How to Build a Traditional Farm Wagon or Chuck Wagon by Fred Hanson

Most of the wagon and carriage books written today are the product of researchers. Researchers are just that, researchers. Many do not have a working knowledge of the subject they are trying to bring to light. These books are generally a compilation of articles pulled from the archives of period publications. These articles are often short somewhat detailed descriptions of a part of the whole. Meaning there is a lot of missing information. Although the information in these books may be partially incomplete they are still an indispensable source of information.

I am not a researcher. I am a builder who, by some miracle, can put his work into word and picture form for others to read. My book may not and cannot show every possible way to build and design a wagon, but it does show a complete and working knowledge of how to build an entire wagon and all its parts with proper function from beginning to end.

When this project was presented to me, I thought, yes I can do that. Then I wondered why this book had not already been written. In the days of the wagon the trades were taught or learned on the job, apprentice, journeyman and finally master craftsman. The knowledge was passed on not written down. The other conclusion I came to after starting the process of writing this book was how would you ever get a wagon builder, draftsman, photographer and writer all in agreement, in the same place, at the same time, doing the same thing to write such a book. I do not believe you could so this book had to all come from one person. This is a self published book. It is not edited. It comes to you from me, a wagon and wagon parts builder, as it was authored. Some of the spelling and grammar may or may not be correct but the content and meaning is there.

In this book I follow the actual building of a wagon. An entirely new wagon is produced from scratch. The wagon built is a farm/chuck wagon. The farm wagon is built. The conversion of the farm wagon into a covered wagon is shown. Then all the chuck wagon accessories are built and added to the wagon. The difficulties encountered while building the wagon are addressed as best as possible, not gleaned over as if nothing or left out.

The wagon produced for this book has 44” wheels in the front with 52” wheels in the back. A hickory wood running gear fully ironed with 42” bolsters. Complete brake system with all its parts. It is shown and explained how to build a tongue and groove box or a double box. How to match a new box to the running gear under it. The building and fitting of wagon tongues. How to make to make every part of a farm wagon or chuck wagon is in this book, wood and iron, even the lazy back wagon seat. All this is shown with great detail within 557 pages. Included in the 557 pages are 211 color photos and 278 detail scale drawings within the text. (Spiral Bound-8 ½” X 11”)

There has been no other book like this ever written. This is the most helpful book for farm or chuck wagon restoration available. The wheelwright section for wood hub wagon wheels in the book is the most complete and informative that I have ever seen.

Fred Hanson