UDS/WSM + Kettle cart design ideas - input wanted please

So, spring is around the corner and I have already started coming up with ideas for projects. At the top of my list is the idea of a simplistic (of sorts) design for a cart that could hold a UDS's or WSM's along with a Weber kettle. I have built a couple carts already (see my signature) but I like to play in the garage and this seems like it could be something I could do not only as a hobby but also to generate a little money off of the hobby. I am not looking to start a full time business but I figure if I am going to play in the garage, I might as well make something that might have some value to others.

Here are some sketches I have toyed with in Google SketchUp. Luckily Weber has a scale kettle in the library and someone, from this site I believe, submitted a UDS. So, these drawings are roughly to scale and should allow for easy planning and modular changes. The design is simple at its core but could easily be expanded for customization. The main drive behind this concept is a cart that a person could take to the neighbor's for a BBQ or to a comp to transport several cookers at once. Skewing slightly from the simplistic approach, these examples do contain a storage box and a cooler on the right side but this could easily be modified or removed. I am also trying to work in some removable work surfaces that are handy yet unobtrusive. One lesson I have learned with my previous carts is that pneumatic tires are a must to get over rough terrain or even the lip into the garage.




Now I ask the brethren for comments and suggestions. Is this something that you would find useful if it was available for a decent price? What core features do you think should come standard? What additions, both basic and excessive would you want? If you don't like the idea, please give constructive comments as well.

Also, for the metal working brethren, my initial plan is to build this out of square 1"x1" steel tube. Is 11ga thick enough to hold up to potential stresses? I just have a little mig/flux box right now and I think its max is 3/16" but I can obviously build this cheaper with thinner metal. There is a company here in KC called Metal by the Foot. Based on the online quote system, it seems like I can get a decent price on steel in small quantities that I would be buying it in. Plus, I can have it cut (square cuts) to length for me. What do you guys think?

Here is another version I made. Google SketchUp is so fun. This "fancy" model has an umbrella mount in the middle and a mounted swivel chair which might need some reinforcement :becky:

I have an idea for removable surfaces. Unfortunately my SketchUp skills are still developing so showing something is a little difficult. I think I might be able to mock something up tomorrow. I do agree, though, that work surface area is a prime concern.

Big Ace said:

How about a drop down shelf in front of each cooker(or maybe a long one.) Like on a Klose(http://www.bbqpits.com/backyard_smokers/20x30_deluxe_smoker.htm)

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That is kind of my idea. I am still debating between a permanently mounted shelf and one that is removable that can be fit at several locations as needs arise.

TailGateJoecom said:

Biggest pain in the ass using the wsm is dealing with the dome top and the top grate when trying to get at the lower grate.
1 For the dome top, a upside down L shaped bar shoots up behind the smoker and rises a few feet above it then comes out over the center of the pit with a hook hanging below it, wide enough for the handle to be completely cradled. You lift off the top and place the handle in the hook and it is suspended up in the air over the pit

2 For the top grate and whatever food is on it, utilize the same upside down L shaped bar, placing a V shaped bracket coming out somewhere under where the top will rest when lifted and hanging and a few feet up from the cooking surface. You pull off the top rack and place it on the V bracket then have access to the lower grate. Everything is sitting there hovering over the pit for quick reassembly.

I think a cart with the WSM with this tree and a side table sized for a common cutting board size would be pretty cool. Maybe with space for a bucket for coal underneath the table. I think you might sell a few of those. You could also make brackets to attach things like suspended lighting for comps/night cooks,an umbrella, stoker/ique to the tree as well. Taking the attachment/modular idea further, maybe make the frame modular, like each module is one of your vertical rectangular frames that you have encasing a cooker in your pics.. If you have a wsm you just need that frame, have a uds as well, make that an additional frame you bolt on, have 2-3 wsms for comps, just bolt them on. Need a side table or two, etc, then just place the wheels at the corners of the finished cart.

Sorry to go a little off the reservation there, did product development for a while and it is always something i enjoyed.

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I appreciate the input. Believe me, off the reservation thinking is how I funciton all the time. Addressing your last comments first, the modular design is aready in my head and I really like how it looks in my thoughts. I will try to put it down in a drawing to really see what it looks like. As far as the other suggestions, I have thought about most of them and most should be easily added as needed. In the drawing above I have already address the umbrella and I have another drawing where the cart can be integrated with a larger canopy adding stability to the canopy in windy conditions. As you your main points:

1. That is a fantastic suggestion and on I would not have thought of since I do not have a WSM. I like the idea of a tree and I think that could be implemented easily.

2. I have always battled with how to handle racks loaded with meat. For my UDS's I am moving to the design where the racks have legs and stack on top of each other. Then, all you need is a flat surface to stand the legs on when swapping racks. For a WSM, this may not be as easy and I will definitely think this one through based on your suggestions.

swamprb said:

My experience with carts is in the long run, they are more hassle than what they are worth.

The cart I made for two 18" WSM's was a PITA to haul around to comps, and the only thing it was really good for was rolling under the gazebo cover on the deck if it started raining during a cook.

I currently have two Large Big Green Eggs nested in a commercial Metro shelves cart with industrial casters and I'm beginning to re-think this whole setup as well. It has shelves on both sides and a 12" wood shelf between them. Plenty of storage and room to work with and they are higher than the BGE nests and a comfortable height for me, but it takes up practically one side of my 10'x10' covered gazebo that I cook under. As far as moving it around-it ain't happening! My yard is grass and the weight of two Larges limits its mobility to the deck area.

Don't let me be the buzzkill-if you got the skills to build it Go for it! My cooking needs have changed and a lot of my cookers are in the comp trailer or out of sight and out of my OL's view!

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No worries. Any constructive comments are welcome. It sounds like you have learned the same lesson as I have in regards to castors and that is why I am building this around 10" pneumatic tires. My Good One Rodeo is extremely large and heavy and it still does alright on three of these tires.

Again, I am not really trying to start a new business. I just figured if I was going to be bored and building something then I would like to know what people would want and what makes it usable to them. After all, I already have 2 carts and my garage is filling up quickly.

deguerre said:

Where's the Easy Rider Rifle Rack?

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Rifle rack? C'mon Guerry, let's step it up a bit

I played around a little more with the modular concept. Essentially you could string together several modules depending on what you were doing or go minimal for a simple cook. Put together a couple carts and you have a mobile kitchen.

I have to say that playing around with SketchUp might be more fun than actually building this.

Special version for Guerry :becky:

Well, I have to admit that I am a novice at best but I learn fast. Mostly I am just cherry picking off of the stuff they have in the online library and then editing to suit my needs.