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He Turned 4-WD Pickup Into "Rock Wagon"
"It's fun to drive and easy to unload," says Ardell Johnson, Lake Lillian, Minn., who converted a 1974 Chevy 3/4-ton 4-WD pickup into a nifty self-propelled "rock wagon" that dumps itself.
Johnson bought the pickup at an auction for $600. He stripped it down to the frame, hood, 350 cu. in. gas engine, and automa
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He Turned 4-WD Pickup Into "Rock Wagon" ROCK PICKERS Rock Pickers 23-2-37 "It's fun to drive and easy to unload," says Ardell Johnson, Lake Lillian, Minn., who converted a 1974 Chevy 3/4-ton 4-WD pickup into a nifty self-propelled "rock wagon" that dumps itself.
Johnson bought the pickup at an auction for $600. He stripped it down to the frame, hood, 350 cu. in. gas engine, and automatic transmission. He used channel iron and sheet metal to build a "half cab" and made a dash for it onto which he installed the original gauges. He made a 6-ft. wide, 7-ft. long flatbed on back, using 4-in. channel iron to make a frame covered by tongue and groove flooring. The flatbed is raised or lowered by a hydraulic cylinder that's operated by a hydraulic pump bolted directly to an output shaft on the transfer case. The pump is controlled by a lever in the cab.
A plexiglass windshield mounts on the hood just ahead of the cab. There's a steel mesh running board on each side of the cab and a steel mesh screen on the back side of the half cab to protect the driver from rocks.
"Kids really like driving it because the driver is out in the open, yet away from the dust," says Johnson. "I mounted an accelerator on the driver's side running board so the driver can stand on the running board while operating the vehicle and easily jump on and off it. He also has a better view of rocks than he would have from the seat. The flatbed is built low to the ground so it's easy to load.
"It has implement lights, turn signals, and brake lights on it as well as license plates so I can drive it on the highway. I also use it for other jobs such as hauling seed, etc. I recently mounted hydraulic oulets on back so that I can operate an orbit motor and auger, allowing me to deliver seed from my gravity wagon to my planter. I also plan to build a trip tailgate for it so that I can use it to spread gravel."
Johnson used channel iron to make the front bumper and sheet metal to make fenders for the front wheels.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ardell W. Johnson, 18511 45th St. S.E., Lake Lillian, Minn. 56253 (ph 320 995-6574).
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