First adopter touts AgWagon truck for ranchers and producers

Rancher Jim Mueller, from Missouri’s Whisky Ranch,  served on a panel of producers that helped Fox Factory Vehicles design the AgWagon, a purpose-built farm and ranch truck that is rebuilt around an enhanced suspension system designed for farm- and ranch-tough jobs.

He also drove the very first one out of the factory for three months, and it’s everything he hoped it would be. Its name pays tribute to a legendary crop-duster Cessna aircraft, also named the AgWagon.

It’s not just for Fords and Dodges; Fox will soon start retrofitting Chevrolet trucks, Mueller told High Plains Journal. The AgWagon’s improved underbelly, shocks and struts are built for “banging across pastures and fields,” Mueller said. Mueller’s truck has a winch that can pull up to 15,000 pounds and a heavy-duty cattle guard, but the rebuilt trucks can be modified in many ways, and with a range of features.

The trucks are not cheap, and in the upper range with a full suite of features can approach $100,000. But durability is a selling point. Right now, with beef prices at record highs, ranchers are in a better position to buy them than row-crop producers, who have been pausing on heavy equipment purchases.

“I’m bringing in double on calves what I did a few years ago,” Mueller said.

But cost is a relative matter. If buyers decide that a little bit greater upfront expense saves them money over the long haul, thanks to durability and lower repair costs, sales will benefit.

Certainly Fox has an established brand and reputation. It specializes in suspensions for sports and off-road vehicles. It designs, engineers and manufactures high-performance suspension components, including shock absorbers, coil-overs and lift kits for vehicles including motorcycles, automobiles, ATVs, side-by-sides, trophy trucks, snowmobiles and mountain bikes. These are all sports where suspension performance really counts. Fox Factory’s products are used by original equipment manufacturers, professional athletes and enthusiasts.

Adding Fox’s suspensions doesn’t void any existing warranties on the trucks and adds Fox’s own warranties to them.

And there’s one other factor to consider: the cool factor. “It’s a beautiful vehicle, a real show-stopper,” said Mueller. “Wherever I go, I always get stopped and asked ,‘Where did you get that?’“ He has a fleet of about a dozen trucks on his ranch, and he definitely intends to replace them with more AgWagons as they age.

David Murray can be reached at [email protected].