Farm Wagon, Update, With Questions!

Alright, so I got this wagon home and have been doing some work to it. The steering is finally starting to free up, and the more I pull it around the better it gets!

I have been trying to ID it, and I made a major break through yesterday. I found 4 holes on the back of the rear axle where there was clearly a plate at one time. I went back to my previous post about Farm Wagons, and many of you said that is where the tag would be if it was a David Bradly, made by Electric Wheel Co.

While looking at the post, I remembered the picture of the wagon that i posted that was for sale on CL (1st picture here) I looked at it and it is nearly the exact same wagon as the one I got home!!! (2nd picture here)

So, here is what I am seeing is wrong with mine... You will notice on the first wagon, that there is a cross bar ON TOP of the front axle that has the holders for 4 x 6's on it.

When you look at mine, my brackets are just welded to the axle? Mine doesn't have that big block on top of the front axle like the other one does?

When I stepped back and looked at the wagon, it looks like if I was to lay a 2 x 4 (or whatever) between the front axle and the rear axle, and then put a level on it, it looks like the 2 x 4 would be sloping down towards the front of the wagon, which is NOT going to work if I am going to put a flat bed on it for bales... What should I do?

Also, what tonnage of running gear do you think I have? 6 x 15 tires, 5 bolt rims. I am thinking probably 4 ton? 2000lbs per wheel? Bryce

Alright, I just went out and took some measurements.. I think that the top of the front axle is about 3 inches lower than the rear, so if I was to put 4 x 6 stringers on it, could I just notch 1 inch out of the back of each one, and block the fronts up 2 inches? That would accommodate for my 3 inch difference.

On another note, right now axles are about 12 feet apart from each other, which is too long for my needs. So if I was to take and shorten it up to 9 feet, could I have the 4 x 6's hang off each end 1 1/2 feet so that I could get a 12 foot deck? Bryce

I think I'd weld a piece of 3" square tubing to the front to bring it up instead of notching the stringers. Anywhere you notch, you weaken, and expose more end grain, which lets in moisture and promotes splitting.

But before making any frame height adjustments, I would take some careful measurements from known fixed reference points, like the bottom of the wheel, center of the hub, etc. Don't rely on tires or uneven ground.

It can be easily shortened, just do it right! Get everything straight, cross measure, cross level, work on a good flat concrete surface so you can level everything up when you weld it together.

It doesn't look anything like the David Bradley wagon that we had.

I have a david bradley gear that I want to get rid of, think I will scrap it.

The first wagon has a rocking bolster on the front. The second one appears to have had one, but was removed which would be the height difference. The second does not appear to be an Electric Wheel, several things different. The first picture appears to be a 3 - 3 1/2 ton.

I'm far from an expert but I have refurbished 8 running gears over the past 8 years as I build one parade wagon a year. What I have found is that the front axle - with or without a bolster - is at least as high off the ground as the rear axle and in a few cases, the front has been an inch or so higher than the rear. In your case it looks to me like someone in the past has removed the front bolster and welded the standards to the axle. All of the bolsters on my gears have been bolted to the axles. Your reference to "cross bar on top of the front axle" is the bolster which your wagon has none. The "holders for the 4x6's" are the standards which are bolted to the bolster. Yours are welded. Do the front and rear standards line up parallel with the reach? If not and if this gear was in my yard and assuming the rear axle/bolster/standards are correct, I would take my angle grinder and cut the front standards off, have new ones made (any good welding shop that bends metal can do it) that you can bolt to the axle. Lay a 4x4, ripped to meet the height of the rear bolster, on the front axle between the new standards and drill 2 vertical holes through the 4x4 and axle near both ends and bolt the 4x4 on to the axle. Now you have a level plane to lay your 2 main beams and they are supported at both ends by the standards. On my parade wagons I bolt the main beams to the rear standards and put chains around the beams/front standards. You will find a variety of methods for attaching the beams to the standards but this is what I use.