The Flat Pack Festival Trolley

[JackA-C]

Hi there, my name is Jack Abbott-Cragg and I am 18 years old studying product design at A-level.

For my final project I created a flat pack trolley that would fold completely flat into the boot of a small car and could be easily built when you arrive at the festival, and could carry more gear that you could carry by yourself.(known from personal experience that this is not a good experience).

The link below is my 'Instruction Video' as part of my coursework. I would be very grateful if anyone would give me some feedback on the product as a whole, any improvements or just some general comments, they would be gratefully received.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9cN1fC0zTxNdmIwbEpXaklhUkU

Thank you,

Jack.

[grumpyhack]

Nice one Jack.  A better project than many of the degree design / event management students have posted on here.

A few thoughts.  When full I can imagine you'd have quite a weight to lift.  If the wheels were more towards the centre would it distribute the weight more evenly so you weren't lifting such a weight? Or could you make it a four-wheeler.

Also when we take fully loaded trolleys one of the problem is things slipping off.  So need some bungees or similar to hold the load in.  Some points where you could locate the bungee ends might help.

My biggest reservation is about how sturdy it will be and what weight it will be able to carry.  I've seen people trolleying in 48 cans of beer and a lot more besides.  Maybe the bottom needs to be of a tougher material.

The real test will be when you take it to your first festival.  Good luck with your project.

As a contrast this was my Glastomobile for many years.  Constructed from two sack trucks bolted together.  But, unlike yours it had to travel full assembled, usually on a roof rack.

 

Edited April 17, 2016 by grumpyhack

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Hello Jack

I'm pretty impressed (actually, a lot impressed) with the design and detailed execution of your design. That said, I'd have concerns about how much that trolley could really take with the use of the materials in the chassis. It would seem to me to be too lightweight for some of the rough terrain you can come across getting to the campsite and back to your vehicle at a festival. You really need to road test this yourself with increasingly heavier weights until it fails. That might not be what you want to hear (unless you can knock another one or two of these up easy enough) but it's fact if you want to punt these out for the long haul rather than it being a one season wonder that falls apart, gets bad reviews, and is never seen or heard of again.

I really wish you well with this though.

[Thearg]

This is a great idea,unless you have a big car or a 4x4 trolleys can be a real pain

One thing I would like to add that's not been mentioned is the handle,it could be a bit longer and hinged,it looks as though it could snap or bend easily at the moment but your on the right lines 

[carlosj]

Hi Jack,

(I wish this had been around at my school when I was doing A levels)

 

Nice trolley. Echoing earlier comments, it is a nice design, but I don't think it would be rugged enough for people rushing along with heavy stuff. Thoughts, for what it's worth -

Could you provide corner posts to reinforce the back plate and stop it breaking as cans push against it. There looks to be no fastening at the top of the box, which is where the most strain would be

Could the bottom be reinforced with a light metal plate to support the luggage pressure, and a loose net to cover the contents to keep them in

Could you combine a rod to support the bottom, as well as being the wheel axle - so you'd keep the wheels but reduce the depth of the frame for easy storage

There look to be a few nuts and bolts, and as I've lost these over time, I've replaced them with these clips like below together with metal washers. The wheels can then be unclipped to making packing it easier, which is what I've done with my trolley.

The short handle could make it tip up too much, maybe make it longer to ease the weight and avoid hitting heels and ankles

If the box design could be square, it could be undone and folded flat in 1 piece like those storage boxes bought in Ikea, and then folded back together to be fastened on,

I'm really sorry, this sounds all very negative, I've not meant it as such, because you've come up with a good design. I'm just thinking about a longer term trolley based on my needs and slight Aspergers.