There are many distinct varieties of trucks — fire trucks, garbage trucks, tow trucks and cement trucks, for example — but oddly enough, there has never been a pickup truck 100% purposely-built for farmers and ranchers, until now.
Certified Agriculture Dealerships (CAD) has teamed up with Fox Factory Performance Vehicles to create AGwagon pickup truck aftermarket kits. The kits convert off-the-factory-line trucks into rugged and tough, back 40 devouring, farm equipment hauling beasts.
Before the AGwagon, most farmers upgraded and ruggedized trucks with cash out-of-pocket. That can get expensive. Original equipment manufacturer-installed front ends, for example, are not built to withstand the pounding that driving fields and hauling equipment and other heavy loads everyday places on a pickup. Many farmers end up replacing a farm truck’s worn out front end every other year or so, according to CAD reps.
Now, farmers can finance and order a purposely built AGwagon through CAD’s 200-plus dealer network, and it shows up ready to take an absolute pounding from day one, from the beefed up front end to the ultra-heavy-duty back bumper.
There are several pre-configured options and features to choose from, starting at $30,000 for a basic tier of upgrades and topping out at around $50,000 for the top-of-the-line package. Farmers can also order ala carte to pick and choose the features that best fit their intended use.
The kits are brand agnostic (it just needs to be a new domestic truck and over half a ton) and assembled in the USA at Fox Factories’ Trussville, Ala., plant.
The AGwagon kits were built off feedback from a panel of 14 farmers and ranchers. The features that made the final cut are mainly centered around making trucks more durable and rugged, as well as adding in high performance and comfort features. Notably, there is an option to install a ruggedized Starlink Internet terminal on top of the cab for on-the-go connectivity, and there is an integrated two-way radio system available.
“What CAD and Fox Factory were able to do with AGwagon is what I personally don’t see enough of in the ag sector, and that is going to the farmers first, and to the ranchers first, and finding out from them what they need for a pickup truck to be more functional,” says farmer Jeff O’Connor.
O’Connor raises soybeans in northeast Illinois (Kankakee to be exact) and he participated in the farmer panel. Having reviewed the first AGwagon prototype, O’Connor likes the stepped-up durability, internet connectivity and LED lighting add-ons that will help farmers working long days.
“I’ve still got a 79-year-old dad — who’s soon to be 80 — helping me,” O’Connor states. “I’m upgrading lights in our shed just so it has better lighting for safety. You hate to lose skilled labor because they can’t see where their feet are going. So I am glad to see they really made [lighting] a major, major part of the truck and its ability to serve the operator.”
CAD hosted an unveiling of its prototype model, built onto a Ford Super Duty pickup, in Columbus, Ohio, last week. Speaking to reporters, CEO Pat Driscoll highlighted how the company worked alongside farmers to bring their feedback to life.
“They said ‘give me a heavy-duty front end that will hold up for years’, and that’s what we have here,” he says. “Easy bed access was also at the top of the list. That’s why you see the fold-away steps on the side, because none of us are getting younger and we need a little help. One of the other things they wanted was high intensity, 360-degree LED lighting because work doesn’t stop when it’s dark. This truck gives you 360-degrees of LED lighting for as long as you need it.”
For those curious, the AGwagon name was picked because the truck “captures the defining characteristics of the original AGwagon aerial application plane — reliability, longevity and capability,” Driscoll says.
Special financing is available, and all AGwagons include a three-year, 36,000-mile warranty on all installed components. Learn more about the AGwagon’s features and multiple upgrade packages at agwagon.com.
The AGwagon will only be available from Certified Agriculture Dealerships. To locate your nearest CAD, head over to AgTruckTrader.com.
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