DIY Deer Cart

[OldNewbie]

Posting a few pics a deer cart I finished recently. Wheel and fork came from a bike someone was throwing away. Plywood from my mother-in-law's basement. Handles (aluminum tubes) from an old Windsurfer boom. The only thing I purchased was the nuts and bolts. I have a padded backpacking belt that I'm going to fit to the handles, haven't done that yet. The brake is there if I need it, haven't rigged a cable yet. Total cost was maybe $15. 

[chas0218]

Not a bad looking cart but I would cut some large elongated wholes side to side to shed some weight from the plywood without sacrificing rigidity.

[OldNewbie]

18 minutes ago, chas0218 said:

Not a bad looking cart but I would cut some large elongated wholes side to side to shed some weight from the plywood without sacrificing rigidity.

If I wasn't so cheap I would have bought some 1/2 or 3/8 plywood instead of using the 3/4 that I got for free. That would lighten it up. But holes would work also.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

31 minutes ago, chas0218 said:

Not a bad looking cart but I would cut some large elongated wholes side to side to shed some weight from the plywood without sacrificing rigidity.

those would also be of good use to use as tie down points

 

[fasteddie]

A guy that hunts a property in Pittsford made a One Wheel Card . We helped him get his deer up to his truck . It was a Bee-otch trying to balance the deer on the cart while going over bumpy ground . I use a one wheel wheelbarrow when filling crop damage permits and it's not easy balancing that with a much wider tire than a bicycle tire . Hope it works for you . Keep us updated . Sorry to be negative but just telling from experience . 

[LET EM GROW]

Looks good, might be tough to balance with one wheel but i like it, be even better if the brake still works! Lol

[OldNewbie]

10 minutes ago, fasteddie said:

A guy that hunts a property in Pittsford made a One Wheel Card . We helped him get his deer up to his truck . It was a Bee-otch trying to balance the deer on the cart while going over bumpy ground . I use a one wheel wheelbarrow when filling crop damage permits and it's not easy balancing that with a much wider tire than a bicycle tire . Hope it works for you . Keep us updated . Sorry to be negative but just telling from experience . 

When I researched this I saw the one-wheel design being used for trekking and for hauling game, on places like this: http://forums.bowsite.com/tf/bgforums/thread.cfm?threadid=428097&forum=5  So it seems to work for some people. And I pushed my 115 lb daughter around on it and it seemed fine (not too heavy or tippy), but the real test will be "field conditions", going over logs, around trees, etc. I'll try it out this summer with firewood and such.

BTW I have never been able to carry heavy loads with the "construction style" wheelbarrows without them tipping over and dumping the load. They just feel top-heavy. This design feels more stable, maybe due to a lower center of gravity or something. In the end if it doesn't work out I can always change out the wheel for a two-wheel set up.

[Jeremy K]

I would look into getting that brake to work also ,could save your butt on a decline someday. Those BMX brake levers on the freestyle bikes have a  little button to lock the lever ,might help when pushing/dragging a deer on to the platform.

Edited January 19, 2017 by Jeremy K