Recommendations for trolley design

[Mr_Grump]

A mate of mine has a small engineering business and has offered to make me a robust lightweight trolley.

• Any suggestions on what to include/avoid in the design?

• Type of wheels (golf cart style?)

• Number of wheels?

• Vertical or flatbed?

• Anything else?

Who knows, just might be able to take some orders.......

[daisylane]

it'd have to have huge pneumatic wheels as if it is muddy, small wheels would just break under the weight or get clogged up with mud.

i had a trolley last year and when its got tonnes of heavy stuff on it, its horrible. its much easier carrying it on your back, if you cut down on stuff.

[StoneCircle]

A mate of mine has a small engineering business and has offered to make me a robust lightweight trolley.

• Any suggestions on what to include/avoid in the design?

• Type of wheels (golf cart style?)

• Number of wheels?

• Vertical or flatbed?

• Anything else?

Who knows, just might be able to take some orders.......

Edited March 20, 2009 by StoneCircle

[Stuzo]

Click for link

^

This is the one I used last year, the 'Big Toe' makes it very easy to load so might be an idea you want to copy in your design. The handles are a little uncomfortable but are fine if you wear some comfortable gloves. Pneumatic tyres are essential as solid tyres will not cope with the vibrations from being pulled over hard uneven ground and metal walkways - you see huge numbers of trolleys that have fallen apart and have been dumped at various points along the path and they all have solid wheels. Trolleys in general are terrible in the mud as any kind of wheel will get caked in mud and will dramatically increase the weight of the trolley as well as generating increased friction when the mud that is stuck to the trolley makes contact with the mud on the ground.

As far as custom building a trolley goes the ideal trolley for dry ground and walkways would be a cart type affaire with 4 independently sprung bicycle tyres. The front 2 tyres would either need to be very close to the back 2 or be able to turn to steer the cart – Ideally they should pivot from a single point which is also connected to the handle that you would use to pull it. Unfortunately this all goes out the window in deep mud as the thin bicycle tyres would just cut deep into the mud if there was any considerable weight onboard.

In conclusion, trolleys are great but stick to metal walkways as much as possible in the mud

[grumpyhack]

This is my Glastomobile made by taking two B&Q sack trucks (with pneumatic tyres) and bolting them together.

You cut off the handles with a hacksaw and then lay the two trucks down and fix them together. I used bolts through holes that I drilled in the tubes and jubilee clips to add extra strength.

You then fix two of the cut off handles on the back. To pull it I fixed a handle from an old Black and Decker trolley I once had. (It had small wheels so was useless for festivals but did have a decent handle).

I drilled some extra holes in the ends to fix bungees on and, hey presto, a Glastomobile for £30.

It doesn't have 'steering' but that was a conscious choice as trolleys that steer tend to have a weak point where the wheels swivel.

However you can set off in a straight line, ideally with one person pulling and one pushing. When you need to change direction the person at the back lifts the trolley with the handles just enough to change direction and off you go.

[MikeyB37]

Haha, mutant B&Q trolley... i love it!

[APPLES77]

Hey I bought one of these and tok it last year (so it hasn't been given a full mud test)

It was spot on and when its folded with the wheels off it doesn't take up too much space in the boot. also having a large flat bit at the bottom (designed for tackle box's) is perfect for crates of lager. dont forget plenty of bungee cords

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/KOALA-PRODUCTS-Fold-...%3A1|240%3A1318

I got it off e-bay but cant remember if it was from this company or not.

[worthyraver]

Trolley:

Cider Bar:

Nuff said

[Man drew]

Im going to take a wheelbarrow i think.

[ampersand]

Trolley:

Cider Bar:

Nuff said

[worthyraver]

whered you buy that? want!

[ampersand]

i'll have a look later.

mine is shit. its hard to load, and gives you a sore back when pushing, unless your 5ft2in

[MikeyB37]

Trolley:

Cider Bar:

Nuff said

[grumpyhack]

Im going to take a wheelbarrow i think.