Cleaned up an 🍎 tree today!

[Lane Ranger 11,924]

Cleaned up a downed apple tree at my mom’s house today.  The tree had just started good apple 🍎 production!

 

 

Uses the 314- 8 of my brothers anddhis 4 wheel wagon as our other Wheel Horse cart was being used by their neighbor .  Five loads in the four wheel wagon and she was cleaned up!

 

 

 

 

[Bill D 2,706]

Lots of good wood for smoking.  Apple wood smoked ribs on the menu anytime soon?

[ebinmaine 78,042]

Too bad that tree went over but like Bill says there's a silver lining in repurposing the wood.  

I like that 4 wheel wagon.  Been considering building something similar here for hauling firewood but haven't justified the time yet because we already have a good system.  

 

 

[lynnmor 8,710]

3 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

 

I like that 4 wheel wagon.  Been considering building something similar here for hauling firewood but haven't justified the time yet because we already have a good system.  

 

I wonder how difficult they are to reverse, I know hay wagons on the farm were a special skill.  Also, tilting a two wheel cart is easy and a four wheel not so much.

[ebinmaine 78,042]

Just now, lynnmor said:

I wonder how difficult they are to reverse, I know hay wagons on the farm were a special skill.  Also, tilting a two wheel cart is easy and a four wheel not so much.

 

 

Good points.  Here, backing could potentially be avoided most of the time but occasionally I'd need to figure that out. 

 

The reason I haven't made one yet is that we already have two single axle trailers that keep weight on the tractor. Important for traction. 

For larger/ longer log loads we've rebuilt the original pole trailer. 

 

[cleat 8,886]

25 minutes ago, lynnmor said:

I wonder how difficult they are to reverse, I know hay wagons on the farm were a special skill.  Also, tilting a two wheel cart is easy and a four wheel not so much.

 

Here is the wagon I built.

 

No, it does not tilt but it is very stable.

Also, you can easily unhitch it when loaded so long as it does not roll away.

 

 

Backing a wagon is much more difficult than a trailer.

I grew up on a farm so backing up hay wagons got to be second nature.

However, these small wagons are more difficult as they jackknife quickly.

 

[pfrederi 20,153]

Use a front hitch and push it.  I never got the 4 wheel backup skill.  My young neighbor can back up a 4 wheel hay wagon that is hooked behind his baler.  That is skill.

 

 

 

Edited Saturday at 03:03 PM by pfrederi

[JCM 11,025]

Is that a COVER - TECH  garage Made in Canada ?  Looks like one.  @cleat

[cleat 8,886]

45 minutes ago, JCM said:

Is that a COVER - TECH  garage Made in Canada ?  Looks like one.  @cleat

 

Yes it is.

Very well built. 

It will need a new cover soon.

[cleat 8,886]

51 minutes ago, pfrederi said:

Use a front hitch and push it.  I never got the 4 wheel backup skill.  My young neighbor can back up a 4 wheel hay wagon that is hooked behind his baler.  That is skill.

 

 

 

 

My dad could do that as well.

I could do one or the other but not both.

 

Hardest part was backing the wagon. Out of the barn after unloading it with only a few inches on each side.

[953 nut 64,908]

When I was in 4-H we had tractor driving competition at the county fair. I hade never mastered the hay wagon backing skill (our hay barn was a pull through) but figured I would give it a try just for fun. I had one pull forward and the wagon was in place with no saw horses or ribbons disturbed.         Next I hooked up the corn picker to back it into a stall and ran over two cones.        All previously accumulated attaboys were now history.     

[sqrlgtr 2,425]

We pullum to the barn then turn tractor around and push back in barn. We use to have a barn or two you could pull through which made it nice and one that was in a pretty flat spot with plenty of room and I could back wagon in it pretty good. Use to pull tractors with a young man 20yr my junior beat anything I ever saw backing a wagon he actually won the state FFA  competition of wagon backing in high school. Man he could fly backing that thing, he could put two in a barn before I figured out which way to turn steering wheel first time .

[Handy Don 16,155]

 

13 minutes ago, sqrlgtr said:

before I figured out which way to turn steering wheel first time 

As soon as you have to think about it, you’re doomed. 

[sqrlgtr 2,425]

47 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

 

As soon as you have to think about it, you’re doomed. 

That applies to more than wagons. When I start to think I really don't need another WH tractor....

[Lane Ranger 11,924]

On 4/10/2026 at 9:30 PM, Bill D said:

Lots of good wood for smoking.  Apple wood smoked ribs on the menu anytime soon?

 

yes i saved quite a bit .  We use to vist a restaurant in North Salem , Indiana that specialized in cooking steaks 🥩 over an open grill fueled by apple 🍎 wood!  Really a treat!  

[Lane Ranger 11,924]

On 4/11/2026 at 11:03 AM, pfrederi said:

Use a front hitch and push it.  I never got the 4 wheel backup skill.  My young neighbor can back up a 4 wheel hay wagon that is hooked behind his baler.  That is skill.

 

 

 

 

That front hitch helps a lot!  I have one on my 314-4 now ( used on my B-80 for years).  It is like having power steering!