The Farm and Bakery Wagon
In 2010 I completed a fun project that I'd had in mind
for a while, a commercial horse-drawn van expressly
designed to sell produce and bread. The intended
purpose of the vehicle was to bring the working animal
(back) to the streets of Vergennes and to show that
living horsewpower is an effective means of bringing
local goods to market.
I believe we succeeded on both counts, but in the
end I had to conclude that the day of the horsedrawn
wagon has not yet come. I had enough near-misses in
traffic to satisfy my adrenaline cravings for quite a
while. Not through any fault of the horse, mind you.
Bobby learned to ply the streets quite well! But the
unpredictable behaviour of motorists around our
slow-moving rig was just too stressful. The bakery
wagon will still hit the streets for special occasions, but
will otherwise wait patiently for the time when
horsedrawn transport of goods becomes a sane, safer,
and economical option.
for a while, a commercial horse-drawn van expressly
designed to sell produce and bread. The intended
purpose of the vehicle was to bring the working animal
(back) to the streets of Vergennes and to show that
living horsewpower is an effective means of bringing
local goods to market.
I believe we succeeded on both counts, but in the
end I had to conclude that the day of the horsedrawn
wagon has not yet come. I had enough near-misses in
traffic to satisfy my adrenaline cravings for quite a
while. Not through any fault of the horse, mind you.
Bobby learned to ply the streets quite well! But the
unpredictable behaviour of motorists around our
slow-moving rig was just too stressful. The bakery
wagon will still hit the streets for special occasions, but
will otherwise wait patiently for the time when
horsedrawn transport of goods becomes a sane, safer,
and economical option.
| All this notwithstanding, the wagon itself is kind of nifty. Making it was a lot of fun, and allowed me to bring together my past working with wood and my present working with animals! This page will give you a little whirlwind tour of how we went about making it. If you are in the market for a commercial horsedrawn vehicle as awesome as this, give me a call. I would love to make another one! Our wagon was based on a historic bakery wagon plan drawn by John Thompson. This fellow made scale drawings and build models of working vehicles in the 20's and 30's when cars and trucks were beginning to render them obsolete. The Thompson archives include all sorts of vehicles, passenger conveyances, furniture delivery vans, fire engines, hearses, water tankers, and so on. I liked this particular design because it seemed just the right size for the quantity of goods we would normally bring to a farmers market anyway, using our car. |
The first step was to decide on an appropriate chassis, or "running gear."
Eventually I chose to go with the real deal, a wooden-wheeled gear with leaf
springs rather than pneumatic tires. Wooden wheels last forever with care
and are functional and look the part. I bought an antique delivery wagon that
had been left outdoors as an ornament. I was able to reuse some of the
wheels and wooden parts of the running gear. I ordered two new wheels
from Witmer Coach shop (very good and affordable) and rebuilt the running
Eventually I chose to go with the real deal, a wooden-wheeled gear with leaf
springs rather than pneumatic tires. Wooden wheels last forever with care
and are functional and look the part. I bought an antique delivery wagon that
had been left outdoors as an ornament. I was able to reuse some of the
wheels and wooden parts of the running gear. I ordered two new wheels
from Witmer Coach shop (very good and affordable) and rebuilt the running
gear with many custom made
wooden parts. To the left you
can see the frame, upside down,
that connects to the leaf springs
and supports the wagon box.
The box (upper part) of the
wagon is only connected to the
wheels via springs. To the right
is a frame part in the vise, being
tenoned for joining. I used
wooden parts. To the left you
can see the frame, upside down,
that connects to the leaf springs
and supports the wagon box.
The box (upper part) of the
wagon is only connected to the
wheels via springs. To the right
is a frame part in the vise, being
tenoned for joining. I used
traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery throughout the project for maximum
strength. The frame members were all made of solid, locally cut and milled
ash. I did, however, deviate from traditional methods by using plywood for
the deck, sides, and roof, and for the panels. This made for a cheaper and
stronger wagon. In total I used one sheet of 1/4" oak plywood for panels,
four sheets 3/8" AC fir plywood, and one sheet of 3/4" CDX for the deck.
strength. The frame members were all made of solid, locally cut and milled
ash. I did, however, deviate from traditional methods by using plywood for
the deck, sides, and roof, and for the panels. This made for a cheaper and
stronger wagon. In total I used one sheet of 1/4" oak plywood for panels,
four sheets 3/8" AC fir plywood, and one sheet of 3/4" CDX for the deck.
Here you can see the shape of it coming together. The
plywood floor and sides are bound in a hardwood frame so
that all the ply edges are embedded in hardwood. The square
opening for a little door behind the driver's head. The piece of
hardwood projecting toward you, top center of the picture,
suggests the future curve of the roof. The roofline has a
compound curve over in the front, sloping forward and to
each side, kind of difficult to execute with plywood, but not
impossible!
The woodwork for the footboards, bench, doors, and
structural roof and wall members was all done in solid ash,
planed smooth by hand planes and spokeshaves. Some of the
decorative details in the frame are my own take on the original
drawings. All together the design provides good headroom in
the cargo area (ceiling just under 5 feet in the center) and
strong resistance to racking, or coming out of square while
lurching on the road.
You can also see in the back of the wagon a hole where
the rear flashers will go. Very basic electrical system.
plywood floor and sides are bound in a hardwood frame so
that all the ply edges are embedded in hardwood. The square
opening for a little door behind the driver's head. The piece of
hardwood projecting toward you, top center of the picture,
suggests the future curve of the roof. The roofline has a
compound curve over in the front, sloping forward and to
each side, kind of difficult to execute with plywood, but not
impossible!
The woodwork for the footboards, bench, doors, and
structural roof and wall members was all done in solid ash,
planed smooth by hand planes and spokeshaves. Some of the
decorative details in the frame are my own take on the original
drawings. All together the design provides good headroom in
the cargo area (ceiling just under 5 feet in the center) and
strong resistance to racking, or coming out of square while
lurching on the road.
You can also see in the back of the wagon a hole where
the rear flashers will go. Very basic electrical system.
To the left you can
see that the roof plywood
over the driver's head has
been cut into "fingers."
Using some high school
geometry we were able to
get a satisfactory compond
curve, as you can see in
the next picture.
see that the roof plywood
over the driver's head has
been cut into "fingers."
Using some high school
geometry we were able to
get a satisfactory compond
curve, as you can see in
the next picture.
Altogether the box weighs maybe 500 lbs now and is getting less fun to move
around. To the left you can see apprentice Tristan Fulford (2010) installing the
running gear onto the bottom of the wagon, which we have flipped up onto its back
for the purpose. The wheels are left off of the running gear for now to make it
lighter. Once we had the running gear secure we attached the wheels and it was just
about ready to roll.
We noticed early on that the springs were insufficient for the weight of the van
box, which tended to list excessively with the weight of cargo in the back or
passengers in the front. Bailey Spring and Chassis made us up four new leaves
which stiffened the suspension quite well, and lifted the box to about the height at
which it was designed to ride.
around. To the left you can see apprentice Tristan Fulford (2010) installing the
running gear onto the bottom of the wagon, which we have flipped up onto its back
for the purpose. The wheels are left off of the running gear for now to make it
lighter. Once we had the running gear secure we attached the wheels and it was just
about ready to roll.
We noticed early on that the springs were insufficient for the weight of the van
box, which tended to list excessively with the weight of cargo in the back or
passengers in the front. Bailey Spring and Chassis made us up four new leaves
which stiffened the suspension quite well, and lifted the box to about the height at
which it was designed to ride.
To the right you can see the
interior storage system, which allows
us to transport 150 pastries, 80
loaves, and several boxes of produce,
and two coolers of frozen meat to
market. We can't fit as much stuff in
the car! Unlike a station wagon,
which is all curves and wheel wells in
interior storage system, which allows
us to transport 150 pastries, 80
loaves, and several boxes of produce,
and two coolers of frozen meat to
market. We can't fit as much stuff in
the car! Unlike a station wagon,
which is all curves and wheel wells in
To the right the box is now
assembled. The yellow side
panels have five coats of enamel,
and the ash and oak members
have about the same number of
coats of varnish. The roof
plywood has been covered with
canvas which is then
impregnated with many coats of
oil paint, rendering it waterproof.
The bench seat is hinged
and allows for quite a bit of
storage inside. The car battery
that powers the flasher lights is
strapped in there too. It's easy to
flip up the lid and recharge as
necessary.
assembled. The yellow side
panels have five coats of enamel,
and the ash and oak members
have about the same number of
coats of varnish. The roof
plywood has been covered with
canvas which is then
impregnated with many coats of
oil paint, rendering it waterproof.
The bench seat is hinged
and allows for quite a bit of
storage inside. The car battery
that powers the flasher lights is
strapped in there too. It's easy to
flip up the lid and recharge as
necessary.
the back, a horsedrawn van is a perfect match for the cargo it carries. The pine
crates are even held on the shelves with a lip, so they do not dislodge on even the
bumpiest ride. Every crate has good clearance and ventilation, as well.
You can also see the dome light lit up inside and one of the flasher taillights.
The footman loop to the left of the door is reforged from the antique wagon from
which the running gear came.
A wagon like this can be set up with either a pole (for two horses or
sometimes more) or shafts (for a single horse). Wanting to keep things as simple
as possible in traffic, I went with shafts. Below you can see the wagon returning
to the farm with my Dante the Dog running escort, and me, my brother-in-law
Adam Hurwitz, and my son Julien riding in the cab. With the mirrors, the driver
has good visibility both over the horse and to the rear of the vehicle, yet is still
crates are even held on the shelves with a lip, so they do not dislodge on even the
bumpiest ride. Every crate has good clearance and ventilation, as well.
You can also see the dome light lit up inside and one of the flasher taillights.
The footman loop to the left of the door is reforged from the antique wagon from
which the running gear came.
A wagon like this can be set up with either a pole (for two horses or
sometimes more) or shafts (for a single horse). Wanting to keep things as simple
as possible in traffic, I went with shafts. Below you can see the wagon returning
to the farm with my Dante the Dog running escort, and me, my brother-in-law
Adam Hurwitz, and my son Julien riding in the cab. With the mirrors, the driver
has good visibility both over the horse and to the rear of the vehicle, yet is still
pretty well protected
from the elements.
Once he'd gotten the
hang of it, Bobby the
Horse found it easy
enough to trot all the way
to the Vergennes green
(1.5 miles) with a full
load. Over time he was
able to deal with his
apprehension about two
weird things he never
encounters on-farm:
pedestrian crosswalks
and railroad tracks.
We had many
admiring and appreciative
comments from friends
and neighbors. The
project took many hours
and cost about $2000 in
materials. If I were to
build a similar one on
commission, it would
probably cost around
$4500.
from the elements.
Once he'd gotten the
hang of it, Bobby the
Horse found it easy
enough to trot all the way
to the Vergennes green
(1.5 miles) with a full
load. Over time he was
able to deal with his
apprehension about two
weird things he never
encounters on-farm:
pedestrian crosswalks
and railroad tracks.
We had many
admiring and appreciative
comments from friends
and neighbors. The
project took many hours
and cost about $2000 in
materials. If I were to
build a similar one on
commission, it would
probably cost around
$4500.