Gravity Wagon question

[bnew17]

I bought this old "Little Wagon" gravity wagon recently. I am not sure what this type of running gear is. Does anyone know?

Next question is, what is the trick to backing this thing up? Is there a way to lock the running gear or trailer tongue? I just need to back it up 15-20 feet. Thanks

 

[paul]

Little Giant sure was a popular company for a long time on specialty farm stuff, mostly for diversified livestock and grain farms of the past.

That style running gear often trails very well down the road, but can be tippy when cornering.

Backing up a wagon takes practice. You need to follow the rear wheels by steering the front wheels often opposite of what your intuition would think. And you need to react sooner than you think, in smaller amounts that you think.

Get in an open area and practice backing.

Paul

 

[1948CaseVAI]

Just like getting to Carnegie Hall - practice practice paractice. Even a Swift driver can do it:

 

[Stan56]

Little Giant sure was a popular company for a long time on specialty farm stuff, mostly for diversified livestock and grain farms of the past.

That style running gear often trails very well down the road, but can be tippy when cornering.

Backing up a wagon takes practice. You need to follow the rear wheels by steering the front wheels often opposite of what your intuition would think. And you need to react sooner than you think, in smaller amounts that you think.

Get in an open area and practice backing.

Paul

In another life, I delivered cattle feed wagons with the same axle arrangement, having to back them up occasionally. Ditto on very small corrections, earlier than you think might be needed!

My only addition is this - if you are familiar with backing fixed axle trailers, steering wheel movements are actually opposite to that, because of the turntable front axle. So, for the trailer to back to the right, the rear of your tow vehicle also needs to go to the right. Then, the steerable trailer axle will go left, and the rear of the trailer will then go right.

Also, if your very first movement with this trailer has to be backing up to get it out, take the time to get the trailer axle and your tow vehicle straight before you make any rearward movement. That will help. Good luck!

Stan

 

[Stan56]

Just like getting to Carnegie Hall - practice practice paractice. Even a Swift driver can do it:

That is pretty cool and very impressive!

I did notice the rear trailer is not on a fifth wheel dolly, but on a fixed third axle of the front trailer. No less impressive, though! Thanks for sharing the video.

Stan

 

[miangus]

Dad and I had an JD A with a front hitch we used to back kicker wagons into the barn with. I currently have a skidsteer plate with a hitch receiver that attaches to my MF 202 loader.

 

[Pitalplace]

Way easier to back with it hitched to the front of your tractor.

 

[Loosehandle]

Hook it to the front of a tractor

 

[Powered By IH]

I bought this old "Little Wagon" gravity wagon recently. I am not sure what this type of running gear is. Does anyone know?

Next question is, what is the trick to backing this thing up? Is there a way to lock the running gear or trailer tongue? I just need to back it up 15-20 feet. Thanks



View attachment 166922

If you want the back end of your wagon to go right, turn your front wheels to the right.
Want the wagon to go left, turn your wheels to the left.
Want to go straight, keep your wagon and tractor in line with each other as much as possible.

Practice makes perfect.

Simplest explanation I (or anyone) can give. Don't overcomplicate it. KISS

Also, don't feel bad if you have to unhook, reposition the tongue, and rehook. That is nothing to be ashamed of.

 

[Tgrasher]

Bolt a strip of 1 1/2" or bigger angle iron, with holes drilled, on the front of your tractor. There is no easier way, especially if you don't have power steering. Old age, stiff back, stiff neck, and having bought a tractor that already had a front hitch, made me try backing this way. After putting the wagon in the shed on the first try, I knew I'd never back a wagon into a shed again.

 

[rrlund]

Take a child's coaster wagon and push it backwards. That's how it works.

 

[used red MN]

Take a child's coaster wagon and push it backwards. That's how it works.

And then when backing it up hopefully you’re on a tractor so you can see the wagon hitch and ft wheels. Pretend you’re riding in the wagon then turn/move the hitch to the side by steering the tractor as required to make the wagon go the needed direction as would be the reaction of the child’s wagon as rr said. Of course after some distance steering the tractor back to follow up with the hitch so it doesn’t jackknife is required. In your case going that short distance backwards that you said you needed you can just pull forward again to straighten it out and go back with less steering angle so you avoid the jackknife problem.

 

[Richard Nixon]

Take a child's coaster wagon and push it backwards. That's how it works.

 

[Richard Nixon]

That is exactly how I was going to recommend but you beat me to it!

 

[Richard Nixon]

I bought this old "Little Wagon" gravity wagon recently. I am not sure what this type of running gear is. Does anyone know?

Next question is, what is the trick to backing this thing up? Is there a way to lock the running gear or trailer tongue? I just need to back it up 15-20 feet. Thanks



View attachment 166922

I remember one time one of my hunters was out on my farm in the yard when I backed a 4 wheeled wagon into the lean-to end of the machine shed. The bay was about 12' wide and the wagon 8'. He watched and said to me afterward: "How did you do that? I just watched you back a 4 wheeled wagon into a shed with practically no clearance going about 20 miles an hour". All I said to him was: "I've been doing this since I was 8 years old". Well, of course, I wasn't going 20 miles an hour. Probably more like 2 or 3. But nonetheless, it was a piece of cake.

 

[rrlund]

In the FFA State Skills Contest when I was in high school, we had to back one between pipes with golf balls balanced on them. We had done it in a chapter contest too.