Dolly 10' Long

[WayneJ]

As for wheels, HF sells a semi solid tire ( wheel barrow type ) that should carry the weight. Cost around $30. The axle is around 3/4". Tire and wheel about 15" in dia. You would have to make a swivel to steer it.

Wayne

[cabinetman]

How about a small trailer...

All the wheels are straight, no swivel making it possible to have them on the outside of the frame giving you a lower center of gravity. 4 flotation tires like the ones garden/lawn tractors use. No axle, the hub mounts to the frame.

An almost off the shelf solution is a small HF trailer. Just cut down the cross pieces and assemble it to your custom width. Then use a trailer dolly for the front...

You would only have about $250 invested and not a lot of time either.

900 lb on a wet lawn is a lot for one person to push, are you able to move it with a tractor?

Bill
BTW, is the hurricane there yet?

The smallest (narrowest) one they have is 3' wide, and would be tough to turn. Besides they are expensive. I have the panels on a 4'x8' flatbed trailer now. So, part of the reason to make a trailer/dolly is to be able to use my trailer when needed.

In looking at Erik's plan, I also thought about outboarding the wheels from the frame. I'm looking for a flat free wheelbarrow style wheel as a swivel caster and don't seem to find anything but pneumatic.

I moved the trailer across the yard by hand fully loaded (it wasn't easy), and it has two wheels. So, I figured with four wheels it will be doable. No hurricane yet.
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[jdon]

Not as elegant, but cheap and uber-retro, have you considered using rollers like the Egyptians did to move stones? I cut a length of plastic DWV pipe into sections and filled with concrete. Good weight distribution, and they go over terrain pretty well. cost ~ $8.

[Mr__Bill]

I'm looking for a flat free wheelbarrow style wheel as a swivel caster and don't seem to find anything but pneumatic..

Is there not an Aerosol that you can use that puts foam in a tire, something like what these guys do?

Or you could just buy these.

[phi1l]

I used to have the largest model of one of those Gardenway (I think they are now Vermont something) garden carts with the large bicycle heavy duty bicycle type wheels. That worked very well I could easily horse around 1/3 of a cord of fire wood in it.

I think to day I would build it on one of these: I have a plastic one like this, the bigger flotation type tire do very well on grass. I would probably disassemble the stock unit, & stretch the frame for the desired cart size.

[cabinetman]

I think to day I would build it on one of these: I have a plastic one like this, the bigger flotation type tire do very well on grass. I would probably disassemble the stock unit, & stretch the frame for the desired cart size.

A similar cart at HF will carry 1000LBS. I'm thinking to use tubes in the tires or get them filled. I don't know how well the foam will hold up under weight.

The 4' length may be too short. Maybe extending like you suggested would be the way to go.
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[os1kne]

A similar cart at HF will carry 1000LBS. I'm thinking to use tubes in the tires or get them filled. I don't know how well the foam will hold up under weight.

The 4' length may be too short. Maybe extending like you suggested would be the way to go.
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That looks like a nice cart for the money. It may be worthwhile to get 2 and join the common end and the long sides of the frame with angle iron, bolted or welded. I'm not sure how it's built, but you may be able to reposition the stationary axle to span the joint and make it a 6-wheeled cart.

If your load is 90% of HF's stated maximum for one cart, it would probably be wise to spread out the weight distribution as much as possible.

Good luck! I'm curious to see what you do.

BTW, Erik - that is a really sharp cart design!

[pelligrini]

You'd probably have to extend it some in order to use the handle properly.

You might consider doing two carts. It'll take up more room, but moving just half the total load might make things easier.

[capncarl]

I have a couple of hard wheel carts simular in size to the H/D & Lowes carts that I ocassionaly roll on dirt and grass. With much weight on the cart it becomes impossible to move, and requires the ZTR lawnmower to tractor it around. This condition would get worse in wet and sandy conditions and the cart would bog down. I plan on changing the tires on my carts to pneumatic rear lawn tractor tires, and actually toyed with making them 2 wheel carts like a trailer and only move it with the lawnmower.
10 foot long is awfully long to be moving around and park in a work shop or garage, and center mounted wheels makes it harder, and may require moving the axle to the end of the trailer.
capncarl

[pelligrini]

BTW, Erik - that is a really sharp cart design!

Thanks. I can't even express how much easier it makes setup and teardown for our dart tournaments. I've carried those standards way too many times over the years (usually with not enough help).

That final design was inspired when I went out to help the MDA set up the PA system for the North Texas Shootout a couple years ago. There ended up only being 4 folks there to set up the 40 boards (including me). The hotel venue had a utility cart with a bad caster. Most venues have nothing. I kept telling the others that the cart won't hold more than 5 standards. They didn't listen 'let's make fewer trips' one said. I strained my back keeping the thing from falling over on me. I hatched an idea for a knockdown cart that; saved me from carrying the steel things across dart halls one by one, wouldn't tip over, would fit into the low storage space under the trailer deck, and would fit into any hall with an accessible entrance. Mainly just to save me the effort of carrying the things all over the place.

I made one for the FWDA and it worked out great. My first commissioned woodworking job was to make one for the MDA (the DDA should have sprung for a second). Since woodworking is a hobby for me I didn't want to take any money for it. I built it for a case of Guinness plus materials.

The first couple ideas to save my back weren't so great. I tried a long skateboard like thing a couple years before, but the fixed casters on one end wouldn't negotiate some of the sharp corners. Version 2 of the same with 4 swivel casters was a disaster. At least no one got hurt.

[cabinetman]

You'd probably have to extend it some in order to use the handle properly.

You might consider doing two carts. It'll take up more room, but moving just half the total load might make things easier.

I was thinking instead of extending the cart by cutting, maybe just make a 2x4 frame like 8' or 10', and bolt to the cart deck. Having the short wheelbase might make it easier to maneuver, but it may be quirky for balance. I could come up with an extended handle (like a rope).
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[parnelli]

I was thinking instead of extending the cart by cutting, maybe just make a 2x4 frame like 8' or 10', and bolt to the cart deck. Having the short wheelbase might make it easier to maneuver, but it may be quirky for balance. I could come up with an extended handle (like a rope).
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You might be able to help with balance by configuring something to attach two wheels to the very back end of the load.

I'm picturing something like how they truck those big bridge supports by just bolting a wheel dolly like thing to the support and drive it.

This isn't exactly- but it's pretty close
http://rohanphillips.blogspot.com/20...-oversize.html

[pelligrini]

I was thinking instead of extending the cart by cutting, maybe just make a 2x4 frame like 8' or 10', and bolt to the cart deck. Having the short wheelbase might make it easier to maneuver, but it may be quirky for balance. I could come up with an extended handle (like a rope).

I did something similar to my little red wagon when I was a kid. I put some sort of big deck on it to haul something oversized. The deck and support hung way out over the front. I was able to grip the handle, but it was awfully low to the ground. I didn't think about using a rope. I remember the handle digging into the steep driveway when I tried to get the thing up it. The wagon stopped fast, but the junk on top didn't.

It looks like most of those cart kits come unassembled. You might consider putting the front portion together with the steering and handle, then extend it in wood and mount the wheels further back. I'm not sure how wide your gate is, but you might be able to use a longer rear axle to help out with stability.

[parnelli]

Since it's only the gate that's narrow, I wonder about the possibility of some sort of folding/removable outrigger wheels that would help with stability, but could be folded/removed to get thru the gate...