S.O.S. Mig cart

[tcianci]

This is my latest quickie S.O.S. (stuff on site) project. I made this MIG cart from scrap steel I had around and the lawn mower wheels and casters were junk from the basement as well. The gas cylinder rests on the axle and is held rigid by a stainless band clamp drawing it into the "V" of a piece of angle welded to the main upright. The top support and the main bottom support are 3 inch channel, the upright is 1 1/2 inch pipe and the shelf is 3/4 MDF. I made little angle brackets that allowed me to screw the welder to the shelf with existing holes in the welder. The cover of the welder opens without having to remove any fasteners. The bottom channel is a handy cradle for the fire extinguisher. The cart rolls nicely along the floor but the large rear wheels allow me to tip the cart backward and roll it along rough ground like a two wheeler. I still need to make up some hangers to hold the torch, ground and power cords.

 

[nonhog]

Nice work, looks like brand new!

 

[ghnl]

Looks great. Good idea about the fire extinguisher, too. I think I will 'borrow' that...

 

[TheDukeofDeere]

Just out of curiosity, did you band clamp the fire extinguisher to the frame like the gas bottle?

 

[tcianci]

Just out of curiosity, did you band clamp the fire extinguisher to the frame like the gas bottle?

Although I thought about some sort of hold down for the extinguisher, it is just resting in the channel iron like a cradle. My reasoning was that if I needed a fire extinguisher, I didn't need to be fumbling with a home-made gizmo that surely would not release correctly when I needed it most!

 

[TheDukeofDeere]

Although I thought about some sort of hold down for the extinguisher, it is just resting in the channel iron like a cradle. My reasoning was that if I needed a fire extinguisher, I didn't need to be fumbling with a home-made gizmo that surely would not release correctly when I needed it most!

Yeah, I agree. I thought it look band clamped to the channel iron.

Resting in the channel iron is a perfect spot for it!!

 

[ironheadtom]

Neat build..lots of good ideas here.

 

[Okie Pete]

Nice build. I used a old rototiller and some angle iron to make a cart for mine.

 

[arkangel06]

Nice looking mig cart.

When i first saw this thread I thought you were asking for help.

 

[premierplayer]

Pro, looks great!

 

[D KRAGER]

SOS I like that!!!! Most things I build are from stuff on site. I very rarely buy new metal. Nice work!

 

[e-tek]

Yer a better man than I! I needed a MIG cart and thougt of a few different designs....by the time I added up the steel and casters - and a few hours - which I needed for the actual truck I was working on - it was easier and cheaper to buy a pre-made cart. Course then i had to assemble the damn thing.....

 

[tcianci]

I was on the fence about building this one. HF had a cart for like 49 bucks or something. Its about 40 minutes to the HF store and then 40 back, then maybe 45 minutes to assemble it and the trip to the store would have to be made during regular hours so I looked around to the junk on-hand and decided to go for it. One other thing I needed to do was once I started it, I had to finish it. I'm sure we all have plenty of stuff we have started and then for one reason or another, never finish. It took a few hours over the course of 2 nights so it wasn't so bad. The upside is that I got a nice MIG cart for no money and I used up some junk around the shop at the same time.

 

[tcianci]

OK one last picture, I got some 5/16 bolts and ran them into various locations to hang the MIG gun, cables and helmet. My daughter is going to whip up a cloth cover that'll keep it nice and clean.

 

[e-tek]

It is a sweet ride for the Mig. A cover is essential - great daughter!!

 

[FANTASY FACTORY]

The local Foodmart has a parking lot full of them, and they come with a free basket too!