All terrain welding cart build

[LeeG]

Currently in the planning stages. I need to be able to move my welding cart from the backyard shed where it is stored, to the driveway for use. I have gravel on the side of the house and packed quarter minus around the shed, so the casters on most welding carts don't work.

I already have the basic Harbor Freight Mig cart. My thought is to get one of their garden carts

And then add my existing cart to it, with the bottles (one for steel, one for Aluminum) and some toolboxes to the cart somewhat like this:

I have not seen a cart organized this way. Is there any reason this wouldn't work?

 

[stuk4x4]

I had the same problem you have for several years, I wish I was able to provide pictures to show you what I did. I recommend against the cart you have pictured. As its narrow wheel base causes things to be top heavy. I have one of those carts and they are great for loads that are not tall. If you have a garden tractor a really good option is the 4x4 utility trailers that HF sells, my father-in-law uses that for his portable welder, small tool box as well as cutting rig, it works great. It has a spring axel and wider stance. The wheels are 12” I believe and that would definitely ease in moving it by hand if needed. Hope this helps.
Good luck
Stuk4x4

 

[1/2 Cup]

Way to go IMHO

Regards

 

[Nor'Easter]

You will definitely have issues with being top heavy. Have one of those exact carts.

 

[aka Larry]

You will definitely have issues with being top heavy. Have one of those exact carts.

+1. The C-of-G will be too high and it will be tippy, especially on uneven terrain.

 

[creativecars]

Agreed, too high.
But take your drawing and put wheels in front of and behind the current perimeter and the whole thing only a few inches off the ground.

Similar to this... your box goes in lowest level and remove the other frame work.

 

[Ironcrow]

Yes, I would position the tanks horizontally under the welding machines.

 

[Buckgnarly]

We use one of those to transport a small soft serve machine (about 2 feet tall, 200 pounds) out for sporting events. Use it for a fundraiser for our softball team...that said, I would NEVER put a tank standing up on it and travel on rough terrain.

 

[Provincial]

I modified a Harbor Freight MIG cart to move on a 3/4-minus gravel area. I used HF 10" wheels in the back and HF 8" pneumatic casters in front. I made the overall width at the rear wheels 23" to widen the stance and still get through a normal door. It could have been wider, as I have 36" doors everywhere.

I used a piece of 1"x2" rectangular tubing to make my rear axle beam and welded rod for stub axles on the ends. I used washers to space the wheels away from the beam and a washer and cotter pin to hold the wheel onto the axle.

I had to extend the width of the front end a little to allow the casters to clear as they rotated. In the photo you can see that I welded some 1/8" plate to the outside edge and the caster plate bolts to the original frame as well as the extension. You can see one of the bolts between the cardboard box and the front lip of the original frame.

The casters were taller than I expected, giving the unit a rake that changes the geometry of the casters. They don't want to trail properly. I should have made the rear axle lower by about an inch to make the bottom of the cart level. If I did it again, the other changes I would make is to make the front end the same width as the back, and make the overall width 28" so it would be even more stable and still pass through a 30" door.

 

[Brian_WK]

Lay the tanks down and build a cage to protect the valves. Then a shelf above it to place the welders and storage container.

Brian

 

[SteveH-CO]

Why not make a pivoting tank box so that the tanks can be upright for use, and laid down (mostly - perhaps have the valve end sit up 20-30 degrees) for transport? I'm not sure if oxy/acet tanks must be fully upright for use, but I assume so. This will make it a lot harder to fit your welder on the same cart, however.

Also, you may get tired of re-airing the HF tires on that cart, if they sit around 24x7 with 300# of weight on them.

 

[duwem]

Atv tires and a v twin to power it

On tires I have solid rubber tires on mine and they get flats spots from sitting 99.9% of the carts time.

 

[2oolhound]

Agreed, too high.
But take your drawing and put wheels in front of and behind the current perimeter and the whole thing only a few inches off the ground.

Similar to this... your box goes in lowest level and remove the other frame work.

Yes but this is not very "all terrain" any longer.

 

[jhn9840]

Acetylene tanks should never be used when on there sides. There is a spongy material inside the tank that is saturated with the acetone that can very easily leak out of the tank when not upright.

jhn9840
John

 

[2oolhound]

And then add my existing cart to it, with the bottles (one for steel, one for Aluminum) and some toolboxes to the cart

Correct about acetylene but the OP isn't using it here.

 

[Brian_WK]

Acetylene tanks should never be used when on there sides. There is a spongy material inside the tank that is saturated with the acetone that can very easily leak out of the tank when not upright.

jhn9840
John

I'm guessing they are Gas helium and Gas argon tanks.

Anything that in its normal state that is a gas will be fine if its Co2 Then it would need to be upright when used fine to lay down when valves is closed off.

Brian

 

[bsaint]

Just make it wider for stability.

 

[BD1]

I would not even use that cart as is for a harbor freight welding machines. The wheel with needs to be much wider. Each tire should extend about 2'' beyond that frame. As stated it will be too top heavy . The front steering will work just extend the rear. If you search carts you'll see what I mean.

 

[b-dog]

I can't for the life of me find it but there is a guy on pirate4x4 that built a crazy toolbox cart. It had 4 wheel steering, 4-link front and rear. There was a build thread and also a youtube video....might be worth looking for to get some ideas *shrug*

 

[kkroger]

For offroad use the diameter of the wheels/tires is what is going to make the difference, also the wider stance....

 

[LeeG]

I appreciate the input. I did decide to go ahead and at least make a version 1.0 to at least get me going.

This started as the HF garden cart in my original post. I took the wheels of my HF mig cart, and cut a few inches off the back and bolted it down to the back of the car. It has to be on either the front or back so I can easily get to the controls. I decided that I will not be getting bottles larger than about 80cf, so this should help with the balance. I welded the bottle carrier up out of 1" 16ga square tubing and bolted it to the cart frame as well. I shortened the wagon by about 13" as well.

The tool boxes store my welding gear, clamps, magnets, and a pair of 4.5" angle grinders. I have plans to build a rack to hold the toolboxes so I can get one out of the stack without taking them all apart.

It does have some problems. The center of gravity is fairly high so tipping is a possibility, but realistically I am just using this to haul everything from the back yard shed to the driveway where I can work, dragging it over landscaping gravel that is pretty level. It keeps most of my welding related stuff in one place and is much easier to get things out and put them away.

I will probably widen the wheelbase on the rear wheels as was suggested by bsaint earlier in the thread.

Thanks everyone for your input.

Lee

 

[chrispyny]

That looks nice. One thing i would STRONGLY suggest is you remove your welder from its black frame it sits on now, and place it on the floor of your wheeled cart. Then weld up a light weight shelving unit for your welding tools, and consumables above it. That will hugely lower your center of gravity. I mean, just looking at the pic, the welder is just hovering over consumables and welding tools. Yikes!

Try it!

 

[drivesitfar]

Lee: Chris makes a great suggestion and it doesn't look like there is that much stuff you need to re locate. also i'd probably put the chain down a foot and add another chain near the top or something else to secure those tanks from EVER falling. great idea and just needs a bit more tweaking. good luck

 

[kkroger]

I'd just put a cinch strap around both bottles... Personally...

 

[drivesitfar]

KK: that's more what i was thinking cause with only one chain they look like problems could happen.

 

[LeeG]

Chrispyny: Good idea. I'll work on that this weekend.
DriveItFar: I have a pair of chains on it at the same height as was on the HF mig cart - about 4" up and about 15" up.

 

[Farrier]

Adding a larger diameter wheel, like 10" + towards the rear will roll over any terrain better than a small pneumatic wheel. My oxy/act tank cart has child sized bicycle wheels and it will go any where on my rocky foothill acreage

 

[StormcrowAz]

Unable to see your pics, but here’s my solution to portability and off-road capability. Sacrifice some tool storage space, but it’s mobile.

 

[NoPressure]

Nice ^

 

[readhead]

You could lay the cylinders down and get some weight down low.

 

[Richard Cranium]

I am always looking for ideals for projects, thanks for posting.

 

[Wes917]

I agree with this, that would freak me out having my welder up like that. A couple nice racks up top would look kill and be functional for the things your going to be grabbing for most frequently.

That looks nice. One thing i would STRONGLY suggest is you remove your welder from its black frame it sits on now, and place it on the floor of your wheeled cart. Then weld up a light weight shelving unit for your welding tools, and consumables above it. That will hugely lower your center of gravity. I mean, just looking at the pic, the welder is just hovering over consumables and welding tools. Yikes!

Try it!