Modifications and non-traditional use of an AEROCART 8-IN-1 YARD CART / WHEELBARROW / DOLLY
As a DIYer tackling a 400+ sq ft lift and re-lay of a paver patio that included proper excavation and base rebuild, I needed to bring in 16 tons of #57 (3/4″) gravel, and 2 tons of #8 (clean/washed 3/8″) gravel.
Our property is on the side of a steep hill, with the patio in the backyard on the uphill side of the house. The gravel was dumped in the driveway in front of the house, about 50′ from the patio, an elevation difference of 10’+. Manually hauling up the cart full of gravel at ~300lbs a load was out of the question. Enter the ingenuity phase. I setup a hoist with a 50′ line and a wireless remote control setup to handle moving the cart up and down the hill, all with the press of a button (and a bit of guiding via the handle).
Using a guide I found on YouTube, I modified the AC hoist to make it remote controlled. It required the following parts:
- 2x HVAC Motor Contactor, 120V 30 Amp Coil 2 Pole Replacement Relays
- 1x Motor Wireless Remote Control Switch 110V 220V AC 10A
- 1x Generic plastic storage bin with lid to hold the parts keep it somewhat protected from the elements
I also built a mount for the hoist using 1.5″ square tubing with punched holes from the local hardware supply store to pull horizontally, and anchored the hoist mount to the ground using 16″ ground anchoring screws.
I replaced the steel wire cable on the hoist as it was about 15′ too short with a 4mm*50ft Synthetic Winch Hoist Rope.
I modified the cart so that the main load bearing wheels were into the handcart position to level out the cart, while allowing the use of the pull wheels to guide the cart up the hill as it was being pulled up.
As you can see in the picture below, the project was a success (nearly done here). A lot of effort, but having it done right while saving a lot of money was worth it.
