4x16' along the edge and screwed everything together well. I usually build a steel frame, weld, drill, bolt and screw everything together. This wagon has held up very well, has been much lower cost to build and went together in an afternoon. One extra thing I do on a wagon is to u-bolt the main frame of the bed to the frame of the wagon.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Only bolt one side of each axle to the runner. Do the opposite corners and chain the unbolted side so the wagon can flex. It keeps the wagon from tearing itself apart under load if you hit a chuck hole or cross a ditch.

 

[Egon]

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...150&ty=126&page=1&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:17,s:0


A picture of the sub frame for the type of wagon you are building.

Note: the above link will lead you back to a thread and pictures posted on TBN.

 

[sjbrunk0]

A picture of the sub frame for the type of wagon you are building.

Hey, that looks really great! It looks like you used 2x10's for the runners and notched them to take the 2x4 crossmembers, is that right?

In the end were you satisfied that the runners still had enough strength in them with those notches?

What is your spacing on the crossmembers?

Thanks,
Scott

 

[tessiers]

Most wagons I am accustomed to use a 4x10 main timber on each side, bolted with 1 bolt per corner (all 4 corners) with 8' decking planks run cross ways for decking and a 2x4 rail laid flat on top of each side. We always used a 2x6 on each side of the main timbers at the back running vertical for a few feet with cross planking to give a backboard to stack against. That design held until the use of kickers which require racks all the way around the wagon. An 8x16 wagon can easily stack 150 bales.

 

[sjbrunk0]

Ok, thanks Tessiers.
So the cross planks must be 2x lumber to be able to span that far.
I like your design, sounds simple which I like.
Treated lumber I guess? I hate that stuff, it's awful bad about warping as it ages. I wish I knew a good local place to get rough sawn oak at a reasonable price, I'd use that. What did you use and were you happy with it?
Also interested to understand the backboard a little better. Do the long beams stick out the back past the deck for that to attach to? I wasn't planning for a back board but that seems to be pretty common so must be worthwhile.

 

[Egon]

Scot; I can't help with the details. It is a thread that I happened to find.

 

[sjbrunk0]

Ok, I misunderstood. Thanks anyway!