Our Irrigation System
Early on, we realized we needed an irrigation system. But there were some problems. We don't have electricity available in the fields, so that rules out a well for now. Besides, our ground water is very acidic and it is loaded with iron. Treating the ground water would be expensive. But there is another possibility. The good news is that we have several creeks that cross our property, and at least one of them is big enough that it runs all summer. The bad news is that most of our fields are not near the creek. So we need a way to move water around to where we need it.
Someone offered us an old hay wagon. It is a Ford "Big Blue" wagon circa 1960, as far as we can tell.
Hmmmm. It was not much to look at. The tires were dry-rotted and the rough-cut oak bed disintegrated quite a while ago, but the metal frame itself looked in good shape.
This wagon had a 14' long bed, which we don't need. So we shortened the frame, and we rebuilt it with a 10' bed.
We replaced the tires and stripped off the old bed, and now it doesn't look so bad.
Bolt the wooden undercarriage to the metal frame
Fasten down the new bed
Here is the wagon with a 550 gallon polyethylene tank on it. Now we have a way to transport water to where we need it.
