Plans for forecart?

[HeeHawHaven]

Does anyone have plans for a forecart?

I have a nice heavy axle out on my property and am hoping to make a forecart to train my new team of fjord mules.

I’ve thought about making my own design based on pictures of forecarts I can find on the web.

If no one has plans, any suggestions or tips for me?

Thanks,

Dave

[ngcmcn]

Dave,

I don’t have plans, but the last one i built from a Saab rear axle. I parked the Pioneer cart I own next to it and basically copied it. I would say with the Saab rear end it’s alot like the standard Pioneer cart w/15′ tires. Its light, easy to get on and works well for tedding, raking but i wouldn’t put the baler on it. The next one i build will be with another free Saab rear end but will have brakes be a bit heavier and i would like to be able to balance the axle and load , like the WhiteHorse carts, by being able to shift the axle forward or back some how. Heck with new carts around 900 to 1000 bucks, building one out of the scrap pile is good.

I do have a design for a logging cart. Came from Healing Harvest/jason Rutledge.

GoodLuck

Neal Mcnaughten
Unity, Me

[Robert MoonShadow]

Dave ~ I’ve got a copy of ‘The Work Horse Handbook’ by Lynn Miller = in it, there’s a basic set of dimensions for a forecart w/ a ‘crazy wheel’ up front (takes the weight off of the tongue)… I don’t know why the commercially-made jobs don’t have one, but it seems like a good idea to this beginner. My landlord & I are planning on building one of these for me, downsizing if need be, for my donkey(s). I want it small enough to be used by my single jack, and convert to using a team when I find another good donkey. It even has a height-adjustable seat, for seeing over larger (four-up) teams.
If you want, I can copy & mail you the plans.

[Rod]

I actually had/have one of those Miller ones with the 3rd wheel which I bought (homemade). I revised it some to get some of the weight off as It was a little heavy especially for the Donkeys. I rigged the extra wheel so that I could use it on other equipment also. The extra wheel is handy to have and it’s now useable on my mower and a cart I have for fire wood. The way this was done was by adding a 2″ reciever to the forecart and re-mounting the wheel on a 2″ box tube stub drilled for the reciever pin. Set up this way I can still plug a pole with a 2″ tube end into the carts and still use them as 2 wheel vehicles.

[Donn Hewes]

here is my two cents, Forecarts are very easy to make at home and very useful. I have three, and I have enough stuff here to make a couple more. I have one cart with a third wheel, brakes, as well as a motor and hydraulics. My other two are plain janes with an axle, a seat, etc. These plain forecarts are very useful. Their big advantage is in their simplicity. They can do 95% of the different jobs on the farm. Here is how I would build one:

From the axle add a flat deck. Make it small, but big enough to sit or stand, say about 3′ long by 4′ wide. Attach it to the axle either by welding or bolting to make it very solid. This deck may be completely in front of the axle or overhang a few inches behind. This will depend on a couple of things. Your seat will likely be attached to the deck frame and will want to be balanced on the cart, (this may require the rear overhang). second consider how and where you will have a point of draft. A very strong piece of steel, well attached to the deck frame. there are advantages to getting this location for a draw pin out away from the axle, and there are more reasons to keep it close. Measure on a small tractor or a good fore cart.

Consider using 4″ x 2″ channel in the left, right and center of the frame for the deck. this channel faces down and becomes a very strong place to bolt a tongue, seat, or drawbar. By having three channels properly spaced the tongue is easily moved from center to left or right for a three horse cart. Leave the center channel long enough (8″ – 12″ extra?) to hold the evener out in front of the deck.

Don’t add the seat until last. With the tongue in, the seat can be clamped or bolted with a couple bolts and the tongue can be lifted with you in the seat. move it forward and back to balance the cart. remember there should always be some tongue weight. most implements reduce the tongue weight further. I like a snap on, or bolt on neck yoke.

Don’t forget to add a rail in front for safety. Make your first cart very plain and simple, and strong. You will be impressed by how much a cart like that can do. In my snow plow pics on my web album there are some good close ups of a home made cart, made from all scrap material.

let me know if I can help.

[Donn Hewes]

here is my two cents, Forecarts are very easy to make at home and very useful. I have three, and I have enough stuff here to make a couple more. I have one cart with a third wheel, brakes, as well as a motor and hydraulics. My other two are plain janes with an axle, a seat, etc. These plain forecarts are very useful. Their big advantage is in their simplicity. They can do 95% of the different jobs on the farm. Here is how I would build one:

From the axle add a flat deck. Make it small, but big enough to sit or stand, say about 3′ long by 4′ wide. Attach it to the axle either by welding or bolting to make it very solid. This deck may be completely in front of the axle or overhang a few inches behind. This will depend on a couple of things. Your seat will likely be attached to the deck frame and will want to be balanced on the cart, (this may require the rear overhang). second consider how and where you will have a point of draft. A very strong piece of steel, well attached to the deck frame. there are advantages to getting this location for a draw pin out away from the axle, and there are more reasons to keep it close. Measure on a small tractor or a good fore cart.

Consider using 4″ x 2″ channel in the left, right and center of the frame for the deck. this channel faces down and becomes a very strong place to bolt a tongue, seat, or drawbar. By having three channels properly spaced the tongue is easily moved from center to left or right for a three horse cart. Leave the center channel long enough (8″ – 12″ extra?) to hold the evener out in front of the deck.

Don’t add the seat until last. With the tongue in, the seat can be clamped or bolted with a couple bolts and the tongue can be lifted with you in the seat. move it forward and back to balance the cart. remember there should always be some tongue weight. most implements reduce the tongue weight further. I like a snap on, or bolt on neck yoke.

Don’t forget to add a rail in front for safety. Make your first cart very plain and simple, and strong. You will be impressed by how much a cart like that can do. In my snow plow pics on my web album there are some good close ups of a home made cart, made from all scrap material.

let me know if I can help.

[Donn Hewes]

To finish the frame of the deck, add 4 pieces of 1″ or 3/4″ angle steel around the edge facing up these will allow for a plywood deck. Cut out the plywood and drop it in. any old seat will work. Two of my carts have good farmall tractor seats that include a spring in the mount. The school bus seat is great for two as in teaching or an evening drive along a country lane. All the seats are salvaged. DH

[near horse]

Jason Rutledge has a nice set of plans available for free at his website. Healing Harvest (http://www.healingharvestforestfoundation.org).

Also, Gregg Caudell had somewhat of a design for a walking beam style (2 axles – logging arch but same thing). Looked good but plans not so clear. Definitely look at Jason’s plans – very nicely done.

Good luck. I’m in the same boat.:)

[Robert MoonShadow]

Thanks Rod! Great idea on the removable front wheel assembly. Is the front wjeel very helpful for stability and/or reducing tongue weight? I’m wondering what, if any, negatives for it are.

[HeeHawHaven]

@Robert MoonShadow 4870 wrote:

Dave ~ I’ve got a copy of ‘The Work Horse Handbook’ by Lynn Miller = in it, there’s a basic set of dimensions for a forecart w/ a ‘crazy wheel’ up front (takes the weight off of the tongue)… I don’t know why the commercially-made jobs don’t have one, but it seems like a good idea to this beginner. My landlord & I are planning on building one of these for me, downsizing if need be, for my donkey(s). I want it small enough to be used by my single jack, and convert to using a team when I find another good donkey. It even has a height-adjustable seat, for seeing over larger (four-up) teams.
If you want, I can copy & mail you the plans.

Duh! I have that book, but haven’t gotten to that section yet! I guess I’ll give it a try!

D

[Andre]

I have built some out of the rear section of wagon running gears. Around here the large farms destroy the front ends backing them up with 200 horsepower tractors and 10 large square bales on them. They end up a bit wide but slide the reach out and a pole in. A seat, floor and guard. Off into the sunset you go:)

[J-L]

All of these are good ideas. I’ve seen them made out of the rear end of the wagons also, works great.
My one and only home made cart works alright but…I put the hitch point too far behind the axle and when I put something heavy on there, like my side delivery rake, it’ll pick the tongue up in the air too far and make it whip easily. Thats one mistake you don’t want to make. Make sure it’ll balance like the Pioneer carts. Other than that, theres not much to them.

[OldKat]

@Robert MoonShadow 4885 wrote:

Thanks Rod! Great idea on the removable front wheel assembly. Is the front wjeel very helpful for stability and/or reducing tongue weight? I’m wondering what, if any, negatives for it are.

For what it is worth, I was talking to Doc Hammill last spring about this very subject and said I was thinking about building a three wheel forecart from Lynn Millers book. His take was that it is a VERY good cart for an experinced team to pull. He said he would NOT recommend it for a green team or a green teamster. He said it can be fairly easy to tip over.

Some of you guys that have experience with them can probably say if this has any basis or not. I didn’t build one, but am tickled this thread is running because I wanted to ask this very question yesterday or the day before.

Great thread!

[Rod]

The one I have (since been turned into a wood cart) was very stable. It was an exact duplicate of the one in Millers book. The big thing with them is to not use in the woods or where there are potholes, stumps etc , things where the small front wheel can get hung up and flip you over the handle bars (which on that cart do not exist.)

[Robert MoonShadow]

@Rod 4905 wrote:

The one I have (since been turned into a wood cart) was very stable. It was an exact duplicate of the one in Millers book. The big thing with them is to not use in the woods or where there are potholes, stumps etc , things where the small front wheel can get hung up and flip you over the handle bars (which on that cart do not exist.)

So that sounds like having the front wheel removable would be just smart. Also… anybody have thoughts on two crazy wheels up front? Inset a little –> I’m thinking along the lines of zero-radius-turn (ZRT) commercial lawnmowers. Perhaps that would negate the problems mentioned here on stability/potholes/etc.?? Oh, 2 options that I will most definitely have on board: 1) Coffee mug holder => LARGE coffee mug. {need I say more?} 2) Right-hand side rearview mirror {It’s a 1-eyed thing 😀 }

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