My DIY Elk Pack Cart - UPDATE

[Burnsie]

Wanted to share the pack cart I built for this years elk hunt. Being the cheapo that I am, I couldn't bring myself to splurge on one of the manufactured models on the market. Made from Menard's aluminum tubing. I got a free 29er bike wheel that was set up for disc brakes from a friend, and used a hydraulic brake kit from Amazon, along with a new tube and tire. Inexpensive canvas saddle bags from an online tack store. I initially riveted it together, then my brothers neighbor TIG welded it for a couple cases of Nat Light. I 've been testing out around the flat lands of central Illinois, and it seems to work really nice. I need to torture test it some more to make sure it doesn't fail in the mountains.

 

[NV HUNTER]

Let us know how it works

 

[Whiskey_Fish]

That’s really cool man. I’ve got a few late season spots that would be handy. How much weight have you tested it with? Stable?


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[Mt Al]

Very nice! May the bags be stained with blood in the next few months.

 

[bdg848]

That looks really cool. How much invested in that? I would like to buy one of the commercial ones but also can't justify spending $800. If it works well, you have got to share a blue print for how to make it.

 

[cnelk]

I’ve used and built some game carts over the years.

I found out that you don’t want to have to lift the weight of the cart at all times with elbows bent. Your shoulders take all the weight
You want the weight of the cart to pull down your arms fully extended. Think wheel barrow.

At first glance, I would’ve made the handles lower. Again - think wheel barrow.

I hope it works out great for you. They can be a real game changer

 

[HondoArcher]

That is a great build. It should work great for you.

One thing. Your saddlebags may be hanging too low. They will catch on bushes if you don't have a good trail or old logging road to go down. Just remember not to overload it because it will be difficult to handle. Heavy gear on the wheel packer (tent, stove, fuel, food) and put the light stuff in your backpack. You should be able to get into the backcountry in one trip. Then several trips out with an elk and camp.

 

[Rob5589]

I use something similar for duck season. It kind of sucks with decoys and such for less than a mile to the blind, let alone a couple hundred lbs in the mountains. I'd suggest a dual wheel and/or like cnelk said, lower the handles like a wheel barrow. Throw a couple hundred pounds in it and walk around the block a few times to get the idea. Not only are you holding the weight up, you're also balancing it side to side.

 

[OnPointBrands]

That looks pretty slick! What season will you be hunting? Depending on the answer to that, you may want to test out how well it does loaded down with weight in deep mud.


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[Burnsie]

Thanks for the feedback guys.
Yeah, I've wondered about the height of the handle bars myself. They ended up at the height they are now, based on viewing a lot of online pictures/videos of the commercial models. I spent a considerable amount time estimating and scaling from the pics the height the people demonstrating held the cart. I guess I can always modify if needed.
Whiskey_Fish - To date I've had about 80-100 lbs on it, hoping to load it down this weekend. Stable so far, getting each side close to the same weight is obviously a big thing.
bdg848 - I didn't get it done as cheaply as I thought I would, things added up quickly. $35 for a new MTB tire and tube, $35 for disc brake kit, $60 for saddle bags. Probably got $100+ in aluminum - that was pricier than I thought. So, I'm guessing around $250-ish, maybe closer to $300 when you thrown in a few cans of spray paint, rivets, misc. hardware, beer, and a tank of gas driving to my bothers and back. No blueprints, this thing was a sorta figure it out as you go ordeal.

 

[87TT]

How's it go over deadfalls?

 

[11boo]

Pretty nice build. Should work anywhere there is a semblance of a trail.

 

[Burnsie]

Fairly decent horse trail most of the way - beyond that it might be iffy?

 

[chhh1984]

Looks good buddy

 

[Jagger0502]

Looks cool. Is there a way to back yourself into it and connect it to your pick to pull rather than push? Like a wheeled barrel... sometimes it’s much easier to pull it over stuff than to push it and it just follows right along.

 

[mtnkid85]

Looks good, I’m wanting to do a similar build.
My thought has always been to add attachment points down near the axle so you could have a second guy pull it like a sled from the front while the back guy just kept it up right, steered and braked.

 

[Rick Mstley]

Cool, can't wait to hear the reports on it.

 

[Burnsie]

Returned from Colorado a few days ago and wanted to give a brief update on how my DIY park cart performed.
We packed in about 3.5 miles on a established horse trail that is semi maintained. We were were hoping to go in a little further to a spot we knew of, but once the trail transitioned from mostly following the creek valley to go up the side of the mountain it became too nasty and full of large dead-falls and was not being maintained.
- The cart performed well, but not surprisingly dead-falls are its biggest enemy. Anything over 3-4" in diameter requires an assist to get over the log. We quickly worked out a system for helping the driver get over these obstacles.
- Going in was much more difficult than coming out due to the fact that going in, was all uphill. Much of it was not super steep, but enough to know you were fighting gravity. Real steep sections required assist with a tow strap we rigged up. We did not get an elk, so we didn't get a chance to test it packing out meat, but when we came out with our camp loaded on it, it was a breeze. Coming out with elk meat would have been equally as nice.
- The large 29'er MTB tire would go over some pretty rough terrain and it was easy to aim your tire so you could weave in and around most of the larger rocks. A couple of the pictures show what a lot of the trail was like.

Overall I'd give it a solid B, my brother and I already have about 4-5 things we want to change/modify for V. 2.0.

 

[Cosmono]

Thanks for the update. that looks like a great build!