# Cart for Propane Cutting Outfit



## Chips O'Toole (Sep 24, 2020)

Finished a metalworking project this week. Not a machining project, but it involves tools machinists need. I made a cart for a propane cutting rig.

I went with propane instead of acetylene for various reasons that are well known. When I started setting things up, I found that there were very few options for carts. When I say that, people tend to post useless links to acetylene carts. Propane tanks do not fit on these carts.

I bought a Home Depot handtruck. I used my SWAG Offroad brake to make brackets from 1/8" by 1" bar. I cut up a chain to make eyes to hold chains, and I welded them to the brackets. I welded the brackets to the cart.

I cut off the tiny base plate on the cart and welded a bigger one in its place. I put tabs on it to keep the tanks from sliding around.

I taped the cart up and used truck bed coating to cover the exposed steel.

It came out great. It doesn't take up much room, and it's stable. The only problem is the tires. They're pneumatic, so of course, they will go flat once a month. I found 10" solid wheels online, so I will be buying a pair of those and taking the pneumatics to the dump. I can't figure out why any manufacturer uses them.

When I'm all done with this thing, I may have $100 in it. Not bad.


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## lis2323 (Sep 24, 2020)

Chips O'Toole said:


> Finished a metalworking project this week. Not a machining project, but it involves tools machinists need. I made a cart for a propane cutting rig.
> 
> I went with propane instead of acetylene for various reasons that are well known. When I started setting things up, I found that there were very few options for carts. When I say that, people tend to post useless links to acetylene carts. Propane tanks do not fit on these carts.
> 
> ...



Nice work. 


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## lis2323 (Sep 24, 2020)

I made a dedicated propane cart for my weed burner using a discarded hand truck. 












Single tank carts for feeders and transport


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## benmychree (Sep 24, 2020)

What, other than expense are the well known reasons?  I know from personal observation that Propane takes a LOT more time to preheat before cutting is able to commence.


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## DavidR8 (Sep 24, 2020)

benmychree said:


> What, other than expense are the well known reasons?  I know from personal observation that Propane takes a LOT more time to preheat before cutting is able to commence.


Cost as you say is one factor.
Locally a 20 lb tank of propane is $20 vs $80 for B tank of acetylene.

I've not used either yet but from my research propane preheats almost as quick as acetylene provided the correct part of the flame is used.

"Propane releases only a small proportion of heat in the inner flame cone (less than 10%), so most of the heat in the flame is located in the outer cone. Acetylene releases almost 40% of its heat in the inner flame cone."
Source: https://www.wilhelmsen.com/marine-p...reparation/gas-welding--acetylene-vs-propane/

This is a screen shot from a BOC info sheet.
The second column are figures for acetylene, third are propane.


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## matthewsx (Sep 24, 2020)

Yeah, but welding....

If you only need to cut maybe but I love the stringy soot that comes from the torch when you first fire up the acetylene.

John


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## lis2323 (Sep 24, 2020)

matthewsx said:


> Yeah, but welding....
> 
> 
> 
> John



Very true but I know for a fact the last time I welded oxy-fuel was 1968. 


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## lis2323 (Sep 24, 2020)

And just for the record I am an oxy-acetylene guy. 







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## benmychree (Sep 24, 2020)

I have witnessed a lot of propane fueled cutting where I apprenticed, and truly appreciate the amount of time taken for the preheat, and it is a lot of time compared with acetylene.  On the Kaiser Steel premesis, when truly heavy plate was to be cut, out came the four ganged biggest size acetylene cylinders, torches with 1/2" oxygen hoses; I am talking up to about 12" plate.  I guess wages were cheaper than the wait with the propane cost differential.


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## DavidR8 (Sep 24, 2020)

benmychree said:


> I have witnessed a lot of propane fueled cutting where I apprenticed, and truly appreciate the amount of time taken for the preheat, and it is a lot of time compared with acetylene.  On the Kaiser Steel premesis, when truly heavy plate was to be cut, out came the four ganged biggest size acetylene cylinders, torches with 1/2" oxygen hoses; I am talking up to about 12" plate.  I guess wages were cheaper than the wait with the propane cost differential.


Yikes! That would be a sight to see. 
I can certainly see where time vs gas costs would be more valuable for jobs like that.


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## NC Rick (Sep 24, 2020)

@lis2323  Coolest cart, like EVER!


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## Chips O'Toole (Sep 24, 2020)

Today I put Harbor Freight solid wheels on the cart. Much, much better than the old ones. I hate to throw them out, but they seem worthless. Maybe the tubes would be fun pool toys.

I had to make steel spacers because the new wheels were not offset as much as the old ones. Worked out fine. The new wheels say they only hold 220 pounds apiece. Guess I'll have to avoid putting more than 440 pounds of stuff on it!

FYI, Harbor Freight sells a better-looking cart, and they display them about 10 feet from the wheels. It costs $45 before a coupon, so it's around $18 cheaper than my Home Depot cart.


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## NC Rick (Sep 24, 2020)

My own rendition of cheap cart.  Not artful, quick and dirty.  I welded with gas until a couple years ago when I got a Tig unit.


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## Chips O'Toole (Sep 27, 2020)

I used propane today. I ran it through an acetylene heating tip and bent 1/2" steel. Now I can weld gussets onto the mounting tabs on my middle buster, and hopefully, the tabs won't bend the next time I tear out a stump or a boulder.


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