Upcycled Metal Bed Frame Converted to Oversize Rolling Truck Wheel Barrow Platform

I had decided to push the limits of extreme isolation and prep for a full year of total disengagement from the outside world, from any and all of civilization, society, etc. I looked out at the horizon and thought about how much potential there truly is to be creative with overlanding/off-roading with human powered, quiet, clean and green mobility platforms, in contrast to typical fuel or even battery powered vehicles.

I started to think about ways to upcycle the most ubiquitous object in all wastelands world-wide, the discarded used tire. Often the can be found still inflated, not punctured, just worn bare, or replaced without being properly recycled, etc.

After several failed attempts to design was to make my mountain bike ride in the desert sand, I realized that the tire width was simply to thin not just dig it's into the sand in place and go nowhere. I took me falling dead weight only once to realize I had to stop trying.

I went back to the contemplative drawing board, began to visualize some form of human powered all-terrain vehicle or trike, that would have much broader tires. I then looked pricing and remembered my design constrain has always been to try to create things that can be recreated almost anywhere in the world by salvaging trash. With this consideration in mind, I decided the ATV tires would be far more difficult to find that simply used truck or car tires, albeit with the metal wheel still attached.

I then started to draft several sketches of the materials, fasteners, angles, joints, etc, for a human powered desert trike made only of scrap lumber, 1 inch metal pipe, and used truck or car tires. In order to get the materials to build out a prototype with plenty of extra parts to work with as I iterate through many attempts to get it right, I'll have to wait until finances allow.

However the research and development budgetary constraint, would not stop me from create the first proof of concept, the first minimum viable product. Because I only had one decommissioned old spare tire to work with, I couldn't make a trike, however I did quickly realize I could make a sort over-sized desert sand operable wheel barrow type platform. This was also something I very much needed to have but was lacking.

So I went to work hacking apart old wasteland rusting metal chair legs so I could make the first axle. I drilled 1 inch holes in chunks of 2x6 boards, sandwiched on either side of the wheel, with the axle running through, then drilled holes for nuts and bolts to be run through and tightened.

Once this mock-up proved to work, I went about measuring, cutting, and assembling the platform lumber supports, handles, then finally attached an old metal bed frame to the top. It's now a very versatile platform where I can move around bulky items, I can post it up and set legs on it for stability, and secure bamboo poles within it to hold a shade canopy. The possibilities are endless.

Now I'm looking forward to harvesting all of these materials and adapting this core prototype design into all kinds of projects, from trikes to trailers, to emergency medical transports, to portable outhouses, to chicken tractors, etc. etc.

The ergonomics work well, the size of the truck wheel, relative to the force needed to push the platform across a relatively flat desert surface is just about right. I goes without saying, moving this thing around is an epic work out, as it's efficiency is far from what it would be on a hard and smooth surfaces. Again my theory is proven correct, when you work for the land, and not for the man, you don't need to compartmentalize exercise, life in the garden, life in the wild, rewilding is the fitness program of our ancestors.