So far the frame is made out of 2 rear forks from 2 20″ aluminum girls bikes. a top tube and a down tube cut from a 26″ Mountain bike frame, and 2 27″ steel rims partially flattened out and locked together by tension and their shapes.
Monthly Archives: December 2011
Prototype Drawings
These are just sketches in Open Office Draw new sketches will come in time
Suggestions for creating a cart out of salvage bikes
The world is full of landfills full of bikes, here are some thoughts about alternative ways to utilize a salvage bicycle.
If we use the seat tubes, frame elements, head tubes and drop outs, for the connecting points. And seat posts, Stems, handle bars, crank arms, pedals, hubs, and bar ends for the connectors, we won’t have to machine these elements and it will make a bolt together assembly a lot easier and cheaper to create.
Using salvaged expanded metal, wire shelving, shopping carts, and other metal storage bins for the cargo areas will add to the strength of the cargo area and in some cases be the whole cargo area ready made and already designed around standards in boxes, baskets, etc for a variety of uses.
Designing a standard main frame on wheels, that can be expanded to allow for various cargo platforms, makes production more efficient and less costly
- Possible way to break up frame
- Partial list of possible uses for various elements of salvaged bicycles
- Wheels:
Wheels, mounting brackets, and cargo platforms
Frames:
Frames, and connecting brackets
Handle bars:
Connecting pieces, cargo support, handles for wheel barrow like use.
Seat Posts and stems:
mounting posts to connect frame elements together
Crank arms: mounting brackets to support cargo areas
Forks:
Handles, steering mechanisms, connectors to connect to other vehicles
Hubs:
Mounting points to connect forks to bicycles and other vehicles, Power take off point utilizing belts or gears and chains, rotating mounting points for folding cargo area and main frame elements
Bottom Brackets:
Mounting points for cargo area, drive element connectors,
Rotating joints for folding frame or cargo elements.
Crank arms:
Drive mechanisms, both hand and foot, rotating positioners to adjust dimensions and alignment of accessories
An Existing Prototype
Here are pictures of a cart that I made out of an old
Coos Bay Flier ( originally designed by Don Harse) style recumbent trike I had built in Cleveland.
This Cart proved itself reliable and useful in a variety of difficult terrains.
I suggest that this design be adapted to utilize the rear triangles from old bicycle frames and standard bicycle wheels instead of the cantilevered Phil Wood hubs that are used in the existing cart. Although the cantilevered wheel design is simpler, the wheels will be harder to find and costly if we have to purchase them.
Cart filled with pig weed
Cart with tub from wheel barrow and boulder
Bike Cart Project Begins
Cart is adjustable to fit different bikes, people, and loads
Salvage Bicycle to Cart Project
The idea is to produce a low tech no weld cart using salvaged bicycles, and other salvaged materials.
Some of the specifications of these designs are:
- Utilize minimum amount of salvaged bicycles and other salvaged materials
- Low tech no weld construction, that can be taught to relatively un skilled workers, in a low tech environment.
- Versatile design to allow for loading of diverse materials
- User friendly ergonomics
- Low cost, somewhere in the $100 to $200.00 range retail. Eventually developing custom configurations, to fit specific uses.
In the future we will be developing vehicles with Power Take Offs, and accessories, that would be for various tasks such as milling, grinding, mixing, blending, sweeping, cutting ……..
All designs developed during this process will be free for anyone to use
Please keep in mind that this is a rough draft of the concepts.
We will expand on these concepts with accurate drawings, specifications, and production methods, as we develop the ideas presented here.
This work is being done in cooperation with the Ohio City Bicycle Coop
Ohio City Bicycle Coop is a community-supported 501(c)(3) corporation, and as such is always happy to accept donations.
If you enjoy the materials presented here and would like to support this project please contact
them via the web site or just click the donations link above. Please let them know it’s for the Bike Cart project.