The Big Red Wagon

[cteno4]

A couple of years ago when shows started up again we got a new tool (besides the battery power supplies) for doing shows that is just fantastic! This is our big red folding wagon. In the past we had used every sort of contrivance to move layout stuff to and from cars to layout locations at shows, from hand carts to pallet carts, to small wagons. None worked very well and most were not easily portable if the moved any amount of stuff. Plus each had their big instabilities that not everyone was aware of and a couple of times a year there would be a spill of some boxes (usually no huge damage, but some minor repairs all the time due to these).

 

Then we found the big collapsable wagons! These accordion down to a pretty small size and when extended ours is a 49.5" L x 18" W x 11"  interior dimension wagon (about the biggest I’ve seen). It has super nice steering and the wheels roll smoothly on rough pavement (problem with many small harder wheels) and go thru grass and some dirt pretty well (but can be a bit harder to pull (they do make big balloon or wide wheels for these for looser dirt or sand but that’s not our need, the big round wheels work best for that). It’s just the right width for most of our module boxes and we stack it up pretty high at times and the I have a big bungee cord net we sling over it. It’s super sturdy, we could probably wheel out an exhausted club member to their car in it!

Really makes moving stuff easier, where was this like 20 years ago! a must if you do events and worth every penny not having to schlep stuff by had or use things that can spill easily. I brought it to a picnic the other weekend where the parking lot was like a quarter mile from the picnic area and everyone was so amazed seeing me roll up after they had slogged many bags and boxes of stuff out by hand!

 

cheers,

 

jeff

 

I’ve piled it twice as high as this in the past!

 

[cteno4]

Yikes just saw ours is now $200! I think we got it for like $110 a couple of years back. Black is still $110.

 

jeff

[Kingmeow]

Additional info.

 

I've been using the exact same one for years for my RC airplanes.  The original was made by a company called MAC.  I don't know if they are still around but there are a ton of imitators out there now.  One common one made by Ozark Trails at Walmart.

 

I paid $75 for mine and thought, at the time, was way expensive.  But, as it turns out, the quality was pretty high.  It's rated to carry 150 lbs. and I have often approached that.  Once I got it, it was more than RC airplanes and equipment that I used it for.  Years later, it still works with nothing broken.

 

I don't know if the cheaper in price imitations are built as well but I can vouch for the original MAC version.

 

BTW Jeff, where did you get the cargo net?  Seems to be a nice match in size and I always overflow the wagon.  🙄

Edited July 18 by Kingmeow

[cteno4]

Great to hear it’s been a success for your rc stuff, perfect for that! Funny how sometimes you can remove one little tedious bit and make doing something so much more enjoyable. Four us the last couple of years it’s been the big red wagon, the battery power supply (no more running extension cords and worrying about power outlets), and the tiny usb charging high volume low pressure air pump to fill the big inflatable gojis up (no more loud and very slow high pressure low volume tire pumps or huffing and puffing and getting light headed)!

 

Yes there are a lot of variations out there. One of our club members had a small collapsable wagon many years  ago he used for his 5 or 6 boxes, but it folded up larger than the big red wagon! Many of the even medium sized pallet carts and hand trucks also took up as much or more room and carried way less and were way less maneuverable than the big wagon.

 

the MAC seems very well built and I’ve not seen any wear or something going wrong with it. I’ve probably used it like 15 times now. only complaint I have is I wish the handle was maybe 2-3” longer as I can still catch my heal on the wagon when dragging it once and a while, but I’m pretty tall ajd long legged ans big footed and I tend to move into long strides when I get going so understandable I’m outside their design range! I may look at adding a handle extender. Also it needs some sort of wheel lock once folded up as it’s very hard to prop it up without the wheels letting it roll out and fall down. I need to look at wrapping a bungee around the wheels to see if that will be enough to prevent this. Not a huge issue just a minor issue when loading and unloading and stowing the cart.

 

i got the cargo net from amazon. The net stretched in the picture is about at the minimum. I’ve loaded the wagon about 4-5’ high and stretched the net over it no problem. The net came with carabiners and hooks. Carabiners are hard to snap on and off to the wagon, so I put the hooks on which are easy to hook on, but when starting and things loose they can slip off easily until pressure is applied and when the net is stowed the net and hooks get into a tangle that can take a couple of minutes to untangle. I may go back and try the carabiners again. I lay it over the top of the pile and hook the 4 corners first then get the in between ones. I can usually go a layer of two boxes above the wagon bed lip without the net if I watch myself and live dangerously! We have mostly plastic boxes and they have some top to bottom locking, but also can be slick and slide.

 

one of our members is into model rocketry and got one to take his big carrying case he made to stow his rockets along with folding chairs and such. I think he ended up with one of the two level ones.

 

jeff

[Kingmeow]

3 hours ago, cteno4 said:

Also it needs some sort of wheel lock once folded up as it’s very hard to prop it up without the wheels letting it roll out and fall down. I need to look at wrapping a bungee around the wheels to see if that will be enough to prevent this. Not a huge issue just a minor issue when loading and unloading and stowing the cart.

 

Thanks for the link on the cargo net.  I'll take a look as I too often overload the wagon.  🙂  It can take it weight wise but things start falling off as you go over bumps or around a corner.  😄  I have used mine for almost 10 years with no troubles at all.  It just works an still rolls well.  Doesn't even squeak.  🙂

 

As for it rolling down and out when folded, you can turn the swivel wheels 90 degrees when you lean the folded wagon against something.  Works all the time and doesn't go anywhere.  Mine has just enough clearance to turn them 90 degrees.

 

 

Edited July 18 by Kingmeow

[cteno4]

Yeah I rotate the wheels but small bump can get one knocked out a bit and come loose when set down or small nudge. I don’t use the cover usually and I wonder if the cover holds the wheels in some, as it seems to compact the whole thing a tad. I need to experiment but my first thought was some Velcro or bungee to hold it all in place. Or maybe magic magnets! I love it when something like this can be dealt with with magnets. My table saw table extension has two fold up metal legs and it’s really hard to fold both legs up and fold down the extension, sort of a three handed thing. Stuck a few flat neodymium magnets and they hold the legs in place when folded under the extension and voila simple simple solution.

 

i didn’t have a little red wagon when was a kid, but I’m happy I have a bit red collapsable wagons as an adult kid!

 

jeff

[Kingmeow]

Interesting thought about the cover.  I always use the cover, even when taking it in the car folded.  Makes it smooth and less chances of things getting caught/stuck in the metal frame elements.  I think the cover is key here with the 90 degree rotation.  Else the wagon has a tendency to expand itself.

[cteno4]

I’ll give the cover a try. I do like having access to other grab points without the cover though. But do like having be a bit thinner for the car where every inch can count with larger objects like this.

 

jeff

[Kingmeow]

If you have leather seats, the cover is good to protect potential damage by the metal frame pieces sticking out.

[cteno4]

It’s usually in the back of the wagon so no worries about seats. I tend to put it sideways on edge so having access to grabbing the metal bits is helpful. Maybe I can add a handle onto the side of the cover. I usually pack it in last at the very back so it’s the first thing to pull out, open up and start loading. Either that or I pop into standing upright in the floor of the passenger’s side, but need to make sure it fits there in the niro now. Good thing is tailgate on niro is more vertical so I think it will pack in the back well. Prius V had an odd angle to the tailgate that required the wagon sit in a bit and take up some extra room (and why I packed it into the passenger side a lot.

 

another side improvement has been using a 48”w x 18”d x 80”h wire metal shelving unit on wheels to store all the layout bits on. Club stuff takes up the whole unit. But easy to roll it out of the garage to the back of the car and easily load in/out of the car!

 

jeff