Log Cart Build

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The Herring

ArboristSite Lurker
Joined
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Location
Rhode Island
After bucking and splitting wood all day in the beating sun, seemed like a good idea to crack out the welder and a few beers and make one of those fancy log carts everyone rants about. I had already sketched one up and purchased all the materials ($200 including the paint). Got a good start on it, more photos to follow. I was thinking of making a small trailer adapter to tow it behind a tractor or ATV, anyone try this before?20150725_180319.jpg 20150725_200929.jpg 20150725_201053.jpg 20150725_193943.jpg
 
Nice work. But I gotta' ask ... Do you think you could have bought a Stein trolley for less $$$ than the time and material you spent to build yours? Granted, you will have more pride in yours, and you may even consider your time spent as a freebie. I ask because I''ve found it's usually less costly to go ahead and buy a commercially available piece of gear ... unless I know I can build mine better.
 
I doubt the commercial one is made as beefy as that one he just built. The rubber is undersized for what that frame will handle. :)
 
Worth it or not depends on how you value your time, and what other things you could be doing to make/save money. Personally I have psychological problems that cause me to do everything myself even when it doesn't make sense. In this particular case if you have the tools and are setup to do this kind of fabrication work, then it is probably worth it. I had a solid 10 hours wrapped up in fabricating that cart, but nothing else to do that weekend but drink beer and split wood for the winter after next so no loss there. The materials were $200, and the Stein sells for like $700 from what I can tell. Saved myself $500 for a 10 hour effort, thats like $50/hr. I'll get out of bed in the morning and fab steel all day for that price. I havent seen the Stein in person, but Im guessing it isnt built with 3x3x3/16 tube steel in the cart section. Totally overkill but I felt that the 2.5" tube in the handle section looked right and the 3x3x3/16 is what I needed to get it all to telescope with standard structural tubes without getting into trying to broach the weld flash along the seam on the ID of the tube. The tires are rated at something like 600lb each, and it all rides on a 1" replacable solid steel axle. I got to pick the paint color and customize every aspect of it, and yeah I guess I can be proud of it when I go to haul wood. All of that said the Stien looks like quality stuff and is priced fair when you consider they are in business to make a profit and not just some guy in his garage...
 
you could have made the handle detachable, and then got a bolt on trailer hitch. id love more details on this... (specs, material list) i go to school for welding. this would make a great final project.
 
20150915_190904.jpg Im in the process of building a log arch along the same lines as the log cart. I plan to make an adjustable height hitch handle that I can use for either the log arch or the log cart, but I honestly havent had much need for something like that. I made the log arch to get the wood from a monster white pine out of a tight back yard and without destroying the lawn. The cart is nice for limbs but not so much for 30" diameter trunk wood. The log arch makes it effortless to haul out the big stuff. I just need to get it to my dump trailer where I load it with a jib crane and electric winch.
I believe I mention some of the materials further up the thread. The resulting cart is heavy as hell though, same with the log arch. Indestructibe, but sucks to load on and off the truck. I'd share more of the details on the cart but it is very similar to and inspired by a similar commercially available cart. Broadcasting that info just wouldnt feel right. The log arch on the other hand I drew from scratch without "inspiration", and is in fact rather generic. If you are interested I would be willing to post the details of that project.
 
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