Non-steer off-road welder cart experiences?

[jstandle]

I'm going to build a welding cart to hold my MM175 and plasma cutter and I'm planning to build it to be gravel-worthy for when I need to run it out front of my shop.

The couple off-road type welder carts i've been seeing have fixed wheels, typically pneumatic. Do any of you guys have a cart that the wheels don't turn on? How horrible is it to move around?

I've seen the one thats setup with spindles and tie rods but I'm not going to get that into it I don't think.

I'm still thinking of a way to easily make mine turnable and still use large tires.
Something like how a red pull wagon works. One set of tires I have to put on are a pair of high wheels off the back of a junked push mower similar to this;

http://www.rcpw.com/equipment/redhawk/images/22BQ6.5PD.jpg

I'm still contemplating on how to attach those wheels, wether just attaching the little brackets the mower uses to my welder cart or to make a solid rear axle for them to run on. I'm leaning towards just using what the mower already has, I would assume it would be strong enough.

[Aces'n'8s]

Why not just buy a Radio Flyer? Then you would customize it any way that you wish.

http://images.ciao.com/ies/images/products/normal/601/product-537601.jpg

[jstandle]

Tempting.....

[Aces'n'8s]

Tempting.....


Throw on some heavier 1/2-3/4" spindle/axles and 21" bike tires and you're good to go.

[jstandle]

How about you do it first and show me hows it's done.

[SirMrManGuy]

Throw on some heavier 1/2-3/4" spindle/axles and 21" bike tires and you're good to go.
They actually make a radio flyer now with pnumatic (sp?) tires. So just strap your welder and bottle on and run it.

[Pavemen]

harbor freight has some off-road wagons. little red wagons with 10" pnuematic tires. problem with a wgon though is that it is kind of narrow.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=1541

i bet one of those 'garden wagons' would work though.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=38137

[Aces'n'8s]

i bet one of those 'garden wagons' would work though.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=38137

Heck for $99.99, I don't think I could build something that is rated to carry 1000lbs. and can steer. Weld some rails, some bent rod holders and a bottle tower and you would have yourself an economical unimproved terrain welding cart. :p

[reuben]

http://www.allterraincarts.com/

get one of these, very sweet set-up

[Pook]

http://www.allterraincarts.com/

get one of these, very sweet set-up

thats kick ass.... i want to build one now.

[roverjohn]

Why do you need four wheels? Why not a wheel barrow type thing or a two wheeler sort of thing? This way it wouldn't roll away if you park it on a hill and you wouldn't need any sort of steering.

[jstandle]

Why do you need four wheels? Why not a wheel barrow type thing or a two wheeler sort of thing? This way it wouldn't roll away if you park it on a hill and you wouldn't need any sort of steering.

This is sort-of the idea I think I'm going to go with. Use the large tires out back, put some basic caster's on the front for movement in the shop and try to balance the machine so when I need to run it outside I can just lift and go, just like a wheel barrow.

[Joe_88k5]

Thats exactly what I did to deal with the gravel driveway and wooden barn floor at my dad's house. I have small 3" casters on the front and 8" wheels on the back. Make sure you get the large wheels positioned just right though, my brain shut off while I was welding and I put mine back too far so it's kinda heavy to lift through the gravel. I was gonna fix it but my new house has a nice smooth blacktop driveway so it's no big deal anymore. I'll try to get a picture or two posted later if I remember.

[andyr354]

Ace hardware has those garden carts and puts them on sale a few times a year. Since winter is getting closer they might put some on clearance soon.

I might have to watch myself. was looking for a convenient cart for my Miller welder/generator.

[jstandle]

Here's my "design" of what I'm going to build. Basically your standard cart with a little balancing act in mind;

Edit: Someone also pointed out the issues with the short handles on another forum. I'm going to rig up some long slide on handles so I'm not kicking the cart when I move it.

http://198.237.72.28/tools/cart_design.JPG

[Aces'n'8s]

Not bad....but keep in mind, like you said, you're going to have to find the "sweet spot" of balance in your cart.

I would find pushing a wheelbarrow that had handles which wanted to thrust upward, instead of downward, extremely annoying.

So, I would think the current location, somewhat forward of the axle, of your welding gas tank would put make the handles want to fly upwards. Therefore, I would put it as close to the centerline of the axle as possible, but still place it forward for balancing purposes. But then again, maybe the weight (downward force) of the welder would cancel a the weight of the tank (upward force).

[Sapper]

Check out this thread.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=423312

[jstandle]

So, I would think the current location, somewhat forward of the axle, of your welding gas tank would put make the handles want to fly upwards. Therefore, I would put it as close to the centerline of the axle as possible, but still place it forward for balancing purposes. But then again, maybe the weight (downward force) of the welder would cancel a the weight of the tank (upward force).

The tank was 80 lbs, the welder with full spool is 90 lbs and the plasma is 45 lbs then not including the weight of the cart itself. I'm going to build the basic chassis of the cart then use weights to mock up the balance point. I "think" the axle will be best located just infront of the tank but I'll test to make sure. In the end it might just be trial and error and I might have to move the axle if need be.

[jpnjim]

I built my MM175's cart around a 2-wheel dolly.

Machine in front, bottle, & fire extinguisher in back.
A wire hanger above the machine to hang the lines on, and an ammo case above the bottles for tips, dikes, wire, etc.

Very simple, great for almost any terrain, no problem getting it up/down the 4 stairs to my basement.
The only issue is the cheap ass tires that have to be filled up every couple weeks.

[ironpig70]

http://www.allterraincarts.com/

get one of these, very sweet set-up


$359.95 plus shipping

[PTSchram]

Heck for $99.99, I don't think I could build something that is rated to carry 1000lbs. and can steer. Weld some rails, some bent rod holders and a bottle tower and you would have yourself an economical unimproved terrain welding cart. :p

I don't see how you could beat this. $99.99, 24 X 48, pneumatic tires, steers. Looks like one hell of a platform to build on.

PT

[ihochad]

http://www.allterraincarts.com/

get one of these, very sweet set-up


X2 and he has blue one's coming for us miller guys. Call him he offers a pirate discount. 916-652-4706

[ihochad]

thats kick ass.... i want to build one now.
How bout buy one and support a Pirate Vendor

[welderdude]

I too use pnuematic tired two wheel dollys.
I weld two gate hinges to the edge of the flat bit of the dolly and make a cage that fits around the machine with a tab and bolt to hold it all together.
Forge some hooks for the lines.....etc.
Cheap and works well.
Good luck

[jasonmt]

thats kick ass.... i want to build one now.

How bout buy one and support a Pirate Vendor

$359.95 plus shipping



If Piggys price is right I think a cart that costs at least half as much as a Miller 175 is going to be a tough sell, especially to someone who owns a welder already.

[ihochad]

If Piggys price is right I think a cart that costs at least half as much as a Miller 175 is going to be a tough sell, especially to someone who owns a welder already.

As stated earlier Piggy's price is close, believe me he would love to drop the price dramatically but manufacturing and shipping costs dictate what the final price is. What I can say is that this is a quality product and extremely well thought out, plus he is a hell of a good guy. Thanks for looking at it.

[Myanarchy]

How bout buy one and support a Pirate Vendor


How about you give me 359 plus shipping:eek:


Looks like a great product, but jesus for that amount you could build something functional and still have abunch left over.

[SSSRodeo]

A word of caution I had to learn the hard way. This Nursury cart from Harbor Freight will turn over in a sharp turn if your loading is too high. I was moving my new Big Screen Tv with one. Had the TV strapped to the cart and was manuverig it to get it ligned up with the sliding glass door. I turned the wheels to move it over a little and the wife came upto see if I needed any help. Well that distraction was just enough fo the cart to get ahead of me and "FLOP" over it went on the face of the tv screen. $2400. down the drain. Insurance wouldn't cover it because it was negligence.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=38137

I still use it, but am very careful how I load it. A plasma cutter mounted low with a bottle mounted at an angled would probably work ok. I just don't think I'd stand a tall bottle up and try going off the pavement. It could spell distaster.

Curtis

[ihojeff]

Yes my carts are pricey but they are no piece of shit either. Thats the price of having an industrial high quality product made in the USA. These carts are designed specifically for mobile fabricators by a fellow fabricator. These carts simply make mobile welding jobs easier. I could have these made in China or India or some other third world country and sell them for half the price that I sell them at now. But instead I choose to have them made in the states to keep quality at its highest and keep americans employed as best I can. The easiest way I have sold these is to have a customer stop by while I'm using mine. Just seeing how easy it is to manuver a welder around a tight shop and have all the clamps, helmet, tip dip, spare parts, etc at your finger tips has made me a few sales right on the spot - and without tipping over like other carts. If you're on a budget then I can understand your gripe about the price but really its the best I can do at the limited numbers I have them made. Three times the price of a typical welding cart but I guarantee they are at least 10 times better.