Build a Billy Cart

By ScitechWA in WorkshopWoodworking

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There is a lot of building going on at Scitech at the moment with the opening of our new
feature exhibition Ingenious.
All that hammering and gluing took us back to our childhood and we just couldn't resist the
temptation to build a billy cart.

A billy cart (or gravity racer) is a fantastic way to start woodworking, designing and losing
your skin on bitumen.
So let's build it!

Step 1: For Easy Reference

All the instructions including parts and cutting lists can be

printed out on this single A4 size .pdf

Attachments

Billy Cart Demo Instructions.pdf

Download

Step 2: Materials

The parts required for this Billy cart are:

Qty.4 X 3.5 x 4" pneumatic trolly wheels - take some of the bumps out of the road
Qty.1 X 1200 x 396 x12 mm Plywood BC boards
Qty.2 Following
X 1200 x90 x 35 Pine beams
Qty.2 X Axle 'Adjustable Ambassador' 450-600mm 1/2in
Qty.4 X Mounting brackets (supplied with adjustable ambassador)
Qty.4 X Split pins
Qty.1 X Roll of clear vinyl tubing 16mm x 2 mm
Qty 1 X Zenith M10 75mm stainless steel cup-head bolt
Qty.2 X M10 Hex nutQty.3 X M10 Washers
Qty.1 X Roll10 mm Rope - partly for steering, mostly for dragging your cart up the hill
And as many 25 mm wood screws as you desire,we used around 20.

All should be available at your local hardware store.

Step 3: Tools
And the tools of course...

something to measure with

something to mark with
something to cut wood with
something to put screws in
something to drill holes with (+ an M10 drill bit)
something to tighten nuts with
bandages optional...

Step 4: What to Do
Here's Paul showing how easy it is to build

Billycart Demo

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Mrballeng made it! fabrian8 made it!

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Really helpful and clear - thank you! I will use this to build a boat dolly to launch and retrieve small
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wrodgers21 4 years ago

I have a gravity cart that my daddy made me when I was a kid. He called it a truck-a-wheel wagon.
Have any of you ever heard this term and where it came from?
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thx for the info ill take this into account

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eddomak 9 years ago

Fantastic and easy to make. I made 2 in a weekend. You will need a longer bolt than the
suggested 75mm though, more like 90mm, as it needs to go through 35mm spine + 35mm
crossbar + 3 washers + 2 nuts. Hope this saves someone an extra trip to the hardware store!
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Finally got around to building it today. Spent about $40 total
(already had plywood). The wheels were purchased for $6 each from Harbor
Freight. Axles (2) were solid steel rod purchased (and cut to about 23"
in length each) from ACE Hardware. Couldn't find the "Adjustable
Ambassador" anywhere, so purchased four collars that held wheels in
place. Converted everything to standard (from metric) but mine looks
almost identical to the one in your photo. Thanks for posting this!

Reply

Anverbeek 10 years ago

Really simple and easy:-)

 Reply

jktechwriter 10 years ago

Finally got around to building ours today. Spent about $40 total (already had plywood). The
wheels were purchased for $6 each from Harbor Freight. Axles (2) were solid steel rod purchased
(and cut to about 23" in length each) from ACE Hardware. Couldn't find the "Adjustable
Ambassador" anywhere, so purchased four collars that held wheels in place. Converted
everything to standard (from metric) but mine looks almost identical to the one in your photo.
Thanks for posting this!

Reply

DLeeC 11 years ago

Hi, for those of you who have made one of these, approx. how much did it cost?
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cristian 2003 11 years ago

I made that from your instructions it works great

 Reply

1 reply

ScitechWA (author) 11 years ago

Hi,
That would matter where you live!
But in Australia the local hardware stores sell them.
But all they are is a metal rod with some holes through the end to stop the wheels coming off.

Rod

Reply

jktechwriter 11 years ago

Has anyone gone shopping yet? Just curious if I can really find all of this at ACE Hardware or
Home Depot or Lowes. The axle rods look like they might be tricky to find... wheels as well.

Reply

1 reply

wbannister 11 years ago

Where can u buy the axle mounting brackets

 Reply

repetesmile 11 years ago

Nice Plans – Suggestion: I highly recommend mounting a short 2x4” block underneath and about
1-1/2” +/- behind the center of the foot steering board to stop it from accidentally swinging too far
and crushing a rider’s leg. (I made a motorized cart like this over 45 years ago. Needless to say, I
am speaking from experience re: crushing a rider’s leg. Not a laughing matter!)

Reply

1 reply

robotmaker 11 years ago

nice i remember building one when i was 15 it look about the same
that was 30 years ago and had so much fun with it

Reply

Searomer 11 years ago

Down hill thunder, Great fun.

Reply

portlandpointe 11 years ago

If you have a Harbor freight near you they have wheels for 3.99

Reply

Cadet Park 11 years ago

And im makin one today. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay

Reply

1 reply

rosewood513 11 years ago

I love it but I am beyond the kiddies who race but I am a gardener and this would make a great
cart if you box it. Thanks..

Reply

chuckyd 11 years ago

That's expensive and complicated. When i was a child we used two pieces of used 2x8 and 2
pieces of used 2x4, some found rope, spare bolts and nails and four used baby carriage wheels.
Mine was the fastest in the neighborhood.

Reply
 Cadet Park 11 years ago

Just have to convince my parents to let me make one

Reply

patrickmhart66 11 years ago

This is great.....I remember when I was a boy we used 2x4s , baby carriage wheels and metal
rolling skates and a metal milk crate for the seat...thanks for the memmories!

Reply

ASCAS 11 years ago

Cool!

Reply

interestedturtle 11 years ago

Cool enough to get my vote.

Reply
 HPandLOTR 11 years ago

awesome job :) really great project :)

Reply

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