Ultra Robust Welding Cart

I was in need of a versatile and rugged welding cart for my new Hobart Handler 140. It needed to be able to hold the welder, air tank, helmets, and associated tools with MIG welding. Most of the ones you could buy for cheap online were, well, cheap. And I only pictured them shaking themselves to pieces as I rolled them across my uneven driveway or across the lawn... that's if they could even roll across the dirt. There were some high-end carts that were well crafted and could be used "off-road" but at the price point of nearly $1000 I figured I could build something similar and just as versatile. This Instructable is a quick synopsis of what I did to build my ultra robust welding cart. The thing is bomb-proof and is perfect for my needs.

The entire cart is built out of cut-offs of 1" tube steel with a circular cross-section. I got the cut-offs from a friend who manages a welding facility. Additionally, he gave me some nice pieces of plate steel that I was able to utilize in the cart. Other than that you will need some heavy duty casters for the front and old lawn tractor pneumatic wheels for the rear. To finish it I used a couple of rattle cans I had kicking around the shop.

I guess I should have taken the photos of my plans before I built the cart. Suffice to say they got a bit beaten up through the building process. I designed the cart to fit a Hobart Handler 140 with a 20# tank but the ability to take either two 20# tanks or two larger 30#+ tanks. My guess is that most if not nearly all other MIGs could fit on this cart without a problem, but measure yours up just in case. I made the top shelf angled up about 30 degrees to hold the welder at a visible height. The bottom shelf was designed to hold a future plasma cutter but in the interim it is being used to hold an old tool box I had in my first truck when I was a kid (for your information, it was a 1967 Chevy C-10, a pain in the arse but totally cool). Somehow this tool box has traveled with me for the past 22 years from house to house and I think it has finally found its final resting place. I had plans on using a set of old lawn tractor wheels attached to an axel for the rear wheels and I had a couple of old casters bought at a garage sale for the front wheels. So the building was to commence!

Let me just put it out there, I am new to welding, like seriously new. Other than using an old arc welder on the farm and more recently using my new MIG to weld up some plates to my tractor's front bucket, this is the first welding project I have ever done. Did it come out perfect? Nope. But I think it came out pretty dang good. If my methods are different than those that you use please don't hesitate to give me some pointers or tips for future projects. Thanks!

So, on to the base. Since I am using tube steel with a circular cross section I had to notch pipe ends to let them mate correctly to the other pieces of tube. Forty-five degree cuts were a bit different too when compared to using tube steel with a square cross section. You have to make sure to keep everything lined up perfectly so that your joints line up neatly. I learned a pretty nifty trick from a number of Youtube videos about using paper as a template. The basic premise is that you use a piece of paper that is about 3" wide (for a 1" pipe). You wrap the paper around the tube and cut it so the ends just meet. You can then fold the paper in half along its width and then in half again along its width. The folded areas can then be traced with a pencil and now you have the beginnings of a template. Use this template to mark the four sides of your pipe. I use one of the milling marks that are a result of extruding the tube. I then use an X to mark the "up" side. Make another one of these template papers for the 45 degree cuts. You can then fold the paper at 45 degrees using the folded edge as your 90 degree vertical. Use a pair of scissors and cut the 45 degree angle and then you can wrap your paper around the tube and mark the 45 along making sure to keep the marks on your template paper in line with the tube. I use a white paint marker to make all of my marks since it shows up so nicely.

I cut all of my tube to the exact length needed to build the cart, marked all of the 45-degree cuts and then cut them using a metal cut off saw. A grinder with a cut off wheel could do the same thing but won't be as quick or as accurate. A metal bandsaw probably would create superior cuts but this is what I had available. To make repeatable cuts on the cut off saw I marked a small area with my paint marker to show exactly where the end of the pipe had to go for a perfect 45-degree cut.

I used a couple of welding magnets to line things up and then made a couple of tack welds to keep things lined up. I then welded around the entire joint. They came out pretty good, not perfect but not to shabby for my first 45-degree cut and weld.

The wheels for this beast were a Craigslist special. A guy 30 minutes north of me was getting rid of a complete stock of old lawn tractor, wheelbarrow, and cart wheels. The only catch was that whoever took them couldn't cherry pick. That is how I ended up with this old tractor axle and wheel assembly. It has sat around the property for a number of years and it finally dawned on me what I could use it for. The first step was cutting it to size so that it would fit my base. The axle had a couple of plates on either end that could be used to weld the axle to the base securely. The wheels had free hubs / bearings in them so the axle had a rod inserted into it and then was welded in place. I just had to cut away the outer axle with an angle grinder and then I was able to slide out the rode with wheel intact. I sized things up and then welded it into place on the base.

I used two 4x6 metal plates in the front corners to hold the casters. I ended up welding the casters right to the plates. I am expecting them to outlast my lifetime (they have two grease fittings) so I wasn't too worried about it but if you have concerns about longevity you can always drill and bolt the casters into place.

I had some scrap metal from a delivery crate that I ground up into necessary pieces and used one of the 90 degree angles to make the back holder for the air tank. This was welded directly to the frame after being ground down to bare metal.

A tube notcher is an amazing tool... I don't own one, but I do have an angle grinder. The next step along the was was to build up the actual cart on the newly completed base. Since I was without a tube notcher I had to be a bit more inventive with my cutting. Using the same templates to make my 45 degree cuts I was able to get things rolling pretty easily. I used the 1/3 rule where the depth of your notch should be 1/3 the diameter of the tube. I marked this out using my paint marker, made the rough cuts with a cut off wheel on the grinder, and then finished the notch with a nicely rounded over (read "old") grinding disc. This made surprisingly tight notches!

I started with the uprights. One end had to be notched and the top end had to be cut at a 45 degree to accept the top bar. This was welded to both the back tank holder and the base of the cart. I used the back of the thank holder plate as a reference and then held everything in place with the welding magnets. I then welded a couple of plates to the back of the cart that would hold up a based between the caster plates. Make sure to use a spirit level to keep everything in line correctly and leveled perfectly. Also, make sure that your 45-degree top cut is pointing the right way (just saying :)

After welding the back uprights I started in on the front verticals. Not exactly the same deal here since the tops of these needed to be notched to accommodate the angled horizontal bar that will hold up the welder. This involved a fair amount of using the magnets and some clamps to get everything in line with where I wanted it. Both front tubes were welded in place using the level and welding magnets.

The horizontal pipes were next in line for cutting and welding. The back end was notched to take in account the angle I had them pitched upwards (15 degrees approximately) and the front end was cut at 45 degrees to accommodate the handle. This took some trial and error and some grinding here and there on the vertical uprights until everything was peachy keen. Those horizontals are welded into place and then a final bar with 45 degree cuts on both ends is added to the perpendicular of the horizontal pipes to make a handle. And there it is... a welding cart, without anything to hold up your welder.

I used some scrap sheet steel to weld to the top of the cart so that I could have a nice base for my welder. I used a scrap of angle iron as a stop so the welder wouldn't slide back at all. For the bottom base I used a piece of scrap hardwood from an old table. It will one day be metal but I didn't have any more scrap kicking around so the wood will have to do for now and to be honest, it might stay. I used the old tool box to hold all the bits and pieces (wire, grinder, brushes, etc...) for metal working. I also used some old tree stand screw ins and turned them into hooks by cutting off a bit of it and rewelding it perpendicular to the step. Additionally I used some extra hooks I had kicking around the house. Five hooks total were welded to the cart. The welder fit on there perfectly and was easy to see and adjust from the height I designed it to sit at. The hooks held everything I needed; helmets, ground wire, welding handle, extension cord.

I just used some extra spray paint I had in the shop to paint the cart. The tractor yellow and bright blue definitely vibe together nicely, but maybe not as hardcore looking as you would want. Whatever you do make sure you let that paint dry! I did two super light coats of primer prior to putting on the finishing colors. Then I did two light coats of finish on the cart. Let it sit for a week if you don't want paint chipping. It supposedly dries in 24 hours but it is worth the wait to keep your paint from coming off at an unplanned date.

I really should have done this prior to painting it but I was in too much of a rush. Oh well, I had to go back and repaint the wheels after doing it. So, with 50 year old wheels comes the very real possibility that there will be holes and leaks. In lieu of buying new, expensive wheels I went for an attempt at a $5 fix. I took out my trusty knife and stabbed the crap out the tires (harder than you think since they are like 10 ply!). The valve stems were no problem since they literally broke off right in my hands. I found a couple of heavy threaded machine screws to plug up the valve stems and readied them for what I was going to do next. I used some Great Stuff spray foam and shook it up really well, put on the straw, shoved it into the valve stem hole and let er' rip! I stopped spraying when I saw the air and foam coming out of the holes I stabbed into the tire (making one heck of a mess). Then I quickly pulled the straw out and put the screw in place. WEAR SAFETY GLASSES!! The rocket of foam and water coming out of the hole was scary and ruined my shirt and covered my safety glasses. Let this set up overnight and you will have wheels that will NEVER go flat. They have been amazing so far and I plan on doing this trick with a couple of old wheelbarrow wheels too.

Here is the final product all loaded up and ready to weld. There is a lot of weight on this thing but by lifting the handle the thing glides along rough surfaces without a problem and it rolls great on the driveway. It easily holds all of my equipment and has room for some expansion. I am super happy with the result and hope that you give it a go if you are looking for a beast of a welding cart!