In the last few months, I was doing some trail clearing in the back woods of my yard, and carrying the various tools was getting to be a pain. I have a 4 wheeled garden wagon, but that is pretty large, and actually unwieldy, and would really not pull very easily up the hill and around the fallen logs and debris in the woods. So in my head, I was considering throwing together a simple 2 wheeled cart, with a wood flatbed sized to hold 2 milk crates. The crates would hold my tools, and on top I could strap the shovel, rake, etc. I'd use small 20" bicycle tires or something similar.

In my daydreaming mind, I also imagined this could make a good range cart for bringing my rifles and ammo along when I shoot at a particular spot a half mile down a trail in the back woods.

An image search on google has tons of ideas, and one item I came across seemed particularly well thought out.

A small aluminum and stainless steel bicycle cart made in Germany. It is set up to be towed behind a bike. The tow arm can be removed and rotated to pull or push it along by hand. And it even has a pull out handle (like what you see on wheeled luggage) so that the cart can be used upright, like a hand truck.

Overall a pretty ingenious device. Not cheap at over 400 Euros, but looks very well made, and fabricated in western Europe. the hmax by hinterher.

http://www.munich-biketrailers.com/shop.php









A sled... They actually have a kit that you can convert this into a sled...
Personally, the trailer bed is just a bit too small for my uses, I would try to put one together that is a about 25% larger, but overall a clever set up.

Pretty sweet idea. I hunt off my bike a lot. But the converted child carriers I use are not the toughest things.

Run an axle through the square tubing on one of these and attach a tongue on it:

https://m.harborfreight.com/500-lb-capacity-aluminum-cargo-carrier-92655.html?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fduckduckgo.com%2F

Is current conversion close to 1:1 so 400 bucks before shipping?

Forget that.

I would look at either small roof racks for things like a subaru or other small vehicle or large hitch carrier like linked above.

Aluminum is nice cause it won't rust and weighs less.

I would find some tires and axle as mentioned but currently can't decide if I would want to try the solid tires or not.  Probably would for the trailer, I hate airing things up and fixing flats in stuff.

I like the attachments that hook on at axle height vs grabbing the seat pole, just don't want leverage that high.

Then again, guess how many trailers I have had hooked to my bike.  Zero.  None.  Naughta single one.

To some extent might go with the tires for a riding mower for more floatation if you don't want the speed.

The more you plan to use this thing on pavement or at higher speed the more I see using proper bicycle tires.  But they make solid ones of those as well, or used to.

Socialized Europeans have become so docile that ownership of personal items like automobiles is now reserved for just a select few......

Making Swiss Army carts a "thing".

Sad.

Eta; in reference to the linked product. Not ops posting.

If it were me, I'd find myself a beater golf cart.

Back almost 30 years ago or so I wrote a short paper about how after an earthquake folks found bicycles useful to get around on the west coast or where ever the earth quake occured because in places there were some serious problems with the roads such that even a common 4x4 may have an issue.

Bikes have their place.

From what I recall the cars were not going anywhere cause of heaves in the road.  Some of the off road vehicles did not have clearance or in places you might also be looking at unstable ground.

A bike even if you had to get off it and lift it up and down whatever was able to get around all over the place.

Golf cart and atv and side by side and all sorts of stuff offer options.

Depending on what the problem is, none of them are likely to be perfect.

But if that is the hammer you have, I bet you hit the nail with it.

This may be the best idea, price wise that is!  
I would add bearing blocks on the underside then put axle through them.

harbor freight #92655 can be found on sale for $69.99.

Beats a $500.00 cart every day.

Bill

It would be cheaper to modify a game cart.  Like TJ, I find the $100 4-wheel removable-side wagons from Tractor Supply or Academy Sports to be very useful.

Check out these "game carts and carriers" at Cabellas
http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/browse/_/N-1100183

Do you really need wheels?

$40 and you can get a plastic sled at Home Depot

I like the ideas you guys have posted about adapting a cargo hitch basket into a trailer or cart. The game cart idea is also a good one too. I found that up until recently, Germany and Switzerland both had bicycle troops, and I found a picture of a German bike trailer that had a small cradle at each corner, intended to accommodate a stretcher on it. So you could, in effect, have a bicycle ambulance.

But I still want to look into an ammo/utility cart. Towing it behind a bike would be a plus but not my first priority. I imagine a decent cart could be adapted easily enough to tow it behind a bicycle anyway.

Turns out, the US Army developed a simple cart in WWII. Looks very similar in proportion to the modern cart made by Hinterher.

The new german made cart is high quality and well thought out. If I had a bigger budget, it would be great to get one of them, paint it olive drab to look like a WWII cart, and post it up with a nice load of rifles and ammo. I'm sure they'd love it in Munich where the cart is made, as a reminder of nice, wholesome, target practice in the field.

But for less $$$, a cargo basket and an axle would get the job done with a few hours of tinkering. Sportsmans Guide sells a welded aluminum ATV cargo basket that is a decent size, light, and not too costly.



Better to wheel it than carry it!





Now we are talking!

The german in the OP gives me a few ideas about the same type cart, and since I work at a sheet metal fab shop, I can get things put together.

I would use .063 thick aluminum for overall construction to save weight. I would probably make the basket approx. 22"x36", so that the 20" wheels and tires can lay flat in the basket like the picture. I would have 4" tall fixed walls around the basket, and also hinged wings that fold flat onto the floor that can be raised to make taller walls. Perhaps 10" tall walls. I like the concept of the wheel guards which also serve to hold the other side of the wheel's axle.

Also, I would want to set the wheels far enough to the rear of the trailer so that when standing the cart on its end, the wheels are just off the ground, just like a hand truck would be. Once you begin to tip the cart, you engage the wheels again.

If playing with low speed stuff I would design around the solid tires you can buy for wheel barrows or the utility carts mentioned.

I have bad luck with those cheap tires and their need for air.  Getting the solid ones adds weight but it also means they can sit and not be flat when I need em.  If they get low while pulling they can roll right off the bead of the rim as well.

You can add tubes to stuff as well but I kinda go "meh" when getting into tubes and patches and stuff.

I bought a generator with flat free tires.  They had a heck of a stink if you put it in an enclosed area, like a shed, for a few months.  Now smell is gone.  For how little I expect to move it the solid tires seem perfect to me.

Go to the local Goodwill or Craigslist and get some cheap used bikes - specifically the front tires and axles. Mount to frame.

The large diameter tires are key for rough terrain.

Nods in agreement:

Infantry carts like these were widely used by most countries during World War II. The US ones came apart and two would be stowed
on a 6x6 truck.........very handy for hauling stuff if needed.

Pretty neat and much handier than what I have (which always has to be inspected least the nuts come off) and use to haul stuff around my property:



What I have is big and needs constant maintenance - something you don't want in a SHTF situation.

There was a brilliant Swedish army issue bicycle trailer...been trying to find one for a while.

More info here.

Personally, if I needed a trailer I would use the purpose built child carrier trailer that I already have. Folds flat, enclosed to protect the contents, a solid floor could be made with a piece of plywood. Or a purpose built one like In the OP for $90
https://www.amazon.com/Esright-Foldable-Trailer-Utility-Luggage/dp/B075Q4C4XC/ref=pd_sbs_468_5?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B075Q4C4XC&pd_rd_r=PPCAQPKKE7XCHP6RYT3A&pd_rd_w=7kvzf&pd_rd_wg=S0Hy1&refRID=PPCAQPKKE7XCHP6RYT3A

I would suggest avoiding pneumatic tires in a SHTF.

No need to go overseas when overseas can come to you!

IKEA trailer/cart: $130 for IKEA members

Here's the bicycle camper/trailer:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=as_li_qf_sp_sr_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&index=aps&keywords=Kamp-Rite%20Midget%20Bushtrekka%20Bicycle%20Camper%20Trailer%20with%20Oversize%20Tent%20Cot&linkCode=ur2&tag=wordle