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Hay wagon as a base for a tiny home?

 
Mike Haasl
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I'm wondering if there are any clear and obvious reasons why hay wagons aren't used as the foundation for a tiny home?  I realize they can't be hauled down the highway, but they can be moved around.  With the extra set of wheels, it seems like they could be maneuvered into place better.  The floor height might require a few more stair steps to get into.  I see them ranging from 7' -8' wide x 16' to 22' long with prices for used ones often in the 3 digits.  I have a hunch they have plenty of load capacity.

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Mike Haasl
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Here's what I'm talking about...
Screenshot-2026-06-16-at-11-19-21-22-Ft-Farm-Hay-Wagon-farm-garden-by-owner-sale-craigslist.png
[Thumbnail for Screenshot-2026-06-16-at-11-19-21-22-Ft-Farm-Hay-Wagon-farm-garden-by-owner-sale-craigslist.png]

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Mike Haasl wrote:  I see them ranging from 7' -8' wide x 16' to 22' long with prices for used ones often in the 3 digits.  I have a hunch they have plenty of load capacity.


I wouldn't build on a hunch! The load capacity is critical, that said, I've seen pretty full loads on some hay wagons in my time!

I have seen at least one European build on that style of base with the extra wheels, so it's been done before.

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Some nicely creative examples to check here, but these are pretty light weight non-structural units more like a wall tent on wheels:

http://www.sheltonhuts.com/huts
 
Bea Ramirez
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They can work, but there are a few practical downsides. Hay wagons aren’t built for permanent structures they flex a lot, don’t have proper braking or suspension for road use, and the steering front axle can make them unstable as a fixed base. They also lack a solid, insulated subfloor and proper anchoring points, so you’d end up modifying a lot anyway. That’s why most people go with purpose built trailer frames instead.

More on wagon design and limitations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farm_wagon

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Pontoon boat as the base of the tiny home.    Then you can load and move at will..

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Mike Haasl
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I just met a guy with a beefy triple axle trailer frame he'd sell me cheap if we can get the tires inflated.  That would probably be better and closer than a farm wagon anyway.

The pontoon boat idea sounds neat.  I couldn't keep it on the water cuz it does freeze solid here in the winter.  The trailers for them seem pretty wimpy so once a home is built on it, I don't know if it could actually be moved?

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Mike Haasl wrote:The pontoon boat idea sounds neat.  I couldn't keep it on the water cuz it does freeze solid here in the winter.  


I saw information where a man wasn't allowed to build a deck on the back of his house, so he brought in a pontoon boat, built the deck on there, and it wasn't "a deck" it was "a boat he was storing in his backyard".

Sometimes you gotta find the loop-holes.

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Carla Burke
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Mike Haasl wrote:I just met a guy with a beefy triple axle trailer frame he'd sell me cheap if we can get the tires inflated.  That would probably be better and closer than a farm wagon anyway.



There's a family a few miles from us, who took a flatbed version of one of those and turned it into a bridge over the creek that always flooded their driveway - then, they turned it into a covered bridge. I think if it can handle a few vehicles (including what look like a couple heavy pickup trucks) driving it's length, back and forth, several times daily,  it should hold up pretty well to daily living & foot traffic, constantly.

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Jill Dyer
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I've spent time living in a "donga" - well laid out, but maybe lacking in storage for long term occupation.  Basically a large shipping container, but fitted with doors and windows.  Interior had bathroom with shower, & toilet.  Plumbed into a septic system.  Kitchen, which had cupboards and a fridge, sitting room - small but OK, and a bedroom.  Entrance door was into the kitchen - a couple of steps up because it was framed on girders, and up on blocks.   Bedroom had a door, otherwise doorways through to the next room but no door.  Aircon in bedroom, which blew through to the sitting room.  The dongas are well insulated as they are mostly found in typically hot areas. A similar arrangement should be possible on a hay wagon if the the base was strengthened as mentioned above.  NB water and electricity were connected, so if off grid, some thought  needed.

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