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How to Replace a Wear Plate on a Covered Wagon

Published December 14, 2024

I, Bernie Harberts, did not use generative AI to write or illustrate this article. Spell check and grammar check, yes. AI, no.

This afternoon, I had a close look at the front end of the wagon I’m taking on my ramble and found that one of the steel wear plates on the axle was badly worn. The other was missing. Covered wagons aren’t hard to repair, so I got out my drill and angle grinder and went to work. Click on the video below to check out how it went.

Here are some pics of my mule Polly pulling the wagon.

Mule Polly pulling an uncovered covered wagon through a hay field — The last time I drove my mule Polly the wagon, the front axle made grinding sounds when I turned the wagon. It sounded sorta like when a part on the front end of your car goes out, and you can just **hear** how expensive the repair is going to be. Here, Polly is pulling the wagon through our hay field. I left off the canvas cover I sewed for the wagon which is why you see the reflections of the wagon bows over the shadow of my head.

A kerosene lantern glowing inside a covered wagon at dusk — Wagon glow: It was the end of the day. I’d just fitted the new wagon cover to the covered wagon and crawled inside with a beer and lit my kerosene lantern for the first time. The moon was coming up over the cabin but it also felt like it was coming from inside the wagon. Beautiful.

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How to Replace a Wear Plate on a Covered Wagon

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