Your ideas for a shop made O/A hand truck?

I second the large wheels. The first project I made when I was out on my own was a 2 wheel torch cart. I made the 10" steel wheels and every time I use it I wish it had 26" wheels.
 
The mention of 26” wheels made me think of the old firefighting cart they had at my hometown airport (small town, two police cars, you get the idea) that had the dubious honour of being the worst equipped commercial airport in the province. But I digress, here’s kind of what they had out beside the runways but older. Might give you some ideas for the O/A tanks rig?

-frank

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erikmannie said:
That video is pretty much what I had in mind for my project. Do you mind if I copy your idea, modifying it for my needs?

Were there any changes that you wish you would have made after using this O/A cart?

I would probably use .090” wall tubing & 3/32” stick electrodes (for speed and because SMAW is my favorite welding process).
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Go right ahead, knock yourself out. :)

I think the only thing I would change would be the height. As it is, I put the axle rod such that the base is about 1/2" off the floor. Not that it really matters all that much since that back tube swings upward to moment you tilt it, but I think I should have had it perhaps 1" off the floor, with some short feet on the other free corners to keep it level when it sits. If you get your cuts perfect with zero-gap fits, 3/32" rods will work great. As for the wheels I might have used larger wheels if I didn't already have these sitting here. I bought them a while back at Harbor Freight and figured might as well use them instead of collecting dust in the garage.
 
General Zod said:
Go right ahead, knock yourself out. :)

I think the only thing I would change would be the height. As it is, I put the axle rod such that the base is about 1/2" off the floor. Not that it really matters all that much since that back tube swings upward to moment you tilt it, but I think I should have had it perhaps 1" off the floor, with some short feet on the other free corners to keep it level when it sits. If you get your cuts perfect with zero-gap fits, 3/32" rods will work great. As for the wheels I might have used larger wheels if I didn't already have these sitting here. I bought them a while back at Harbor Freight and figured might as well use them instead of collecting dust in the garage.
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If you are welding .090” square tubing with 3/32” stick electrodes, what would you say is a good range for the gap in the fit-up?

I would obviously not bevel the .090”. I like some gap (at least a few thou) for this thickness. At any gap above .050”, I am *seriously* questioning my fit-up skills. .063” and up and I am unhappy with the situation.
 
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my dad made one with 14" car tires, and wheels. He had a large shop, and did a lot of work on his own heavy equipment. It had the big acetylene, and oxy tanks. It was a pleasure to move around, It got rolled outside a lot. Mike
 
I did an exhaustive Google search to look for any other ideas, but I came back to the @General Zod plan.

I must be picky because I found *nothing* online that I would buy.

I watched the video from @General Zod again, and once I saw those lengths of square tubing laying on the table, my mind was made up!

Since everybody has recommended large wheels, I will probably use 26” bicycle wheels. There is a bicycle recycling shop in town, & I’m sure that I can buy a pair of MTB wheels for very cheap.

I am sure that my lathe will see some action for the axle.

Since it is an oxyacetylene cart, I think I am obligated to torch cut the square tubing as well as gas weld everything, which I am happy to do.
 
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If you guys have any ideas about the handle, a foot kicker or how I might chain the cart to the wall, I welcome any input.

I live extremely close to the San Andreas fault line, & my sweet mother-in-law lives directly above my shop, so we don’t want any lapses in safety.
 
I wouldn't use the torch to cut the material. If you have a band saw use that and tig weld it, it will look so much nicer.

As far as a handle goes, I would come off of the cart with two pieces of flat iron and a piece of pipe between them.

To anchor it to the wall I would install two eye bolts to the wall and use a chain.
 
erikmannie said:
If you are welding .090” square tubing with 3/32” stick electrodes, what would you say is a good range for the gap in the fit-up?

I would obviously not bevel the .090”. I like some gap (at least a few thou) for this thickness. At any gap above .050”, I am *seriously* questioning my fit-up skills. .063” and up and I am unhappy with the situation.
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I usually aim for zero-gap, but that doesn't always happen :)
 
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