Hey—don’t laugh. Okay, maybe laugh a little. But yes, it’s mine. That charming little wooden box you saw bolted to the back of our pickup like a rustic time capsule from 1973? That’s our Redneck Truck Cap, and let me tell you, it’s a thing of beauty.
We needed a way to transport just a few animals—like a couple goats, maybe a pig or two, or that one sheep that thinks she’s a rodeo clown—without dragging out the full-blown two-horse trailer every time. Hooking that thing up is like preparing a battleship for launch. Too much work for one goat who just needs to go visit her boyfriend at the neighbor’s place. (Don’t judge. We all have needs.)
But a real truck cap? You ever price one of those things? I’m not saying I’d have to sell a kidney, but I definitely considered putting a few pigs on Etsy.
So we did what all good farmers do when faced with a financial dilemma—we got scrappy. Jim and I built a box out of 2x4s and barn siding—solid as a rock, smells faintly of goats—and sized it to fit the truck bed exactly. We strap it down with ratchet straps (because zip ties and are only appropriate for temporary redneck fixes, and this baby is permanent-ish). The back even swings up like a real, honest-to-goodness truck cap. You’d almost think it came from the factory that way… at least a factory that was behind a barn.
It might not win any awards at the county fair, but it gets the job done. Plus, it’s weatherproof enough that the goats only mostly complain the whole ride.
So yeah, call it what you will. Hillbilly engineering. Yankee stubbornness. Redneck creativity with a New Hampshire accent. I call it practical. And besides, a real farmer knows that function beats fashion every time.
A-yup.
Reviews:
"We were skeptical at first, but there was hay on the floor and nobody made us wear seatbelts. 10/10—would poop in it again." —The Goats
"Spacious. Breezy. Smelled like goat feet. No snacks were served, but we found a Cheerios in the corner. Four hooves up." —The Pigs
Please leave a comment below. I love hearing from you.
7 comments:
I LOVE IT! :) We rednecks must stand tall and stick together... you are right, the camper shells are spendy. We broke down and bought one last year...
So which animal was privileged to ride in the back first???
3 piglets who are now all in the freezer. We had to put it on the truck this past week so we could transport the buck to his new home. It's a little heavy but 2 people can manage to put it on and off. As my MIL used to say "It's cheap and cheerful".
Love it! I think you should paint it hippie style. ;)
Love it, a-yup, I do! We made one ourselves by bending and welding a piece of cattle panel. Actually transported 11 lambs in the back of the pick up truck once using it.
Yours is heavier, but better for cold weather transport....
Good Ole Yankee ingenuity!
It might be a bit heavier than those new fangled ones but that helps in the snow too, I'll bet. Stay warm!
That's one way of doing things. Very innovative. Have you weighed it to see how heavy it is? Regardless of how it looks, it sure appears to get the job done. Keep the truck posts coming! I'm trying that truck cap you have there.
Gerald Vonberger | http://www.rhinotopsandtoys.com/products.html
No, I haven't weighed it, but it does takes 2 people to load it onto the truck. I have done it alone with the help of the bucket on the tractor though. Hey, looks funny, but it works.
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