Hansen Wheel and Wagon Shop Part 3 - Horse Drawn Chuckwagons and Road Construction Equipment

#horse-drawnvehicles #wagonwheels #hansenwheel #chuckwagon
The third in our four-part series from Hanson Wheel and Wagon Shop Doug shows us some road construction and other earth moving vehicles as well as the classic chuck wagon

Joe visits Hanson Wheel and Wagon shop in Lechter, South Dakota. Doug Hanson is the owner of this 40-year-old business, which is the premier builder and restorer of authentic horse-drawn vehicles. They restore and replicate wagons, coaches, carriages and more for horse-drawn vehicle enthusiast, museums, movies, Living History Farms and more.

Doug brings out two horse drawn road construction vehicles: a slip scrape and a belly dump wagon. He demonstrates how the slip scrape works to pick up dirt or rocks and then also how it dumps the load and levels it. Then he sows us a 1-1 1/2 cubic yard belly dump wagon from the Black Hills area. It is identified by wide, heavy, large diameter wheels. I also has a drop pole to manage uneven terrain.

Next Doug pulls out an original, beautifully restored Newton Chuck Wagon. It has high wheeled narrow tires build for handling the plains turf/grasses. He tells us some identifying features such as the wheel hub.

He shows us all the functional details including
high wheels
large tool box
pan boot - for storing the cast iron cookware
chuck box for food prep equipment, first aid, and much more
box for bedrolls
poles for supporting the canvas fly
wagon bows for the cover
coffee grinder
meat saw in order to use the bone marrow
water barrel and bucket
axes, hatchets, rope and more hanging from the wagon sides
jockey box for storage of wrenches, bolts, nuts for wagon repair as well as horse care supplies
Doug explains the importance of the check wagon to the cowboys as it was their home away from home. It carried their personal gear including bedrolls, clothing, personal hygiene supples and more.

Lastly Doug briefly discusses his shop and the craftsmen that work there including a wheelwrights, wainwrights, coach makers, blacksmiths, painters, trimmers and ornamenters. In the next episode we will meet these crafts people and visit their shop.

Watch all the shows in this series
Hansen Wheel and Wagon Shop Part 1: Horse-Drawn Wagons and Running Gear .    • Hansen Wheel and Wagon Shop: Horse-drawn V...  
Hanson Wheel and Wagon Shop Part 2:
Stagecoaches, Mud Wagons and Freight Wagons.
   • Hansen Wheel and Wagon Shop Part 2:   Stag...  
Hansen Wheel and Wagon Shop Part 3 - Horse Drawn Chuckwagons and Road Construction Equipment.
   • Hansen Wheel and Wagon Shop Part 3 - Horse...  
Hanson Wheel and Wagon Shop Part 4: Artists and Craftsmen
   • Hansen Wheel and Wagon Shop - Part 4 Artis...