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Look What They're Doing With Old School Buses Hog Trailer
Not everyone who uses a school bus to haul hogs leaves the bus intact. Lorne Friesen, Bowsman, Man., and his brother Al, took a 1969 International bus, stripped it down to the framework, even removing the engine and front axle, and built an 8 ft. wide, 32 ft. long, gooseneck hog trailer.
The Friesens hitch the trailer on the back of a 1982 GMC pickup and haul 78 market hogs over 300 miles to market.
After stripping the bus, the Friesens cut 4 ft. off the front of the frame and added 2 ft. to the back. Lorne explains that this was needed for better balance on the axle.
The Friesens bolted 2 in. by 6 in. boards to the frame of the bus for the floor. The 2 by 6's are covered with sheets of plywood to cover cracks between boards. The 4 ft. side panels, made of ¥ in. plywood, bolt to angle iron fastened to the floor.
The sides are braced by 2 in. by 4 in. boards placed every 8 ft. and 12 ga. metal brackets along the top.
Three hinged dividers inside the trailer keep hogs separated and the trailer balanced. The gates are made of a heavy mesh to allow air flow through the trailer.
The Friesens installed a tarp that rolls over the top of the trailer to keep the hogs warm in the winter. The tarp rolls over metal frames, mounted every 4 ft., that slide in brackets on each side of the trailer. It is permanently fastened on one side of the trailer and straps down on the other side.
The endgate swings out and is a 2 piece section made of mesh and 1 in. tubing.
The gooseneck hitch is made of steel sections welded and braced to the front of the trailer.
Lorne says the hog trailer cost them about $3,000. The bus cost $700, the tires $1,000 and other supplies $1,300.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Lorne Friesen, Bowsman, Man., Canada R0L 0H0 (ph 204 238-4812).


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1983 - Volume #7, Issue #2