AN OWNER-BUILT YARD CART FOR UNDER $50

Image Gallery Each axle is supported with angle iron that's attached to a 2 X 2. A pipe-coupling spacer takes up extra length on the axle.

While trying to maintain my half-acre lot—which sports many trees and a large garden space—I decided that I could use a good, sturdy yard cart. Furthermore, since I live on retirement income and am a longtime MOTHER-reader, I felt that I'd either have to build one myself or do without.

With this in mind, I conducted a bit of research... and soon came across an advertisement which pictured a factory-built carryall that helped me determine the dimensions for my personalized version.

To keep costs down, I scrounged most of the needed materials. I found a bucket full of 4 " X 4 ", right-angled metal brackets at an auction ... bought carriage bolts (at a bargain, per-pound price) from a large discount supply house... purchased 5/8" exterior plywood "cutoffs" from the local lumberyard at a considerable saving (I got six pieces, each 2' X 4', for $12.50)... and obtained wheels from a friendly motorcycle dealer, who sold me a used set—complete with tires, brakes, and axles—for a mere $15.

The only parts I purchased "retail" were two 8-foot lengths of hobby angle iron (slotted) and a 10-foot length of 3/4" electrical pipe, which I had an electrician bend into a handle shape. All of the other supplies came from my collection of odds and ends stored for possible future use. (In other words, I raided my own junk pile, too!)

Only ordinary tools were used ... in this instance a saber saw, a circular saw, three wrenches, and a propane torch. And, despite the fact that I didn't have access to a full-scale workshop, it took me only about 12 hours to complete my cart.

One piece of plywood—which formed the bottom of the box—was trimmed to mea sure 24" X 43", and another piece was cut to make the two 12"-high sidewalls. I then sliced a 4 " X 8 " wedge off one end of each side and added 6" X 30" "splashboards" along the top edges. The cart's bottom is reinforced with 2 X 2's ... which I laid flat around the perimeter of the box, glued in place, and secured with screws for extra support. (I bolted the angle irons that support the inside of the axles to these 2 X 2's.)

My outriggers (the V-struts to which the wheels are mounted) were fashioned from two pieces of angle iron ... each cut to be 3 feet in length, with a 90' wedge sliced into its slotted edges at a point halfway down the bar. Each piece of iron was then bent to 90° (at the cutout wedges)... and a 1/2" washer was soldered in place at the spot where the axle would pass through the support. The axles that accompanied the wheels I obtained for the cart were 1-1/2" too long for my purposes. So, because I had no way to shorten or rethread them, I simply inserted a pipe-coupling spacer on each side.