How to Build or Repair a Horse-Drawn Wagon

When restoring a wagon, you must have enough left of it to determine the individual peculiarities associated with it. From that, combined with a basic knowledge of farm wagon construction, you should be able to reconstruct the wagon back to original condition.

The next thing you need is basic knowledge. Here is my best advice:

• Go to the library, use inter-library loan if necessary, and look for books in which you can examine the construction of as many farm wagons as you can find.
  
  
• **Search the internet. There are many photos, drawings, videos and articles on wagon construction, along with many more sources for plans and supplies.
  
  
• Locate as many museums as you can in your area that have farm wagons. On the East Coast we have half a dozen or so. Ask anyone who sells or has horse-drawn carriages or equipment about museums and private collections. By examining the wagons in these collections you can develop the basic knowledge needed to accomplish your goal. On more than one occasion we have reconstructed wagon or carriage parts for which we had only the steel, simply by examining similar vehicles. Wagons do not vary much (carriages can be a different story). If you find a wagon using the same steel parts, you can be pretty sure the same wood was used.
  
  
• If any wood is available on the original wagon, determine what type it is. If it is hickory, the wagon was built in the Southeast. If it is oak, the wagon was built in the Northeast.
  
  

So that's it: Learn basic wagon construction, find any picture of the particular farm wagon in question, and the rest will be a breeze.

Go to: Sources for Horse-Drawn Vehicle Plans