Building a Home for Antique Hay Trolleys

Missouri man carves out space in the barn for collection of more than 300 hay trolleys.

By Leslie C. McManus
Updated on February 21, 2023
article image
by Leslie C. McManus
A hay trolley manufactured by Myers & Bro. Co., Ashland, Ohio.

Once the owners of a 15,000-square-foot antique shop, Bill and Angie Anderson were no strangers to farm primitives. Still, Bill admits there were a few gaps in his knowledge on antique hay trollies. “I probably sold 400 hay trolleys before I knew there were different kinds,” he says. But after a rare one got away for a song, he decided it was time to “get the book and start learning.”

Today, Bill is out of the antiques business and into hay trolleys. With a collection of some 300, including particularly rare and early pieces, he’s come up to speed fast. “I found Hay Trolley Heaven and saw all the photos and illustrations of trolleys,” he says, “and I turned to the network of antique shop owners I’d come to know over the years.”

At an auction, Bill paid $15 for his first trolley, a Rundle dating to the 1870s. “It rained 4 inches that day,” he says. “I was standing in mud up to my ankles.” He went home with nearly two dozen trolleys, none of which sold for more than $45. The Rundle was not complete by the time Bill found it. “I had to hunt for three years to find a drop pulley for it,” he says, “and I had to give up a Hawkeye pulley to get it.”

Bill prefers to buy complete trolleys, but he won’t rule out an incomplete piece if it is special. “If it still has its drop pulley, you should count yourself lucky,” he says. “Some of them can be tough to find.” Like many collectors, he’s been known to remove trolleys from old barns. “But I don’t take a trolley from a barn unless I know the barn is coming down,” he says, “because seeing an intact trolley is the only way children will ever understand what trolleys do and how they work.”

Online Store Logo
Need Help? Call 1-866-624-9388