FARGO, N.D. – Traditional wooden hay wagon beds have a short life expectancy, are slippery when wet and don’t let the bottom bales breathe.
Expanded metal grate floors overcome most of those problems, but they tend to rust.
An expanded metal galvanized steel grate floor is the only answer, according to Jim Ertel, sales representative for Lifetime Wagon Beds.
Ertel, who brought galvanized hay wagons to this year’s Big Iron Show in Fargo, said Lifetime Wagon Beds are hot dip galvanized at 450 C after all assembly and welding is complete, ensuring that all joints and seams are encased in zinc.
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“This is the same process as used on steel highway guard rails, so we know it should last 35 to 40 years,” Ertel said.
“Thirty-five to 40 (years) is approximately the time when a galvanized coating begins to deteriorate, and so at that point, you still have the normal life expectancy of a regular steel hay wagon, which might be another 10 or 20 years. Who knows?”
Fabrication experience
Ertel said Lifetime Wagon Beds has been building galvanized hay wagons for five years, but the parent company has been in the metal fabrication and galvanizing steel business since the mid-1980s.
“So we know this galvanizing treatment lasts. There’s no other company in North America that galvanizes their hay wagons.
“Farmers tell us safety is one of the main reasons they like our wagons. Hay sweats, and when it sweats it makes the wooden planks slippery.
“And if you have to leave bales on a wooden wagon floor any length of time, the hay at the bottom starts to rot because there’s no air circulation. Galvanized steel with the open grate solves all those problems.”
Ertel said the ability to leave bales on the wagon is a significant factor for livestock producers who buy the optional feeder kits because it allows them to use their wagons to feed cattle. The open grate also allows chaff and debris to fall through to the ground.
Ertel said the galvanized beds are more costly than painted steel beds. The 14 foot bed with a six-ton capacity is $1,700 US, while the 18 foot bed with a 10 ton capacity is $2,500. These smaller wagon beds are intended for small livestock operators.
At the top end, Ertel said large farmers and custom operators often buy the 32 foot bed with a 15 ton capacity for $6,220. All prices are for the bed only. The company can also supply complete trailers.
“This wagon bed will outlast you and your kids and probably your grand kids, too,” Ertel said.
For more information, phone Jim Ertel at 859-473-0150 or visit www.glnause.com.
