Ideas from engineering/mobility scooter/golf it’s types

As you may know I’m a carp angler. Many of the waters we fish are large and a long way from the car parks, so we tend to use specially designed barrows that can take the weight of all our gear, but also collapse down for easy loading into a car.

the most popular brand is a model called the carp Porter. I have this version here, which costs about £160. Although I think I bought mine for nearer £100 in a sale.




over the last few years several manufacturers have released powered versions, mostly based on 24v batteries. Like the one shown below, but considering they are essentially the same barrow frames etc, but powered, they are hideously expensive, this one retails at £900



As you can see, it’s basically just a battery in a bag on one side of the wheel, some sort of motor arrangement on the other, with a thumb operated speed control on the handle bars

so my question is can anyone this of a way of adapting another piece of technology, like the drive system from a mobility scooter for instance, to adapt the barrow I already own into a powered version for a lot less then £900 cos that’s just mental money.

 

A few people have used bits from a electric golf bag to power their barrow.

The problem I see is the weight although I did see one lad with one and he had a van and just drove it still loads straight into the back of a transit.

 

A mate and myself once made a robot for robot wars , he's an electrickery engineer so he saw to that side of things and I built the chassis and body . We used a highly moded electric wheelchair motor and electrics which was all well and good but trying to get a small battery powerful enough to haul the 80kg robot around for 3 minutes AND power the various 'weaponry' I thought wouldn't be an issue but apparently it was ... That was in the '90s so things have certainly moved on , I'd be looking at powering your existing barra with a friction or possibly belt drive onto the front wheel , pivot mounted and levered on or off but permanently fixed to the cart ??
I'd have thought it'd be an easy enough project, be interesting to see how the expensive ones are put together and driven ...

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That looks like a windscreen wiper motor style worm drive gearbox.
It might be possible to fit a chain drive with bicycle parts to get the correct speed. And use a bicycle freewheel so you can still push it without power.
And use some kind of off the shelf ESC from an electric bike, amd its battery.

I was thinking worm drive because you need a steady amble not a race into the reeds and the water...

Also seems more appropriate for fishing, you dont want it running away and tipping you head first onto a muddy path..

Alternatively take less junk.

 

Looked at this a while back as I had a spare Powa Caddy, and a pal who did the fishing. It looked straight forwards enough using it as a three wheeler and powering the rear wheels . Most golfers will just scrap their old powered caddy when it’s time for a new battery as the latest caddy is always more powerful or a thousand times lighter or has a zillion more gadgets or fold down in the blink of an eye to a microscopic size etc etc etc, you get the picture. Part of golf to some people is showing off the latest caddy or driver or putter or whatever and will always be that way, so second hand ones needing a new gel battery are usually available for almost nuffink. I gave mine away in the end just for space in the garage Making the mechanised rear axle attach quickly and securely is the main point, in order to get it on and off again quick smart will be the making or breaking of this little jaunt. Plus they’re mostly 12V so batteries aren’t as scarce nowadays.

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,good luck

 

Honestly don't waste your time and money, my mate converted his trolley using a golf trolley electric motor which was ok on the flat and half loaded but struggled when loaded or on an incline, he then bought a second hand electric Nash barrow which was better but not worth the £690 he paid for it , I find if you put all the weight over the front wheels of a conventional barrow, I have a trakker low loader and carry your ruck sack it's easy to transport to even the furthest of swims, as I tell everyone spend your money on good bait instead, and stop taking the kitchen sink

 

The last three series of Robot Wars are available on iPlayer. We've watched most of them in the last week or so, I am amazed at the amount of time and money that are put into them, some are fantastic feats of engineering some less so. Was a shame they stopped doing it a couple of years ago.

 

Best of both worlds....

 

Pictures please and series details, I'd love to see your robot

 

This works just fine.
I use mine from the car park to Worbarrow bay, when beach casting. About 1/2 mile walk. (2 people’s kit, overnight).

 

There`s probably footage around but don`t get too excited !

Found this online :- https://robotwars.fandom.com/wiki/JackBot

Basically matey works at a hospital and sourced some mega powerful hydraulic lifters which jacked up the shell and hopefully flipped the opponent . The theory was great but after a minute or so of wizzing around the arena there was very little power left for the lift . Apparently it was the second series , Phyllipa Forester was yummy and we managed two qualifying bouts before the batteries struggled and we were trashed by a house robot , which incidently are HUGE in reality . Never made the main event but t`was a freeby weekend in That London i suppose - to us it was just a giggle but plenty of others there took it ever so seriously and probably still are

 

Caravan mover? they move substantial loads with ease, are 12v and work on simple direct friction contact with wheel.

 

take less carp with you ..
you carp gnomes have bought to much shiny stuff in the shop

be like a proper fisherman....
Jack Hargreaves had a basket, rod and net ...

 

The purpose built arena we went to was inside a huge derelict warehouse in Silvertown - that there East London but i think they upped sticks shortly afterwards ??
T`was alright i suppose , we had a giggle squeezing the Bot with tools and spares into an old Escort estate and drove down from Bratford . They put us up for the weekend , took a few interviews and were keen for us to `develop` JackBot with a view to coming back for the next series - we weren`t that fussed to be honest but lots were ...
As a post script matey sold the JackBot (for a decent wedge i might add) to a guy in Northampton who collected robots which were accredited as being part of the series - takes all sorts ...

 

Amen to that - Jack Hargreaves was a PROPER fisherman

 

Bob Fleming. Now he was a proper countryman

 

I have checked various patent databases, and I cant find my ultimate steampunk invention.
Basically a steam powered wheelbarrow, where you stoke coal in at the back and it has two pistons turning the front wheel...

You also need to wear a leather apron and heavy boots and a gas mask ...

 

@rustbucket any good?