Last week, we featured some original
parts of early wagons that are often missing from surviving vehicles
today. Whether they’ve inadvertently
fallen off, been taken off, or have been replaced, putting the wrong piece back
on can affect resale value, soundness, and the overall integrity of the wagon. Below are a dozen more areas that are
regularly affected by the issue of transient parts.
End gates – These are
likely some of the most commonly misplaced pieces from an old wagon. Like other parts, they were often removed and
laid aside, only to never be put back with the wagon.
Rub Irons – Sometimes,
these pieces have been used so much that the persistent wearing of the steel
tire has cut the rub iron in half. The
result can be that some (or all) of the piece can eventually fall off and become lost.
Due to the heavy pressure and constant wear placed on rub irons, they were often worn heavily – to the point of separation and loss. |
Wagon Box – At first
glance, it sounds a bit crazy to say the box of a wagon can go missing. In truth, the box and gear were often
separated from each other. As a result,
either can eventually be absent. I have
some great boxes that are missing their original gear. Likewise, I have a number of gears that no
longer have the original box.
Stay chains – As a
collector, you’d probably have better luck herding cats than believing you’ll
always find the original stay chains with every wagon you run across. These chains were sometimes used for other
purposes beyond those with the wagon. Additionally,
once folks started using wagons as trailers behind tractors, they no longer
needed these chains (or doubletrees).
Today, you can sometimes find used stay chains or you can buy new replacements.
Rocking bolster – Here’s a
transient part that often gets overlooked.
The forward rocking bolster is typically held to the gear by the king
bolt. Occasionally, a bolster was so
heavily damaged that it needed to be replaced or, perhaps, it was removed when
a gear was knocked down for storage, causing the parts to be separated.
Spring seats – If you’ve
ever been to an auction where wagons are sold, you’re familiar with the practice
of selling seats separately. In fact,
many seats show up to the sale already separated. Families often sold the old wagon from their
farm but kept the spring seat as a memory of earlier days. My own family remembers the wagon my granddad
owned but no one remembers what happened to it.
They did keep the spring seat and somehow one box rod remained at the
old barn. They’re two reminders of just
how easy it is for these pieces to get broken up.
Brake rods – These long
connecting rods were bent and even broken from time to time. Even so, the most likely reason for one of
these to come up missing is the result of the box being removed from the
running gear. While this is not
generally an issue when a wagon is fitted with box brakes, those mounted to the
gear are a different story. When a box
is removed from a running gear fitted with brakes, the linkage or brake rod has
to be partially disconnected, which can sometimes result in the rod getting
misplaced.
Wheel wrenches – While spring
seats and stay chains may seem hard to keep up with, they pale in comparison to
the challenges of ensuring you have the right wrench for an early wagon. They were so easy and necessary to move
around that many wagons sold today do not have their original wrench.
Reach/coupling pole – The most
common reason for a period wagon to not have its original reach today is that
it was broken or heavily damaged at some point.
The problem could have resulted from a wreck or severe stress created by
the terrain being traveled. I’ve even
heard (multiple times) of folks breaking the reach with a forklift while trying
to lift and move the wagon.
Box tighteners – Other
frequently lost parts on early wagons are box tighteners. These ‘sideboard clamps’ were designed to
help keep flax and other small seeds from leaking through the sideboards and
floor edges. There were many different
styles of box tighteners. The most
commonly lost types are the ones with steel rods extending over part or the
entire height of a box.
Latches – Folding
endgate latches are often held in place by a single nut. Should the nut ever fall off, the latch is
quickly separated from the wagon. I’ve
even heard of these being stolen, undoubtedly, to replace another somewhere
that’s missing.
Sideboards – Most
two-horse farm wagons were equipped with multiple sideboards. These additional pieces could be removed if
needed and stored in the barn, shed, or elsewhere. From time to time, the separation took on
more of a permanent nature. Today, it’s
not unusual to see these pieces listed as an isolated item in a sale.
Over and over, I’ve had folks share
thoughts that a particular pair of wagons were just alike. Truth is, no two surviving wagons are ever
exactly the same. Part of the reason will
almost always be due to the levels of originality remaining in each one. Time and again, parts are removed or lost and
the completeness of a vehicle suffers.
The lists I’ve shared here and last week are not all-inclusive but, they
do give us an idea of how prevalent the losses can be.
Thanks for stopping by. Remember, if you haven’t signed up to receive this weekly blog via email, you can easily do so by typing in your address in the “Follow By Email” section above. You’ll receive a confirmation email that you’ll need to verify before you’re officially on board. So, don’t forget to verify. We’re looking forward to your visits each week. Please Note: As with each of our blog writings, all imagery and text is copyrighted with All Rights Reserved. The material may not be broadcast, published, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written permission from David E. Sneed, Wheels That Won The West® Archives.
Thanks for stopping by. Remember, if you haven’t signed up to receive this weekly blog via email, you can easily do so by typing in your address in the “Follow By Email” section above. You’ll receive a confirmation email that you’ll need to verify before you’re officially on board. So, don’t forget to verify. We’re looking forward to your visits each week. Please Note: As with each of our blog writings, all imagery and text is copyrighted with All Rights Reserved. The material may not be broadcast, published, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written permission from David E. Sneed, Wheels That Won The West® Archives.