BLooDTRaCKeR
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LAST EDITED ON Feb-03-15 AT 11:52AM (MST)[p]I have received many requests to share my game cart design so instead of sending out a ton of private massages, I thought I would take the time and "pay it forward" to all who want to build one for their hunting needs......
This first photo is just an overall pic of the design. Just keep in mind when building one, go off of the average shoulder width of an adult so you can determine how wide you want to make it.
The axle is 3/4" round stock, 1/4" thick plate steel, attached to 1x1" thin wall square tubing with angle iron at the top. The wheels are utility wheels I purchases from harbor freight years ago (not sure if you can still get them there?)
The cradle or carriage is made up of 1x1 thin wall square tubing with 3/4X1/8" strap lining the cradle on three sides for support against "frame twist" under load.
My favorite part is the mountain bike attachment! I just finished re-making this section, tested it and it works amazingly well! The idea behind this was to give me (the rider) 360 degree pivot or rotation in every direction necessary in order to maintain stability while on uneven surfaces. This contraption gives me side to side pivot by use of the square tube around the seat post, angle pivot or articulation by use of the center pivot bolt and up/down pivot through use of the adjustable pin.
If you look close you can see the side plates overlap the V-bar or gam cart hitch about a half inch on both sides of the pivot bolt. This is to limit the articulation of the came cart on uneven surfaces. without this, you load will eventually tip over the cart and throw you with it.
Towards the back of the pic you can see where the cart connects to the hitch.... all pins and bolts are 3/8" diameter.
With the limiter plates on the sides of the pivot bolt, the cart is allowed 6" of articulation from side to side, meaning at the very extreme, the tire will lift off the ground 6". You can however, compensate for this travel just by leaning into the side of the cart that is trying to lift off the ground. Generally, the rule of thumb is to take uneven surfaces SLOWLY and this will not be a problem. (my old hitch did not have articulation and boy did I go on some WILD RIDES!)
Overall, I recommend this design to anyone that needs a cart to haul an animal out of a non-motorized vehicle area. The center of gravity is a bit higher than I would like but It works just fine as long as you understand the carts limitations. I have hauled over 10 elk out of the mountains on this design, last year I had two elk on this cart plus gear (over 500 lbs) and it took the load like a champ! It has been tested, refined and proven to work!
Oh and one other thing......The handle bars are regular bike grips that I sleeved onto a piece of 3/4" round stock and inserted into the square tubing and pinned it to stay in place. they are removable so you can add other bike attachment when needed. Also I added an adjustable rib up front to allow the weight to be centered over the tires as desired by the operator.
I hope this thread was helpful. I feel like we as a hunting community need to stick together and build each other up. Take the time to support each other whether its through an idea or a compliment. Together, we can build a stronger hunting community and a better hunting future for our kids!
This first photo is just an overall pic of the design. Just keep in mind when building one, go off of the average shoulder width of an adult so you can determine how wide you want to make it.
The axle is 3/4" round stock, 1/4" thick plate steel, attached to 1x1" thin wall square tubing with angle iron at the top. The wheels are utility wheels I purchases from harbor freight years ago (not sure if you can still get them there?)
The cradle or carriage is made up of 1x1 thin wall square tubing with 3/4X1/8" strap lining the cradle on three sides for support against "frame twist" under load.
My favorite part is the mountain bike attachment! I just finished re-making this section, tested it and it works amazingly well! The idea behind this was to give me (the rider) 360 degree pivot or rotation in every direction necessary in order to maintain stability while on uneven surfaces. This contraption gives me side to side pivot by use of the square tube around the seat post, angle pivot or articulation by use of the center pivot bolt and up/down pivot through use of the adjustable pin.
If you look close you can see the side plates overlap the V-bar or gam cart hitch about a half inch on both sides of the pivot bolt. This is to limit the articulation of the came cart on uneven surfaces. without this, you load will eventually tip over the cart and throw you with it.
Towards the back of the pic you can see where the cart connects to the hitch.... all pins and bolts are 3/8" diameter.
With the limiter plates on the sides of the pivot bolt, the cart is allowed 6" of articulation from side to side, meaning at the very extreme, the tire will lift off the ground 6". You can however, compensate for this travel just by leaning into the side of the cart that is trying to lift off the ground. Generally, the rule of thumb is to take uneven surfaces SLOWLY and this will not be a problem. (my old hitch did not have articulation and boy did I go on some WILD RIDES!)
Overall, I recommend this design to anyone that needs a cart to haul an animal out of a non-motorized vehicle area. The center of gravity is a bit higher than I would like but It works just fine as long as you understand the carts limitations. I have hauled over 10 elk out of the mountains on this design, last year I had two elk on this cart plus gear (over 500 lbs) and it took the load like a champ! It has been tested, refined and proven to work!
Oh and one other thing......The handle bars are regular bike grips that I sleeved onto a piece of 3/4" round stock and inserted into the square tubing and pinned it to stay in place. they are removable so you can add other bike attachment when needed. Also I added an adjustable rib up front to allow the weight to be centered over the tires as desired by the operator.
I hope this thread was helpful. I feel like we as a hunting community need to stick together and build each other up. Take the time to support each other whether its through an idea or a compliment. Together, we can build a stronger hunting community and a better hunting future for our kids!
