Build - Heavy Equipment Moving Cart

[September 2018]

For some time, I have needed some sort of cart or dolly for moving heavy equipment into my shop. Ideally, my shop would be at ground level with a garage door sized entrance, and an approach that was either paved or concrete.

Unfortunately, my shop is located in my basement, and the widest entry way is only 25 inches wide. Further, to get to the basement entry, I have to move equipment over a grass side yard, down a small hill, and then make a U-turn into the entry way. I have used a heavy duty furniture dolly for this in the past, but that has been less than ideal - the dolly wheels sink into the grass, and there is a danger of tipping when changing direction.

There have been at least three occasions in the past when I could have used the cart I finally built, and each time I told myself there was no point building cart for "just this one time." Then a week ago I purchased a large 2 ft. X 3 ft. surface plate (weight about 350 lbs.), and decided this time I was finally going to make the cart.

The wheels I used are also available in a swivel model, but my experience with these is that they make steering more difficult, and also increase the risk of tipping. Of course this raises the question: If all six wheels are fixed in line, how does the cart change direction? The answer is that 2x4's are used as levers to jack the cart into position.

The cart body is made from a 2ft X 3ft sheets of heavy duty (7/8" thick) plywood, reinforced with two pieces of (nominal) 2"X8" (actual 1-1/2" x 7-1/2"). If necessary, in the future I could add 3 more wheels down the center for additional capacity or load spreading.

Here are some details:

This picture shows the wheels being positioned to mark the holes for mounting. The end wheels are mounted so that the wheel diameter is flush with the end of the cart, and the wheels are as close to the outside edge as possible to widen the wheel base. The center wheels are simply centered.

The wheels are first positioned on the top of the cart, so the mounting hole positions can be marked and counter-bored. The 2x8 reinforcements are clamped on for drilling.

Make sure the wheels are positioned with the valve stem on the outside!

The mounting holes are counter-bored for 3/8" x 3-1/2" carriage bolts, so that the bolt head will be flush with the surface.

This picture shows the carriage bolts after the wheel is mounted.

I used a drill guide for counter-boring and through-hole drilling, to make sure the holes were exactly perpendicular to the surface - not strictly necessary but it sure helps.

The wheels are made in part from two metal shells bolted together. I took the precaution of checking all the wheels to make sure the bolts were tight - some were not, so it was worth the extra effort.

The cart handle is made from a 36" length of 1/2" (nominal) iron pipe, with T connectors at either end. The attachment end has a smaller T connector with a length of pipe running through it as an "axle." The handle end has a larger T connector with a very heavy dowel inserted as a handle.

Update (Oct. 2018) : Need to rework this handle design. I was moving some equipment today, and pulling sideways on the handle to move the cart around, when the pipe broke at the threads on the lower T-connector. More on this later when I come up with an improved design.

Here's a closeup of the T for the handle. The wooden handle fits somewhat loosely into the T, so I made two wood rings to keep the handle in place.

A note on the removable handle: Begin able to remove the handle is definitely a plus. A minor annoyance is that fitting the hitch clips into the pipe is a bit fussy as it's trickly to get the clip lined up with the hole in the opposite side of the pipe. I may replace the pipe with solid rod (or put in some solid inserts), to make the clip go in more easily.

This picture shows the cart with a 2ft x 3ft surface plate loaded onto it; the plate weighs about 360 pounds (shop crane in the background).

One of the legs of the shop crane can slide between the wheels so the cart can be positioned under the crane. The cart can also be positioned parallel to the crane between the legs as an alternate method.

Note: The surface plate is strapped to the cart with 4 ratchet clamps to keep the stone in place while moving..

Update #1

[Sep. 13, 2018]

Used the cart for the first time today, to move the surface plate shown above into my shop. The cart worked very well, and was reasonably easy to turn using a 2x4 to lever it around. It moved fairly easily over grass - one person could pull it without too much trouble. However, to move it down a slight hill I had a second person help me by using a 2x4 levered under the back to keep it from getting out of control (I positioned the cart backwards on the hill, so I could hold the handle to keep it from rolling downhill too fast, while another person used the 2x4 to brake and to lever the cart through a turn).

The cart also rolled easily over a raised door thresh-hold and into my shop. I was glad I made the handle removable, as it made it easier to move the cart out of the way once the surface plate was raised with a shop crane.

In summary, I think the cart was a success, and will be a valuable addition to my shop.

Update #2

[Sep. 24, 2018]

Used the cart today to move the knee from my pantograph. I stopped to take a picture of the loaded cart on the grass. I estimate the knee weighs 100 lbs. or so - note that the knee is strapped securely to the cart with two ratchet straps.

The flat top of the cart is very handy for loading - there are no raised edges, rough spots, or protruding bolts to worry about; however, this also makes it very easy for things to slide around on it, even going over level (but bumpy) lawn.

The cart navigates better than I hoped on the lawn, and it is easy to turn the cart around a gentle turn with just a bit of side pressure on the handle. Right angle turns are harder - it is necessary to lift one end (either by hand or with a lever) and pull it into position.

Rolling the cart over lawn, concrete, or carpet is not difficult - I was able to move the knee in the picture into my shop by myself, without much difficulty. In order to get the knee off the cart in my shop, I temporarily moved my shop crane into my shop (and then, of course, back to my garage for the next load). Moving the shop crane back and forth is a bit of a hassle, but fortunately I don't have to do it too often.

Update #3

Moved this pantograph base (estimated weight 800 pounds) to my basement today, with the help of two other people. I wanted at least two other people for this move because the load has a fairly high center of gravity, and I was worried about tipping.

Note that the load is securely strapped to the cart.

Another concern is that it had rained quite a bit earlier in the week (although the last couple of days were dry and sunny), so I was worried that the ground might be a bit soft. However, the three of us were able to move the load easily over the grass, down a small hill, through a basement door and into my workshop.

Although the move was successful, there was a minor problem with the handle breaking off at the lower T too weak at the threads). Other minor issues are outlined more fully in the "Needed Improvements" section at the top of this page.