Backing up a wagon

[Anonymous-0]

I’ve been around tractors and regular trailers all my life and never had much of a problem backing them up. Tomorrow I’m driving my F-14 in a parade towing a wagon. Guess I’ve just never had the opportunity to backup a steerable wagon before today. All I can say is I hope I don’t have to back up that sucker in the parade anywhere. Just tried it out here for the first time in the driveway and had everyone laughing. Any quick tips I can use before tomorrow?
Tim

 

[MoMike]

You turn your tractor in the same direction as you want the 4 wheel wagon to go. Hopefully your wagon steering doesn't have to much play. My old IH hay rack is loose in the steering and that makes it fun to back through a doorway.

 

[Allan in NE]

Two wheel, you back "opposite"; 4-wheel steerable, you think same direction.

Small corrections work better than large.

Allan

 

[Dick L]

My Grandfather told my when I was probly six or seven that when backing a wagon to watch the pin in the drawbar and think as if I was pushing my toy wagon backwards. He started having me back the wagon while dad was combining wheat inbetween bens. We bagged our wheat on the wagon before we had an elevator. The bags were carried into the grainery and dumped into the bens.

 

[john d]

If your tractor has a "swinging drawbar" attachment, pin it in the central part of the drawbar and hitch to it. A drawbar extension plate such as was common on Farmall H-M models when using pto equipment will also work. The extra distance behind the rear wheels of the tractor makes it MUCH easier to maneuver the wagon.

Watch the back of the wagon for location, and watch the tongue of the wagon for technique. Move the wagon tongue as if you were steering it while walking.

 

[Ken Macfarlane]

To help with our small square (idiot cube) haying we've manage to include a backing up parallel park to the barn door to improve efficiency. Why we haven't got rid of this I'll never know. I'm darned good at backing up wagons now though!

Would help to have some wider mirrors so I could see where I was going or where the arse of the wagon is!

 

[Anonymous-0]

All suggestions will get you no where. There is a trade secret to this procedure and will rerquire some form of enumeration for directions.
Earl

 

[RodinNS]

I think Allan put it pretty well....
As got he tractor's front wheels.... so goes the wagon. Don't overcorrect and you'll be fine. Keep the hitch and the steering gear as tight as possible. Sloppy old wagons are hard to deal with.
Other than that, it just take some practice. Two of them is a challenge....

Rod

 

[Anonymous-0]

I have a hitch on the front of most tractors & trucks, saves ME alot of time. No need to lose your religon & go to heck cause you can't back a wagon.

 

[Anonymous-0]

When I was a kid, I remember watching an old farmer back a 4 wheel hay wagon full of hay and a hay bailer into a barn with a D19 AC tractor, because it was going to rain. I would have said it was impossible but I saw him do it.

 

[Paul from MI]

Been doing this since I was a kid. Best advice is get rid of your friends, find someplace where no one can see you and practice. Front hitch makes it easier but takes some of the sport out of it.
Paul

 

[Dairy Farmer in WI]

My dad always told me that if i wanted the wagon to go straight, keep the front wheels as straight as i could. if i wanted it to turn, don't get the wheels turning too sharp but just gently.
df in wi