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Custom-Built Sheepherder Wagons
Doyle Wilson doesn't skimp when it comes to his sheepherder wagons. Each of the 400 wagons he and his family have built over the past 30 years is customized to suit the buyer. From propane stoves and double beds to solar panels and inverters, his wagons are more like RV trailers.
"They'll go down the road at 75 mph, or you can drop the tongue and slip in a pole for pulling with a team," he says. "All it takes is to pull one bolt and pop it back in with the longer pole."
The old-style wagon has a 7-ft. wide living area, cantilevered over a 42-in. wide, 20-in. high base. Lengths run 12, 14 or 16 ft. The design leaves lots of room for storage, stoves and other extras on the sides, yet plenty of headroom to stand up.
The U-shaped metal roofline meets hard rustic maple front and back with a Dutch door in the front and room for a solar panel at the rear. Padded interior sides are covered with a soft vinyl and insulated to R-11. Cabinets and floors are also hard maple with optional paneled or raised panel doors.
"Some people want a sink, some don't. Some want it prepped for a wood stove, and about 90 percent want it equipped with a propane package for cooking," says Wilson. "We back up the 50-watt solar panel with two deep cycle RV batteries for storage. It'll run a TV and lights or charge cell phones and laptop computers."
Wilson can install an inverter so the DC power can be used with standard AC devices. The standard refrigerator, like the cooking units, runs on propane.
The raised full double bed at the rear of the trailer can house a pullout second bed or more storage.
While the design is based on the original sheepherder wagons, Wilson likes the comforts that have been added. Depending on size and features, he prices his wagons at $15,000 to $20,000.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Wilson Ag Company, 2000 N. River Rd., Midway, Utah 84049 (ph 435 654-1449; cell 435 671-3008; sheepwagon ranch@gmail.com).


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2009 - Volume #33, Issue #2