On a country drive the other day, I spotted this old hay wagon on top of a junk heap in a farmer’s field.
Several years ago, while on a country drive, my Dad spotted an old frame, and decided to rebuild it from scratch. The frame he found was from a Concord Buggy and was much less complete than the wagon in my feature photo. It had only the metal buggy suspension and one dilapidated wooden wheel.
Dad was retired but spent his entire days tinkering in his workshop. He has a brilliant mind, loved inventing, and loved a challenge.
Dad decided he was going to rebuild the buggy from scratch. He wanted to stay as close as possible to the authentic way it would have originally been built. He ordered books and studied methods that were used in days gone by.
In the process, Dad hand built almost every tool he used, including the steamer to bend the wooden wheels, the wood lathe to turn the spokes, and the metal lathe to machine the hubs. His project was the talk of the town, and the completion of it was his pride and joy.
The only photo I could find of Dad’s completed buggy wasn’t very clear. There was a for sale sign on the front, which I’ve edited out, and I tried to adjust the photo for clarity.
“That’s one of the advantages of being an inventor and tinkerer – I have everything I need to make what I need”
Lonnie Johnson
Radically Retired 
What a wonderful restoration! Whatever became of it? Isn’t it interesting that his project became the talk of the town? I do think passion is contagious!
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Dad sold it to a friend in the area who displays it in the lane to his farm.
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He clearly had incredible talent.
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Yes, he did! No challenge too great for my Dad.
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He sounds so unlike my father!!
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