hey everyone, i know this project has dragged on a lot.........and i'm sure a lot of people were excited by this project but became bored .....i know i know..... i'm working a lot of hours.......not a lot of time to spare.....as well, local prices for materials, machining are ASTRONOMICAL up here.........so i have to do a lot of research and calls and emails to find decent prices This trekking cart build is almost there...........! tires, bolts , misc stuff is left....then im going to load it up and do an overnighter to test it out
Not even close to bored. Take your time, handle your business, and keep the pictures of shiny things coming when you have them. I eagerly await updates. Also late night ramblings about the project.
got the tires today! 2 x Specialized "Purgatory" tubeless ready tires, folding bead, plus 3 tubes (went with tubes because its low tech and easy to field repair. this thing looks so bad-azz right now.....going to murder it out with a complete black spray paint job.
SO CLOSE TO A FIELD TEST! Hoping to get a week off this winter, maybe near Christmas, gonna load the cart into the truck, park the truck at am old fishing buddy's place in Hope BC, and set out up the Fraser Canyon. I may even Pre-Cache sealed buckets of freeze dried foods, batteries, beer along the route, drive up in the truck with the cache buckets and stash them a week prior.
current list of $$ Sponsors, Gear & Materials Suppliers (Thank You ALL for the support, Bro Deals, and high quality work and products) - Aunt & Uncle - $500 for materials and supplies costs - Metal Supermarkets - Burnaby & Richmond BC Canada : aluminum for the custom thru axle and haul arms - DS Tactical - New West BC - Molle pouches, camp gear, storage solutions and Bro Deals - DUNBAR CYCLES - Vancouver BC - Specialized Tires, Tubes, and Tire levers (and EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE) - Our Community Bikes - Vancouver BC - pair of 2 x Front - 27.5"/650B Helix Rims / Shimano Hubs - (Bro Deal) - Smith Industries Machine Shop - Small yet BIG family run shop - Custom machined thru axle for the wheels - Homeless Dude selling scrap metal - Richmond BC - free shopping cart that i cut for the main tray
UPDATE: bracket for the 8' long flag whip is made, and i attached the Direct Action Mosquito load bearing harness to the cart arms with prussik cords. I can move them up or down as needed. I can pull the cart hands free or with both the harness and hands. Attached the Centerline Systems Mother Canteen Carrier to the back of the harness, for water and snack bar access. flag bracket (mounting it today - need to go hardware) Direct Action Mosquito load bearing harness, carabiners, prussick cords and CenterLine Systems Mother Canteen Carrier I have run into one issue....the cart is a royal pain to get out of the apt, thru the hall way Not sure i want to attach and detach the haul arms every time either....
flag pole mount drilled and fastened, flag attached filling the tubes on each side with expanding foam, this is so the epoxy has a spot to sit in. Will be epoxying in each tube a 1/4" bolt for tail light mounts. Still working on this detail MissCopper , some hardware, DAKA pouch with cart tools, DAKA pouch filled with trail mix, all in the Front Runner Wolf Pack box
When I see the cart, I picture you at the bushcats escaping a post apocalyptic Vancouver and heading for the hills. LOL Perhaps I should write a novel.
I may have to install solid aluminum rods to the cart (permanent mount) and slip fit the haul arms over them and secure with hitch pins........can't get this damn thing out of the apt.
Just curious... is there a practical reason for having the axle at the very back? If you moved it forward closer to the centre of the box it would lower your “tounge weight” making it more manageable?
it would, but the box tapers towards the front, so the axle would stick out even more and bend (bigger lever). That rear section of the basket is also the strongest, so the axle wont flex. the current tongue weight is pretty damn low, less than 25 lbs at the most, long arms more leverage I'm most likely going to finish the flat deck build I had planned originally and then ill move the axle to the middle. Still....it performed FLAWLESSLY today. I put it thru HELL. More than I will when i actually use it. teaser pic - that rock is about 18" tall
Oct 28/2018, monsoon rains, "The TREKKING CART Shakedown Tour" Normally I would post my outdoors fun in my Adventure thread, but today since this is the first field test of the Trekking Cart, I chose to keep it here in this DIY Build Thread. pissing rain. My goal today was to shakedown, non-destructive testing of the Trekking Cart build #1. As well I wanted to re-visit the Shadow Lake Trappers Cabin and take notes as to what needs to be fixed, and do some cleanup as well. (I plan to cart in a super cheap or free barrel stove, chimney , stove-jack etc) Lets start out with 3 bloody hours of trying to get the damn Trekking Cart out of the apt..........8' long haul arms, a 10' whip flag, and big wheels and wide wheelbase do not lend themselves to easy maneuvering. Finally the cabin fever kicked in. I sawed the whip flag in half, tied it down to the haul arms , pulled off the wheels, and knocked a lot of crap (mostly beer cans )over moving the wheel-less cart out of the apt. Next came the hallway. I almost punched my neighbor ,i know he was trying to help but he was not helping with his suggestions. first flaw: going to have to lop 1' off the haul arms. eventually I got everything out into the apt lobby. Could not haul gear to the truck because it was down the street....stuff would have disappeared very fast. (******** THIEVES!) so i moved the truck and put the 4 ways and amber lights on. Got the cart and FrontRunner WolfPack cases stowed away and finally left. Drove the two hours and tank of gas, up to Shadow Lake Interpretive Forest outside of Pemberton BC and offloaded the cart, slid the wheels onto the axle and torqued the axle bolts and harnessed up. Did a few easy laps a couple of miles up and down the highway. People driving by gave me a wide berth, many honked and waved! one guy leaned out the passenger side of his truck and yelled "**** YEAH BUDDY! CANADA! WHOOOOOOOOOO! **** YEAH!!!!!!! " (i had the Canadian Flag flying the now shorter whip) CS Shovel onone side, Esee Lite Machete on the other man that cart rolls effortlessly on paved road and hard-packed gravel/dirt/forest trail. On the highway and most flat smooth rolling trails, I did not even use the haul arms, the harness was MORE than enough , barely noticeable even with 40lbs of cargo. Slight hills were a breeze and steeper hills were a breeze with my hands on the haul arm arms splitting the load. hauling the cart, the prussiks fall back going down a slope or hill, the cart arms move forward and the prussiks wrap around my waist, I was able to slow the load down no prob,without discomfort or rapidly stepping forward. more
after the hardpan/paved surface test, i ventured thru the upper Interpretive Forest, it has a hard packed, pine needle covered trail, ups and downs, slopes etc. crashing thru thick undergrowth damn cart will not flip over! awesome view of my bald noggin!
can drop the harness pretty fast if need be. handled 100' of rocky trail no prob, clattered and clanged and bounced. Super big fat tires with lower pressure would eat this stuff up but with added weight and cost. can crouch down no issues off camber slope, the side lugs really dug in the wet slick forest duff crossing the rickety old bridge down hill. did not use the haul arms just walked down with the harness another off camber slope, tires dug in and didnt slide barely made it over this small foot bridge. Had to see from the angle but its a 2' drop. oops, had to cross the ditch - hell of a side load on the wheels but it didnt tip. The haul arms have some flex in them as well/. now 95% of this terrain I dont plan on using the cart on, i meant it more for highway, hardpan FSR's and packed wide smooth trails.
This is one of the most awesome projects ever. I predict such carts will become ... increasingly popular, useful and necessary in the future. But for now, just pure fun and a great way to see where you live.
Trekking Cart 2.0 will get rid of the wire basket, cargo boxes and lash rope. The thru axle and haul arms will be directly mounted (bolted thru the case and sealed with aircraft sealant) to a large Pelican case or similar... I'm also REALLY tempted to get another thru axle machined so i can slide on 2 or 3 wheels per side. Think 5" fat bike wheels X 2 or 3 on each side.........winter flotation!
i was thinking this would be my EXODUS out of the Lower MainLand, song. or this...if you like drums.....
Update: cut 20" off each haul arm. Much easier to store upright in the apt, and to get out of the apt and easier turn on the trails.