# Ohio Steel 12.5cft Dump Cart



## ADK_XJ (Apr 16, 2015)

Just picked up my new tow behind wood hauler for the ATV - I've exhausted all the supply I can get to with the Jeep and 5x9 foot trailer on our new property. Now it's into the deep woods for the big scores!

Got this right at TSC for $300 flat. It's shaped structural foam / poly bed with the foot dump latch and a 180 degree swivel mechanism. Only had time to bring in a few loads of ash after work but I'll report back as I kick the tires this Spring:


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## velvetfoot (Apr 16, 2015)

Nice.  What I noticed with my Brinly cart is that the rear lip broke when dumping out big rounds.  It's still holding together, but the lip is just about off at this point.


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## ADK_XJ (Apr 16, 2015)

velvetfoot said:


> Nice.  What I noticed with my Brinly cart is that the rear lip broke when dumping out big rounds.  It's still holding together, but the lip is just about off at this point.


Ok, I'll have to watch for that. It's funny that I've been researching carts for probably 2 weeks and your reply here is the first reference I've seen/heard to Brinly. Looks like HD carries the 10cft but not the bigger 17cft. If it did, I'd probably be kicking myself right now.

Do you have the larger one?


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## velvetfoot (Apr 16, 2015)

I don't recall what the size is.  I've moved a lot of wood with it.  Just saying those big rounds can do a number.


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## Ashful (Apr 16, 2015)

I've been using the same Ohio cart for 4 years.  Holds up very well, even to my extreme abuse.


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## ADK_XJ (Apr 16, 2015)

Ashful said:


> I've been using the same Ohio cart for 4 years.  Holds up very well, even to my extreme abuse.
> 
> View attachment 157165



Nice! I'm looking forward to doing some of those heaping loads with this one - although my old Yamaha Kodiak doesn't have low range, so we'll just have to see how much she can handle!

Bet the JD handles it no problem.


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## Ashful (Apr 16, 2015)

Heh... I have trouble even remembering it's there.  When I bought it, I had a 12 hp vintage Cub 123.  The Deere could use something bigger, but this stores nicely.


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## xman23 (Apr 16, 2015)

I've had that cart for four or five  years. No issues. I moved a lot of wood in it.  First few jobs I was moving 18 inch rounds, but there a bit heavy and bow the sides. Splits, are much better. I loosely fill 2 feet above the sides. I think they rate it at 1200 LBS. That maybe a stretch. The large balloon tires and high ground clearance is great. As I recall, nice size axel, it may even have wheel bearings and not greased sleave bearings, but not sure about that. No problem going thru the woods. The fixed rear tail is not so good, but only a issue when trying to get those huge rounds up in it. I keep mine inside. Sun light will UV damage the plastic, making it brittle. I was going to build a wood box to line the floor and sides, but never did. The inside is still perfect. But I'm gentle on the equipment.

I got mine at Tractor supply for about $250. Nice cart for the money.


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## ADK_XJ (Apr 17, 2015)

xman23 said:


> I keep mine inside. Sun light will UV damage the plastic, making it brittle. I was going to build a wood box to line the floor and sides, but never did. The inside is still perfect. But I'm gentle on the equipment.
> 
> I got mine at Tractor supply for about $250. Nice cart for the money.



Good point on sun damage  — mine will be living in the barn, probably hooked to the ATV 90% of the time. $250 is good, I rarely see big discounts or rebates at Tractor Supply so I accepted the 3 bones.


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## OhioBurner© (Apr 17, 2015)

velvetfoot said:


> Nice.  What I noticed with my Brinly cart is that the rear lip broke when dumping out big rounds.  It's still holding together, but the lip is just about off at this point.


That's what happened to my 12.5 craftsman. Besides and dump cart us less than ideal going uphill on 2wd tractor (I use one of my 70's cub cadets) the plastic just couldn't hold up to wood rounds. A few cracks developed but what did it in was one heavy load going uphill and I hit a bump. The cheap latch mechanism flexed and let loose. A few hundred pounds of rounds smashed the back of the cart against the ground. 

The amount of trips I had to take was consuming a huge amount of time anyhow, so I built one custom, angle steel, wood, with real axle/hubs/wheels/hitch at around 30cuft. That helped immensely and only spent a little more than the much smaller/weaker Polly dump carts.

Good luck! Hope your luck was better than mine!


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## ADK_XJ (Apr 17, 2015)

OhioBurner© said:


> The amount of trips I had to take was consuming a huge amount of time anyhow, so I built one custom, angle steel, wood, with real axle/hubs/wheels/hitch at around 30cuft. That helped immensely and only spent a little more than the much smaller/weaker Polly dump carts.
> 
> Good luck! Hope your luck was better than mine!



Thanks, let's hope so. Would be curious to see the 30cft you put together - care to share a few pictures of it?

So far so good, though. Hauled in just about a cord of C&S ash from the back 9 after work tonight before the sun went down. Would say my favorite feature so far is a small but important one: the hitch collar on the cart rotates around the hitch tube to compensate for side to side motion in the cart over uneven ground. Does a nice job in keeping the cart steady and level. Here's the piece I'm referring to from a promo pic - the outer collar will do about a 30-40 degree swivel either direction when the pin isn't set through the back hole:


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## OhioBurner© (Apr 17, 2015)

ADK_XJ said:


> Thanks, let's hope so. Would be curious to see the 30cft you put together - care to share a few pictures of it?
> 
> So far so good, though. Hauled in just about a cord of C&S ash from the back 9 after work tonight before the sun went down. Would say my favorite feature so far is a small but important one: the hitch collar on the cart rotates around the hitch tube to compensate for side to side motion in the cart over uneven ground. Does a nice job in keeping the cart steady and level. Here's the piece I'm referring to from a promo pic - the outer collar will do about a 30-40 degree swivel either direction when the pin isn't set through the back hole:



That was another issue I had, out back on the gas pipeline clearing it was at a pretty good slant and the whole frame of the cart would twist. I just went with a ball hitch and figured that would provide enough rotation, but looks like yours has a good solution.





Was just going to get the 1,000# hubs but they were out of stock and these were only a few bucks more. Kind of overkill but hey it should never fail! 2" ball so I can put it on tractor or truck, etc.

Used a couple pieces of 1.5" angle steel (3/16 if I remember) for all the framing, and got one piece of 2" square I used for the axle and tongue. 5/4" PT deck boards for the bottom and removable tailgate, and just some scrap PT plywood for the sides.
















I used a set of cub cadet rear wheels I had, so they are nice and wide 23x10.5x12
Was a lot of work throwing it all together, but well worth it for me and a fun project. There were several aspects of it I designed specifically for my purposes, so nothing you could buy over the shelf came close for what I needed. I spent a little more, yes, but I think I got A LOT more out of it. Only thing was I wish I had a bigger welder! Welds are good enough I think, but I wouldnt trust em on the road. So far bouncing heavy loads over ruts and groundhog holes I haven't had any failures yet.


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## ADK_XJ (Apr 17, 2015)

OhioBurner© said:


> That was another issue I had, out back on the gas pipeline clearing it was at a pretty good slant and the whole frame of the cart would twist. I just went with a ball hitch and figured that would provide enough rotation, but looks like yours has a good solution.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Nice - very nice.


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## Ashful (Apr 17, 2015)

ADK_XJ said:


> Would say my favorite feature so far is a small but important one: the hitch collar on the cart rotates around the hitch tube to compensate for side to side motion in the cart over uneven ground.


The many who designed that hitch deserves a Nobel prize.  I love that I can clevis it onto my draw bar when there's no ball mounted, or hang it right on the ball when I have the ball mounted for moving the splitter.  Effing brilliant!


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## ADK_XJ (Apr 17, 2015)

Ashful said:


> The many who designed that hitch deserves a Nobel prize.  I love that I can clevis it onto my draw bar when there's no ball mounted, or hang it right on the ball when I have the ball mounted for moving the splitter.  Effing brilliant!


And that, too. I'm a big fan of anything that gives you multiple ways of using the same equipment. Also, with a second pin you can lock out that collar rotation but can't think of a reason you'd do that just yet.


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## Ashful (Apr 17, 2015)

That second pin hole is for using the ball hitch, unless yours is a little different than mine.


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## ADK_XJ (Apr 17, 2015)

Ashful said:


> That second pin hole is for using the ball hitch, unless yours is a little different than mine.


Hmm, I was using the front one still with the ball hitch because it seemed to keep the Clevis mount piece up tight to the ball itself and sort of lock the hoop in place.I'll have to experiment with it tmrw when I do a couple runs.


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## Ashful (Apr 17, 2015)

Here's the hitch on mine.  Front hole, where pin is in this photo, is for clevis or draw bar mount.  The rear hole, in the sleeve, is for when you set that big hoop over a ball hitch.




The pivot mechanism on mine is even farther back, where the round tube goes into the square channel.


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## ADK_XJ (Apr 17, 2015)

Ashful said:


> Here's the hitch on mine.  Front hole, where pin is in this photo, is for clevis or draw bar mount.  The rear hole, in the sleeve, is for when you set that big hoop over a ball hitch.
> 
> View attachment 157198
> 
> ...


I was (perhaps incorrectly) thinking going through that hole and the collar would lock out the rotation. I see what you're saying, though. Hmm, now I've got to go experiment tmrw.


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## Ashful (Apr 17, 2015)

They come configured for a 1-7/8" ball hitch, which would be fine, if our splitters didn't use a 2" ball.  I ground the radius on the bottom side of that clevis hitch to fit my 2" ball.  I'm thinking I can still rotate it 180 degrees to use with a 1-7/8" ball (my boat trailer is that size, so I have those, too), but haven't actually tried rotating that clevis a full 180.


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## ADK_XJ (Apr 17, 2015)

Ashful said:


> They come configured for a 1-7/8" ball hitch, which would be fine, if our splitters didn't use a 2" ball.  I ground the radius on the bottom side of that clevis hitch to fit my 2" ball.  I'm thinking I can still rotate it 180 degrees to use with a 1-7/8" ball (my boat trailer is that size, so I have those, too), but haven't actually tried rotating that clevis a full 180.


Now that I did do - another genius design feature, it's like a built in hitch drop/riser to accommodate the height of your ball/mount.


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## ADK_XJ (Apr 17, 2015)

Any idea what the round holes (alternating the slots for side rails) on top are for? Rebar maybe?


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## freeburn (Apr 18, 2015)

ADK_XJ said:


> View attachment 157164
> 
> 
> Just picked up my new tow behind wood hauler for the ATV - I've exhausted all the supply I can get to with the Jeep and 5x9 foot trailer on our new property. Now it's into the deep woods for the big scores!
> ...


I too looked at that one for hauling with my Atv, but settled on the Yukon Trail warrior from Northern Tool. I had to add plywood to bottom and sides, and "fix" it so it wouldn't swivel or dump. Now I load it up almost too much to the top and works great.


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## Ashful (Apr 18, 2015)

ADK_XJ said:


> Any idea what the round holes (alternating the slots for side rails) on top are for? Rebar maybe?


Nope.  I do use the slots for stake sides, as in my photo above, but never used those holes for anything other than holding a Sharpie marker.


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## ADK_XJ (Apr 19, 2015)

freeburn said:


> I too looked at that one for hauling with my Atv, but settled on the Yukon Trail warrior from Northern Tool. I had to add plywood to bottom and sides, and "fix" it so it wouldn't swivel or dump. Now I load it up almost too much to the top and works great.


That's a good looking trailer, too. If I had a NT anywhere near me I'd probably have considered it. Although, it might just be the picture, but that one looks a little low slung compared to the Ohio. What's the clearance on that?

I like that you have the option to go 2 or 4 wheel on it. That's a really nice feature.


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## freeburn (Apr 19, 2015)

ADK_XJ said:


> That's a good looking trailer, too. If I had a NT anywhere near me I'd probably have considered it. Although, it might just be the picture, but that one looks a little low slung compared to the Ohio. What's the clearance on that?
> 
> I like that you have the option to go 2 or 4 wheel on it. That's a really nice feature.


I haven't officially measuredmeasured the clearance, but I would say at a glance maybe 9-10". It doesn't hang up on anything that my 4 wheeler wouldn't get hung up on. I only have the 2 wheeler and it works well. The tires are nice and wide with deep tread. Kids love riding in it too!


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## xman23 (Apr 19, 2015)

Ashful said:


> They come configured for a 1-7/8" ball hitch, which would be fine, if our splitters didn't use a 2" ball.  I ground the radius on the bottom side of that clevis hitch to fit my 2" ball.  I'm thinking I can still rotate it 180 degrees to use with a 1-7/8" ball (my boat trailer is that size, so I have those, too), but haven't actually tried rotating that clevis a full 180.



I use mine with a 2 inch ball. I converted the splitter and everything else to 2 inch. The ball hitch on my sport type ATV is a home brew. The issue is the hitch bends down a bit making the pin in the two slide in pipes hard to get out. I thought there was only one way to use the hitch with a ball. I'll have to look at it a little closer to see what you are saying about rotating anything. Even with my problem it is a nice hitch that does everything.

I believe they provided a template or drawing for side panels that use those large slots. I use the slots to hook bungee cords to. Then I tie off the milk create I use for the saw, gas and oil. I like the idea of rebar side extentions. I'll have to take a look at that.


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## ADK_XJ (Apr 19, 2015)

xman23 said:


> I use mine with a 2 inch ball. I converted the splitter and everything else to 2 inch. The ball hitch on my sport type ATV is a home brew. The issue is the hitch bends down a bit making the pin in the two slide in pipes hard to get out. I thought there was only one way to use the hitch with a ball. I'll have to look at it a little closer to see what you are saying about rotating anything. Even with my problem it is a nice hitch that does everything.
> 
> I believe they provided a template or drawing for side panels that use those large slots. I use the slots to hook bungee cords to. Then I tie off the milk create I use for the saw, gas and oil. I like the idea of rebar side extentions. I'll have to take a look at that.


I've got the 1 7/8ths ball but as someone else mentioned the neck is too fat to properly accept the hitch loop and I can't actually get the back hole and the hitch "collar" hole to line up at all.

The rotation I and others are referring to is of that whole hitch bar on the cart - it swivels on a center axis to give the cart side to side motion over uneven terrain.

This is a long video but fairly early on he describes that feature: (Edit: it's at 4:35 that he shows the pivoting hitch)


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## ADK_XJ (Apr 20, 2015)

It was rainy and I was off from work so I cut up some 1x3s and assembled these handy dandy fence/rails for the back and sides of the cart:


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## Como (Apr 21, 2015)

I have one of these, the crane doubles up as a dog line.

Holds about half a cord, they now do extensions for it so think I will get those. You can take the tub off for big logs. Not sure I would bother with the crane if doing it again. Do not use it very often.


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## maple1 (Apr 21, 2015)

ADK_XJ said:


> View attachment 157164
> 
> 
> Just picked up my new tow behind wood hauler for the ATV - I've exhausted all the supply I can get to with the Jeep and 5x9 foot trailer on our new property. Now it's into the deep woods for the big scores!
> ...


 
Nice deal - we don't seem to have access to the same things up here. I had to scrounge the want ads for weeks to find something to suit, I think a tub type like this would have been over $500. Or at least one with any strength to it at all.

Just wondering about the rack on the back of the ATV - I could see the front end of the ATV getting light with a nice load in both it & the cart. But then again it might not be an issue if you won't be dealing with hills that much. I have most all of my ATV mounted weight on the front rack - gives me pretty good all-round control & traction when on a hill with loaded trailer.


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## ADK_XJ (Apr 21, 2015)

Como said:


> I have one of these, the crane doubles up as a dog line.
> 
> Holds about half a cord, they now do extensions for it so think I will get those. You can take the tub off for big logs. Not sure I would bother with the crane if doing it again. Do not use it very often.


What is that?! That's awesome - gotta share where you find it. Not sure my ATV is large enough to haul a fully loaded one of those but dang sure I'd try.


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## ADK_XJ (Apr 21, 2015)

maple1 said:


> Just wondering about the rack on the back of the ATV - I could see the front end of the ATV getting light with a nice load in both it & the cart. But then again it might not be an issue if you won't be dealing with hills that much. I have most all of my ATV mounted weight on the front rack - gives me pretty good all-round control & traction when on a hill with loaded trailer.


That's a good point. I've been looking for a good / reasonably priced rack box for the front for that very reason. Although I haven't loaded the rear drop basket with more wood or many heavy items when using the cart so far.

haven't been held up yet and I had the cart filled over the top of the new racks with green ash tonight.

Weren't any crazy hills in between that wood and the barn but certainly some ups and downs - slow but steady in 4WD got me to and from just fine.


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## BrotherBart (Apr 21, 2015)

ADK_XJ said:


> What is that?! That's awesome - gotta share where you find it. Not sure my ATV is large enough to haul a fully loaded one of those but dang sure I'd try.



http://www.drpower.com/power-equipm...ailer-6ft-tandem-axle-1-ton--complete-kit.axd


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## Como (Apr 21, 2015)

It will tow loaded in high on the flat, but normally I have slopes to contend with and keep it is low.

Only problems I have had is with wet snow and steep slopes losing grip.


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## Enzo's Dad (May 14, 2015)

I just bought the lawn tractor version of the Ohio steel dump cart, it really helps saving time for me in the yard


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## kennyp2339 (May 14, 2015)

I have the same cart now for 4 years, bought it at tractor supply. I love this cart, it is rugged, great ground clearance, and you have the option of using a pin mount system or ball mount system. FYI I did manage to almost break the thing, not by bad design, by my laziness / stupidity. what ever you do when emptying the cart do not back up to flip the material out, backing up will cause the hinge flange to bend on the dump cart, it is not designed to handle that type of stress, luckily I stopped before I did any serious damage, other than that it is a great cart and awesome in the woods to pull out logs and rocks.


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## johnpma (Aug 20, 2015)

I'm sold going at lunch to get one......have a 10%off coupon


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## bornhunter04 (Aug 20, 2015)

I've got one of these as well. The cart has been great. Just added some sides to it. Need to put another 1x4 on it.

The only problem i have had is that i have a basket on the rear rack of my honda rancher (the supplied mounts didn't work, so i added some 1x4's and longer u-bolts to get it mounted) and if i turn to tight the cart will get caught under the basket and break the cart. I JB welded it back together and seems to be holding up so far.

Not a problem with the cart just a problem with my setup. the cart has been awesome, i got it last fall and it's been the best $300 i ever spent. I had mine shipped direct to Home Depot and picked it up on my way home.

ETA; I also discovered that a Stihl Bar Nut wrench is the same size as the nut for the hitch on these carts. So 1/2"? Needed to adjust mine the other night and wouldn't you know the chainsaw wrench i had handy fit it.


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## Dmitry (Aug 22, 2015)

I got my Polar 18 cu ft from Lowes. Had some doubts about working it with my Zero- turn , no complaints so far


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## velvetfoot (Aug 22, 2015)

My earlier point was that when I unloaded rounds by tipping the trailer, I eventually broke the back lip.  It still works and it's been a few years.


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## Fred Wright (Aug 22, 2015)

Dump carts are great for hauling in the woods. Easily maneuverable, you can steer around trees and other obstacles with ease.

This Ohio Steel workhorse has hauled many a cord over its lifetime. I've overloaded it, got it mired down to the axle a time or three. Just can't seem to break it.

Personally I don't care for the plastic ones. They're good carts, just seems like a lot of money for plastic. Figure if I gotta pay that much, make it steel.


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## kennyp2339 (Aug 23, 2015)

Ive gone through a few dump carts over the years, the metal ones just didn't last more than 3 years for me, I bought the plastic dump and haven't had any issues other than 1 mistake on my part. The metal dumper carts over time started to warp, the side walls would bow out and the rear removal plate would get so bent up, the plastic is like a big bowl and is flexible so it wont crack.


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## johnpma (Aug 31, 2015)

Put the cart to work on the weekend......no complaints but need to add sides to get more in the cart


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## Ashful (Aug 31, 2015)

johnpma said:


> Put the cart to work on the weekend......no complaints but need to add sides to get more in the cart


Just plane down a few 1x3's, and then cut them to 20" lengths.  Works for me:


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Sep 1, 2015)

Ashful said:


> I've been using the same Ohio cart for 4 years.  Holds up very well, even to my extreme abuse.
> 
> View attachment 157165


Nice


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Sep 1, 2015)

ADK_XJ said:


> It was rainy and I was off from work so I cut up some 1x3s and assembled these handy dandy fence/rails for the back and sides of the cart:


Nice job!


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Sep 1, 2015)

Fred Wright said:


> Dump carts are great for hauling in the woods. Easily maneuverable, you can steer around trees and other obstacles with ease.
> 
> This Ohio Steel workhorse has hauled many a cord over its lifetime. I've overloaded it, got it mired down to the axle a time or three. Just can't seem to break it.
> 
> ...


This looks good too


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Sep 1, 2015)

This is mine, not as great but does ok, I might add sides one day after seeing your great work, thanks for the ideas.....


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## Jazzberry (Sep 15, 2015)

TSC has a steel 17 cu. ft 1250 lb dump trailer for 199.00. The 10 cu ft is only 99.00
Gonna pick one up and park it by my porch full of wood with a tarp over it this year


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## Jazzberry (Sep 19, 2015)

Went cart shopping yesterday and saw the 17' TSC cart for $199. The Polar like Dmitris was built a lot better and it was an easy decision to pay an extra hundred for the 18' Polar. I cut the doodad hitch off and put a ball tongue on it. I am going to park it next to my door and put a tarp over it for convenience this winter. Figured I best explain it since it looks a little funny that I got a dump cart for my dump Ranger  lol


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## ADK_XJ (Sep 28, 2015)

Jazzberry said:


> View attachment 162218
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Nice! Looks like a good one. I hear those dump cart Rangers are where it's at for wood hauling. If I hadn't found my used Yamaha Kodiak so quickly last spring, I had a buddy in the US Forestry Service pushing me to just buy a Ranger.


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## Jazzberry (Sep 28, 2015)

Thanks I highly recommend Rangers too. Its been really great. I need to get a snow plow hooked up before long on it.


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## ADK_XJ (Feb 5, 2019)

Well, nearly 4 years later I’m returning to this thread...I finally did some significant damage to the Ohio Steel dump cart I bought back in 2015. On a bitterly cold day I was dumping a big load of green oak and heard a loud crack. Sure enough I put a good 8-10” crack in the lip of the cart down to the pan.

It’s wamred up enough this week that I might try to tackle a repair: any suggestions from other owners?

I’m tempted to use a fiber cement bondo like product for auto repair and reinforce with some steel bar and rivets.


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## kennyp2339 (Feb 5, 2019)

Don’t try to fill the crack, you need a patch for that. I’ll pm you


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## Ashful (Feb 6, 2019)

I just replaced mine with this.  Holds a full cord, actually it serves as my wood rack all winter on the patio, and it pulls double duty as a mulch dump wagon in spring.


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## ADK_XJ (Feb 6, 2019)

Ashful said:


> I just replaced mine with this.  Holds a full cord, actually it serves as my wood rack all winter on the patio, and it pulls double duty as a mulch dump wagon in spring.
> 
> View attachment 240345
> 
> ...



That's bad ass...but would require me to buy (build?) something like that and have a tractor to pull it around with. Where did you get it?

For now, I'm stuck with my ol' Yamaha Kodiak ATV and trying to fix-up this dump wagon. The patch route seems to be the way to go...


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## SpaceBus (Feb 6, 2019)

Ashful said:


> I just replaced mine with this.  Holds a full cord, actually it serves as my wood rack all winter on the patio, and it pulls double duty as a mulch dump wagon in spring.
> 
> View attachment 240345
> 
> ...



That is slick. Did you make it or buy it?

I'm also a novice to driving with trailers and I would run into all kinds of stuff with that articulated trailer!


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## Ashful (Feb 7, 2019)

Yeah, this one is a real mother to back up, with the second point of articulation.  I can damn near do a slalom course with a trailer in reverse (like that Ohio Steel job), and it took me a little while to wrap my mind around backing up this wagon, but it is do-able with a little practice.

This wagon is purchased as a kit, and you assemble it.  The mounting points for the cylinder are even there from the manufacturer, to add a cylinder of your own for the hydraulic dump.  I used it as a non-dump wagon for a year, hauling wood, then added the hydraulics when I made another garden in my yard and had to move and spread 110 yards of garden mulch in two weekends last spring.  That dump feature saved me an enormous amount of grief, and I look forward to using it every year, although I doubt I’ll ever top 60-70 yards of mulch in a single year, again.

I love this wagon, so I wouldn’t hesitate recommending it to anyone.  Before this, I used to haul 1/4 cord at a time from my wood lot to my house, in one of those Ohio Steel poly tub utility trailers, and re-stack it in racks at the house.  But with this wagon, I just haul a full cord up to the house and park it.  The wagon IS my wood rack.  That cuts the time down to move 1 cord of wood up to my house (every 3 weeks) from half a day to an hour.

It’s also great for hayrides in the woods and fields with the kids in October.  My only challenge is that I only have one, as I want to use it for hayrides in October and moving mulch in March or April, but I want it for firewood from beginning of October thru at least end of April.


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## ADK_XJ (Feb 7, 2019)

Ashful said:


> Yeah, this one is a real mother to back up, with the second point of articulation.  I can damn near do a slalom course with a trailer in reverse (like that Ohio Steel job), and it took me a little while to wrap my mind around backing up this wagon, but it is do-able with a little practice.
> 
> This wagon is purchased as a kit, and you assemble it.  The mounting points for the cylinder are even there from the manufacturer, to add a cylinder of your own for the hydraulic dump.  I used it as a non-dump wagon for a year, hauling wood, then added the hydraulics when I made another garden in my yard and had to move and spread 110 yards of garden mulch in two weekends last spring.  That dump feature saved me an enormous amount of grief, and I look forward to using it every year, although I doubt I’ll ever top 60-70 yards of mulch in a single year, again.
> 
> ...



Cool. Do you mind sharing the source of the kit? Do they have other (smaller?) ones?


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## Ashful (Feb 7, 2019)

ADK_XJ said:


> Cool. Do you mind sharing the source of the kit? Do they have other (smaller?) ones?



No problem, it was Country Manufacturing Inc.  http://www.countrymfg.com/2_ton_wagon.htm

They have a whole range of products, but I honestly haven’t looked at their site in 2 years.  I like this one because of the weight rating, it’s really hard to find a small wagon that not only has the volumetric capacity for a full cord of wood, but the weight handling to safely support it.  My yard is a little hilly, and with a 4000 lb. wagon on the back of my 2000 lb. tractor, things could get real dangerous if there were a catastrophic trailer failure on a hill.


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## SpaceBus (Feb 7, 2019)

Ashful said:


> No problem, it was Country Manufacturing Inc.  http://www.countrymfg.com/2_ton_wagon.htm
> 
> They have a whole range of products, but I honestly haven’t looked at their site in 2 years.  I like this one because of the weight rating, it’s really hard to find a small wagon that not only has the volumetric capacity for a full cord of wood, but the weight handling to safely support it.  My yard is a little hilly, and with a 4000 lb. wagon on the back of my 2000 lb. tractor, things could get real dangerous if there were a catastrophic trailer failure on a hill.



That's a reasonable price as well.


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## Ashful (Feb 7, 2019)

SpaceBus said:


> That's a reasonable price as well.



You think?  Maybe I wasn’t really appreciating all that’s there, but I felt it was awful expensive, for what it was.  But I needed it and there weren’t other options short of building my own, and I don’t have the spare time to build my own, so I went with it.  I received one part that didn’t fit, and they promptly replaced it, no other issues.  Quality is pretty good.  The drawbar connection is taking a real beating from backing it up hill into the house with a full load, though.


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## ADK_XJ (Feb 8, 2019)

Ashful said:


> You think?  Maybe I wasn’t really appreciating all that’s there, but I felt it was awful expensive, for what it was.  But I needed it and there weren’t other options short of building my own, and I don’t have the spare time to build my own, so I went with it.  I received one part that didn’t fit, and they promptly replaced it, no other issues.  Quality is pretty good.  The drawbar connection is taking a real beating from backing it up hill into the house with a full load, though.



They certainly seem well made but, having only a 400CC quad, the idea of buying a $1000-2000 trailer that I can't even really pull without a bigger machine is counter-intuitive. At $300 the Ohio Steel also seems to fit in a sweet spot for maneuvering through an old, overgrown sugar bush with a towering load of firewood and I love the simple load-out configurations you do with a couple quick cuts of plywood and 1x3s.

Reader's Digest version: if I can't get the one I have repaired sufficiently to haul wood, I'll probably make it my dedicated tool and chainsaw cart and buy another one for wood and maple sap/syrup hauling.


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## Ashful (Feb 8, 2019)

True’dat.  You can pile a heap load of wood on those little Ohio Steel POS’s, provided it’s not bitter cold.  Here is how I used to treat mine, 1/4 cord at a time:


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