This is in regard to the photo on page 21 of the February 2007
issue of Farm Collector. The two items shown at the center
of the page are top and bottom plates that go forward of the rear
axle (wooden) that the reach (some called it the coupling pole)
went through to connect the rear axle to the front. The large
center hole is for the pin. When the grain box was on the gear, a
dumped off on the wood pile or post pile, the rear axle was moved
back to the back hole in the reach to accommodate the hayrack. The
two outside holes went through the A frame bars to stabilize the
rear axle.
I was surprised nobody knew what these were for. On page 20 of
the same issue, at the gent’s left elbow, are six axle nut wrenches
for the same wagon. Some farmers used these to pin the double trees
to the tongue, but that caused wear. Looks like the wrench to the
far right has been used for that, because it’s been built up with
weld and ground off.
On the front of the reach there was a kingpin, as these wagons
came before auto-steer. I once found a kingpin on an old farmstead.
It looked like it had been bought new and was then lost, as it
showed no signs of wear. These went through the front bolster reach
on through the axle. These weakened the front axle and as loads
increased, they would run the truss rod under the axle and out
through the skeins for support.
– Nyle B. Jurgensen
Prole, Iowa
