Well, I don’t have a shop – that’s why I did what I did. And it is a shop kind of thing. I do all my automotive work in a carport. All of my car-working tools, except for one, are stored in my basement, which is enough of a pain on its own. The one tool that is stored in my shed is my
3-Ton Daytona Long Reach Low Profile Jack. The Jack weighs 103 lbs. My shed is more than 100 feet from my carport and carrying that behemoth of a jack back and forth between them just ain’t happening anymore. I needed a better method of transport.
I looked at lots of wagons, carts, and hand trucks, but none of them seemed to be the right solution. Wagons and carts are flat, take up a lot space, and I’d still have to hoist the jack on and off of them. Hand trucks seemed better as they take up less floor space, and the jack could be strapped to one for upright storage; however, the bottom plate is just that: a flat plate with nothing to prevent the jack’s wheels from rolling/slipping off.
Then I discovered the
Chicago Electric Gas Welding Cart at Harbor Freight. All the benefits of a hand truck, plus it has a tray at the bottom to prevent the jack wheels from rolling off, and a large pair of wheels and tires to make hauling it across the lawn even easier. Because the tray is deeper from front-to-back than I need for the jack, I fabricated an insert from some scrap wood to give the jack wheels just enough room to fit without rolling around or sliding side-to-side and a little spot for the end of the jack handle to sit in. The insert fits snugly enough that I didn't have to bolt it in or modify the cart itself in any way.
To put the jack in the cart, I lay the cart face-down and roll the jack into place, cinch the tie-down strap, and stand the cart upright (much easier than hefting the jack up onto a flat cart.) Getting the jack out is just as easy: the lay the cart face down, release the strap, and roll it out.
Here are some photos. The first was shot from my carport to provide perspective on how far away the shed is from the carport. The rest show the cart loaded up and ready to roll.
