Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while........

[Runs With Scissors]

So after some trial and error in the past, I decide that 6 inch swivel casters from Horror Freight are about the best thing going for implement storage and moving.....at least for my situation that is.

The only thing I don't like about them is that they dont sell them with a "locking bar" , but in general it's not that big of a deal.

Now at 85 bucks for a set of 4, I have decided to keep the "build one a month" schedule to spread out the cost over time.

Well last week I decided to have at it, and build one for the roto-tiller.

Its a pretty simple/straightforward design, (if you can call a rectangular flat cart a "design"...hahahhaha)

I measured it up and 15 inchs wide would have been "just enough" so I decide to go a "smidge" bigger.

I don't like my current dolly/cart for my grapple. It has always "bugged me" that it always seemed too "top heavy" and just a bit "unstable"

It has never fallen off or anything, but it was always just ....ohhh I dunno..."clumsy"

Then for whatever reason, as I was rolling the tiller by the empty "grapple cart", ....


BAM!!!!!!......

It just hit me. I have no idea why it jumped to my consciousness, it just did.....It was as clear a bell.....kind of eerie actually....

A mental image of those "Russian nesting dolls" came front and center in my mind for some crazy reason.

I knew I had just solved my "clumsy'ness" problem.

To Home Depot!!!!!!!!!!!

I was off faster than a prom dress.

So the idea is to get the grapple to "nest" in the cart to keep the "Center of Gravity" low, which will make the cart/grapple combo super stable, and I want to keep it so the "back" of the grapple is vertical, so grabbing it with the SSQA plate is easy.

I also decided to make it a "wee bit" wider than absolutely necessary, just to have a little "fudge factor" when putting it in.

Her she is ........

a couple of "side boob" shots....

Here is a comparison of the " new width" vs the "old width"

Not a Yuge victory, but I'll take it.

The End!

 

[rc51stierhoff]

Nice job. What keeps your tiller from rolling off the back Of the dolly? Mine rolls off the back of my skid if I put the skid shoes in blocks so not sitting on the tines. And to use the kickstand on the front it needs to be sitting down on the tines. Anyway I am curious how you keep it from rolling back any further?

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Nice job. What keeps your tiller from rolling off the back Of the dolly? Mine rolls off the back of my skid if I put the skid shoes in blocks so not sitting on the tines. And to use the kickstand on the front it needs to be sitting down on the tines. Anyway I am curious how you keep it from rolling back any further?

I have the same problem.

That tiller is very cumbersome.

Right now it's just "balancing".

I don't have a solution for the tiller..........yet!

 

[mikester]

I've been using these 8" poly/steel casters with 1,200lbs capacity each. The roll smoothly on concrete and take heavy loads

https://www.princessauto.com/en/poly-steel-swivel-with-brake-casters/product/PA1000001598?skuId=8717464

 

[rc51stierhoff]

I have the same problem.

That tiller is very cumbersome.

Right now it's just "balancing".

I don't have a solution for the tiller..........yet!

Same here…I get it set to balance and then If you bump it trying to step around it sort of scares the shit out of you when you remember in flip flops…then forget what came to the barn to grab real quick.

I hope to have a dolly made by fall that I make blocks that fit the skid shoes and then there will be another block to go under the kick stand. Right or wrong I am going to try to make it so the tiller sits at height where parallel PTO shaft…in mine it sure seems to help for the PTO shaft to be level for hook up. Anyway it’s on my list.

 

[skeets]

2 HF dollies, on sale, 24 by 18,, and a 24x48 inch of 3/8 ply wood some screws and bingo,, I have 2 like this for the grapple and bucket , one for the rear blade.. Not sure where the idea came from but it is a good one!

 

[drumminj]

Now at 85 bucks for a set of 4, I have decided to keep the "build one a month" schedule to spread out the cost over time.

I've built dollies for all my implements and each time I think "I have scrap wood in the shop, totally building a dolly for this!" And then I go to buy the casters and am floored each time by how much they cost.

Having everything on rolling dollies is totally worth it though

 

[Sidekick]

2 HF dollies, on sale, 24 by 18,, and a 24x48 inch of 3/8 ply wood some screws and bingo,, I have 2 like this for the grapple and bucket , one for the rear blade.. Not sure where the idea came from but it is a good one!

That's exactly what I do. The smaller wheels need a smooth surface but hold an amazing amount of weight for cheap Chinesium.

 

[fried1765]

2 HF dollies, on sale, 24 by 18,, and a 24x48 inch of 3/8 ply wood some screws and bingo,, I have 2 like this for the grapple and bucket , one for the rear blade.. Not sure where the idea came from but it is a good one!

HF dollies are a great bang for the buck!
Not high quality, but simple & cheap!
I have lots of 'em

 

[Runs With Scissors]

2 HF dollies, on sale, 24 by 18,, and a 24x48 inch of 3/8 ply wood some screws and bingo,, I have 2 like this for the grapple and bucket , one for the rear blade.. Not sure where the idea came from but it is a good one!

I am clearly doing something wrong.

I snap those "furniture" dollies on a regular basis. Somewhere, I have a small pile of them waiting to be "fixed".

But the biggest reason to build a dolly is the 6 inch castors.

I love how easy they roll. (However, they roll so easy, I did have one accidently take off down my driveway and almost hit a car.... )

 

[GeoHorn]

Those HF dollies are stronger than I first-thought. While renovating a store-room I place my gun safe on one to roll it around (concrete floor) while working on the room… The dolly is ”rated” at 1,000 lbs…and I didn’t believe it…but the heavy safe (500 lbs) plus the contents (another 200 approx) ….and that dolly has stood up well now for almost a year with frequent moving-around…. rolls quite easily.

On the Other Hand…. some 4” polyurethane casters from Home Depot…have NOT stood up to being used beneath my HF generator. The 8750 (max) 7K continuous generator only weighs about 190 lbs…. and the red-wheeled casters are rated at 175 Each…. and I added two of them to the front of the gen and have dual 8” pneumatic wheels on the rear…. but just sitting in the garage with only occasional rolling around…couple times a year…. those polyurethane wheels crumble every other year.

I’m tired of replacing them and plan to go to all steel casters.

Here’s the model caster which has short life simply sitting:

 

[skeets]

RWS.. I put 2 dollies end to end, so there is 4 wheels on each side 2 more or less inthe center where most of the load might be, and 2 on each end total 8 wheels, and I screwed a piece of 3/8 ply to the tops of them. Is it the best thing going, no not really, but for the cost and time,, yes they serve what they are meant for. The bucket rolls easy and the grapple of which there is no easy way to grab sits well on it as well. Im thinking you could do the same thing with a pallet on top of them

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

I also decided to make it a "wee bit" wider than absolutely necessary, just to have a little "fudge factor" when putting it in.

Now that you have a bigger cart you can buy a bigger grapple.

Maybe pull the center support off so the tiller sits in the hollow, then build a small brace on the hookup side of the tiller so when you roll the cart under the tiller from the side the brace is just below the hookup and supports the tiller so it doesn't rotate.