Popsicle Vendor Cart--Getting Started

This was a commission built for a theatrical production requiring an actor to sell popsicles out of his vendor tricycle. I was hired to build it, as there was no room in the budget to purchase new.

For this build, you are going to need:

Materials and supplies:

*1x box steel tube, 14 gauge

*2 sheets of 1/2 inch thick plywood

*1 STEEL bicycle (I used an old schwinn in this build)

*1 cooler

*2 inch by 1/8 inch flat stock steel

*1 hex bolt, 7/16 x 4 inches long, with lock nut

*1/2 inch diameter steel tube

*1/2 inch diameter axle (With threaded ends)

*2 extra wheels (I used two 16 inch diameter wheels we had from another project)

*Lithium grease

Tools:

*Angle Grinder with cut off wheel

*Circular Saw

*Jig Saw

*Drill Press

*Table saw

*Mig Welder

*Magnetic Arrows

*Pneumatic staple gun

*Wood glue

*Power Drill

*Impact Driver (Optional) with Phillips bit

7/16 inch drill bit

9/64 inch drill bit

1/2 inch drill bit

*1 inch staples

*1 1/4 inch staples

The first thing you need to do is to decide on the size of your cabinet. For this build we decided to make the cabinet 20 inches W X 32 in L x 29 in H. For the purposes of the show, the actor will be pulling popsicles out of a cooler, so this cabinet will have a false bottom in it.

Cabinet Cut List, 1/2 inch birch plywood

2 pieces, 32 in x 28 in (long sides)

2 pieces, 18 in x 28 in (Short sides)

2 pieces, 20in x 32 in (Lid and Bottom)

1 piece, 19 3/4 in x 31 3/4 in (False Bottom)

Make your cuts on your table saw, and use wood glue and your pneumatic staple gun to assemble your box. Glue on the bottom, but set aside the Lid for now. You want to glue and staple in stringers to support the false bottom, and then lay in and staple in the false bottom. I set my stringers in about 14 inches deep, but you will want to adjust the height of your false bottom according to the size of the cooler you choose to use.

The footprint of the cabinet needs a base to support it. We want to weld up a steel platform that measures

20 in W X 32 inches L.

Steel Base Cut list, 1x Box steel:

2 pieces, 32 inches Long

4 pieces, 18 inches Long

Pivot anchor structure cut list:

1x box steel: 2 pieces, 3 1/2 inches long

2 inch W by 1/8 inch thick flat stock: 2 pieces, 9 inches long

Staple jig blocks into your table to anchor in your pieces for the platform, and weld them up like the photo. You should weld in at least two spots for every connection point--Do a surface weld and a fillet weld. Once you weld up the frame, Drill three holes on both short sides and three holes on both long sides, using a 9/64 drill bit. Drill through both walls of the steel. Then use a 1/2 inch drill bit, to drill through the TOP WALL ONLY of the steel. This is so we can screw our cabinet on later--the 1/2 inch hole will allow us to fit our drill into the steel to drive the screw in.

Then you want to find the center point on the long sides and weld on your axle on both sides. Slide on your wheels and bolt them on.

Once your base is welded, we need to weld a little structure right across the center--this is where the pivot point for the cart is going to be anchored. First thing is to find the center point of your flat stock pieces. We need to drill a hole through both pieces right on center. Use a sharp pencil and a straight edge, and strike a line from both sets of opposite corners. Once you mark out the center, use a spring loaded center punch to make a small indent on center. Drill a 7/16 inch hole using plenty of oil on your drill press. I found it easiest to clamp both pieces with a pair of vice grips and drill right through both.

Once you have drilled out your holes, we need to place our 3 1/2 inch pieces on our flat stock, on center. I chose to use magnetic weld arrows to keep my pieces in place for this. Weld on all three sides for both pieces, and then cap it with the second piece and weld on all three sides again.

Now that your pivot structure is welded, you want to place it smack in the center of your platform and weld it on.

Now we need to prepare the Pivot Arm. Cut a 2 inch L piece of the 2 inch wide x 1/8 inch thick flat stock. Cut a 2 inch piece of the 1/2 inch D tubing, and weld it along the middle of the 2 in Sq steel flat stock plate. Be ginger with your mig settings and your welds here--the walls of the tube are thin.

Now we need to weld the plate onto our pivot arm. For the pivot arm we want to use a 1x2 piece of box tube. Weld the Plate on all four sides, on center, to one side of the arm.

Use a 7/16 drill bit and drill out the inside of the tube, to make sure the bolt fits in without any problems.

Don some nitrile gloves, and coat your bolt in lithium grease and washers--bolt it through the top plate with a washer on the top top of the pivot housing, a Nylon bushing washer on the inside top, through the 1/2 inch diameter tube, Nylon bushing washer on inside bottom, and flat washer on bottom bottom plate. Bolt on your locknut.

This part is tricky and wholly dependent on what type of bike you are using for your build. I recommend using older bikes as they tend to be sturdier (In my experience). When you are selecting a bicycle, make sure to check it with a magnet. If a magnet sticks to it, it is steel. If not, its not going to work with your build. IMPORTANT NOTE: Ideally you want to look for a beach cruiser or female bike--they have low swooping frames and are a little easier to adapt for this project.

You want to cut your bike apart so that we can adapt it. I eyeballed this, and I chose to cut it approximately 4 inches past the center seat post. Use a straight edge from the ground and mark your spot in sharpie across both posts. I used a grinder with a cut off wheel to cut it. Make sure to make your cuts at 90 degrees. I could not figure out how to remove the brake handle from my bicycle, so I chose to just cut through the brake cable.

Because of the angle of the posts, and the size of your wheels (again, it depends on the frame style you choose for your project) You may need to adapt the length of the bike posts to reach down to the pivot arm. Place a level on the housing of the bicycle chain. Chuck up the back half of the bike (using 2x4s or whatever you have laying around) until the chain is sitting level, and pull a measurement from the ground (or work table) to the top post. Subtract two or three inches, and then cut a piece of your 2 inch wide flat stock and weld it to your posts.

Wheel back your platform, and place your level on the pivot arm. Make sure the arm sits level, and then mark the angle of the flat stock on the back half of the bike on your pivot arm. Disassemble the pivot arm, cut the angle, and weld it on center onto the flat stock. You will want to add some support struts on either side of the pivot arm before you reassemble, otherwise its going to bend. The size and angle of your struts again depends on your project, but i would just cut a piece long, hold it up where you want it, and mark the angles in sharpie. Cut them with your cut off wheel and welt them in.

Reassemble your pivot arm to the steel base.

Okay This part is also kind of awkward--Place your cabinet onto the steel base, and use some pipe clamps or quick grip clamps to keep it in place. Flip over the whole thing onto its side and use some 1 1/4 inch drywall screws to screw up from the bottom, through the holes we drilled earlier. Remove the clamps and flip it right side up.

For this build, the handle needed to have a particular look, so I opted to fabricate the handle out of some scrap steel I had laying around. You can choose to reuse the bike handles from the front half we cut off earlier, if you don't want to do more fabricating. Most bike handles are attached with a clamp. Weld that clamp to a piece of scrap steel and bolt it on or fabricate and bolt on a simple handle. Either way just make sure the handle wont hit your knees when you're pedaling.

Clamp on your lid using those pipe clamps or quick grips. I chose to attach my lid to the box with a piano hinge because that's what I had laying around. Screw them into your box and lid.

My design called for a smaller lid, so that the actor can access the cooler on stage without lifting up the whole lid. I marked out a 10 inch square on center, plunge cut with a circular saw, and finish the cuts using a jig saw. Then cut a 12 inch square piece of plywood on your table saw, and attach it over the hole, with hinges, to your big lid.

We are pretty much done! The design called for some trim around the box, which I added using masonite strips ripped down to 1 1/2 inches, but you can design or paint your box however you choose! Drop in that cooler, fill it up with popsicles or whatever else, and go for a ride and sell a few! Have fun riding around and making a few extra bucks!