Oxy Acetylene Cart Preference

[Fluxion]

I went to an auction Saturday and now I have two oxy acetylene setups, both are on Harper carts. One is the "side by side" variety and the other is the "front to back" type. I only need one here in my home shop and will take the other to my cabinet shop. We have a back room where we do the occasional welding on a granite counter top support, it would be nice to have a torch to bend the odd piece of strap.

All I have ever used in the past is the "side by Side". Both carts are in very good condition but the "side by side" was purchased new and sat in a storage room for many years before I bought it for $15. I paid $240 for the "front to back" setup with an extra set of bottles, two sets of gauges, 3-25' sections of hose, 1-50" hose and three torch bodies with 3 cutting attachments and 11 welding tips-all Victor. I have a new looking Victor medalist set with brand new hoses that I'll keep at home.

Which kind do you prefer and Why?

Both my home shop and cabinet shop are really cramped for space but I'll probably move it around and use it at home more often if that makes a difference.

View media item 74522
View media item 74521

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Being You have both of them; I was wondering which one You feel more comfortable (safe, at ease) wheeling around Your shop? I would think the side by side would be more stable, but don't recall using a front to back, so I could only assume it would be less stable due to being narrower and having a higher profile in the rolling position.

 

[kkroger]

I like the Tandem narrower style... I dislike the side by side style...

 

[Richard Cranium]

I would take the front to back unit any day of the week, If you were closer I would try to trade you out of it. Rich

 

[lis2323]

I've had both styles. If you're cramped for space front to back is better IMO. Plus it will fit through doorways easier.

Here's a front to back I built that I currently use.



Terry

 

[sk farmer]

front to back, hands down. they really are not that much narrower and if anything more stable in my book.

think of the front to back as being more of a square stance. similar stance, front to back and side to side. the side by side may not tip side to side but sure can tip towards the handle side if given a bump

 

[BDT/NWMN]

For the Members who have the front-rear carts; do You prefer the larger oxygen tank in the rear or the front...? The cart that lis2323 built, with the oxygen tank in the rear, looks much more stable than the one Fluxion just purchased. well,,, I have a soft spot for steel wheels and blue paint..That is one nice job

 

[mbshop]

Might want to check those bottles. They may not belong to you. Kinda tricky buying setups with bottles.

 

[Fluxion]

Thanks for the responses guys!

I have wheeled both around inside and outside and the side by side is definitely more stable especially on my gravel driveway. That said I think I'll give the front to back a try at home for awhile, I own both i guess so I could always switch them later.

As for ownership of the tanks, around here the only way you can lease tanks it to have a corporate account but you really have to use lots of gas to make it worthwhile, something like fill my c25 or argon tanks 17 times a year. I have a few tanks that I exchange on a regular basis and I have never even had someone come out to the loading dock to look at the empties. I even had a co2 bottle that was leased back in the mid eighties by my dad and they didn't care even after I told them. They just glance at it through the glass door to confirm the size.

 

[kkroger]

I'd like Oxy in the MOST accessible position since I will go through 3-4 O2 bottles to one Acetylene... don't want to have to lift over or remove both to do the most common.

 

[Cope]

I'd like Oxy in the MOST accessible position since I will go through 3-4 O2 bottles to one Acetylene... don't want to have to lift over or remove both to do the most common.

You'll void the warranty.

 

[kkroger]

You'll void the warranty.

Typical....

 

[Dozerhand]

There was a thread about this same topic not to long ago. This was my reply then.

I worked in a shop that had a front to back and I didn't care for it. If you had a nice organized lonely shop with a smooth and level floor it might be ok. The shop I worked at had junk everywhere, rough floors and a lot of people running around. Every time I'd park the cart somewhere I had to spend a few moments rocking it back and forth and wondering if it was going to tip over as soon as I turned my back on it. Plus I always worried about somebody tripping over the hose if I was up in the air or crawled inside a machine. Really dangerous if you had to take it outside. If I was buying new I would definatly stick with a side by side.

 

[sk farmer]

There was a thread about this same topic not to long ago. This was my reply then.

I worked in a shop that had a front to back and I didn't care for it. If you had a nice organized lonely shop with a smooth and level floor it might be ok. The shop I worked at had junk everywhere, rough floors and a lot of people running around. Every time I'd park the cart somewhere I had to spend a few moments rocking it back and forth and wondering if it was going to tip over as soon as I turned my back on it. Plus I always worried about somebody tripping over the hose if I was up in the air or crawled inside a machine. Really dangerous if you had to take it outside. If I was buying new I would definatly stick with a side by side.

i wonder how much of this is just personal preference. my cart is nearly identical to the one posted by the op, front to back. i was using my o/a today with a rosebud tip. i had to move it over some rough concrete and out onto the gravel in my yard. not once did it feel unstable or out of control. maybe i had a ****** side by side cart before but given the choice i prefer the front to back setup. as i said earlier. the front to back may not be quite as stable side to side but what it lacks side to side it makes up for in being stable for tipping forward or backwards.